Advice on this purple hair color.

Dec 27, 2015

Christine J.

I love this hair 😍 I've never had my hair dyed so I'm a newb. I just wanted to know if this is something hard to maintain? I have dark brown hair. Also wondering if you think it would be damaging? Like would I have to get my whole head lightened? Etc. Lots of questions but as I said, I have no idea :p I want to make sure before I talk to my hair dresser.

Dec 27, 2015

Carolyn H.

You definitely have to lighten your hair, but how light depends on which shade of purple you're going for.

It's high maintenance cause the purple fades and you have to upkeep roots- but the best purple dyes are vegan and less damaging on hair.

I had purple hair for 2 years, I feel I had minimal damage. I mostly dyed/bleached it myself and sometimes had it professionally done, mainly when I needed a cut.

It's all about how you take care of your hair, products you use[sulphate free]

hope that helped a little

Dec 28, 2015

Brooke L.

I'm a cosmetologist I'd use Joico purple amythest hair color. its around $6 a tube. Box color will not achieve a professional color.

Dec 29, 2015

Alyx T.

I'd recommend either special effects deep purple or manic panic purple haze.

You will need to bleach if you want it to be vibrant and go the exact color of the dye you buy. The lighter your hair, the more intense and the more accurate the color. I personally find special effects lasts longest on most people I know/hear about, followed by manic panic. But you just have to find what works on your hair. It'll all depend on the porosity, dryness, thickness etc. of your hair and the dye may not last at all or it may last months. 

Bleach, when done correctly, does not damage the hair too much. If done correctly, and by someone who knows what they're doing, it will have little damage, like dying hair. I don't recommend bleaching your hair by yourself, ever. I highly recommend going to a pro. I have been getting my hair bleached by a pro and dying it myself since I was 12, and I still don't have the skill to do the bleaching myself. You need to know how to respond in various ways depending on how it reacts on the hair, something you can't learn from google.

What dye will last for you may not last on others. It all depends on the porosity of your hair, the dryness, the amount of color you use, etc.etc. So you'll just have to use different brands till you find the one that lasts longest for you. 

Manic panic and special effects are generally the longest lasting on the majority of people. I like special effects best. I can usually get 6+ months without major fading or having to redye. Whereas ion lasted two washes for my hair, but lasts long on some people. Punky colors lasted about a 3-4 washes on my hair. But every hair is different, and the brand/color that works for one may last one wash in your hair, or the one that lasts one wash in someones hair may last 4 months in your hair. Its very much an expirement. 

Manic panic, special effects, directions and punky color are all veggie pigment mixed with conditioner. Which means it won't damage your hair and you can literally leave it on for hours and it'll be like a hair mask. Splat, joico, raw, and ion are chemically made, so they can be drying, you can still leave it on for hours, its not damaging it's just a bit drying. Like using a crappy shampoo and conditioner. These ones are more likely to stain, so if you plan on changing colors I'd stick to veggie dye. I don't recommend any chemically made dye though, it's most likely to stain making it impossible to get out (this doesn't mean it lasts longer, just that you'll always have a ____ color tint to your hair) and it can be hard to use for beginners since it's very thick or watery and hard to get even if you aren't used to it. It also has zero conditioning agents in it, because it's not a true veggie dye like manic panic, special effects etc.which is veggie pigment and conditioner, ion is chemically made pigment and preservatives to make it last in the tube longer.


How to make it last longer, in quick tip form.
- sulfate free shampoo
- don't shampoo when you don't need to.
- add a few drops of dye into a WHITE conditioner bottle and use it every time you shower. If your conditioner is colored, this will not work.
- use alcohol free products.
- ALWAYS use heat protection if you're going outside. The sun can and will easily bleach the color away.
- don't get it wet if you don't need to.
- when dying, keep the color on as long as possible, veggie dyes do not harm your hair and can be left on as long as wanted. Leave it overnight if you can. Blow dry the hair before rinsing. This will be let the dye coat the hair shaft better.
- oils will fade the hair, because it coats the hair shaft and can go underneath the coating of dye. I still use oils in my daily routine, but try and use a light oil (like argon) and don't go overboard with it. Avoid coconut oil and other heavy oils. Do hair masks rather than oil masks, besides coconut oil is only a sealant not a moisturizer.