So, you’re thinking about changing your hair colour to something a little more unique and creative; well we welcome you wholeheartedly. If you’re new to the world of vivid hair colour, get prepared for a journey that knows no limits and provides freedom for you and your style. What’s so great about dyeing your hair using a semi-permanent hair dye is that you don’t have to commit to it forever, but it is very important you know about the semi-permanent formula. 

What is semi-permanent hair dye?

So, how does semi-permanent hair dye work? Semi-permanent hair dye is a formula designed to colour your hair for a limited amount of time, rather than changing the colour permanently. Its non-invasive formula is deposited onto the hair shaft rather than penetrating and directly targeting the hair cuticle. Semi-permanent hair dye is often favoured over permanent alternatives due to its non-damaging properties.

Semi-permanent hair dye is designed to gradually fade from the hair; this often occurs when the hair is washed. Water, especially warm, will open the pores of the hair and allow the pigment from the dye to gradually fade. Other contributors that can cause semi-permanent colour to fade include:

Paraben, sulfate and silicone shampoo and conditioner.

Heat application (water, heat styling tools)

Sun exposure

Chemical exposure

At Manic Panic, our semi-permanent hair dye formulas have been created to not only bring vivid colour to your style but also treat your hair with their highly conditioning formula. Formulated with 98% conditioner, the Manic Panic semi-permanent hair dyes leave hair feeling smooth and supple and looking nourished!

When it comes to choosing the perfect hair colour for you, several attributes are worth considering before you make your final decision. Here’s what our Manic Panic team likes to consider when changing their vivid hair colour.

Hair by @_.hairbypaige._

Colour Longevity

As you know, semi-permanent hair dye is not designed to stay in the hair for good, however, the longevity of these formulas will differ depending on how pigmented they are. Within our collection, you will find a selection of different ranges such as the Creamtones Perfect Pastels, High Voltage Classic Colours and the Amplified Formula dyes; these all offer a very different variety of hair colour longevity types. 

Pastel-toned hair dyes are designed to be extremely light in pigment. Due to this, pastel coloured hair will not usually last over 4 weeks before it has completely faded. With such minimal pigment within the formula, these colours are easily affected by outside contributors such as sunlight; with little effort, these hair colours will fade much quicker than other hair dye colours. 

The High Voltage Classic Colours include a wide range of different hair colours, all of which have quite different longevity types. Our favourite way of thinking about this is to look at how dark, light or bright a colour is. Shades that are quite dark in pigmentation are more likely to last in the hair for longer, some for over 8 weeks! Other less pigmented but bright tones are likely to last between 4-6 weeks, however, this is all dependent on how you choose to maintain your colour. For more information on how to keep hair dye from fading quickly, visit the blog here.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a hair colour to last in your hair for as long as possible without causing any damage, you’ll love our Amplified Formula range. These hair dyes have been formulated using 30% more pigment to ensure a strong and long-lasting hair colour that lasts 6-8+ weeks.

Hair by @hairbygeorgiaa_

Base Colour

Bleaching isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok because we’ve got options! Within our collection of semi-permanent hair dyes, you’ll find colours suitable for natural unbleached hair too. For all of our hair dyes, if you want to get the same vibrant and unmissable colours that we advertise, we recommend bleaching your hair to a clean and evenly toned level 8-10 blonde, depending on the hair dye choice. However, if this isn’t your thing, why not try one of the highly pigmented shades on your natural dark hair colour? 

If you are planning to dye your mid to dark-brown hair, it is best to choose between our deeper and less bright hair colours. Semi-permanent hair dye doesn’t hold any properties that can lighten the hair so using a strongly pigmented formula is much more likely to result in a visible finish. However, please note that without a bleached base, the colour isn’t likely to create a vibrant finish; the hair should result in a subtle tint that is mostly visible in certain lights such as sunlight. 

Some colours we recommend natural brunettes use to bring a bit of colour to their hair include After Midnight, Infra Red, Violet Night, and plenty more! Shop by Hair Level through our website to find Manic Panic hair dyes suitable for your starting hair colour. 

Undertone

You might have found your perfect colour and have it in the cart ready to go, but have you considered its undertone? If you are experienced with hair dyeing, you will probably already be aware of this. Most hair colours are made up of different colours entirely, as is demonstrated by the colour wheel, which means that as the colour fades you might experience some unexpected tones in your hair. 

Colours such as blue often include a green undertone which may become more prominent as the blue fades overtime. It is also possible for the undertone of your chosen hair dye to show its colours if the base hasn’t been prepped to the correct tone. After bleaching the hair, you may find that some unwanted yellow tones appear where the hair hasn’t lifted quite as much as other areas. These yellow sections can cause the coloured dye to create an unwanted tone in the hair such as green or orange depending on the shade you use. We recommend toning the hair to create an even result. The Manic Panic Silver Stiletto Toning Shampoo and Conditioner are violet-toned formulas that counteract those unwanted yellow hues. You can also use toners such as Silver Stiletto or Virgin Snow from Manic Panic. 

Hair by @kitti_at_the_art_house

With this information, you should now be able to pick a semi-permanent hair dye that meets your needs! Not everyone is looking for the same experience from their hair colour transformation and the result can differ for everyone, so taking these attributes into consideration can help you ensure that no surprises are around the corner. If you require any further assistance when choosing your next hair colour, our team is always happy to help. You can contact us via social media or email us on sales@manic-panic.co.uk.