Removing Hair Dye

No one loves colourful hair more than we do, but there are times when we have to say goodbye to our bright and vibrant locks. If you’re starting the school year, for example, or going into a new job, you may want to tone down the bold colour. Or, you might simply be looking for a change. Whether you’re looking to transition back to your natural hair or to transform your tresses into yet another gorgeous colour, you’ll need to get rid of your current shade. And if you have dyed hair, you’ll know that the hair dye never does what you want it to. When you’re looking for super long-lasting results, the colour may fade faster than you wish, while if you want it to fade, it will hang on stubbornly, refusing to go anywhere. That’s why we decided to put together our top tips for removing hair colour- no matter how stubborn your semi-permanent hair dye is, we’re here to get you back to a clean slate! So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

How long does hair dye last?

Different hair dyes will last different amounts, depending on their brand, type, and pigment. All of our Manic Panic Classic Colours are semi-permanent, meaning that they provide you with 4-6 weeks of colour. We also sell our Amplified High Voltage range, which features the same classic colours but with even more pigment, for a longer-lasting result (up to 8+ weeks). Of course, your colour result also depends on the shade of hair dye and on the maintenance. For instance, pastel tones will fade much quicker than super-pigmented neon colours, and hair that’s washed with colour-protecting products will last much longer than hair that’s left to the elements and washed in hot water.

How to remove semi-permanent hair colour

• Colour Removers- if you want a quick and dramatic return to neutral tones, you may want to consider strong products like colour remover and bleach. For instance, our Manic Panic Bleach Kit is available in different strengths depending on your needs and will strip all colour out of your hair. You can find our bleaching guide here.

Manic Panic Flash Lightning™ Bleach Kit (40 Volume Cream Developer)

Pre-lighten hair before dyeing with Manic Panic Flash Lightening Bleach Kit. This kit comes with 40 volume strength hair bleach.

£10.99

• Clarifying Haircare- if your hair is already damaged, you may not want to use harsh chemicals to remove the colour. In this case, you’ll have to use gentle haircare products, which can help get the colour out over time. We recommend our ‘Prepare to Dye’ Clarifying Shampoo, which helps to get colourful pigment out of your hair in preparation for something new.

'Prepare To Dye' Clarifying Shampoo

Clarify and cleanse your hair in preparation for your new colour using the Prepare to Dye shampoo.

 

£9.98

• Home Remedies- you might also find a lot of home remedies scattered around the internet. These include the classic ‘Vitamin C method’, which consists of putting Vitamin C powder in your hair, and the controversial dish soap method (pretty self-explanatory). However, we recommend trying the clarifying shampoo first, as most of these home remedies will have very weak results and may just damage your hair further.

• Reverse Colour Protection- if all else fails, we recommend just doing the opposite of all our colour-protection tips (to an extent). For example, we usually recommend washing dyed hair with cold water only, so that the hair follicles retain as much pigment as possible. But if you’re trying to get rid of your colour, then go ahead and take as many hot showers as you want! The same goes for letting the sun bleach your hair or letting your locks come into contact with chlorine or seawater. Of course, make sure you remember to always be safe- don’t risk damaging your hair in the name of fading your colour.

• Colour Correction- finally, if you don’t feel like sitting around and waiting for your hair to fade, you can always use other colours to try and ‘correct’ the hair (i.e. get it back to a neutral tone). This is a pretty delicate process, but it can be done if you have a solid grasp of colour theory. For example, if you have blue hair and want to get purple hair, there’s no need to go all the way back to white first. A little red pigment will transform your blue hair into purple without needing any harsh chemicals or damaging products! Check out our full colour theory guide here.

Still not sure? If any of these processes seem too complicated for you to do yourself, you can always get some professional advice. Our Manic Panic ambassador salons are all over the country, full of talented and experienced hairdressers who are just waiting for the chance to advise you. If you run out of other ideas and simply have no idea how to remove your hair colour without any damage, try calling up one of the Manic Panic ambassador salons. Our ambassador hairstylists are sure to help you get your desired colour transformation in a flash! Check out the list of salons here.

We hope that we’ve helped you figure out how to remove semi-permanent hair colour. If you have any more questions about hair dye or hair care, you can check out all of our hair dye guides below.