What to know before dyeing your hair- Your dye
First things first: you’ll need to choose the right hair dye for you. Our website stocks all of the most popular Manic Panic ranges- from bold fashion colours to natural shades and even pastel tones. You can learn more about our ranges in our blog here, or shop them in the menu above.
There are a few factors that are key when picking your hair dye:
Duration- wondering ‘How long does semi-permanent hair colour last’? If you’re looking for a brief transformation, consider our temporary hairsprays, or our Creamtone® Pastels, which will last for 2-4 weeks. Otherwise, choose one of our High Voltage® Classic colours for a vibrant result that will last you 4-6 weeks, or go on for even longer with the Amplified™ range, giving you 6-8 weeks of gorgeous colour.
Type- think about your desired result. Are you looking for a bold and dramatic pop of colour or a natural shade? Or maybe you’re interested in our Creamtone® Pastel tones or our UV hair dyes. Pick the colour and style that best suits your mood, and remember- all of our Manic Panic colours are intermixable, meaning that you can always create a completely unique shade!
Amount- there’s nothing worse than running out of product with half a head of hair to go. Make sure you’re all stocked up and ready for your transformation. While our regular Classic Colour Pots contain 4oz of product, we also stock larger 8oz pots for your convenience. For longer hair, consider getting 2 or 3 8oz pots. Remember- these pots are all resealable, so you can always save some product for a touch-up down the line- our hair dyes have a 12-month shelf life! If you’re just looking to colour your roots or your tips, take a look at our new 50ml pouches, perfect for travelling.
What to know before dyeing your hair- Your hair
Next up, you need to figure out exactly what your hair needs. If your hair is damaged, dry, or dehydrated, consider giving it some love before you dye. You can use our Mermaid Hair Repair Mask, perfect for getting back some moisture and softness.
You should also consider your hair type- thick, curly hair may take longer to be fully saturated, while hair that’s been previously dyed could be more porous and absorbent due to damage. The most important thing to think about is hair level.
What level is my hair colour?
You can check your hair level with this handy chart. Hair level just refers to how light or dark your hair is, and this will help you figure out if you can achieve a bright and vivid colour result. You can check out each hair dye’s page for some more information on the suggested hair level, but in general, we suggest getting your hair to a level 8 or lighter for the brightest colour result. This is just a general guideline- if you’re using a dark, pigmented colour, you can dye dark hair and still achieve a slight tint. However, if your hair dye is lighter, like our Creamtone® pastel shades, you’ll need level 8-10 hair for best results. How can you get to level 8? By bleaching your hair, of course!
How to bleach hair at home-
Bleaching hair can be quite daunting, but if you want a bright and colourful result, it may be worth pre-lightening your hair. You can shop our bleach kits here for our favourite options- we recommend a level 30 bleach for blonde and light brown hair, while a level 40 bleach is best for very dark hair. To bleach your hair, follow the instructions on the packaging. You’ll need to apply the bleach evenly to your hair, working your way from the tips to the roots. The developing time differs from type to type, so make sure to check the packaging. Do not leave the bleach on your scalp for any longer than recommended, and rinse it off immediately if you feel any pain or irritation. You can find more bleach tips in our care guides here.
After bleaching, you can shop our selection of Toners to even out your hair colour. For brassy yellow tones, use our Silver Stiletto Toning Shampoo or Conditioner to get a whiter, more silvery tone. This will give you the best possible base for your hair colour.
How long does bleached hair last?
Bleaching is permanent. That means that your hair will remain lighter until your natural roots grow all the way back out again- the toner may wash out, however, so be aware that your brassy tones may come back. If you’re not comfortable with waiting so long for your hair to grow out, you might want to consider another avenue.
Before you dye your hair-
Once you have your dye ready and your hair prepped, it’s time to make sure you’re ready to go. It’s always best to bleach and dye your hair while it’s greasy, as this gives the strands more protection due to the presence of natural oils. You can wash your hair 12-24 hours before your colour application, or before- we suggest using our Prepare To Dye Clarifying Shampoo. This clarifying shampoo has been fortified with nourishing and cleansing ingredients that are intended to clean and prep your scalp in preparation for the colour.
What is a patch test?
Lastly, you’ll want to perform a patch test. A patch test (and strand test) is a way to test a product before fully committing. This allows you to check if the product will have any adverse reaction in your hair or skin, whether because of allergies or damage. We suggest doing a strand test and a patch test any time you want to bleach or dye your hair.
How to do a patch test-
To do a patch test, you simply need to choose a small area of skin, such as the patch behind your ear. This area only needs to be as big as a 5-pence coin. Wash this area with water and soap, and then dry gently with a towel. Apply a thin layer of your chosen product to the testing area, and leave it untouched for 24 hours. If you experience any reaction (redness, rash, irritation, etc.), then remove the product immediately, and find an alternative for your hair, as this product is not suited to your skin. Otherwise, if there is no reaction within 24 hours, you can remove the product and move on with your hair dye process.
How to do a strand test-
A strand test is the same as a patch test, but on your hair instead of on your skin. Choose a small strand of hair from the back of your head (somewhere easy to hide), and apply a good coating of your chosen product. Leave for the recommended developing time, and then rinse with cool water. You can then examine the result and decide if you’re happy with the texture and colour of the hair. If the hair is damaged, gummy, or breaking, this could indicate that your hair isn’t prepared to handle that product.
Once you’ve got your products ready, your hair pre-lightened, your tests done, and your station set up, it’s time to dye your hair! Check out our next guide- How to dye your hair- for the low-down on how to dye your hair at home. We can’t wait to see your hair colour transformations!
