*** PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT A COSMETOLOGIST. This is based on my experience for the past 6 years dyeing my hair red, knowledge through my stylist, and research. I do not feel comfortable answering questions beyond what I know, therefore if you are blonde/brunette trying to achieve this color, please consult a professional hair stylist. I personally get my hair done professionally and can’t answer much beyond what I blog about. Thank you. ***
BEFORE COMMENTING TO ASK ABOUT WHAT PRODUCTS I USE AND THE PROCESS DONE FOR MY HAIR, VISIT FAQ BY CLICKING THE PHOTO:
Thank you! I get a ton of questions and repeat myself often so I want to make sure everyone knows exactly where to view the information! Other than what I have stated, if there is anything else you may have not seen me talk about, please feel free to ask away 
——————————————-
I have lost count of the amount of times someone has questioned me about what color my red hair is and how they can achieve the look. Many always state how they can never get that vibrant red hair color, and how often their burgundy colors look too dark for their personal liking, and other issues they face when trying to reach that certain red tone they want. Others complain of finally loving their vibrant red, yet never being able to have that color last as long as they would like to enjoy it. It’s well known, red is the hardest color to achieve, and also the hardest to maintain. However, there are a handful of things to get your color to last every last drop you can get it to! It was a bit of a hassle to me at first, but being a redhead for almost 6 years and counting, I have finally learned my fair share of which dyes to use, maintaining my color as long as I can, and what to do/use and most definitely, what not to!
Semi-permanent Dyes
There are so many opinions on what brand of semi-permanent dye there is to use. Punky colours? Special Effects? N-Rage? or Manic Panic? Some people hate one brand, while another loves the other.
Pictures with these dyes on myself personally will be at the end of the blog entry
Punky colours
Punky colours was the first semi-permanent dye that I was introduced to. I wasn’t anywhere near used to the messiness of the hair dye, while in the process of washing my hair out, and certainly after… Semi-permanents stain your scalp when freshly dyed and also continue to bleed out dye from your hair during washes. It was tough to deal with in the beginning and I had to kiss all my white shirts goodbye, but the color I had was well worth it. It’s exactly why I continued using the product for a year and a half on my natural dark brown hair, never bleached out. I switched off from the colors rubine and red wine. The dye smelled DELICIOUS, even more so because I was so used to boxed dye from drug stores (big NO-NO). Overall, I still love this dye. It’s like a first love sort of thing to me, it’s always going to have a place in my heart and I still would use it, just not as often as I ever did, and not without mixing it into a Manic Panic dye.
Special Effects
Truth be told, all the reviews I read and raves about Special Effects over the internet didn’t amount to what the product did for me. I tried it. I saw NO difference between Manic Panic (which is my favorite) and Special Effects….except for the price! My color did not last longer, and truth be told, I didn’t really like any of the Special Effect colors. It just didn’t do it for me the way other people had been stating it did for them.
N-Rage
This was actually to-date, the last dye I have used on my hair, in the color Crimson Red (mixed it with Manic Panic color in Purple Haze). It reminded me of Punky colours because it was just as messy and kept intensely bleeding during washes. The product was fine, nothing different. I didn’t like their color selection at all and probably would never purchase again, it also costs a bit more than Manic Panic at Sallys Beauty Supply.
Manic Panic!
I have to say, this is my favorite hair dye. Always will be. I’ve tried moving on from Manic Panic to try other dyes, but have always came crawling back to the amazing intensity my hair gets from these dyes. I started off using Manic Panic on my natural dark brown hair but decided to soon after bleach my hair out and use the dye. The color was INTENSE. And I loved it. Because that is exactly what I wanted. I always, always, always mix my semi-permanent hair dyes and Manic Panic makes the best colors to mix into that perfect Red Wine color I want, whether I want my color more on the red size, or leaning towards the purple tones. Even dyeing your hair at the salon and eventually seeing your red begin to fade, a mix of this on top of your already dyed hair (no chemicals-so it isn’t damaging!) will give you a real kick of color. Walk into the sunlight and it will show through so intense and beautiful, these colors really do justice. I love Manic Panic, and I usually use Rock N Roll Red, Pillarbox red, or any other of their bright reds, and mix it with Purple Haze to get the perfect intense burgundy color that isn’t too dark for my personal preference.
Maintaining Your Red Hair Color
It is very important to use a shampoo and conditioner meant for maintaining hair color. You can purchase one of the Genetic Products from Sallys Beauty Supply for around the price of $6, which is very inexpensive. Also, you may consider a dry shampoo to use on days you do not wash your hair.
For washing hair, try to limit yourself to a few times a week. The less you can get away with washing, the longer your color will last. In the shower, be sure to ONLY wash your hair with lukewarm/cold water. The hot water will drain your color out of your hair.
Again, heat being a bad thing for your hair, limit yourself to using hot styling tools such as straighteners and curling irons. I straighten my bangs everyday and they are the quickest and the first part of my hair to fade! It’s true people. Also be sure to use a heat protector when you do decide to use heat to style. So try to air dry and pin curl instead!
Leaving your semi-permanent hair dye for a few hours helps your color last longer as opposed to only having it in for 30 minutes. This will not damage your hair. I leave mine in for 6+ hours… (crazy, I know)
The sun will also cause your color to fade. Make sure to try to stay out of the sun for long periods of time because it will have an effect on your color!
Lastly, you could always pour some Manic Panic, or other semi-permanent dye into your conditioner for a quick “kick” of color in the shower.
Very Quick List of Do’s/Dont’s
- Do invest in a good color protecting shampoo
- Do opt to use hair dyes where you manually mix the dye and developer yourself, or semi-permanents which contain no harsh chemicals and are Vegan products
- Don’t use box dyes from drugs stores. Colors don’t even last long enough for the damage you’re doing to your hair to be worth it!
- Don’t wash your hair in hot water because you’re color is going to wash out
I’m totally bookmarking this to come back to, later. I’m toying with the idea of going red. Or at least adding red to what I’ve got going on now.
By the way, I gave you a blog award: http://www.mamalaura.net/2011/07/ive-won-another-blog-award.html
Thank so much! Let me know if you have any more questions
I was thinking of using manic panic rock n roll red and was wondering what itll look like if i have medium/dark brown hair. i really dont want to bleach it. but i want a deep redd color. if you have any tips on this please let me know :]
If you use it, itll be perfect for a deep dark red. Your color will mainly show through in the sunlight. If you did want to go ahead and bleach your hair or if you wanted it even darker, I recommend Vampire Red by Manic Panic. It’s pretty dark, rock n roll red is way brighter. But you wont have hot red hair if its over dark brown, it will only tint your color, so I recommend just using the manic panic alone, dont bleach
Will manic panic simply wash out since you can use it without bleaching your hair? That’s what I want to do is just go over my natural hair color which is a medium brown. I also wanted to ask if you simply mix two colors together without having to add anything else. Thanks for your advice!
Yes it will wash out 4-6 washes and you use it straight from the jar, no mixing needed
Thanks! btw how long does the manic panic color usually last in your hair?
A pretty good amount of time. The color stays vibrant for well over a month. The only thing I have a problem with is my roots, that usually is the reason I have to dye my hair about every 4 weeks. Other than that, the rest of my hair color is awesome. Make sure to do the steps and stuff in order to preserve your color as well.
Hi Sara,
I recently had my hair dyed at a salon a ‘dark purple’, but honestly I was disappointed with the outcome. My hair is naturally a medim to dark brown & you cant really tell I had it dyed unless you really take a good look at it. I want to try the manic panic you’ve suggested. I really like the purple haze in your image #4. I was thinking doing that as an all over color & adding highlights ( pillarbox red mixed with purple haze) like your image #3. How do you think it will show up without bleaching my hair? Any suggestions? Im tired of spending money at expensive salons & not getting results I want. Your help would be deeply appreciated!
Hello Natasha,
I’d like to start off saying that I know EXACTLY what you mean. It took a lot of trial and error to finally learn what I needed to know and what had to be done in order to get such a vibrant color. I always find the colors used at salons are never as intense and I want them to be, and that is why I love Manic Panic so much. It really gives that striking intense and pigmented color. When I first started using semi-permanent dyes, I did not bleach my hair. This resulted in a tint only. Basically, my hair was toned down and darker looking indoors, but! As soon as I stepped out into the sunlight, the color was very intense in the sunlight. This is what helped me ease up to actually bleaching my hair out (yes) to finally get the vibrant color. So my hair has been bleached, but I did end up dyeing it a darker color earlier in the year and have not bleached my hair again other than my ends (I had the ombre hair) so it helped intensify. Instead of bleaching, I recommend the Hi-color by Loreal. It will lift your hair color (its meant for dark hair only) and you can purchase it in a Magenta color! It’s great for lifting your color. I used it all over my hair the first time, after that, I touch up my roots only. Good luck!
Hi Sara!
I am in LOVE with your pillerboz red/purple haze hair! It’s a beautiful color that I have been looking everywhere for. I was wondering if that was on bleached hair?
Thank you
Yes, it was bleached out
thank you!
Thanks so much for the tips Sara!!! (Sorry I hadnt noticed the reply till now) I will keep you posted on the results!
No problem!
Hi Sara!
How do you think pillarbox red and mystic heather mixed would look? Would that make it a brighter burgundy than with the purple haze?
hmmm. honestly not too sure. i attempted mixing ultra violet once to attempt at a brighter burgundy but it didn’t really come out the way i personally wanted it to. i say you have to just give it a shot, i havent tried mystic heather before! let me know if you do, id love to know. it sounds like it would be interesting!
I totally love the colors you’ve done. I was thinking of doing manic panic purple haze. I have natural black and brown hair. So I’m totally nervous that it won’t be noticeably purple.
Thank you! It will only be noticeable for you in the sunlight, other than that it probably wont show much
hey sara i love red hair nd been trying to get the perfect dark red shade, i recently dyed my hair a medium auburn nd its fading i want to use the vampire red do u think it will still come out a dark red or will it be brighter?
It will still be dark, but that’s perfect because it will give your hair a vibrant color and won’t look so dull and faded. I think you should definitely use it!
Hi Sara,
I have to say that I love your hair color. Im trying to achieve a red and I did the Hi Color by Loreal in Magenta , what it did was my roots are bright and my ends are dark. I dont know what happened haha. I dont know what to do to make it even. Any advice?
Did you start applying on your roots first? If so, you should actually start from your ends up. It is normal for roots to get lighter than the rest of the hair because the body temp of the heat actually makes it have a stronger outcome, so that’s why, ends first then work it to the roots! How bad is it? You may just want to go over the dark sections of your hair only (that is what I usually do)
its not that bad but it looks reverse ombre hair in a way. Thanks so much. Im gonna try to do it again tonight and see. How did you acheive that purple pink/ red color? I know its manic panic Purple haze , one of them.
Ah yes, I know that, I got that a lot as well, especially if you look at my Manic Panic photos, you can tell. That was from always dyeing my roots first, then again I liked it much more vibrant around my face. It has become much more even now over the years which is exciting. That is from focusing the Loreal Hicolor in the darkest areas. Hmm… I usually mix my Purple Haze with Pillarbox Red, so it should be that!
i bleached my hair and dyed it a burgundy red. it ended up being darker than i wanted and my ends are still kinda brown… how do you suggest for me to make it brighter like yours. am i gonna have to rebleach it? or can i just use the loreal Hi-color?
Was it a dark burgundy? I have been dyeing my hair with intense bright reds lately, no burgundy colors for me. I am not a cosmetologist so you may want to look into asking a professionally licensed person for advice such as that. To give you my personal opinion, I would need to see what your hair looked like at the moment. I would use the Loreal if it were me and then just dye it one color afterward. Good luck!
Hi Sara…
I love all your looks:)
Just wondering ….who did u make the purple color in ur hair….is nice n good
Thank you! I do all my makeup.
I forgotten to tell u ….
Do u have any ideas for summer hair colors….
I really would love to heard ur ideas
Ttyl
Do you mean type of red hair colors? If so, a bright hot vibrant reddish/pink would be beautiful in the sunlight!
Hey!
I’m trying to figure out the best thing to do with my hair type to get a good color red. I bleached my hair about 6 months ago and have been growing it out since then, so I’m in that horrible 50/50 stage (half brunette half blonde). I’ve read that red dye doesnt stick well to bleached hair, so should I darken my hair to my natural color before I dye it red? My hairs naturally a dark brown. Or should I lighten the roots? And do I use a permanent dye before I use something like Manic Panic?
Thank you so much!
Julia
Hello! First things first, I am not a cosmetologist, but my best response to this would be that I have never heard that red dye doesn’t stick well to bleached hair… in fact, it actually is recommended when using dyes such as Manic Panic. So you may want to consider lifting your color where your hair has grown in darker (if you want a really bright red). If you want a darker more subtle red, then you can just dye it brown then put the Manic Panic over and it will tint your color. I usually do permanent dyes then my Manic Panic color. I hope this helped!
Great! I don’t recall exactly where I read the bleach thing but I’m glad I don’t have to dye it twice :] Super helpful, thank you so much!
Hi sara.
I’ve had my hair bright red before, Paid throught the roof for the upkeep in a salon so decided to dye it back to dark brown (very upset about that lol) At the moment my hair is dark brown with pink highlights. I would like to go back to bright red. How long if you dont mind me asking would you recomend i bleach my hair for? and do you have a recomended bleach? i live in london, and most of the bleach’s that ive used are pretty rubish. Also sosrry to ask another question but what permanant red would you recomend to use before i use manic panic rock and roll red? I dont want a dark colour but a really really bright red.
Thanks in advance
Holly
First off, I am not a cosmetologist, so take my advice at your own risk! But I will highly recommend you GO to a professional, at least to just get your hair lifted or to get to the color, then just maintain it on your own for the upkeep. I wouldn’t know a bleach for you to use since I live in the US and I don’t even use bleach on my hair
so I am sorry. Maybe you can try lifting with a highlighting product, that is what I do. I use L’oreal’s HiColor in Red. I also don’t use any permanent colors… aka paul mitchell wella etc… I hate them all. My two loves are Pravana and Manic Panic! But try L’oreal products in that case.
Hi!
I’ve been dying my hair with Manic Panic Vampire Red for like 8 months now. My question is whether or not going swimming will take the color out like where I can actually see the color coming out in the pool.
You might!
Wear a swim cap..chlorine damages you hair anyway never mind stripping your colour!
N.
Hi Sara,
I really like the photo of you with purple haze hair. Which color did you use on the ends/bottom half? That is the color I’m looking for, a dark burgundy.
I’m planning on mixing Amplified Vampire Red and Amplified Purple Haze to achieve a deep burgundy. Can you please suggest a ration for the amount of Amplified Vampire Red and Amplified Purple Haze that I could use to get a dark burgundy color? My hair is very dark brown naturally and has been lightened with box dye. The box dye was a high lift burgundy color for dark hair.
Thanks,
Alicia
My ends are prelightened so its all the same color, just on different base colors! I would probably add an even amount and kind of eye ball how the color looks in the bowl to help you.
Hey Sara, OK
So I have been dying my hair red now for several months…and yes it is hard to maintain so im slowly going back into the process of getting it dark again. I am a dye hard fan of the manic panic line. I have been using the vampire red…also another brand of red to maintain my color. here is a direct link to a photo of me with my awesome red hair http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa122/DeaddDoll/CameraEffects-1328048898422.jpg
anyways!
as I was saying, I use also another brand of RED. which is the loreal hi color highlights in color RED. I used it to touch up my roots and it works wonderfully and the plus side is, you DONT NEED BLEACHING!
but…the problem is: I have now washed out all the red…my hair is a blonde pink, (im washing out as much red as possible cause I bout manic panic Purple Haze) So my roots are still a pretty vibrant red, while the rest of my bleached hair is a blonde pink!
I hope you can help me on this one, but is there any way I can remove the red on my roots?
I heard dish soap helps…But I ran across your blog and would love your opinion or suggestion.
The ladies at sallys beauty supply told me to NOT bleach it or strip it anymore than what I already have cause my hair is becoming thin….
OR do you think the purple haze will just cover up the red roots?
Sorry for the long rant but I need some answers! thanks!
You should look into a professional licensed cosmetologist for how to remove your red roots. I don’t want to give you advice of what I think may happen and it end up not happening!! The purple haze would tint over the roots but it may be uneven so check with someone in the industry!
Have you ever tried Beyond the Zone Color Jamz semi color dye from sallys?
Yes… hated it
Hi Sara!
I want to dye my hair a vibrant, almost shocking red…almost, lol…your pic of you in the skull blouse holding the make-up brushes, nails it on the head! Was that acheived with Manic Panic…if so, which color(s)? My hair is a medium to dark brown now, I had been planning on using Clairol Born Blonde to lighten it, then I just ordered online yesterday, Manic Panic Infra Red…. but now I’m wondering was that was the wrong choice of red?…and should I be mixing it with another shade of MP? Plus, you also mention that you now don’t bleach yours, you use Loreal HiColor Red…so I looked on the Loreal website to see what it looked like, but it isn’t there..unless they changed the name. They’re always doing that with hair colors, it’s so frustrating, lol!
One more thing, lol….I have really long hair, always need 2 boxes of dye…will I need 2 jars of MP? I really appreaciate any advice and insight you can give me!
Thank you so much! You’re absolutely beautiful btw & of course, I love your hair, lol!
Angie
Hello! You can achieve the same color through Manic Panic dyes, however in that photo I used Pravana Vivids. I mix Red with magenta colors usually. You should be able to find Hi-Color at Sally’s Beauty Supply. I also have super long thick hair and it takes me 1 1/2-2 jars of Manic Panic!
Hi there,I’ve stumbled by accident on your site…well,um,not exactly…
I’ve been looking for quality semi-permanent dyes,and there it was:Manic panic.It’s my second time,correction,it will be my second time dying my hair red,if you clear some of my doubts.The first time I dyed my hair,was with bleaching and red permanent dye,luckily I did it only to my ends,because it really damaged it…and I had to wait for new,healthy hair to grow out.Not so long ago,I saw this girl,Ariana Grande,and I fell in love with her hair color.I have to have it !!! So ,I was wondering if you would be kind enough to recommend what colors from manic panic I should get,and mix to get the color: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l81en2BF9v1qdxfl4o1_1280.jpg Thank you ,in advance,you’re an angel! 
)) Much love from KW
Looks similar to my color right now in real life! However, I started using Pravana Vivids in Red for my color. I think with Manic Panic I would mix pillar box red with a little bit of purple haze to give it the burgundy color. I do believe the Pravana Vivids is the exact match though.
Thank you soooo much for your reply.I was researching Pravana vivids ,and I absolutely love it on you! I can’t dare to but this semi-permanent dye ,’cause I’ve heard that it’s not going to ‘bleed away”,OR wash out ,until your hair grows back completely ,..yes,it will fade,but slowly…and that is pretty vibrant,and I can’t really risk it.I like more of the deeper red,and I’m definitely going to try mixing pillarbox red and purple haze,or vampire red and pillarbox red.Again,thank you,you’ve been very helpful & kind.If I didn’t live that far,I would attend your makeup classes.Deeply yours,KW
You’re so very welcome!
Best of luck x
Hello Sara! I hope you’re well.
I love your hair, it’s fantastic, and as a fellow Manic Panic dyehard I just wanted to ask for a little advice? I’m in the UK and order my MP dyes online. I have been so many different colours recently it’s almost ridiculous! My natural colour is a medium to dark brown, and my hair is jaw length with blunt bangs and fairly thick and straight. Until 8 months ago, I was platinum blonde, I used the MP flashlight bleach and virgin snow toner and I loved it but my roots were too much to deal with!! I then stupidly went to a salon and got it dyed back to a medium brown, and then started going red. I stayed at the salon for a while, and got it fairly bright, but I just wasn’t happy. I decided to dye it brown with a drugstore box brand (Garnier Herbashine) and it went black. I actually liked it so left it for a while, then a month or so ago put a plum colour on which hardly did anything. As of two days ago, I pre-lightened my hair and it went orange (what a surprise!!) so I went straight over with a brown dye. SO!! As of right now, my hair is a auburny, dark brown with my roots a tiny bit more lifted.
I am wanting to go red again, but nothing too fire engine standard! I’d like to get a darkish red with perhaps a bit of purple tone to it, but enough of a change for my hair to be seen as red/burgundy. What do you think I should do for the best? I know you aren’t a cosmetician but I value your opinion
Thanks so much in advance!
Orla xx
Oh wow, you’ve done a lot to your hair! Is it strong enough to be lifted again? I don’t know what to do in your situation other than tell you about the Loreal HiColor that I use. It lightens dark hair (meant for dark hair only) so it’s kind of like bleaching but instead of a blonde you get a red. I personally go over that with a mixture of reds by Manic Panic (like Purple Haze and Rock N Roll red) in order to get my own burgundy color. If you don’t pre-lighten and just dye it over your brown hair, it will show up in the sunlight and tint your hair.
Hope that helps!
I have done a lot, I know it’s crazy! My hair is surprisingly strong and shiny and I think because it’s so thick it’s still in good condition. I’ve recently cut a lot off to freshen my fried ends and its feeling much better. I’ll have to look into the Hi Colour, thank you, do you think an even colour will develop since I have so many different colours on from previous dyes? I don’t really want to lighten it anymore, but do you think the tint would look ok if I mixed rock n roll red and purple haze? How dramatic do you reckon it’d be? I’m sorry for all the questions, im just tentative because ive made a lot of mistakes on my hair before! but thank you for your help
xx
I love your hair!! What manic panic colors do you think I can use to get the color you got with the pravana vivids dye?? I absolutely love that color that recently dyed my hair ruby red with jazzing but I hate it looks orange instead of red
I have been using loreal hicolor in red for my roots I have very dark hair
Hmm. I think red passion should work.
Hi Sara,
My hair is dark brown with red highlights. Done in a
Salon. I been trying to see if the ManicPanic brand is the
Perfect one for me. What color would u recommend me use
For my red highlights and how often to use it.
Thank you,
Nellie
Hello Nellie,
Manic Panic is semi-permanent which lasts 4-6 washes, so you would need constant touch ups. Pravana Vivids (my new love for dyeing my hair) can last you an extreme amount of time, so I would look into that next time you go to your salon. But if you’re set for Manic Panic, you can look into the colors like Red Passion, Rock N Roll Red, and Pillarbox Red
Actually the Manic Panic was recommended to me by
The hairstylist that did my hair. She said that Manic Panic would work
To deposit color into my hair. But I dislike that each time I wash my hair it’s as
All the red dye is washing out. I just don’t know what else to do or which product
To use for my highlights to be vivid and vibrant.
U mentioned that Pravada Vivids is your new hair love
I would really like to try that on my highlights, which color would you recommend?
Thank You,
Nellie
my hair is like a burgundy color i bleached it and all so it could be like rihanna really bright but it came out a burgundy color its red though….. but i want a bright red like rihanna’s what color should i put over it so it can be bright
Did you just freshly dye it? When the color washes out, it will get brighter
Hi Sara,
I’ve been dyeing my hair red for a while now but using different colors and switching from boxes to salons and my hair was getting darker and darker and less red after all that dyeing… I don’t wanna use semi-permanent dye because I want a color that stays on my hair so I went to a hair products store and told them I wanted to lighten and brighten up my hair so it could be more red. I remembered that the last time I went to a hairdresser, I had chosen a 6.66 color and it turned out awesome so I asked for a Majirouge/Majirel (which I thought were the best permanent products for a red color) and the lady told me I could try with a Duxelle color because it was cheaper and the result would be the same. She told me to add the same amount of 30% bleacher and it would be the bright red I wanted.
I did it last night and the result is FAR from what I expected, my hair is so dark it looks black with garnet highlights in the sun, absolutely not what I wanted… Do you have any advice on what I could do ? I’m afraid to bleach because the bleacher I added to the color already made me loose a fair amount of hair
Hello Elie,
I am not a cosmetologist and I am only familiar with the products I personally use myself. However, is your hair freshly dyed? I know that whenever I dye my hair it is dark in the beginning but after a few washes the true color begins to show through. If you’re deciding to try to lighten again, I would either seek professional help or wait a while until trying again. I am unfamiliar with the products you’re using to lighten, but I personally use Loreal Hi Color (for dark hair only) and absolutely love it! It lifts my dark brown hair (virgin roots) in about 20 minutes and is really vibrant. I would check with a salon or licensed girls at a beauty supply to see which product works best for you. Ultimately, you may just need to wash a bit of the color out first!
Great blog! I have bright red hair just like yours that is always done through a salon. I do not wash it until i would dye it next(I know…doesn’t sound all that appealing, but it’s almost as though my scalp got used to the fact that I only dry shampoo and use a shower cap). Im not a huge fan of not being able to get it wet without it going down the drain, literally, every time. Maybe my hair reacts to the color and water differently.
Anyways, the semi permanent dye you speak of.. Can I add purple on top of my red to make that purple tint color in your picture with the manic panic purple haze? I’d rather not bleach my hair until I am ready to go back to my natural hair color blonde.
Thanks
Wow! Kudos to you for being able to do that
You can do a full tub of just pure purple haze if you would like, but I would always mix mine with pillarbox red.
Hey Sara! I love your hair color it’s absolutely gorgeous, and I love the bangs too
Anyways, I have light light brown/dirty blonde hair, and I want to dye it Manic Panic vampire red mixed with another lighter red (like Infra-red or Pillarbox red). But I’m really concerned about going in the ocean and in chlorinated water with it in my hair. The last time I dyed was in the winter so I didn’t swim. I’m not bleaching it. I don’t mind a little fading, but will it turn an ugly orange color? Or will it bleed into the pool or the ocean? I really don’t want that to happen and I can’t find an answer anywhere else so this would be greatly appreciated 
So basically, can I go in the ocean and the pool when I have unbleached, red Manic Panic hair dye in my hair? Thank you so so much!
Chlorine will cause your color to fade and turn brassy. Also, it may also bleed, but more so when you get out of the pool, it will drip onto your body and bathing suit, if that makes any sense. I don’t think it will be very noticeable in the pool though.
Do you know anything that would prevent that, like putting in leave in conditioner before swimming? Thank you so much!
I don’t think there is a way to prevent it as far as I know
Hey Sara!
I loved reading your article, i have a few questions and would love some suggestions. I am not a first time hair dyer, but i usually use drug stores demi-permanent dyes(i have dyed my hair 5 times with demi). I cannot find one that is bright red enough for my liking, i have tried some, leaving them in for up to an hour and it never comes out with the vibrant red i want, like a red bell pepper/ red velvet cake color. I am willing to use semi permanent dye, i would like to keep my red for a while. My hair is naturally light brown and i have never (and will never) bleach my hair. It is currently a medium brown, but the dye is running out.
My hair has next to no heat damage and is not dry. I wash my hair daily. When i don’t wash my hair daily, it becomes greasy. (suggestions?)
Do i need to use developer with Manic Panic Pillarbox red? I want a color like the one you have in your first picture. Where do i purchase Manic Panic(stores)? Where do i purchase developer? Do i need any other products to dye my hair effectively? How long do i leave the dye in?
How do i avoid staining my bathroom?
I am under the impression that the color sets and lasts the best when it is dyed after not being washed for 2 days, and not being washed after for 2-3 days.
Basically, i’m nervous about going vibrant red for the first time and i would LOVE any advice i can get.
Excited and doing my homework!
Thank you for this wonderful article!
Alexandra
If you want a bright red, you have to pre lighten or bleach your hair…You have to clean up your bathroom using comet, there is not a way around the bleeding of the dye. Manic Panic can be purchased at Sally’s beauty supply. The directions say to leave it in for 30 minutes, but I personally leave it in for a few hours. For greasy hair, try using dry shampoo, it works wonders! Good luck!
Hi
Well I have been dying my hair like an awburn color lately n now want to go red. Naturally I have dirty blonde hair but it’s dyed to awburn (which is now faded somewhat but is still a little dark)so if I use manic panic will I have to bleach my hair or take the color it is already dyed out?
Depends on the exact color your hair is now, if you don’t bleach it, it might just tint your hair red
Hey Sara!
I just wanted to know what color your hair was previously before you used the manic panic pillar box red and purple haze?? I have bleached out hair on top and I love the color you have (the one with more purple added to the mix) and want the exact same thing!! also I like the hot pink and red mix you have (your pic with the white hat on)! I just need to know what you had color wise in your hair before applying these mixtures so I can get the same result! Thanks
I lift my hair with L’oreal Hicolor in red prior to using Pravana/Manic Panic
Hi sarah
i love reading your articles and i wanted your sugesstion about my hair ,- i always dye my hair with red l’0real magenta , but the last 2 times i dyed it @ salon without bleaching , which i never use , my hair faded fast , and i am bored of this fading within 3 weeks ( i always use shampoo and conditioner tresmme for colored hair ) , so i let my hair roots grow , it has been 3 months since i last dyed it . Now i have dark brown roots (my natural hair color) and a very faded red hair , between light brown and orange . Now i want to dye my hair deep red like magenta’s (my hair’s pixi assymetrical cut) , please give me ur addvice , bcz i like your red deep hair in ur photo 
,,, thank you 
If you’re trying to go for a dark deep red, then you might not need to lift your hair, I would just suggest throwing Pravana in wild orchid and magenta.
Have you used the manic panic in vampire red? If so what are your thoughts on it?
Yes, too dark for my personal liking!
Hello!
I am wanting to dye my hair a dark dark purple almost a black purple… I am not quite sure how to go about doing it :/ I don’t want such a bright purple that the manic panic gives. Lol I want it to still look work appropriate.
Manic Panic’s purple will only be bright if you have light hair/bleached hair. If your hair is already dark brown/black, it will be dark
Hey Sara!
I found your blog through researching red hair. I recently dyed my hair about week ago. The color is already starting to fade a bit on the ends on my hair and all over too. I’m trying to go for a dark red that has some brightness and vibrancy to it. I don’t want to go too bright,. I wanted to know if Manic Panic Vampire Red would be okay? I’m to any other suggestions you may have. Here’s some pictures of my hair in its current state:
http://tinypic.com/m/fms7z4/1
http://tinypic.com/m/fms7yw/1
http://tinypic.com/m/fms7yv/1
http://tinypic.com/m/fms7yu/1
I would say vampire red for a darker color, definitely. It will help refresh your color as well
I love your color combinations, but I was wondering if it would harm my new permanent red color I had done at a salon if I used manic panic on top of it to keep the color bright?
Absolutely not! It will be a great trick to freshen your color in between salon visits.
Hi!
I’ve wanted a burgundy/purple color on my hair for a while now, but nothing too serious which is why I’m not going to bleach my hair first. I have naturally dark brown hair and I’ve used clairol’s natural instincts medium auburn red a couple times, so it’s just a bit lighter…but not much.
I’m planning on mixing vampire red and purple haze together to try and get a burgundy color. Or do you recommend using pillbox instead?
Thanks
If you want to stick to a dark burgundy, use the vampire red.
Hey Sara
I have bleached my hair then dyed over it with manic panic vampire red I looks awesome I couldn’t. Be more pleased with the results. The color is still looking great because I’m taking good care of it except my one problem is my roots are coming in and they are dark so the color wont take without being bleached.. what would be the best way to do this?without ruining the even color of the rest of my hair.. should I strip it all out then bleach and color again. ? Please help :c
Hello Bianca, please note that I am not a cosmetologist. You need to just bleach your roots rather than your entire hair. You should be fine, dont strip your color and redo it, you will usually destroy your hair doing that.
Hey doll,so tought bout going red for a year this past Saturday I decided to do it Lol So i went to sallys bout 2 Lo’real hi lights in RED mixed bout 4-5oz of 30developer it came out dark dark red so following day i did the same thing again n it came out red not a bright rhianna red (wich that’s what I’m trying to go for) so my question is Do u think i should do the same procedure again do 2 lo’realhi light in REd n mix w developer again or Manic Panic WILD FIRE should do it?
You might want to give your hair a bit of a break to be sure. If you had any black dye or something in your hair that could have been why. I am not a cosmetologist so in order to make sure your hair can take another dye process without breaking, you want to seek a professional who can actually look at your hair face to face. Be careful with your hair!
Hi!
First off, i must say you and your hair is beautiful!! I have been trying to get my hair a pretty, vibrant red/purple hair like that of Ariana Grande.<3 Every time i go to the salon, it ends up being burgundy, then fades to my current faded copper color. I don't want to bleach my hair because of the damage it does, so I am going to use Hi Color by Loreal like you said to. hope it works good! then i am going to dye it. What Manic Panic colors would you recommend to get a vibrant red without bleaching?
I love Rock N roll red, Red Passion, and Pillarbox red by Manic Panic!
Hi. I noticed you seem to know all about reds. I am a dishwater blonde and have never died my hair before. A friend said she would dye it if I picked the color but the problem is I want to do a Demi and can’t find the color. Every hair color sight I go to seems to only have redish brown demi’s. I like Garnier Nutrisse Hair Coloring #94 Light Reddish Blonde. Only it’s permanent. Is there a color I can use or mix to get close to that?
Im sure you can mix to get something similar. If you’re stuck on demi’s, there are N’Rage products I am familiar with, but I am personally a fan of Pravana or Manic Panic.
So I just recently went red again, & I actually want to ‘keep’ my color this time! Lol! Since my hair is so dark, I prefer to go to my stylist when my roots need a touch up, however are semi-permanents okay to use inbetween? Or are semi-permanents a no-no when you have permanent color?
Yes semi-permanents are a great way to freshen up your color in between dyes!
So, I’d like my hair to be a crimsony color. Maybe a little darker than average crimson. If I bleach my hair, then use permanate dye, I know it works. But what about bleach, then demi or semi permanate, what would that do? What do you think is best?
I personally prefer semi-permanent dyes. That’s whats best for me!
Just curious I recently started dying my hair using the mp rockabilly blue and after bleaching it out then applying the mp 4 times leaving a minimum of 2hrs per application evertime I style my Mohawk either using moose or hairspray it fades quiet a bit any advice on how to prevent this and keep a vibrant blue? Thanx
Be sure to wash your hair in cool water and try mixing some of the MP in with your conditioner to refresh the color.
Hi sara ! I love the manic panic + red wine on you . So pretty ! But I have a question. I used Loreal HiColor HiLights in Red on my hair in mid August, my color was bright red and now it’s orange in some places pink in others & where the dye didn’t really take its an ugly looking orangey brown. So my question is, I was thinking of using manic panic in vampire red, or the brand Adore in crimson, or maybe something a little darker, but anyway, the Loreal dye was a permanent dye, so what I was wondering was if I had to bleach my entire head for the semi-perm dye to take or will it be fine without bleaching?
You will be fine without bleaching if you used the Hilights
Hey sara, I wanted some advice on dying my hair a semi permanent red.. my hair is jet black right now, and I just used a ruby red hair dye by VIA Natural, and my hair still looked black, so what color do you suggest I use.. meaning (what specific red)… (I also purchase my hair dyes from beauty supply stores
You need to lift your black or else your color will always look dark!
Hello! I was wondering if you could elaborate on the part where you say you can mix the manic panic on already dye red hair? Because my hair is dyed red, but it is a little too purple and dark for my liking. Would adding pillarbox red in manic panic on top of my red hair make it more red and less purple? I really want my hair to look like ariana grande’s:) thank you!!
Adding pillarbox red should help you achieve more of a red tone rather than purple
Hi Sara!
You’re hair is absolutely beautiful and vibrant, I couldn’t help but notice this site when I was looking for solutions to my question.(:
For two years now I’ve been striving for burgundy hair- a very vivid burgundy and unfortunately have been using drugstore formulas all this time to have the color fade rapidly AND on top of that it’s never as bright as I want it. I’d like to use ManicPanic in perhaps VampireRed though I’m contemplating on whether that is too red and should just mix Purple Haze with Pillarbox red or something along those lines.
My hair is somewhat ombred.. a fading burgundy going down to something that looks like an off strawberry blonde (a hair experiment gone wrong) and I was wondering what’s the best way to go about this? Thanks!
(I am not a cosmetologist) In my personal opinion, vampire red is the dark version of red. You could even take it a step further and mix the vampire red and purple haze together. Pillarbox red and purple haze is usually my color combination when using Manic Panic. My hair used to be ombred as well (on purpose) but as my hair got longer and I received regular trims, I finally achieved an even overall color. That would be your best bet, other than lightening the rest of your hair, but considering you’ve used drugstore box dyes, your hair may be damaged!
Hi! I am planning on dying my hair with a mix of a bit less purple haze than pillar box red on my unbleached brown hair. I was wondering about how hard it would be to go back to my natural brown colour, would I be able to just let the dye fade and then dye it all over with a brown or would there still be a tint to it?
And how do you think the color would turn out if I bleached the tips a while after dying it and then dying it again in hopes to achieve a sort of dark to vibrant burgundy/reddish ombre?
Thanks for any advice or opinions!
With semi permanent dyes, it should wash out of your hair. I am unsure if it would completely wash out, but I am almost positive it will (on unbleached hair). If you bleach your hair, it will be a lot more vibrant than the rest of your hair. You might want to try vampire red instead of pillarbox red for a darker color
THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK YOUUU!!! hehe.. really you saved my life today. so what is it that you mix in with your dye???? i bought manic panic wildfire..cant wait. and your advice is going to be so beneficial im sure.
With Manic Panic, I usually mix pillarbox red and purple haze!
are there any other little random pieces of sdvice yo wouldnt mind sharing? how often do you re dye your hair? you have only used semi permanent for six years? does it not get pricey???
I have tons of advice if you search through my blog under hair. I have plenty of red hair tips!
So I really really want to go red, but I’m not sure how it will turn out. My hair right now is a light brown color with a ton of mini blonde highlights in it that make it seem blonder. I’m scared that if I due my hair all over without making it one shade I will get a hair full of different colors. Do you think I should dye it one color before trying to go red or will the manic panic color be alright by itself?
You want to consult a hair professional in this case. Based on my experience and general knowledge, Manic panic will grab stronger onto bleached/lightened areas, so you will get a mixture of different shades. Look into professional advice!
I have purple roots with dark burgandy colored hair n i want to put magenta hi lighteners on it all will it take the purple roots n make them deep red? Thanks
Hi color will lift your hair, so it will not be dark/deep. This product is used to lighten the hair. Hope that helps!
Did you bleach your hair first or just dye over the brown? I’m blonde and I really want to get a darker but still bright purplish red color, do yo have any suggestions or advice?
Also you used the regular/classic creme manic panic, not the amplified creme right?
Sorry for all of the questions, but if I wanted to achieve the color you have in this photo http://www.saraashouri.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Manic-Panic-Purple-Haze-and-Pillarbox.jpg how much of each would I mix to get this color. I have blonde hair, like a dirty blonde. I dyed my hair hot hot pink by manic panic like 6 years ago and the color showed up vibrant on my hair w/o having to bleach it first, so I think I’d try just applying the color to my dirty blonde hair. Thank you so much!
Hello Riki! I did lift my color. If you’re blonde however you may not have to do anything if you’re going for more of a deeper tone. I use both regular and amplified, makes no difference in my experience. For any more hair questions, please visit the hair section of my blog at http://www.saraashouri.net/category/beauty/hair-beauty/ As far as mixing goes, I just eyeball it personally. It’s all experimentation for me. I usually do an equal amount, one jar hot hot pink (or purple haze) and one jar pillarbox red
Hiiii Sara! So, I’m in a little rut here, a couple months ago I dyed my hair dark brown and just yesterday I bought L’Oreals hicolor in Red Hot from Sally’s, and my roots came out bright red, and the rest of my hair was a dark red wine type of color. I did only leave it in for 25 mins, so do you think that if I buy another box and try leaving it in for longer it will work? Please let me know, thank you!!
Hello Allie. Please know, I am not a cosmetologist. However, you have what is known as hot roots and that is most likely because you first applied the dye to your roots when you should have started with your ends and made your way up. This is because your body heat at your scalp area causes the dye to process much faster. I am unsure of whether you should do it again, that is your personal hair and you know its strength/weaknesses more than I do, and again, I am not licensed for hair. My opinion is that you may be fine, but you want to make sure and base your decision on someone who can actually look at your hair in person.
Hi Sarah,
I have bleached blonde hair and want to add med red hi lights – I am afraid of them going pink – what shade would you recommend?
My best guess would be going for more of an orange based red rather than what I use myself, pink based reds. I don’t know what brand you’re wanting to try, but I am assuming it would be Manic Panic. You could try a mixture of Rock N Roll red and Vampire Red (to make it darker). You’ll have to eyeball it on what to add more of, but this is my best guess. Please keep in mind it might not be exactly what you want, but this is what I would try if I was in your position.
I use Wella 6/4 and it will not stay in my hair or stay vibrant. I do not want a punk red or anything purplish or brassy. I would like for it to look very natural. Any advice on the wella koelston hair colors?
I’m sorry I don’t personally use wella so I am unfamiliar with their products. There is something called a “gloss” that a stylist can apply for you (or maybe you can purchase at a beauty store) to help refresh your color in between dyes.
I was thinking about putting red in my hair. I have darkish blonde hair and I want a vibrant, but not bright red. What color of manic panic would you suggest? I also wants to add black tips to it when I dye it, do you have any suggestions on what to do to get I to turn out right?
I would suggest Vampire red. Other than that, I am not a cosmetologist so I am unsure about your black tips, but I would dye them separately if it was me!
Hi Sara,
I absolutely love your hair… it is gorgeous! I’m looking for a similar color for a temporary change from my natural dark brown. I’ve purchased Manic Panic Infra Red and Wildfire and was thinking that if I mixed them and left them on overnight I might be able to get away without lightening my hair (or using Loreal HiLights) first. What do you think?
Thanks so much. Your blog is amazing… I’m addicted.
Hello Brenda,
Leaving the dye for whatever amount of time in your hair will just make the color more vibrant and last longer for the tint in your hair, but in no way will it appear lighter or anything similar to my color. This dye doesn’t have the ingredients or power to lift your color, it just adds into it. You must lift your hair for the color to show, otherwise it will only tint your hair which will be the most noticeable in the sunlight. Also, thank you so much!
Hi Sara! My Purple Haze/Red Passion turned out awesome! I’ve heard that using baby shampoo and conditioner works wonders for keeping reds bright. Have you heard this? I’ve heard mixed things about using “traditional” color-safe shampoos. Thanks for the help!
Hi Sara,
First off, just wanted to let you know that you are absolutely stunning and my inspiration for this crazy idea of mine. I work in the medical field but have an office job and we are not allowed to have bright colors including red dyed into our hair. Yes, I hate it. Just recently I have been doing research because I want to go red. If I didnt have this job, I would love to go bright like you. Since I can’t, my goal is to go to a red thats almost deep, but not too deep where it passes off as burgundy. It’s a bright red that Im trying to avoid. My hair was brown and I used Loreal HiColor in Red dyed twice and it gave me a burgundy color. I want to do another session to try achieve the deep red I am looking for. So here are my questions:
1) What Pravana color(s) would you recommend
2) What Manic Panic color(s) would you recommend
3) What L’oreal HiColor would you recommend.
Keep in mind I already have burgundy hair and I do not plan on bleaching my hair, so I know it’ll come off more as a tint unless I can get the deep red color I’m looking for. Thank you so much in advance for your advice
Sorry, I meant to write “red hot” instead of “red”.
Hello Carol,
Thanks so much. To answer your questions:
1) Pravana Vivids doesn’t have too much of a selection when it comes to reds. It is either Red, Orange, Magenta, or Wild Orchid. Wild Orchid was the darkest color in my opinion, but this has purple in it. If you’re fine with this, in my opinion trying Wild Orchid mixed with Red will achieve your dark burgundy color.
2) Manic Panic has a color called Vampire red which is a deep dark red.
3) If you have already used Hicolor over your hair once, leave it at that. You don’t want to reapply this color over and over again because it is a strong lightener, it will damage your hair lifting what is already lifted. Stick to using it on your roots. The only colors I am familiar with are Red and Magenta, so in your case, red. But use it with a low developer to make sure it doesn’t come out too dark.
I hope this helps
HEY SARA, I HAVE OMBRE HAIR AND I HAVE BLACK HAIR AND THE BOTTOM IS WAS REDISH WITH FUSIA SO NOW ITS FADED OUT LOOKS KINDA ORANGEY BROWNISH AND I WANT TO DYE IT LIKE U DID IT WITH THE PILLARBOX RED WITH THE PURPLE HAZE DO U THINK IT WILL LOOK LIKE YOURS DID THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOUR HAIR!!
I can’t really say if it will exactly, but my mixture with pillarbox and purple haze was done over my already red hair from previous dyes and such so I would assume it would come out similar at least!
Hey Sara! I’m in love with your hair color in picture #4! What exactly did you do to get it like that? I’ve never dyed my hair before but I’ve been wanting to dye it purple for such a long time! My hair is dark brown so would I have to bleach it first to get the same color purple as you? Thank you soo much!!
I used Purple haze for that color over my already red hair. (I am not a cosmetologist) You would need to prelighten it to get a vibrant purple color, if you hair is dark brown now it will only tint your color. My hair has been prelightened which helps the color show up. If you’re going for a deep purple you should prelighten a few shades lighter so it is not extremely vibrant and purple (unless you want that, then your hair should be blonde before dyeing). I hope this helps some!
First of all, thanks for answering ALL of these questions – quite an undertaking! I do have a question and made sure you hadn’t already answered it above. For the first time, I bleached the bottom half of my hair and it’s ombre now into a light copper color. I’m going to use Vampire Red on it now before I bleach it again to go to a lighter blonde. I’ve used Vampire Red before, but never on bleached hair. When I bleach again later when Vampire Red has faded to get to a silver color, is it going to be hard to get rid of the red? I realize that it will probably turn orange and I’ll tone it, but I wasn’t sure how much of a pain it will be to really get rid of it from the bleached hair.
I’m always thinking a few colors down the road!
Thank you for noticing that I try my best to answer as much as I can!
I am not a cosmetologist and don’t have too much experience getting red out of my hair (the only color I have ever dyed my hair). As far as I know, Manic Panic should be able to easily get out of your hair. #1, it rinses out and fades extremely quickly. So I highly assume bleaching it out shouldn’t be a problem (you may need to attempt at it twice -of course by the best judgement that your hair can take it again). If you were using something such as Pravana, I would say otherwise. I think you will be okay! Especially by toning. 
Hello I was decideing on using manic panic vampire red. But I don’t want to bleach my hair. My hair is black. What would it look like if I don’t bleach it?
It will still look black other than a tint of the color that will only show in the sunlight
is there any halfpermanent hair colour?
I’m not sure what you mean. There is either semi-permanent or demi-permanent. Those will be what you may want to look into.
I have bleached blonde hair professionally dyed and am tired of the cost, upkeep,dryness, thinning, and upkeep. I have been a red head several times by a professional but never achieve that gorgeous cinnamin cherry red vibrant color – I love the pic with you in the pillar box red and purple haze. I love being a red head but not burgundy shades more of the vibrant reds like I mentioned of the pic you have with the.pillar box red and purple haze. Right now I have 1/2″ regrowth of my natural dark brown hair and the rest is bleached to very light golden blonde color. What do you reccomened for me to achieve the gorgeous color you have without damaging my hair. Thank you so much!!!
Please note, I am not a cosmetologist. If I was in your position, I would lighten your roots to the color you have now (which you will have to keep doing) so it will all be one even color and then just applying the same Manic Panic mixture. Your hair will be very vibrant! Make sure to mix more pillarbox red than purple haze so you get more of a red tone.
Ps the only “damage” will be to your virgin hair roots, other than that Manic Panic won’t harm your hair in any way!
Thank you for responding Sara! I am excited to get a vibrant look – what do you recommend on bleaching out my roots if I dont want to go to a salon? I have dark brown roots with an ash tone. Would the manic panic bleach work or should I try something different.
You are amazing, so glad I found you while googling:)
Ps: is the manic panic better for my hair than when I get a toner at salon after bleaching?
Hi Sara:
Did you have to bleach your hair before you applied the manic panic color?
How did you mix the manic panic with developer or no developer?
Yes I did and Manic Panic with no developer!
Wow thanks for replying so fast..
I like the pillarbox red with the purple haze, to what level did you bleach it to?
Haha, of course! I get comments via email so I try to respond when I can. I am not sure about levels, I am not a cosmetologist so some stuff makes me clueless. My stylist lifts my color with L’oreal Hi color and a 30 vol
Oh lol , well thank you so much for your help!
I’ll keep up with your hair on facebook lol 
you’re welcome
This blog was really helpful! I have oily hair and I have to wash it everyday to maintain a healthy look. Im trying to get Ariana Grande red on my medium brown, unbleached hair. Do you think that if I wash it everyday, using a good shampoo and cold water the color will stay? Thanks so much! P.S. I was thinking vampire red for the dye(?)
Washing everyday will fade your color a lot. I recommend dry shampoo on days you don’t wash, it will help with the oil. Those are still great washing tips, but regardless, you are washing the color out. This just helps it wash out in the least amount possible. Vampire red is a nice deep red (depending on the base color you are applying it to)
Hello!
Im African American (16 years old) and I want to dye my hair a almost velvet cake red maybe a bit darker. While I am African American I’m mixed so I have the texture of white peoples hair, soft and shiny. I see all your recommendations of manic panic but I once dyed my ends a midnight blue from manic panic and it didn’t last longer than a week. And I even bleached my ends. So I could only imagine how fast it would rinse out on my whole head. I have naturally curly hair (Taylor swift curls) but I do straighten it often. So usually I was my hair about three times a week and have my hair straight for the other four. My mom got be a boxed dye and we might try it out this weekend. My hair color is a dark brown but defiantly not black. The boxed dye we got was Clairol natural instincts cream in the color 23R. Medium Auburn. Any suggestions on a better semi permanent dye that would stay longer and give me more of a color I’m looking for? Thanks in advance
Hello, I have heard of Ion colors from Sallys. I believe they are semi permanents (not exactly sure) but you should go ahead and check them out. I think they may have more natural toned colors, rather than brands like Manic Panic which are more brightly colored. Keep in mind you can always mix the colors to create your own as well. Hope I helped and I hope Ion may be what youre looking for! IF NOT – ask about gloss! They come in more natural tones and help refresh the color
Hey Sara, hi there..i accidentally stumbled upon your site and you have pretty amazing red hair coloring tips..hopefully you’ll help me too. I got darkest of the brown hair..i want to add red highlights to my hair,the back or the lowest section of the hair,nape section..i loved your manic panic pillarbox red with purple haze #1. I am goin to color my hair for the first time and have no prior chemical treatments done to my hair..pls suggest what to do- lift my color or stick and dye it?? its a bit urgent..reply asap
thanx..
Hello!! Okay so, if you want a vibrant color you will need to lift your color. You can either do this with L’oreal hilift or bleach. If you put it over your very dark brown hair, the color won’t show except a slight tint in the sunlight
thank you so much
throw in some other colours as well like blues so tht more ppl can connect on ur blog..tc
hey wanted to ask one more thing,what about washing the hair afterwards,will the color lighten up or gt darknd?? wt hppns to ur color?
The color gets lighter
Back in August I bleached my black hair and dyed it Vampire Red(Manic Panic). My color was intense and beauty. Sadly, I got bored with it a couple days towards September so I bleached my ends and dip dyed it Purple Haze(Manic Panic), which faded five days later to an Orange-Blonde. Now, my hair is suddently looking Pinkish with Orange highlights. I hate it !
My question is: Do you think I can put the Manic Panic Eletric Tiger Lily on top of my pink/orange hair. I really don’t wanna bleach it again.
HELP PLEASEEEE >_<
Hmm.. not really sure how to answer this. I say it might take a few times dyeing using the electric tiger lily for it to grab the color maybe? That’s how it was when I went from dyeing with red manic panics to using their pink colors… it took a few times for it to grab the color!
Hey i love ur hait super cute so i dye my hair deep burgundy but used drugstore dye but if i used color deposit shampoo for red do think it can bright it a bit i dont want it too bright just enough to see a deep burgundy hint hope u can help me out:)
Color deposit shampoo won’t brighten your hair. It might help make the color last a little longer and so on, but if you’re looking for a little bit of a brighter color, you’ll need to use dye for that!
Thank you for the reply an sure to dye again
.
I don’t know if you’d know this, since you say you don’t use bleach on your hair, but how much bleaching do you think it would take to get the bright red OUT of my hair? I use the L’Oreal HiColor Highlight in Red on my hair as my main dye, lately.
You shouldn’t be using L’oreal Hicolor as your regular dye all over (unless you are only using it on your roots). If you ARE using is all over every single time….be very, very careful trying to bleach the color out because your hair may already be damaged. As for how many times it would take to get out, I am unsure. Each person has different amounts of dye buildup and so on in their hair. Sometimes it could take a couple times. It depends. BUT BE CAREFUL!
Hi Sara
i love your hair..me i have shoulder length the top part of my hair & bangs are Pillarbox red i’ve had the color for almost a year now i live in a small town & usually order manic panic online with the bleach kit to touch my roots..i did everything normally every couple months as i do any other time when it’s time to touch up roots. i am now reading all the questions people asking you & learning about loreal hicolor should i use that to touch up roots is that what you use? Anyways the reason why i am asking i touched up my roots last nite (with bleach) only roots and tips of my hair & bangs are still a pretty red..i washed out my roots turned out a crazy blonde as usual time to do my pillar box since it jus a small amout of my hair side swept bangs n top of my hair i jus tin foil it wrap it up & sleep in it over night & wash out in the morning. but for some reason it didnt go as usual i woke up & looked under my tinfoil only on the first foil of my bang and it was REALLY DARK i jumped in the shower washed it out & My roots are beautiful pillarbox red & only the tips of bangs are a dark red so what do u call it a ombre effect? Lol why do u think it turned out like that any suggestions of what i can do to even back out like i usually had it?the only thing i think i did different was used a different brand of toner (black stuff) on my rinsed out bleached roots could that be it? or idk please help 
and from now on should i try a loreal hicolor for root touch ups and if i so which color? i only use pillarbox red never tried any other color fell in love with how bright it was. well thanks for letting me vent but im very confused on why this happen never happen before.
Thanks, AlexisMarie
Hello Alexis,
That sounds really strange. I’m not really sure why that happened, I suppose if you did use something different, especially a different brand than normal, that must be the reason it happened. All I can say is continue washing your hair and maybe it will lighten up. As far as using L’oreal Hicolor, you do not have to use it. Using bleach is fine. I just use it because I prefer it. When I used to bleach my hair, it would fade to the blonde underneath whereas now I no longer have that uneven color when my hair color fades.
Ok the only other thing i can think of is i didnt blow dry as much? Do u think that might b it lol its jus weird that my tips were so bright mins before i put the manic in foil lol n then went dark have u ever heard of that? Possibly leavingh it into long on already red hair..i heard abot with permenant dyes idk about manic has it ever happen to u? What r ur on suggestions on how to even it out again? Some strands r literally dark brownish red tips of my bangs i dont understand lol u think i can loreal hicolor in red or magenta over my whole bangs might even it or jus another dose of manic panic in the nights coming up? Or even bleach a bit of the tips n then manic after again? What would u do lol or jus even let lighting up a cple weeks n do my next manic panic foiils cus i only do roots every cple months..& if i was to choose doing hi color whats color should i use? N should i do everything in the hicolor? Lol sorry all the questions lol glad i can ask n relate i live in MT n prolly only red head in MT leardned it all on my own on youtube haha a million miles jus about frim a salon lol thanks n god bless!
AlexisMarie (:
Okay, I have medium brown hair and I am going to dye it red this week and I want your color and everything, but do I have to bleach it to get the effect you have?
Yes you have to prelighten your hair
hi,i know you don’t wan to repeat yourself like you said.i wan to say it’s amazing you put this site up to look at.2 questions.I just put 2 bottles of amplified pillarbox red in my hair,i am a brunette,curious how long should i keep this on.i was thinking 4 hours.i know you said 6 hours but not sure what to do.also when i rinse it out how long should i wait to make sure it will stay,also cold water or luke warm,hairdryer after or not.i thank you when you respond.
4 hours still works well! When I don’t have time, I leave it in for 2 hours, even though I prefer at least 6 hours. I just leave it in longer because it helps the dye grab onto the hair and last longer (as I have been told by a previous stylist years ago). I’ve noticed the difference myself as well. Be sure to rinse with as cold water as you can handle. I usually put my head under the water and try to keep my body as far away from the cold water as possible. You can use a hair dryer after, but keep in mind heating tools can fade your color (this won’t happen the day you dye your hair though, over time of extended use of styling with heat products).
thank u so much for your response.i left it in 4 hours.waited till 12 in the morning.it helped better then last time.i added 2 blond streaks the clip ons with it.it adds more depth.i had no power for 7 days because of hurricane sandy couldn’t wait to try the application.finally hot topic was open.yeah!you rule.thank you for answering our questions.
Glad to hear you’re okay after the hurricane and glad you’re happy with your hair!
Just be careful with the blonde though, if your hair is wet with it the color will transfer onto the blonde hair.
Sara what color would u prefer in L’Oréal hicolor that fits best with Pillarbox red? Thanks (:
Alexismarie (:
Hi! Love this article. I used manic panic red passion and it only lasted a week and a half? Any idea why yours lasts longer and mine does not? I have blonde hair so I don’t know why. Thanks!
You may be washing your hair with something that might not be protecting your color, using too many heat tools, being in the sun too long, etc. The list goes on! Red is the hardest color to keep and with semi-permanent colors, they are meant to only last 4-6 washes. Here is a tip on refreshing your color that you may find interesting: http://www.saraashouri.net/2012/02/02/red-hair-tip-reviving-your-color/
Hey Sara I just wanted to say I love your hair. I dyed my hair burgundy and it only shows in the sun. I want to dye my hair your color. I was going to bleach my hair first and dye it the pillarbox red. How do you maintain the color of your roots? Also, am I doing the right steps by bleaching first to get that hair color? Do you mix all of the purple haze or just some? Thanks in advance.
Hello! I maintain my roots by visiting my stylist when they need to be touched up. Please note, I am not a cosmetologist. Bleaching will be your best bet if you’re trying to go lighter but BE CAREFUL because you can damage your hair and cause breakage if you are doing it wrong. I now use Pravana Vivids and no longer use any Manic Panic dye.
Hey sara love the hair I use loreal dye for highlights magenta at sallys it already hads bleach so need need to pre light but I’m tired of the color need something different you think I could u mainic main it in to change the shade of red
I’m sorry, I didn’t quite understand the last part of your comment?
Im trying to get a different shade of red but using the loreal for highlights I was wondering if u can mix a manic panic color with the loreal dye to create a different red
I sara I recently bought the L’oreal Hicolor in Magenta on ebay willg et in the a few days what should i use do i use a developer with it? or do i jus use it straight out of the lil tube & planning on using it for my roots ive noticed when i my hair fades now its fading to like orangish blonde color lol i always used bleach to touch up roots and then cover with pillarbox red..but now using magenta for roots & i can still cover with pillarbox red right? or should i color my whole bangs with the magenta once? What do u think #Help
thanks
Alexxmarie (:
Yes, you mix it with a developer, it will give you instructions on the box. You typically only need a 20 volume for it to work, and yes you can apply the manic panic over it!
Hi
I recently coloured my hair and I am disappointed. I had red foils and what i ended up with is a pink look. The red colour seems faded already, only after 1 wash and it looks pink. The base hair is black, but the red is far from red. How can i acheive the red hightlights. I’m so confused. Please help..
Hello, I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. Unfortunately I am not a cosmetologist and I get my hair professionally done, so I recommend you seek a hair stylist’s help.
quick question about hair color mixing. I know you use purple haze and pillarbox red and it looks great, but unfortunately my job wants mine to look a little bit more natural. Im kinda aiming for the color your hair is in the vamp makeup pictures. been looking at some manic panic photos and it seems that on my bleached hair, its going to turn out crayola. any suggestions as to what i might mix with it?
Look into vampire red by Manic Panic, also purple haze may help further darken the color. But as far as your hair is bleached, it will be pretty vibrant.
Hi. I have dark brown hair, and I recently ombre’d the ends of my hair, but I love to experiment with my hair. I’ve never died my hair before and I wanted to dye it the color Ariana Grande has. It’s sort of a velvet red. What hair dye would I have to get? And how long will it take for it to start fading? I want it to be perminet.
Look into Pravana Vivid shades! They last quite a while. It’s a salon only brand though so you will have to get it professionally colored unless you are able to get your hands on it or you are a professional yourself
Hello,
I’ve been coloring my hair VERY bright red for the past year and I’m wanting to go purple now without bleaching. If I put a manic panic purple dye over my bright red hair, do you think I’ll come out with a dark purple like I want or a weird color all together? Thank you so much for your help.
Okay so I have totally done this before in the past! Where I mention using only Purple haze, that is the color I got from dyeing over red hair. It just may take a couple times and leave it in for as long as you can handle, even if you can sleep in it. It should do the trick!
Hi!
I already have red hair, I use ‘real red’ by XXL live. I think this is the best boxes hair dye I have come across.
Anyway, I’m wanting to go brighter, like really bright and was wondering which product would be best too use? I’ve seen some nice semi-perminants however was thinking to use manic panic or crazy colour. Would I have to bleach my hair first or would the colour still come out vibrant? My natural hair is brown, and my hair ATM is red but has faded a little.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hello Summer,
If you’re looking for a vibrant color, it is recommended to pre-lighten, especially with brands such as Manic Panic.
Thank you for your reply.
Ok, so can I just use a pre lightener instead of bleaching?
I’m excited about getting my new hair
hi there. ive been useing manic panic for about three years now for my red hair. i was wondering if you have used wen or sallys hair one on your hair? i just started so im not too sure on the results. im useing hair one. i figured no suds equal more hair color on my hair. whats your take on this? o and a helpful hint from my stylist: after going red do not shampoo for two days. red molecules are much larger and take more time to absorb into our hair
Hello! I have not used Wen, but I’ve seen tons of ads for it. I have a hair care post located here:
http://www.saraashouri.net/2012/11/04/favorite-hair-care-products/
Those are the products I love and use. Make sure your shampoos are sulfate free!
Hello, I have been considering dying my hair red for awhile and I was wondering if I used a semi permanent dye, just to try it out and see if I like it, would it eventually wash out of my hair if I didn’t like it? And how long? I have kind of light blonde hair
Semi-permanent should wash out in 4-6 washes, but if you have blonde hair it might fade to a pink tone
Hi, my hair was lightened from dark brown about 4 levels and then dyed an awesome deep red with blue undertones (not natural coppery red). It is faded now, but now so much that I have to do an actual dye job on it. Have you used INfra Red by Manic Panic? That is the one I picked up and need to know if I should exchange it-I want a nice bright red with no orange in it….thanks!
I meant NOT so much that I have to do a complete dye job (just need to give it a little refresh)
I’ve heard of that color but never used it because my Sally’s never had it. It should be fine! That or red passion
Hi, I love your blog. my hair is purple/red also. I wanted to ask you if you knew a good shampoo and conditioner that would brighten up my red or keep it there for a while. I know its going to fade out but Ive heard that there are some shampoos that helps the red.
Yes!!! The Pravana shampoos/conditioners are what I use myself. I am also doing a giveaway on them, so you should enter if you’re in the US!
Hi Sara, my hair is naturally blonde and I want to semi-permanent dye it red, do I need to bleach my hair first? My mom said I would for it to stick,but I’m not sure.
Also I’m thinking of using manic panic’s ‘ wildfire’ I’ve never colored my hair, (besides occasionally going a bit blonder), so when the color fades will it fade completely? Like go back to being blonde,or will it make my hair like a weird color?
I actually believe it does eventually rinse all the way out and will expose your blonde hair since the dye doesnt actually penetrate into your hair, it just sits on top. If that makes sense. You might want to contact the company or do a little research to make sure though. This is speaking for Manic Panic only though, Pravana won’t leave your hair.
They do typically say that it grabs onto the color better when lightened, but I don’t think I would bleach my hair if I had natural blonde color. Your hairs already lifted to where it will be light enough, I would just dye over. Plus you have the luck of having extremely healthy hair if you skip out on bleaching since the actual dye has no harsh chemicals
Thanks!
When you went from pic 4 to pics 2 or 3 did you have to lighten all of your hair before? right now mine is more like pic 3 but I want it brighter but only want to have to do my roots each time if that makes sense. When I dye it next should I do 30 or 40 developer or is that going to give me the dreaded stripe?! I will be using ION permanent medium intense red.
I didn’t, I only bleached my hair once in those photos and just kept dyeing over my color. DONT use a 40 volume unless #1 you want to kill your hair for no reason or #2 you want a super white blonde. I recommend a 20 volume, or the highest to use would be 30 volume. If you’re only dyeing your roots and using a stronger developer, your roots will end up lighter than your entire hair
If you have a light brown/ A little bit of blonde hair so a dirty blonde, Do you have to use the Loreal red dye for dark hair only? I’ve watched a few YouTube videos and the girls I have watched used that but I’m not sure if I should use it or not?
I would definitely not recommend it, plus your hair will be pretty vibrant on its own. If you decide to use it (Im not a cosmetologist) I’d use it with a 10 volume.
Also another question I have is I’m gonna use the semi-dye but does it wash out all the way and doesn’t leave an orange ugly color? Cause I’m gonna dye it over Christmas break and if I don’t like it I don’t want to go to school with my hair red if I don’t like it so I was wondering if it came out ALL the way or do I dye it back to the normal color?
Thank You.
I actually believe it does eventually rinse all the way out and will expose your blonde hair since the dye doesnt actually penetrate into your hair, it just sits on top. If that makes sense. You might want to contact the company or do a little research to make sure though. This is speaking for Manic Panic only though, Pravana won’t leave your hair. It might take a lot of washes though and I would recommend using sulfate shampoos to really fade and wash that color out. Again though, CONTACT the company to make 110% sure!
hi,
i was thinking of dying my hair brightred againbut i have a mjor problem! My hair was bleached about a month ago and i used manic panic semi-permanent shocking blue and its faded out into a palepinkish color and now my roots are showing again(naturel hair color is dark brown). would my bright red show if i dyed it now or should i bleach it again? i rly dont want my hair to end up a weird color
thxx a lot
I’m not too sure since I have no experience with dyeing my hair from a blue color, but if its a light pink color, it should be vibrant still in my opinion
Hello Sara,
I have recently tried to two strips of my black hair with loreal hicolor hilights but the outcome was very strange – it appears to be a murky brown colour that is rather dark. I have semipermanent dye as well (meant for touching up) so I was wondering if adding that to the hair would help make it red! The colour is rather dark, so I wondered if I should try the loreal again to see if it lightens anymore? And could I mix the semipermanent dye with the loreal to add some actual red and get rid of this murky brown?
Thank you and happy holidays!
Hello! You might have a build up of black dye that needs to (professionally) be bleached out. I would be careful with re-dyeing your hair again since you do not want to damage it and it might not be strong enough to lift your black. Applying the semi-permanent is only a color deposit, meaning it won’t make your hair any brighter
Hi Sarah!!!!
I need your help ASAP!!! i’ve been on red dye for the last 8 yrs but your hair color has always been my goal and have never been able to accomplish it!!!
Right now, my stylist uses Pravana Chroma Silks 6.66- borning i know. This hair color literally only lasts me 2 WKS!!! After 2 wks, it looks orange, brassy, & dull!!!! So i need to confirm the following with you since i’m having my hair color buddie do your extact process. Please confirm or correct me! LOL!!!
* Will I replace the Pravana Chroma Silks 6.66 with the Pravana Vivids Red?
* I will only lift my roots , then deposit the Pravana Vivids Red (w/o developer) color right?
*After The color has been left for a long while…. I apply the Maniac Panic right for the longest time right???
Also, how much maniac panic dye to you put in your conditioner and how ofter do you use it in a wk????
Help plz! I want to get this kick a$$ color for XMAS!!! LOL!!! Thanks!!!
I have NO idea what the chroma silks 6.66 is! I do not personally dye my own hair and don’t have much experience with anything other than what I use, but basically just lift the roots and apply the vivids all over and thats that!
the Manic Panic dye is a fresh mixture each time and I only use it when I feel my hair color has gone brassy
Hi Sara.
I’ve ordered Manic Panic Amplified Pillar Box red online, I haven’t gotten it yet and I’ve never used that brand before, but I was just wondering how many of the regular manic panic bottles you have to use on your hair? Just so that I can get a rough idea how much i’ll have left over. Most of my hair is just a quarter of the way down my neck and my bangs are just past my chin.
I have very thick long hair so I need two jars
Hey there! I’ve been wanting to dye my hair a deep dark red and use semi permanent hair color without bleaching. My hair is naturally light auburny red, so what would be best to use to achieve that color! Also is there any dye that’s better for dryer damaged hair, or does it matter since the dye is semi permanent? Thank you for your help!!!
Hello Alyssa! Semi permanent dyes can actually feel quite conditioning for your hair since brands like Manic Panic are vegan based, they won’t damage your hair at all. I recommend using a mixture of something like Vampire red to achieve a dark red tone on your hair as is.
Thank you so much! I am very meticulous and I didn’t think of it before but this is a picture of my natural hair color and the second picture is what I’d like to achieve. Is there any mixture I could do of the manic panic to get this color??
My hair:
http://instagr.am/p/SLZU3rkmD0/
What I want:
http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/153052087306563419_Ub6JM2bf_b.jpg
Thank you!!
Hmm the manic panic colors are more of a firetruck shade of red… I would maybe look into vampire red though since it is not a super bright true red color!
Hey Sara!
So my hair is red now and its been red for like 3 or 4 months. Well…..I WANT TO DYE IT PURPLE NOW! Not like a bright purple but a dark purple. Like the picture you have of your hair purple.
I bought Punky Colours dye in purple and put it on top of my fade red hair and it came out a plum color but it still looks more reddish. But I don’t want a plum color. ( ._.)
HELP?
Keep dyeing it each month purple. thats what I did! took maybe 2-3 months but it happened!
I want to use Manic Panic in purple haze so bad but I’m afraid it will be an ugly plum color again.
I want to get the rihanna red.. I am gonna bleach my light brown hair and than what color should I use
This is so full of great info, thanx! I just bleached my hair witht t 30 developer. My hair us naturally dark brown, budyed black. Obviously, the bleach lifted very little color, but i expected this to an extent. I’ve bleached my dark hair before, years ago, so i knew it would be orangeish but its still darker than i thought it would be. Wondering, Hiwill manic panic still show over this dark orange bleached hair? Is there a certain color you would recommend? Should i use a brighter red or a deeper darker one? I like intense, vibrant red, but i realize I’m not gonna get fire engine…ideally, I’d like a vibrant magenta or Burgundy, i don’t like orangy. Or is it better to use the L’oreal Hi stuff you use? an extent. Its still darker than i (I’ve bleached my hair before, years ago,
I remember my hair being an orange color when I lifted it. I think it will be fine dyeing a red. If you don’t want something too bright I would do Vampire red by manic panic
I was just wondering a couple of things. I have dark brown hair and i want to dye it red. i want to know what color could be best. Also if i have to bleach my hair? i heard it damages your hair and i really dont want to damage my hair….. so ill be thankful if you had any suggestions or advise for me
the color will be based off of your personal preference and skin tone/undertones so I recommend seeing a professional or playing around with colors to see which works best since I don’t know what you look like. You have to prelighten your hair for a vibrant red or else it just tints. Get professional help and visit a salon and it won’t ruin your hair
I want to dye my hair vidrant red. However my hair is virgin. I was wondering if I had to bleach it first. I honestly don’t want to bleach my hair because I heard it damages it. My hair is dark brown and I was wondering if you can give me some tips or advices on what color red to get. Or if I have to bleach it.
It will only tint your color now if you don’t prelighten so if you want a bright red you will have to, but visit a professional to do it for you so you don’t ruin your hair
Hi Sara!
I’ve been dying my hair red for about 6 months now. Everything is well with the hair dye I use, I was actually wondering what your suggestion would be with bangs. I have think long hair that I only wash once a week with the help of using dry shampoo, but I want to re-cut my bangs I’ve grown out. I’m afraid they’re either going to be grossly greasy or I’ll have to constantly wash them and they’ll be a different color than the rest of my hair. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Hmm… they might be more vibrant than the rest of your hair overtime? but I don’t think it should be too much of an issue. I’m not sure to be honest! you may just want to experiment for yourself
i want to know about these products i’m just gonna start out with by doing one strand of hair with each of these products. is their a developer where you can rinse in with the semi permanent colors?
No developers aren’t used with semi-perm dyes!
Hi Sara!!!
I read your blog and all your advices are awesome and come very handy!! Ive been dying my hair red for a few months now…yes out of a drug store box! :/ i have to say tho that the color lasted quite long and it stayes vibrant for about 3 weeks. I now have a dark red color on (my hair dresser messed it up!) but i wanna go bright red!
I was suggested to mix a magenta color with 30% paroxide! Do you think is a good idea? The result should be a very bright red like yours!
Thank u in advance
You don’t mix any of these dyes with a developer…! They are used as is
I was thinking about going with the ‘N RAGE hair color in Crimson Red. Just for the tips. I have the color already. Do you have any tips for this hair color? I want to have is super bright red for Super Bowl Sunday. How log do you think it will last if I shower in cold water? And how bad does it stain skin in the shower? And what about white shirts? Thanks!!!
Crimson red darkened my color personally… but its supposed to last about 4-6 washes and itll stain white shirts if your hair gets wet
heyyyy im wondering how did yuh go from burgundy to red hair ?? did yuh have to lighten it again ??
Yes I had to lighten
im not dyeing mmy hair red, but im dying the ends plum from punky color. my class id going swimming 2 days after i dye it and i really want to dye it and go swimming too. will the chlorine take off my dye? if so, am i allowed to immediately re dye it?
Yes it would and with punky colours yes you can
I have dyed my hair black twice in six months have stopped i know u are not a professional but i need help i wanna dye my hair with the chroma silk the lighy bright red 5 : 66 how would i go about achieving this can i use tje pravana extractor kit 3 in one to remove the black …
I really suggest seeking professional advice since I am not a cosmetologist and I have no experience with the kit or having to lift black hair
Hi there, just wondering you said your hair has been red for about 6 years now. Mine has been for around 4 years now. It had been dyed previously blond and a gingery brown but was in good condition and very long(although i didn’t trim it often) i didn’t bleach it for the first 2 years i’d say, i just went over it with Live XXL. Anyway as i say i wanted the mid to ends lighter and so i bleached it on 2 occassions 2 years ago (months apart) but didn’t leave it on long enough to make it white or platinum blond. Since then i’ve been using stargazer every 2 weeks and only would put dye on my roots every 6 weeks.
But since a year ago i noticed that my hair gradually got a bit thinner but mainly shorter, i barely trim it, dont straighten or curl it any more than i used to and can’t understand why i’ts gone from so shiny to brittle and short when you have pretty much done the same as i have but for longer
Anyway i’ve made a promise to only do my roots every 6 months with a semi on every 2 weeks,and hope my hair comes back shinier and longer.
I just wanted to know if you have noticed a change in the condition since you first dyed yours? It looks pretty long and shiny (assuming its not extensions :-p ) so WHERE AM I GOING WRONG? haha any help or info would be nice i know your not a professional but someone who has done it as much as me!
I would say thick strong hair is something that runs in my family so that’s what has naturally worked for me. Look into taking something like biotin to help your hair grow and get stronger. Maybe you’re lacking vitamins and that could be something that would help you!
I had loreal hicolor magenta last summer. I had changed my color closer the fall. I was guilty of redying my hair with the same hicolor dye. Stupid I know, I want to go back to that color again this spring, but I want to use Special Effects instead of manic panic. I was looking at another woman’s blog and she was using a bright pink and pinky/purple to refresh her color.
Which she said worked great only it turned it pink. Is there any way you could look through the Special Effects chart. I was thinking maybe Candy Apple and Atomic Pink would work out. OR do you think I should stick with a bright pink and just add purple to it as you did? I really what to keep the magenta true as possible.
Anyhow thank you for you’re time even if you are not able to help.
You could definitely still do the mixing process with Special Effects to get the color you want to use
Hello Sara,
I wanted to ask you on temporary color because it seemed like you knew a lot about it. Would you please help me?
I have a dark blonde/light brunette hair with 5-month-old ombre. I never had anything but highlights or ombre on my hair. I wanted to try a temporary dye to try out how red would look on me (the “Emma Stone” red). My questions would be:
1. Is temporary=Semi-permanent? If not, which of the two lasts less on hair? I was looking for something that would preferably wash out as fast as possible. Even if it were to be so superficial that it would wash out/comb out right away. And then if the shade worked I would go to a professional to do a permanent color.
2. Would it even be possible to get a red color on very dark blonde hair? I bet the ombre ends will suck it right in, but I wasn’t sure. If so, then which shade of which product would you recommend? I understand that you are not a cosmetologist, I just wanted to see maybe you did something like this before. The salons around me don’t work with temporary color. Or am I even better off buying one of the spray-on colors?
Thank you very much,
Tanya
1. Manic panic will wash out in 4-6 washes so temporary does mean semi permanent
2. It depends on how bright you want it. If your color is a very dark blonde, I would probably lift it once (my opinion as a non professional) to get something very vivid. If not though it should still work out fine on its own. My salon doesn’t carry temporary either, I buy it myself and bring it in for my stylist to use
Sara, thank you so much for this advice. Unfortunately, I’ve been dying my hair with drug store box colors. I used Splat in Lusty Lavender and just now their new dark red, Crimson Obsession. I had once tried Punky Colors in Flamingo Pink, but I didn’t leave it in too long, so it came out terrible. Any tips to get a rich dark red with hues of lighter, brighter red in my hair?
I think you’d need highlights to get an effect like that. In that case, I recommend seeing a professional for advice and services on doing that!
Heyy I lovee the purple haze and red combo!! I had bleached hair and wanted to dye my hair a dark red, I went to sallys and bought ION medium intense red hair dye it came out a nice dark red/ Burgundy. I know red fades like crazy so I was wondering if I do the purple haze and red on my hair will it help maintain color on my already dark reddish burgundy hair?
Manic Panic in general will fade about 4-6 washes since it is a semi-permanent, no matter the color combination
hello (: I accidentley found your web site when I was searching for an answer to my problem, so I think you’d propably be able to help me ? ( sorry for my bad english) I have a red hair propably 1 shade darker than yours and I’m worried about the constant coloring. I was thinking to change the color for summer, maybe something lighter. But my problem is that my real hair color is a mix of brown and platin. Platin from the top and brown from under (you can propably imagine the color of my root growth). I’d like to have light brown hair but I’m afraid that it’ll become orange like a carrot ): So do you have any tips or advice for me ? I was also considering decolorization but my friend had one and now her hair looks horrible and un natural. Please help me ):
I really suggest seeking professional advice since I am not a cosmetologist and I have no experience with this
Hi, I’m in desperate need of advice! I want my hair to be a dark purple color like in image 4. My current color is a dark brownish red. I have been dyeing it with ion dye a medium auburn color for like a year now and I’m so ready to be purple headed! I am thinking about using Manic Panic in purple haze. I keep going back and fourth on wanting and not wanting to bleach it because I am nervous about damaging my hair or not doing it right. Manic Panic has a lightening kit and I am thinking of using it. A lot of the reviews said that on unbleached hair the manic panic dye did not stick. I don’t want extremely purple hair but I would like it to be slightly noticeable indoors and vibrant outside. My hair is pretty much like that now but its the wrong color. It’s a bright auburn brown color in the sun and indoors it looks dark brown. So my question is should I or shouldn’t I bleach out my auburn die to get that dark purple color????
That really depends on you. If you’re that hesitant about it I either recommend visiting a professional or waiting it out. Bleaching it will make it more vibrant
Hi Sara, I’m a natural strawberry blonde and I’m thinking about dying my hair a dark brown or black in semi – permanent dye but I’m worried when it all washes off will i still have my naural redhair or will the dye leave a tint ???? Thanks
Hmmm. I would definitely check with a professional but since the color doesn’t actually penetrate the hair I think over time it will eventually fade out since it only coats the hair. Definitely follow up with a professional first though!
Hey Sara! I am Manic Panic Vampire Red (Amplified) and it looks similar to your color…my biggest problem is that when I got to the gym and sweat like crazy the color drips down my cheeks, neck, and forehead! So embarrassing! And how am I going to go to the beach this summer without it running down my back when I get out of the water? Do you know of a good permanent hair dye in a similar color?
It’s tough because thats what these dyes come with. I notice it most when my hair is freshly dyed though. As far as permanents go, I personally dislike them all so I can’t really recommend anything but I’d look into brands like Wella or Redken