Within the past six years, I have tried almost every professional line of hair dye in my attempt to get the perfect shade of red. Despite my best efforts to give some brands the benefit of the doubt, nothing was ever vibrant enough, and if it was, it didn’t last me very long. A few months ago I stumbled upon a hair-dye line named Vivids by a company known as Pravana. It was instant love.
Packaging
Pravana Vivids (top photo) provides outstanding pigmented colors in a variety of different shades like: silver, yellow, orange, pink, wild orchid, violet, green and blue. I personally use a combination of red and magenta. They are direct dyes which means that the color you see on the tube is the color that will show up on your hair, provided that it is pre-lightened. The dye is in a toothpaste-like tube. This makes it a bit harder to get every last drop out of it, so I normally cut the top off and squeeze it into a plastic bowl. Unlike other products that I have used, the smell of the dye is actually pleasant.
Application
This product is fairly easy to apply and requires no peroxide developer to use. Due to the strength of the dye, expect hard to remove stains if you aren’t careful with handling. Before applying the dye, I recommend using Vaseline as a barrier around your hairline to avoid staining your skin. Make sure to also wear gloves to protect your hands. The instructions on the box say to leave the product in for 20-40 minutes and to process under heat for increased vibrancy. I normally extend this to 2-5 hours and use a shower cap to provide natural heat. Since there are no harsh chemicals in the dye, I feel safe having it set for much longer. This is done to ensure that the product is completely absorbed by the hair for longer lasting color. The photos (center and bottom) show that even after three weeks of applying the dye I still have a vibrant red color.
Maintenance
It is recommended to use a sulfate-free shampoo with cool water to extend dye vibrancy. I try to limit hair washes to keep the color from fading as long as possible. Dry shampoos are also very helpful on days you do not wash your hair. You should also try to avoid chlorinated pool or salt water and prolonged exposure to sunlight, as mentioned within the packaging.
This product is available through licensed professionals only. You may visit the Pravana website to located a salon near you that provides services using Pravana’s products. It is recommended to use this product with the help of a licensed professional if attempting to use outside of a salon setting.
With the vivids you dont want to use heat. Also, it is unnecessary to leave it on 2-5 hours because its a direct pigment and not an oxidized color (meaning it doesn’t use peroxide to work.). Your hair wont absorb more by leaving it on longer because its not actually penetrating the hair strand, its basically staining it. Usually about 30 minutes on dry, pre-lightened hair and your good to go. definitely use a processing cap so the product doesn’t dry up. It’s a rad red!!!
Hello Ryan, I know it is unnecessary to leave the dye on for long periods of time. However, that is my hair dyeing technique and I have personally seen for myself that it makes my own hair color last longer and appear more vibrant. Thanks for the input!
As a licensed professional who has been using pravana vivids (currently violet) for years, i strongly recommend use a shower cap and sitting under heat for 20 mins. i also recommend leaving it on for as long as possible, the long the better, i leave mine on for at least 2 hrs. cool water and good shampoo and this color lasts way longer than any other. just keep doin what ur doin sara, ur hair looks beautiful!!
Thank you
hi I just bought some Pravana dye in red. I was using special effects in hot lava before and I love the color but it only lasted about two weeks, so I felt like getting something that would last longer *fingers crossed*. I was wondering if Pravana is a semi? I thought I saw in one of your posts that it is a direct dye not a semi. If so was it the difference? Is it safe to keep using color depositing shampoos and my special effects dye mixed in my conditioner with the pravana dye in my hair? Also I use your technique of lifting my roots only with high color and then semi dyeing the ends. Will the pravana dye work on my already red hair or do i have to pre lighten all my over again to almost blonde?
I know these are a lot of questions. But in my quest to keep my naturally black hair red I will take any help I can get! Thanks so much your blog has helped me keep up my red hair even though it makes me crazy!
-andrea
Pravana Vivids is considered a direct dye and it lasts much, much longer than a typical semi-permanent which is meant to only last about 4-6 washes. Direct dye means that the color you see in the tube is what the color is going to be on your hair (if your hair is pre-lightened, otherwise it will just tint). It is safe to use special effect in your conditioner, I currently use a semi-perm in my conditioner as well. If your color is already the color you want, don’t pre-lighten! There is no point, I just started using Pravana right away on my already red color and it worked fine.
thanks soo much for your help! sorry I think I re posted about color car routine. have you used the pravana color care shampoo and condtioner? I was wondering if it works well for preserving color?
thanks again!!!
What mixture do you use for adding special effects to conditioner? I have purple highlights and would like them to last longer. Do you think that would help so I don’t have to re-color as much?
It will help to refresh your color in between dyes. I suggest you try it and see how it works for you. I just simply eyeball it in the palm of my hand and mix and apply!
Hey Sara, this is sort of random but I thought you might know. I tend to use MP and SFX over my hair that is a bit darker. I like the highlights it gives my hair and in the sun or good lighting, it’s great. This has been my method for a while and I was wondering if pravana would do the same thing, would it tint my hair as well? Do you think it’d work better on dark hair or worse than what I already use which are the semi permanents? I don’t quite understand the difference between the semi’s and the direct dyes and am unsure of whether switching to pravana would work for me like it has for all of the people who pre lighten
Hello Mel, Pravana Vivids is the same idea in the sense that you must pre-lighten your hair in order to get the true color, otherwise it will just tint your hair. Semi-permanents typically last about 4-6 washes, meaning they fade quickly. The direct dye just means you get the exact color you see in the tube, but Vivids is meant to last a long amount of time and is quite difficult to get out of your hair if you ever decide to change your color. They do not fade as quickly and last quite a while
I saw in other posts. That you just apply the pravana dye to you already red hair and lift the roots that same way you applied manic panic in your tutorials. But i still wonder what you color care routine is now. do you still use manic manic in your conditioner? or pranava in your conditioner?
Hi : )
I am in love with your hair color. I’ve been trying to get that color for months. I am currently using scarlet by joico, which is similar in hue to the hicolor magenta. I’ve been using semi permanents over this color to make it a brighter red. It works well but still not the color I want. What color combo by Pravana do you use? Thanks for your help
I used the Pravana dye in red and I don’t like the color because it is not very vibrant at all. Any ideas of how I can help make it more vibrant? Can you use L’oreal highlift over this dye? I think I read in the directions you can not bleach it out. Can I just semi over it? Any ideas will help.
thanks!
http://makeupatemybrains.blogspot.com/
that is a link where I have pictures of my hair now with pravana in it. I thought if you saw the color it might help. Sorry to bother you I have just worked so hard to get it red and now I feel like I lost it.
thanks!
Hello Sara….
Wow beautiful hair…..
I found Salon Centric online near i live …..n they sell Pravana ,but u said only Lin# can buy it….
?
If I go n …u think I can buy wt out having a Linc#
No you have to have a license or be in Cosmo school. If you know someone they can get it for you. I am currently in school with only a few hundred hours left to go. If you have any questions just let me know.
Sara I was wondering how you applied both magenta in red, what ratios did you use? How many of each. What was your technique for mixing the colora
Two tubes red one tube magenta
2 tubes red 1 tube magenta
Thanks Sara, I’m goin red but I’m scared it might be too bright do you think if I mix it with wild orchid it will be a bit darker. I been told I look better in cooler colors than warm.
It all depends on what color your hair is now, but wild orchid helps deepen the color
Hey, love your hair color!!! I been dying my hair red with loreal hicolor in red for about 6 months already & i love the color but in about 3 weeks it fads into a copper orange color ugly! lol i just ordered the Pravana colors in magenta & red. I was wondering how do you cover your roots? do you bleach it? i have dark brown natural hair color. Please help me out! Also! is it hard to apply the pravana color? is it like toothpaste? or more like cream? Please reply! <3
I use Loreal Hicolor for my roots only and Pravana all around. It’s a cream consistency and not hard to apply at all. It also smells yummy!
Hi!
I bleached my hair to a strawberry pinkish blonde, then dyed it cotton candy pink, then bloody red in a span of 2 weeks. The bloody red was turning orange at my roots so I did Loreal HiColor in Red Hot on my roots, mistakenly creating burgundy roots and red hair. I just bought Pravana in Red. I’m looking to get a red similar to that where you are holding the makeup brushes/skulls shirt. What mixture would you use if you were me? Red only or should I get some Magenta to mix it in?
I use red and magenta mixed
Hello, i have dark brown hair and need to prelighten…Do you use PRAVANA Pure Light Power Lightener as recommended on the box since the box says DO NOT USE PROXIDE???
No, I use Loreal Hicolor. They mean you dont need to mix any developer with the Pravana vivids! You should have already pre-lightened your hair before applying the Pravana
I’m trying to find the right color for my friends hair, shes looking for about the shade of red you have but quick question, what color did you lighten it to? I’ve used pravana before and had to bleach it pretty light but with red did you have to get it pale blonde or could it work with a light orange?
She has black hair so i have to strip it, just wondering if i’m able to even achieve that shade of red in her hair.
My stylist automatically lifts my color to a red using L’oreal Hicolor. Since your friend has black hair that needs to be stripped, going off of bleach I would say a light orange would work. My hair was never a pale blonde, even when bleached or else I would have a super true firetruck bright red which I don’t personally want!
love your hair! I want to get my hair colored with this product, I live in NYC do you know we’re I can buy it?
I’m sorry hun I live in California and have never been to New York, you need to contact the company or find a salon locator on their site.
Hey I’m thinking of dying my hair red from dark brown, do I have to bleach my hair blonde to have the same result as your hair from using Pravana? If I applied Red Pravana hair color on my hair while it’s dark brown, do you know if its going to be vibrant or just a red tint on my hair?
Hope to hear from you soon xx
You have to prelighten. You can either use bleach or use something such as L’oreal hi lift. If you don’t, it will just tint your color
hey, i have to dye my hair this color for a play im in and they want it this exact color haha my hair has been this color before but i used special effects, my hair is my natural red color now but can you tell me how you pre-lightened your hair the combination of magenta and red you used. it will make it a lot easier since i dont have much time for trial and error haha
thank you!
I did not lighten my own hair, I get it professionally done, but it is as simple as lifting with a Hicolor then adding in a mixture of Pravana red and magenta afterward!
Do I have to do my regrowth? As in colour it to my blonde hair. Im currently on my regrowtg a natural level 7
I’m not a cosmetologist I have no idea what a level 7 means! If you have blonde hair you might not have to lift your roots at all
Every how many weeks do you dye your hair? How many times a week do you wash your hair? Thanks
About every 4-5 weeks and 2x a week
Hi Dear Sara,
but i did find a website that sells.
My natural hair is a very dark brown, my salon used a L’Oreal hot read and it gave me
a nice warm red which is very bright in the sun but looks burgundy brown i n less light.
I do not wish to pre lighten my hair but would love to have a brighter red.
Reading your blog I am considering buy Pravana vivids colour online, thats if i get it, as i live in india
OK now the question is can i apply Pravana directly to my hair or do i need to use a L’Oreal hi colour as you mentioned in your previous blog.
Please do advice as I don’t think ill get this advice else where.
As you never bleached i am assuming please do guide me.
Love
Neha
Hello Neha,
My hair was previously completely bleached out before I started using Loreal hilift. You will have to lighten your hair to get a vibrant and brighter red.
is pravana red a orange based red?
Not in my opinion. If you want it to be, mix orange with it, or if not mix magenta with it to make it more pink based.
I have permed natural chestnut hair with quite a bit of gray coming in at the front. I have been using Manic Panic in Purple Haze to color within a week of getting a perm and have been getting a nice deep color with bright highlights on the gray. I just hate the brevity of the color – less than 6 weeks. Do you think Pravana vivid violet will give me a longer lasting color with my un-lightened hair?
Absolutely it will! It does hold better on lifted hair though but either way, yes it will.
Hey!
So just wondering, when you use pravana, it stains my scalp.. like bad. any GOOD way to get it off? Its a bother!
Next, I have heard rumors (have looked on line.. no luck.) about mixing a conditioner into the color to make it a more pastel look. (purple->lavender) and just wondering if you knew anything about it because we had done it on my friends hair and left on for 45 mins and it washed out in the sink! (it did tone a bit more though to silver) So just wondering if you knew a different way or different brand to use for this or if maybe we used to much conditioner? Thanks in advance.
By the way. You are GORGEOUS. Flawless.
Oh and another thing I wanted to let ya know. Pravana has an AMAZING color remover. Not as damaging as bleach and it lifted me from a lvl 5 up into a lvl 8 first try! (natural redhead) So if you ever need to get rid of pravana it works wonders! <3
I would begin applying the dye maybe half an inch from your scalp to avoid getting it to touch. Other than that, a few rinses help! And yes, I’ve heard off diluting dye before but have never done it personally. You can maybe search youtube to help get an idea of the amount to use. Also, thank you so much!
Hello sara I have a question I have dark brown hair and want this pravana red will it pick up without bleach…I have use this color before years ago but with no dye in my hair and grab good
No you need to prelighten or else it will only tint
Hello. I recently went to a salon to get my hair bleached and colored. Unfortunately it turned out more of a cotton candy pink and I was hoping for something brighter. I plan on using magenta pravana mixed with hot hot pink manic panic. Do you think I can just dye over the light pink that is already there or will I have to rebleach?
I wouldnt mix pravana and manic panic together, I did in the past and my color didn’t last at all. If you’re going for something brighter I would assume you’d have to lighten but I don’t do hair professionally
Hello I love your colour, I really would love to use in our salon!but were are ur stockists, we use matrix at the moment, iv tryed making an account on line but it dosnt show how and were to get colours from ???? Help
Contact Pravana!
Hi Sara. Just a couple of quick questions. I am a natural redhead but I dye mine a brighter red. I’m more into the vibrant red. I’ve been using manic panic but am tired of the color fading quickly. The salon I went to said they have never heard of pravana. Would it be rude to ask them to order it for me? I would just have them dye it of course. Or if they won’t should I just stick with manic panic?
Thanks!
Definitely not considering you need a license to order it, they should do what the client wants hopefully. If not, look for a salon that uses Pravana. And if all else fails, I personally would stick to Manic Panic. Try their amplified line, it is said to last longer
Hi,
I want to use the pravana in magenta or purple. Does this hair color damage the hair alot? Also, if I don’t want to pre-lighten my hair (because of the damaging) how will the “just tinted” hair look? I know it will not be as bright but will it pick up any of the color? My concern is damaging my hair.
Pravana vivids won’t damage your hair but prelightening could potentially damage if you’re doing it incorrectly
Hi Sara,
first of all, i love your hair color!!! secondly, i just got my hair highlighted with vivids hair dye, in red and magenta. My question to you is, what brand of shampoo/conditioner should i use to keep my hair as vibrant as possible? i currently use the L’Oreal shampoo/conditioner for color treated hair, but my dye still washes out with every wash…even after 3 weeks from when i first dyed it. Just wondering if i should be doing something extra besides just color treated shampoo or if i should be using another brand all together…any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I love Pravana’s shampoo. Their products overall have really helped my hair appear so healthy and it keeps my hair very vibrant
Awesome, thank you so much. I’ll be purchasing Pravana’s shampoo/conditioner soon.
Doin have recently colored my hair using the pravana vivid red & my hair appears to be very bright & a bit pinkish not very true red looking almost hot pink . Would putting magenta over it maybe tone it down giving it more of a red effect ?
No magenta will give it more of a pink/purple hue. Maybe try mixing orange with it
If you have shorter hair is it recommended to still buy 2 tubes of red with the magenta color to achieve your look or would one of each work just fine?
No I am sure you’ll do fine with less!