Keep it cool. To keep your new hair colour vivid and bright, we recommend washing your hair with cold water (as cold as is bearable). Cold water keeps the hair cuticles closed and therefore stops the colour running out and fading too soon. Warm water is the enemy!
Now that your hair is washed, styled, and colored, you'll want to seal in your 'do with a hair spray, like the L'Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold, Light Hairspray Unscented. Spritz your mane, and you're ready to head out the door and show off your new temporary highlights.
Temporary hair color does not penetrate the cortex or the hair. Instead, it coats the outside of the hair shaft with color that washes out in one or two shampoos.
Using a conditioner after dyeing your hair is an absolute must. It helps to create a protective barrier to lock in moisture that prevents hair from becoming dry, brittle and protecting color stay. It also prevents hair from becoming brittle and breaking.
A: Any white or clear conditioner, I just get it from the $ store. And if you pre-rinse with vinegar, it opens up the hair shaft and your color will be brighter and last longer.
Arctic Fox Semi-Permanent Hair Color
It has a long-lasting formula that can transform hair color for up to six weeks (and even longer if you don't wash your hair as much).
Semi-permanent and temporary hair colours penetrate your hair's cuticle (protective outer layer) to gain access to the cortex (inner layer) where your hair's pigment is contained. Therefore, they can cause moisture loss from your hair, and subsequent dryness.
The vinegar actually helps the hair dye to remain bonded to the hair, according to my awesome stylist Viviane of Marina Beach Hair. Shout out to Viv, woot! 3. After using hair dye, wait 72 hours before washing.
Redken Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Though they're a splurge, the products earned the best score for preventing hair color from fading over a month of simulated wear. They also came out on top for making color look shiny, richer and more vibrant.
Heat opens up the cuticle, much in the same way ammonia does chemically. This is why some hair dyes will suggest covering your head or applying heat while the color sets. The extra heat, whether from your own head or an external source like a blow dryer or steamer, optimizes the dye's processing for stronger results.
To keep your temporary new hue intact, be sure to let the dye dry fully before styling your hair, keep your strands dry, and try to minimize how often you touch your strands.
ion™ Color Defense™ After-Color Sealer featuring ChromaXtend™ helps protect and prolong color treatments by sealing in color, moisture, and shine leaving hair soft, smooth, shiny and manageable.
If you want to dye your hair with temporary hair color, try it with wet hair for an easier, mess-free process, and less pigmented results.
Our favorite color-depositing conditioner is the dpHue Gloss+ thanks to its wide range of shades, easy application, and ability to soften and hydrate hair. For a clear gloss that adds shine to any hair color, we recommend the Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat + Sheer.
As our colours are semi-permanent we do recommend that your dye is left to process for 30 minutes minimum but you could leave it on for a couple of hours if you wish. Applying heat to hair dye that is processing can help to open the cuticle of your hair and allow it to absorb the colour a lot more easily.
Permanent hair colour penetrates the hair cuticle, altering the structure of the hair shaft in order for the colour to be locked in permanently. Semi-permanent colour, however, is deposited on the outside of the hair shaft. Without anything locking it into place, the colour is temporary.
Red hair is notoriously difficult when it comes to upkeep. While it's the hardest color to fully strip from your hair, it's also the first to fade, often lightening drastically within the first few washes. So unless you're wanting to touch-up your own color at home, it would be wise to skip the scarlet shades.
Depending on how long you leave the mixture in your hair, Kool-Aid color can last anywhere from two to four weeks, so if you're looking for a longer-lasting color, you're better off leaving it in for about 30 minutes.
It's generally safe to mix conditioner with semi-permanent or direct dyes because they coat the hair's surface rather than altering its color through a chemical reaction.
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Detangling Deep Conditioner quenches dry, knotted hair in just 3 minutes—and detangles fast with up to 90% less hair breakage.* This hardworking hydration miracle absorbs quickly and deeply to transform damaged, dry hair into silky, ready-to-style strands.
Per Arctic Fox: Arctic Mist is the same conditioning base as our other colors and it is free from silicones and oils in some conditioners that may inhibit Arctic Fox from evenly applying to your hair. That being said, you can use conditioner, but of course for best results, we recommend Arctic Mist.