Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo as temporary hair dye for dark hair

[CurlyCap]

Hi Everybody!

I just wanted to start a thread where we can discuss experiences using Maybelline's 24 Hour Color Tattoo (or similar products) as temporary hair color, especially if you have dark hair.

If you have dark hair, then you know that even the brightest temp dyes don't show up on your hair. And if your on LHC, then you likely aren't willing to use bleach to lift your color enough to get enough colorful highlights.

I wanted to have a night where I could have wild hair and makeup like some of my friends. Some searching on Youtube introduced me to the idea of using the 24 Hour tattoos as hair dye. A 50% off sale at the drug store convinced me to actually try it. XD

Overall, I think it's a pretty great idea, with some caveats:

Pros:
Color is BRIGHT. Yay! Finally colors dark hair can use!
Easy to apply (see caveat below)
Comes off with co-wash
Lots of colors so far to choose from
Once dry, the color doesn't transfer.

Cons:
Takes a LOT of product to cover even highlights. Buy a color pot (regularly $6.99) knowing you'll likely use the whole thing.
Color initially goes on splotchy. Takes many strokes of color to get even coverage.
If you have curly hair, applying this will make your curls frizz and lengthen. (I'm still experimenting with application to damp hair).
If you have straight hair, I think this will make your hair stringy.
I suspect it's a bit drying to hair. Will report back on this one.
The product dried on my hair is gross (that dry 'guh I need to clean my hair') feeling.


Now....PICTURES:

I gave up on trying to get really bright color on my hair. To lightly color half the length of only my face framing curls was making major dents in the color pots...and I want to do lots of experiments. But since I have dark hair, I think even "light" coloring makes a pretty big impression.

Also, I was playing with makeup. Yes, it is colorful. :bow:

http://i.imgur.com/QKPtHXC.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/YkbgX2B.jpg?1

I'll post more as I learn how to do more. I want to do some really bright streaks of purple and gold, but I suspect I won't be able to get all the way around my head without buying more product.

Please post if you try to use this or similar products!

[emilia1992]

I hadn't thought of using makeup on hair like that!

Yes, those temporary dyes never do show up on dark hair.....once I tried Shaders n Toners and absolutely nothing happened, except that my bath was left with what-on-earth-happened-in-here red streaks in it.

I have tried using ordinary pastels. I sprayed my hair with leave-in conditioner, then stroked a blue coloured pastel along the length of it. Then I dried it using my hairdryer. The colour stayed in well, but also went all over my pillow, and my neck!

I guess the trick with dark hair is to put the colour on it, rather than into it as temporary dyes seem to do.

[Larki]

Hm, very cool! Have you tried hair chalk?

[CurlyCap]

Hm, very cool! Have you tried hair chalk?

Hair chalk isn't intense enough to show up well on my hair, dries it out terribly, and gets all over everything. So, yes I've tried, but I wasn't a fan.

[cat11]

woah- this looks really cool! Your hair is really pretty. I've often wished I had hair like that!

[minaa]

Whoo, success! And I agree, I love ringlets like that. Lovely hair!

I'm guessing the spray-on stuff is probably a bit sticky and drying too, bleh. But this is interesting.

[lunasea]

That is some gorgeous hair; WOW!

[pastina]

looks cool, but it seems like an expensive solution. how much does a jar of that eyeshadow go for?

i remember colored hair sprays not being so great, but they were definitely cheaper. have you tried colored hair gel? i know manic panic has a line called dye hard (btw, text doesn't translate it well, but i'm genuinely asking. i've never tried them before and my hair is not as dark as yours naturally.)

[Stellaaa]

looks cool, but it seems like an expensive solution. how much does a jar of that eyeshadow go for?

i remember colored hair sprays not being so great, but they were definitely cheaper. have you tried colored hair gel? i know manic panic has a line called dye hard (btw, text doesn't translate it well, but i'm genuinely asking. i've never tried them before and my hair is not as dark as yours naturally.)

CurlyCap says in the OP that it normally runs $6.99 but she got it on sale 1/2 price.

Walmart.ca has it for $6.99. I assume that CAD, but nowhere does the site tell you what currency it's using - it's $5.97 USD at walmart.com (but even that doesn't mean that Walmart isn't charging 6.99 USD in Canada). Well.ca has it on sale for $7.19 CAD normaly $8.99. Safe to say the stuff cost between $6-9 CAD a pot

[pastina]

oops! must have missed that, thank you!

[shola-faye]

It looks really pretty! I will have to try this (btw your hair is gorgeous :agree:)

[lapushka]

I've seen this among a number of my YT subscriptions (mainly among African-American women). It gives off dye (well "color pigment") like no other. I would love to try that, but I think it would be too bold on me. Besides, I only own two color tattoos, one in white and one in a champagny color. I won't want the white, and the champagny color is barely going to show up on my hair, I think.

Love the purple on you, though, CurlyCap!

[CurlyCap]

I've had a chance to do some more experimenting and so have some tips for people with curly dark hair.

1. The best color for dark hair are Painted Purple, Electric Blue, and Tenacious Teal.

2. Inked in Pink is pretty pastel pink, but you'll need a ton of it (1 pot per use) and sometimes from far away people may think your hair is grey (the color is light and your hair is dark).

3. DO NOT USE ANY GOLDS. When applied to the hair, it breaks down into it's components, which is like a fine glitter. Once it's in, it's terrible to get out and can't even be easily spread out for it be pretty.

3. For short term use (1 day of color), apply color evenly between your index and thumb and then smear down the curl of your choice. This is pretty much as described in my OP and matches the pictures. It stretches the curl a bit, but it adds a pop of color.

4. For longer term use or to preserve curls.
-Before wash day, apply preferred color HEAVILY to the curls you want colored. Heavily as you would a cream for LOC or gel or oil. The eyeshadow should basically be defining the clump of hair. This will destroy your pot of color but is so worth it.

-Let eyeshadow dry completely, 1-2 hours. It will go from tacky to touch to just feeling like heavy product. When dry, you won't be able to touch your hair and get color to come off on your fingers. FYI: You needn't worry about the color rubbing off on your clothes or body while it dries. Just...don't be uber brave and wear white. Don't tempt fate.

-Once the color dries, gently cowash your hair as usual. By gently, I mean, don't rub the strands together or pull apart the clumps you applied color to. This allows the clumps to be rehydrated and curl as normal when they dry. I've even taken a hair dryer to colored hair and they dry normally with mild heat.

-The amount of time the color stays on your hair is proportional to how heavily you apply it. And the limit to how heavily you apply it is how much product your hair can take before it kills your curl or makes it hang funny. I've only done that once in the last few months, and it wasn't really a big deal. I just tucked that strand away and it made a fun highlight, like a clip in. So far, I've had a purple streak last 7 co-washes easily.

-It truly is completely hair safe and causes no damage. Yay!

I'm trying to get a picture taker, because I cannot manage to get decent selfies. Last week I did purple, teal, and blue streaks everywhere and it was so pretty seeing the random streaks shooting through my buns. When I get pics, I'll post them.

Hope that helps.