Manic Panic, Directions, etc on mostly virgin hair

[Katze]

Hi all,

as many of you know I am seriously considering a radical change to my hair, since i have been extremely dissatisfied with it for quite some time.

Tomorrow I have a salon visit to hack off 5-10 inches of ugly, thin length, but am thinking of taking it a step further.

Namely, purple.

It has been a long, long time since I did anything with temporary hair color. And I never used it on (mostly) virgin (I have used sun-in once or twice in the past year) hair. My hair is kind of hazelnut-colored - what would manic panic or a similar product do? Could I get a deep plum or eggplant color with repeated applications? And, most importantly, would it really - really - wash out all the way?

I am thinking of getting some and just trying it on the strand of coarse, wurly hair I have on my left nape. That hair has a very different consistency than my crown and temple hair, true, but at least I could see 1) if I like the color and 2) if it really will wash out. In olden days, when I used blue over bleached hair, it didn't totally wash out.

ideas? help?

thanks!

Katze

[jackie75]

I used special effects deep purple on all virgin hair (weird mix of white/grey and brown) & it was very vivid on me. You can look at my album and see. :) Also, it really stuck around...much to my dismay. I was hoping for it to wash out...but it didn't.

Manic Panic supposedly has less staying power, but that wasn't the case for me at all when I later tried midnight blue. Crazy Colour is more temporary, and the "violette" I used faded much better, although to a powdery, flat grayish color before I colored again.

It really depends on your hair porosity, hair care routine and which brand you go with. There's a forum specifically for alternative colors called "hairdyeforum" that has a lot of good info.

I would certainly proceed with caution. I learned the hard way as usual...it may wash out, it may not.

I know Spidermom has had gorgeous colors that faded quite nicely...I think she has used Punky by Jerome Russell...and I really haven't read any reviews on that brand or how the staying power is. I really need to though! Maybe she'll chime in with her experiences.

Good luck to you...and post pics if you can! :cheese:

[XcaliburGirl]

My hair is dark, so I didn't take too much of a risk with it staying in. I did a dark blue and it showed up on my dark brown hair, so you probably can get a good purple color as long as it is darker than your natural shade.

My blue washed out of the unbleached part of my hair in two shampoo washes. It faded fairly quickly on the bleached ends, but they stayed greenish-blue for several weeks. That was probably due the the orange tone the bleached hair had. I didn't do any upkeep (reapplications, mixed with conditioner, etc.)

It probably depends on how porous your hair is, or something like that. Mine was resistant to the bleach as well, so I wasn't too surprised that it didn't last. Also, if you are using a gentle cleansing method, such as CO, it might last longer.

Be warned, it is messy.

Edited to Add: I used After Midnight Blue Manic Panic. Pictures are in my albums. Also, maybe you can ask for those 5-10 inches for a strand test? You can wash them repeatedly and see how long it takes to come out.

[Amber_Maiden]

I used red, and my hair is dark brown. It made my hair maroon, and I wasn't able to get it out, no matter how many times I washed it... so... Not sure if my hair is weird and just sucked it up, or if other people have had this experience as well. It did fade a bit, but there was definitely still colour in my hair. For years, until I hennaed over it to make it blend.
You probably could get an eggplant colour with repeated applications.
I've also used Punky, and it stayed in my hair as well.

[eshta]

I used Directions Rose Red a couple of weeks ago over mostly hennaed hair, pics are in my albums. The first few inches are virgin and turned out purplish although it was a dark pink dye. It mostly washed out but I do have some pinkish/purplish undertones in bright light.

I was really surprised it took so well, maybe the henna made it stick better? The staying power also surprised me, I expected to wash it out in a few washes but I was washing it out like mad after 3 days because I had funeral and I couldn't get it out (it faded some but not much).

[misspurdy06]

Purple is very similar to blue since blue is a component. Manic panic will stain your hair.

When I did my hair Midnight blue I tried to get it to wash out for a couple of weeks and it only faded a tiny bit.

You can get Color Oops by Loreal to remove the color. It says it doesn't work on non-oxidative color but it does. Here is a pic of when I did it.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x223/misspurd06/243034_1989552586411_1471249053_32147852_7874506_o .jpg

After a couple of applications over the blue it got darker almost black..

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x223/misspurd06/258896_2033280159573_1471249053_32205965_6891572_o .jpg

I used 2 or 3 boxes of color oops. Here is a picture of the day it was finally normal....

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x223/misspurd06/0824143132_01.jpg

If you do decide to use the Manic Panic you will only need one jar. (When you comb it through it will cover all of your hair.)

It does help to lighten your hair before you apply it. Lightening it will make it last longer and make the color last longer. (My hair was medium light blonde before I used the dye)

Get a wide toothed comb (or any comb) so that when you are done applying it to your hair comb it through till it gets a little frothy so that it's even and won't rinse out. If you just glob it on it will run out of your hair and get on everything.

Leave it on as long as you can.The best way is to do it right before bed wrap your hair well with a plastic cap and maybe some plastic wrap and put a towel you don't care about on your pillow and sleep with it in.

Good luck! It is a very fun thing to do. I'm glad I did it. I miss it.

[sbhonda]

I used manic panic rock n' roll red on hair that had previously been dyed red with a demi-permanent color (Natural Instincts) with some grown out roots. I always diluted the manic panic with conditioner, because (on my already dyed hair anyway) it didn't seem to make a difference and it made the small container of manic panic go a lot further. I believe I left it on for two hours, and it really took to my already dyed hair, but my virgin light to medium brown roots showed no difference at all. This is what made me realize the demi-permanent dye was probably doing more damage to my hair than I thought. Maybe if I had left it on overnight it would have made a difference to the roots.

I also put a little bit of manic panic in the conditioner I used in the shower, and that seemed to replace anything that was lost in washing, but I use sulfate free shampoo too. I can't judge how well the color faded out once I wanted it to because I had the demi-permanent red under it. But I can tell you the combination of the two didn't want to fade.

[spidermom]

The Manic Panic that I tried came out completely after 2 washings. A similar product called Punky faded out gradually over 4-6 months.

I have pictures in an album if you want to see.

I think trying one streak first is a good idea.

[katha]

http://www.hairdyegallery.co.uk/unbleachedpage1.html

Look at that link, it's a gallery of colours on unbleached hair. Maybe it'll help you decide. :)

[artiste]

The Manic Panic that I tried came out completely after 2 washings. A similar product called Punky faded out gradually over 4-6 months.

This.
I have naturally blondish/hazelnut colored hair. I've found that manic panic faded ridiculously fast, while punky lasted a little longer. They both faded completely, but it did take quite a while for the punky. I've noticed that since my hair is in better condition, the dyes don't last as long. I assume because the hair is less porous now.
Just for a visual, the color of my hair in my user pic is Punky Color in Rose Red ( which is a pinky/purple/red) over my natural color. So it does give a nice vibrant color while it lasts.
:)

[furnival]

My hair is probably a wee bit lighter than hazelnut, but the photo in my avatar is after repeated (every few weeks) colouring with Directions Tulip. Dunno if it'll wash out either... It is messy to deal with but it gives a lovely vibrant colour. :)

[jackie75]

I tried using color oops, and it didn't work for me. Like my siggy says, no matter what I use, on bleached or virgin hair, hair color clings to my hair like crazy!! I recently tried it even on my black demi-permanent color, and it faded slightly. I has to resort to "bleach baths" to remove the color, but even that didn't lift all of it.

I gave up since I had too many bleach disasters in the past, even though I wasn't using full bleach this time. I really, really want to keep my hair healthy as possible, or there is no point in trying to reach my hair length goal.

I'm doing my second henna tomorrow, then I'm going to use MP vampire red over that. I've seen so my gorgeous results with that combo.

I'll just have to deal with any weird fade out/two tone colors when my roots grow in. I'm putting growth and health first and stop obsessing with having perfect, uniform color, lol.

[Katze]

Thanks everyone! Some great pics, I love the purples over brown hair. That would be the look - a dark rich purple - I would go for.

I used to dye my roots Midnight Blue when I had my hair dyed black. I left the Manic Panic on for hours, and would get this runny effect that mixed with the white face makeup I wore back then and made me look really dead. :D At 20, that was totally the look I was going for. At 38, I would do it a bit different (and not go black again...). Anyway once I had a sort-of natural hair color and did Midnight Blue over it and got this sea-green, mossy, pretty ugly looking color that didn't come out. ( I don't remember if I bleached, dyed, or what I did to get rid of it - I think back to black). It's this effect I am worried about.

I did notice when I first started doing LHC style treatments that the toner I had in my hair faded within a couple of months. I suspect the honey in my weekly SMTs, and think that if it got really bad I would just do lots of SMTs to get it out.

On my way to the salon now, gonna ask her how porous she thinks my hair is and what other solutions to the boring ugly hair problem she recommends...but after seeing those purples, I am really inspired to actually DO it... DH is most skeptical though. :D

thanks for sharing your experiences!

Katze

[luxepiggy]

Could I get a deep plum or eggplant color with repeated applications?
Yes, definitely. My natural colour is darker than yours, and Special Effects Blue Velvet shows up really well:
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/blueblackhairbeforeafteraction.jpg

Cirafly got visible results with Manic Panic Ultra Violet, and I think her hair colour is similar to yours: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1830459&postcount=99

Here's a list of colours from different brands that are likely to work well on unbleached hair. It's even sorted by how dark the natural colour is - very handy: http://www.beeunique.co.uk/Hair-HowUnbleached.htm



I am thinking of getting some and just trying it on the strand of coarse, wurly hair I have on my left nape. Why not just test the dye on some shed hair? That's what I used for my initial strand test. Much easier to handle hair that's not still attached (^(oo)^)v

[Arctic]

This autumn I experimented with Directions Rose Red colour on my virgin hair. I think my natural colour is a bit darker than yours. It showed amazingly well, was very bright and PINK! It also satyed pretty well, ofcourse lost the intensity little by little. The first week it was SHOCK pink, as was my scalp. The second week it was the best in my opinion, not so bright but very noticeable, and reminded really of rose red colour. After that (3-4 weeks) it started to look just faded hair colour, not in a good way, until after it has faded to a certain point this doesn't look bad.

It looks like the colour doesn't complitely wash away, but leves a pink hue. I've read pinks are often like that.

All and all I loved this experience! I have wanted to try shock colour since I was teenager! I thought I MUST try before I am too old ;) In honest truth, I found I looked a bit older, with the very bright hair, and it felt aging for the first week. Plus I hated how my scalp was bright pink. I probably will use this colour again, but not on all hair. And I'm interested to buy other colour too (mainly reds).

I was positively surprised how well the colour took, I only had it on for about 30 mins.

I wash with sulphate-free shampoos almost daily. And I think I have porous hair.

The bathroom has suffered from this and there are pink splashes of colour here and there even though I protected most everything. The one time I tried to mix some colour to my conditioner was disastrous, and left the shower floor permanently pink. Never again.

Oh, and the colour runs for the first week + when you sweat or get cought in a rain or wear somethink light coloured. Not to mention your pillowcases, sheets, and duvet covers. But this is very individual, I've read, and also the different colours differ, some are more prone to run/bleed/rub off.

[Katze]

Yes, I remember that about the color running. I always had blue hands when I was using Midnight Blue, but a bi of black nail polish and I just looked...creepy. :D

Luxpiggie, your hair looks great (in both pics) - soooo straight and shiny. And nice to see the blue velvet color. Thanks for the link, too - that fade out of purple actually looks kinda cool!

Okay, so I told my stylist what I have in mind. She reminded me that the kind of 'semipermanent' dyes she has DON'T wash out. She cut a good 6 or more inches off, but the pathetic amount of hair on the floor when she was done was enough reminder, and she also did my bangs. So hair, freshly washed and cut to just about shoulder (again) looks and feels good (again). (And I even had her take 'before' and 'after' pics, will post later)

She showed me their 'food dye based' hair dyes - they have all kinds of colors, and had a sheet with virgin hair colors (mine was '7') dyed with each of the dyes. The purple really looked like just what I'd want. She said the process requires two steps and that she'd rather do a strand test first ON my head (maybe I could bring her shed hair? But she said what she cut off today wasn't enough to test!). So it sounds like something different from Manic Panic.

I am tempted...on the one hand my D-I-Y tendency makes me want to look for some kind of Manic Panic or similar dye, and do it as a deep treatment. Saves money, could be fun. On the other, I know Ms. Stylist would do a good job and it would be a lot less mess...

One nice thing she left me with is that my natural color is 'pretty on its own' and she is 'amazed at how much better my hair is growing in' and that she'd 'never seen anyone have hair loss like mine,' but that I've 'obviously done a very good job encouraging it to come back.' She's always been very good about being honest so I appreciate this feedback.

And she told me to sleep on it, too.

Why am I so strangely excited at the idea of dyeing my hair purple?!

[luxepiggy]

Luxpiggie, your hair looks great (in both pics) - soooo straight and shiny. And nice to see the blue velvet color. Thanks for the link, too - that fade out of purple actually looks kinda cool!
Thank you! (^(oo)^)


I am tempted...on the one hand my D-I-Y tendency makes me want to look for some kind of Manic Panic or similar dye, and do it as a deep treatment. Saves money, could be fun. On the other, I know Ms. Stylist would do a good job and it would be a lot less mess...
I debated for a long time between DIY & salon as well - but what tipped the balance for me at the end was having the ability to refresh the colour & dye new growth at my leisure, instead of having to rearrange my schedule for hair appointments.



Why am I so strangely excited at the idea of dyeing my hair purple?!

Because it is going to be awesome (^(oo)^)v

[Arctic]

I put few stripes (highlights) on my bangs yesterday with the Directions Rose red, and took a picture for you. This is taken with flash, which intensifies the colour. This time I used super little colour, just dipped the high light brush few times in the pot and painted. The colour is much gentler this way and I actually like it better. For really shock colour one should really saturate the hair with the colour. My hair is short at the moment, but this stuff is really long lasting! I have only one pot and I have done 2 whole head applications and several times high lights, and I still have more than half left!

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc33/LingonberryMist/Hiukset/4b0db450.jpg

[akka naeda]

Directions in Plum is what I used on my hair.
You will need to bleach it first or it won't show, plus it seems to rub off unbleached hair more than bleached hair, so you will find your bed covered in purple.

(I have also used a yellow, Atlantic Blue, a dark green, a bright red and Flamingo Pink, all needed to be on bleached hair to show up)

[spidermom]

Pictures Katze; pictures!

[Katze]

I put few stripes (highlights) on my bangs yesterday with the Directions Rose red, and took a picture for you. This is taken with flash, which intensifies the colour. ...

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc33/LingonberryMist/Hiukset/4b0db450.jpg

Wow, that looks so pretty! That color isn't for me but it is beautiful. Did you bleach first?


Pictures Katze; pictures!

Weeelll, I am getting second thoughts. My hair is SO short now, probably shorter than it has been since 2001 or so. I am actually liking the color and the fact that I have a blunt hemline, and I don't want to look like all the plum - and red-haired older women running around here (I think this is specifically a German and Austrian phenomenon, have not seen it in the US). So still considering, but actually leaning towards no...

[Silverdragn7385]

I'm actually trying out Raw's Deep Purple on my hair. I have two one inch sections underneath my hair so you can only see it if it's bunned. I put the dye in last night and left it on.....well, for longer than what it said on the bottle (15 minutes). It looks black. :/ But I'm sure it'll fade, though it'll be a while since I only wash my length once a week on average...

[Arctic]

HI Katze! No bleach, just virgin, brown hair that has been "rose redded" for about 4 times during the past few months. The colour is not that intensive IRL, the flash makes it so bright. But when I did whole head colouring with this same stuff (no bleach/virgin brown hair + Directions Rose Red) and let it sit for an hour or so, it was almost as intensive as this picture for the first week (without the help of the camera flash). Now I used only tiny bit for the bangs and let it sit for 15-20 mins, it looks much more subtle IRL. I like the more suble colour more.

[spidermom]

Not even a picture of the new length. Come on! You know how visual we all are.

[ashke50]

I did Manic Panic purple streaks in my hair back in May. I loved it at the time, and it was really exciting. However, I did get a bit worried about 4 months later when it was still slightly pink in places. I think it has all washed out now though (6 months later). My hair is blonde/brown naturally.