I've said it on my post popular lens on Squidoo and I've told a number of people that I would never use anything on my hair to color it other than henna. Well, surprise, surprise... I've had a change of heart.
I have good reasons too.
My hair was henna'd over a month ago with a red henna shade and turned to a cherry brown from Henna King. It left my hair soft and shiny and in better condition than it was before. I liked it. I really did.
However, I've been on the web a lot lately and I've become obsessed with a more intense red hair color. (I used to dye my hair red all the time when I was younger, but since I was bleaching my hair, I was also frying it pretty badly.) I got tempted to try and do it again. Safely--without the bleach.
Now, of course I did some research on the safest hair coloring formulas I could find and surprisingly Manic Panic ended up sounding like a really good option. Here are the great things that I learned about their hair colors:
******Disclosure: I do not work for Manic Panic and was in no way compensated for this review. The review is all my own opinion.*****
I have good reasons too.
My hair was henna'd over a month ago with a red henna shade and turned to a cherry brown from Henna King. It left my hair soft and shiny and in better condition than it was before. I liked it. I really did.
However, I've been on the web a lot lately and I've become obsessed with a more intense red hair color. (I used to dye my hair red all the time when I was younger, but since I was bleaching my hair, I was also frying it pretty badly.) I got tempted to try and do it again. Safely--without the bleach.
Now, of course I did some research on the safest hair coloring formulas I could find and surprisingly Manic Panic ended up sounding like a really good option. Here are the great things that I learned about their hair colors:
- they're VEGAN
- they contain NO harmful chemicals
- PPD free!!!!!! <----this is great
- they contain NO animal by-products
- they don't have a crazy, harsh scent (my own personal opinion)
- they can condition your hair very well
- you can leave the dye on for several hours and even overnight (be careful though because the colors will stain whatever they touch)
(For more info on their products, feel free to visit their website: Manic Panic)
Why didn't I know any of this before? You would think I would since I used to dye my hair every color of the rainbow as a teenager. I rarely used Manic Panic back then because I had heard that the colors stained like crazy and rarely lasted. I would use several other brands as well as store bought box dyes and like I stated above---BLEACH. The bleach was the main thing that was killing my hair...
Back to my earlier story. I wanted to dye my hair the other day and I wanted something that wasn't going to destroy it. I read about Manic Panic and found out that although yes, the colors will show up a lot more intensely on lighter or pre-lightened hair, some of the colors may still show up on darker, unbleached hair. (They have an Amplified line that actually works better on darker, unbleached hair, but it wasn't available at the beauty supply store or the grocery store that I was shopping at.)
The color that I ended up buying was Wildfire. It is a very bright red. I knew it wasn't going to show up a bright red on my dark brown hair. I figured it would at least give me highlights or a reddish tint out in the sun.
(a quick note******* I would love to have a really intense bright red color in my hair because I love the way that it looks but first I have to find a way to lighten my hair without damaging it. If you have any ideas how I could do that, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it!******)
Anyway, I dyed my hair and since many of the reviews online stated that it is safe to leave on your hair for several hours or overnight, I decided to leave it on for 5 hours, under a plastic shower cap and Seran Wrap. I also used a blow dryer to heat it every half hour.
The dye was really easy to apply and I didn't make a mess anywhere. I made sure to cover up the sink and floor in my bathroom just in case, before applying the dye, though. It also didn't smell too strong like many dyes usually do. That was great.
After the 5 hours I hopped into the shower. (Now, I don't really suggest for everyone to do this because you could end up with a shower full of stained tile. I have a removable shower head though, which makes it a billion times easier to rinse out your hair.) You're just supposed to rinse it out---no shampoo or conditioner--in cool water. I turned the water as cold as I could stand and rinsed my hair out slowly, expecting a huge mess. Guess what? The dye didn't make much of a mess at all. Wow. When I henna my hair, it's actually pretty hard to not make a mess... Maybe that's just me?
After I got out, I dried it and I brushed it out. Oh my gosh. The greatest part? My hair feels incredibly softer than ever before.
After I got out, I dried it and I brushed it out. Oh my gosh. The greatest part? My hair feels incredibly softer than ever before.
The worst part? The color only changed slightly. It's a tad bit darker.
But. I. Don't. Care.
NO other hair color, not even henna, has made my hair feel like this. Seriously. Mind blown! haha
My hair is soft and super manageable. It even feels a bit thicker. Is that possible? I guess so! It was even way easier to straighten. I know. Wow, right?
Guess who's going to do this again VERY soon? Me. And next time I am going to try the AMPLIFIED line and a color that will hopefully show on my dark hair. (unless I can find the magic product that will lighten my hair and not kill it in the process...)
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