Manic Panic is the most popular bright hair color product. It is the most readily available in stores like Hot Topic or Sally’s Beauty. The dye is semi-permanent and made from plant extract. That means the color will fade and wash out over time. There might be a specific color you want, but before making that choice, you might want to know which colors last the longest.
A general rule about semi-permanent bright hair color: The darker the color the longer it will last. That’s because a dark color will fade into the lighter colors and then fade completely out. A light color will just fade out. For example, a dark red will fade to lighter shades of red then pink (or orange depending on the beginning color) until the color is completely gone. It’s recommended to use a dark color of the shade you want. Even if you really wanted pink, go with a darker pink. It will fade to the lighter pink you wanted and last longer.
Some dark Manic Panic colors include Enchanted Forest (green), Rock ‘n’ Roll Red, Vampire Red, Fuschia Shock (pink) and Purple Haze.
The longest lasting Manic Panic hair color: After Midnight Blue. The second best? Shocking Blue. Why the blues? Not really sure. After Midnight Blue, and the other Manic Panic blue colors, is made from indigo. A powerful plant dye has been used for centuries. Indigotin, the part that makes the blue, is not water soluble. That means it doesn’t dissolve in water. When you wash your hair, the water isn’t affecting the color. Only the shampoo will wash out some of the color. What’s the main ingredient in shampoo? Water. With other Manic Panic hair dyes, sometimes color runs out as soon as the water hits your hair. The dark blue dyes can last months and months, while the others tend to fade in just weeks. That is a big difference.
A warning about Manic Panic blue hair dyes: The blue dyes tend to stain your hair, especially if left in long enough to make the color last. That means it won’t come out and acts more like permanent hair color. It won’t stay as the vibrant blue you started with, but a faded, slightly greenish, blue. Don’t forget your roots growing out, too, and you’ll have an interesting head of hair. If you want to re-dye your hair a different color, you will have to use a color remover to get out some of the blue and then bleach your hair again. The blue will still be there, but will be a pretty light blue. You can dye over it, but that part of your hair will fade much faster than the bleached uncolored hair. That is, of course, unless you are dying your hair blue again. Then it will last longer.
Ways to make Manic Panic hair color last: No matter the color you choose, there are a few things you can do to help make the color last. Leave the dye in your hair for as long as you can. Seriously, if you can sleep with the color in your hair, keep it in overnight. Six hours is not an unreasonable amount of time to leave in the hair color, especially the lighter colors that never last long. Blues, on the other hand, can be washed out in just a few hours and still last seemingly forever. Before washing out the dye, rinse your hair with white vinegar. It will help hold in the color, like when you dye an Easter egg and then dip it in vinegar. Every time you wash your hair, use cold water. Warm water tends to make the color wash out faster.
Sources:
Indigo – Chemistry, plantcultures.org
Manic Panic Classic, manicpanic.com
