Are you trying to think of some entertaining ways to occasionally spice up your hair? You might find it ideal to dye it a nice, bold color.
You should let Manic Panic hair dye sit on your hair for up to 30 minutes. The time required for processing will vary depending on the color and health of your hair.
We take a closer look at the dye and give you the lowdown on its durability, as well as a few pointers and suggestions to help you enjoy your color for as long as possible.
What You Need to Know About Manic Panic
Manic Panic is a popular brand known for its semi-permanent dyes that come in vivid, bright, and unique colors. If you want to try unicorn, galaxy, mermaid, or rainbow hair, this is the brand to choose.
The tried-and-true brand, which has been around since the 1970s, is renowned for having pioneered the hair color revolution in addition to being the go-to for vibrant hues.
Examining Manic Panic in more detail will help us better understand its benefits and drawbacks.
Pros of Using Manic Panic
Like other semi-permanent dyes, Manic Panic doesn’t function properly without a developer or hydrogen peroxide. Since it is a direct dye, you must open the tub and use it right away on your hair.
Because of this, DIY hair color enthusiasts favor Manic Panic.
Another thing to love about this product is that it is PPD and ammonia-free. Manic Panic is also made entirely of natural components like plant extracts and vegetable dyes, making it 100 percent vegan.
Since Manic Panic is a semi-permanent dye, it won’t lift your hair cuticles and penetrate your hair shaft. Your hair structure is unaffected because it only dyes the strands, not the entire head.
You won’t have to worry about causing harm to your hair as a result.
And lastly, Manic Panic goods are free of animal testing. Therefore, these dyes are kind to animals and the environment in addition to being gentle on your hair.
Cons of Using Manic Panic
Manic Panic doesn’t actually penetrate your strands; as was already mentioned, it merely coats them. As a result, the color doesn’t last as long as permanent hair dye.
Every time you wash your hair, the color will fade because the dye pigments are only deposited on the strands and don’t reach the hair cortex.
Additionally, Manic Panic’s fantasy colors only work on light blonde hair, preferably level 8 and higher. Therefore, if you have dark hair, you must first bleach it in order to notice any real difference.
Another thing to note about this product is that it’s pricey compared to popular boxed dyes and other semi-permanent dyes like L’oreal Paris Colorista, Punky Colour, and Ador
Types of Manic Panic Hair Dyes and Their Longevity
From their Classic High Voltage product, Manic Panic has advanced significantly. They’ve created additional semi-permanent dyes and even introduced temporary dyes and expert semi-permanent dyes.
So let’s get back to the main question. What’s the shelf life of Manic Panic dyes?
Since the longevity of each type of Manic Panic dye varies, there is no single response to that. Let’s examine each alternative.
Classic High Voltage
This hair dye is Manic Panic’s traditional or original, as the name would imply.
It is a semi-permanent hair color in a fortified cream conditioning base. Following coloring, the conditioner gives your hair moisture and softens it.
Manic Panic Classic High Voltage can last 4 to 6 weeks on pre-lightened or naturally light blonde hair.
Amplified
Manic Panic designed a more intense formula, the Amplified product line. It promises brighter color that lasts longer and has 30% more pigment than the Classic High Voltage color.
How long does this semi-permanent color by Manic Panic last? Depending on how you treat your hair after coloring, the Amplified formula should last for eight weeks or longer.
Supernatural Shades
A product line with the same formula as the Classic High Voltage is also available from the brand, but it comes in hues that are closer to nature.
These Supernatural Shades are richer hues that hold their color for a longer time and complement natural blondes.
Manic Panic Supernatural Shades is your option if you want a natural color for your hair without the harsh effects of boxed permanent dyes.
The color can last up to 6 weeks on your hair, just like the Classic High Voltage.
Creamtones
Another color line of the classic cream formula is Creamtones. There is no longer a need for Manic Panic’s Pastel-izer because it has pastel tones.
However, this dye variant only shows on the lightest blondes, like platinum. Furthermore, despite the fact that it is guaranteed to last for 6 weeks, the light pastel colors need a lot of maintenance to live up to that promise.
Professional Gel Hair Color
Additionally, Manic Panic has introduced hair dye for salon use (though it can still be used at home). Better color depositing ability is provided by the gel-based color.
In order to recognize and adhere to hair fibers, this dye is designed. Additionally, after being bonded, the color molecules mimic the hair fibers, resulting in the longest-lasting color.
Because of that technology, the Professional Gel Hair Color can last through 40 washes.
How to Color Your Hair With Manic Panic Color
How do you use Manic Panic hair dyes now that you have a basic understanding of the assortment of their products and their durability?
Manic Panic hair color is simple to use on your hair. But in order to achieve the best results, it is still critical to do it correctly.
We’ll outline the best ways to dye your hair so that you get better color results and can extend the freshness and vibrancy of your color.
How to Use Manic Panic Dye
- Before your coloring session, bleach your hair to at least a level 7. If you’re using a pastel color, you’ll need to bleach it more.
- To rule out any potential allergies, it is best to perform a patch test.
- Do not use a conditioner after washing your hair with a clarifying shampoo.
- Blow dry your hair to make it more porous.
- To prevent stains, put on your gloves and cover exposed surfaces.
- On dry hair, apply the Manic Panic dye. If you want to distribute the product evenly, a tint brush is preferable to using your hands.
- To ensure that the dye is applied evenly, comb through your hair.
- Your hair should be covered with a plastic shower cap.
- For more intensity, you can apply heat for 5 minutes using a hair dryer.
- Keep the product on for at least 30 minutes or longer. The color will get more vivid and lasting the longer you leave it in.
- Until the water is clear, rinse your hair with cold water. Do not shampoo.
How Long Does Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Color Last?
So, we’ve gone through the basics of each type of Manic Panic dye and their varying degrees of longevity (4-6 weeks), but how long it actually lasts will also depend on hair types and other factors.
Remember, products have different effects on different hair types, so how it works on a friend may be different from how it works for you.
Let’s examine the other elements that will affect the durability of the color.
Dye Type
Each variety of manic panic, as was already mentioned, has a unique aftereffect.
Professional Gel Color is the formula that lasts the longest. Unfortunately, since this variant only comes in 11 shades, there aren’t many color options.
Shade
Manic Panic’s duration can be affected by the color you use.
Darker dyes usually last longer. Colors like:
- Red
- Black
- Brown
- Purple
- Green
This is due to the fact that these darker colors have more pigment. Even though they will start to fade after your first wash, it will take more washes than with lighter colors to completely remove the color.
Hair Condition
Your hair’s condition should be taken into account when determining how long a dye will last. In terms of coloring, the texture of the hair is not a big deal. It’s more about hair health and hair porosity.
Hair’s capacity to both absorb and hold moisture is gauged by its porosity. Genetics can influence this, but you can also change it by taking care of your hair, including using heat and chemicals.
Having lifted cuticles, highly porous hair has large gaps that allow color pigments to enter quickly. The color pigments can therefore easily start working.
However, having high porosity hair also means that the color can exit those big gaps in the hair just as quickly and fade right away.
The best porosity of hair to color is normal or medium porosity. While not as porous as highly porous hair, normal or medium porosity hair still has gaps in the cuticles that allow color pigments to pass through.
And what about low-porosity hair? The flat and smooth cuticles of low porosity hair make it possible for color to stay in the hair for a very long time.
The issue with this, however, is that there aren’t many gaps for the pigments to enter, making it challenging to color the hair in the first place.
Pre-lightened Hair
Your hair’s current color also affects how long Manic Panic dye lasts.
Because of the nature of semi-permanent hair dye, hair must be pre-lightened in order for the vibrant colors to fully appear. Those with dark hair need to bleach their hair to successfully color their locks with Make the color last with a manic panic.
Bleached hair can also maintain color for a lot longer. Virgin, unprocessed hair struggles to maintain semi-permanent color.
You may ask, “On brown hair, how long does Manic Panic last?” This is a difficult question to answer because many Manic Panic hues, particularly the paler pastels, won’t show up on brown or black hair.
The darker Manic Panic colors may appear on darker, unbleached hair, but the effect will only last a short time and these wash out more quickly.
Hair Care
Aftercare and how you treat your colored locks are the final determinant of Manic Panic color longevity.
A key aspect to think about is how frequently you wash your hair. You will wash the color out of your hair before the two weeks are up if you wash it every day with regular shampoo.
In the same way, using heat styling tools frequently.
Focus on color aftercare, which includes separating your shampoos, using color care products, and avoiding excessive heat styling, if you want your color to last longer.
How to Make Manic Panic Last Longer
Manic Panic dyes are transient, but with the right advice, you can extend the beauty of that transient color as much as you can.
Check out these pointers and techniques to keep your Manic Panic color as vibrant and bright as possible.
Leave the Dye in Longer
In order to give the dye enough time to work, Manic Panic recommends leaving the product on your hair for at least 30 minutes.
However, you should wait for an hour or two if you want the color to be more vibrant and last longer. The pigment will set and the color will really take hold with the aid of this.
In addition, Manic Panic won’t harm your hair like permanent dyes, so you don’t need to worry.
Even overnight dyeing is a risk some people are willing to take. But since this could be messy and over-condition your hair, we wouldn’t advise it.
Wash Your Hair Less
Overwashing your hair is the main factor in color fading quickly. Therefore, washing your hair less frequently will help your Manic Panic color stay vibrant and fresh longer.
To extend the life of the color, shampoo your hair once per week. You can use a conditioner without shampoo or dry shampoo in between washes to refresh your tresses.
Additionally, to give the pigments time to fully absorb, we advise waiting 48 hours after coloring your hair before washing it.
Choose Products That Are Color-safe
The products you use ought to be suitable for your hair type. Use color-safe products on your colored locks when using Manic Panic color.
In order to do this, look for a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Do not use harsh chemicals or extraneous additives.
In addition, you can look for products that contain special ingredients for protecting and extending hair color, like the Love Beauty and Planet Blooming Color and Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair.
Use a Deep Conditioner
Longer-lasting color is a result of healthier hair. Therefore, deep condition your hair a week before and a week after coloring.
Your hair’s cuticles will be smoothed out and the color will stay vibrant if you use a deep conditioner on them.
A good deep conditioner you can try is Coco & Eve Like a Virgin Hair Masque.
Avoid Using Heat Styling Tools
The enemy of colored hair is heat. You make your hair more porous when you overuse styling tools such as flat irons and curling wands.
Hair with more pores will age more quickly. Therefore, avoid using heat styling tools on your hair whenever possible.
Use a heat-protectant product to help lessen the damage if you must style your hair with heat.
Do Not Wash Using Hot Water
Hot water can also cause the cuticles to lift, similar to the heat from styling tools, making it simpler for color pigments to wash off.
Use lukewarm or cold water when you take a shower to avoid this. Even though it won’t feel as good as a hot shower, it’s a small price to pay to extend the life of your Manic Panic hair dye.
Protect Your Hair from the Sun
Your hair’s vibrant colors may also fade more quickly if you expose it to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.
This is because UV rays have the ability to degrade dye pigments. If you want to extend the life of your Manic Panic color, try to avoid too much sun exposure.
Skip the Pool
Before a sizable pool party, do you intend to dye your hair? It would be a waste of color to do it.
Why? Because chlorine in swimming pools is also an active ingredient in bleaching powders. In the same way that bleach does, chlorine can bind to the synthetic color of your hair and remove it.
If you can avoid swimming, do so; if you must swim, use shower caps and protective hair oils to help shield your hair from chlorine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Dye Wash Out Completely?
Yes, Manic Panic will eventually and fully wash out of your hair because it is a semi-permanent color. Depending on the previously mentioned variables, the length of time may change.
While the Creamtones can fade as soon as two weeks after application, the Classic High Voltage color typically fades in about six weeks.
Does Manic Panic Hair Dye Damage Hair?
The natural ingredients in Manic Panic prevent damage to your hair. Additionally, it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that can dry out your hair and cause it to lose its elasticity.
Manic Panic also leaves the structure of your hair unaltered, only coloring the hair strands.
Conclusion: How Long Does Manic Panic Hair Dye Last?
Bright, vivid colors are a hallmark of Manic Panic semi-permanent hair dye. Its name suggests that it is not intended to be a permanent hair color solution. The kind of Manic Panic used, the natural hair color and porosity, and after-color maintenance all affect how long a color will last.
You can help your Manic Panic hair color last longer by taking good care of your colored hair. Make sure to abide by advice and suggestions like washing your hair less frequently, using a sulfate-free shampoo, and limiting your exposure to the sun.
If you exercise caution, you can be certain to appreciate Manic Panic’s hues for a longer period of time and guarantee that your hair will stay shiny, vibrant, and luscious.
