They say "beauty is pain", and I can tell you, keeping bright hair is a pain unlike any other. After having the same shade of turquoise blue hair for 6 whole years, I jumped onto the pastel unicorn hair train, but I found that 2020 was the year I had to go bright pink.
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| Image description: Four different pink hair colours in various packaging arranged on a white with pink/blue/black watercolour splatter background. |
In this post, we are going to be trial four different NEON PINK semi permanent, direct dye hair colours and seeing which ones do the job right. Be warned, a lot of pictures ahead of my head!
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The beginnings.
My pink hair journey began when I decided to go neon pink for New Years Eve 2019. I used BRITE Organix "Pink" mixed with KISS Tintation "Pink Mania", both purchased from my local Priceline. It provided a great baseline for neon pink, but it didn't last long, and within a few washes, I was back to pastel. At first, the pastel was fine, but I was craving neon hair again.
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| Image description: Lara, a pale skinned person looking directly at the camera. She has short, frizzy neon pink hair. |
I used this combination for months on end, including in the shower mixed with conditioner to keep my hair bright, but it just didn't stick. I decided in mid-August 2020 that I needed to try something else.
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| Image description: Lara, a pale skinned person turned slightly, looking and the camera and smiling wide. She has short, wavy pastel pink hair. She is wearing a pair of headphones. |
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What am I going to try?
I am so annoyed that Special Effects, my favourite hair dye brand, ever, has shut down. They used to make a colour called "Atomic Pink" and it was the most obnoxious, longest lasting pink dye on the market. I swear, it did not budge even with bleach. My friend Carly had it in her hair for over 6 months and it faded to the most gorgeous candy pink ever. This dye is the benchmark of neon pink hair colour.
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| Image description: Photo of Lara from 2011, a pale skinned person looking at the camera with a smirk on her face. She has split neon green, neon pink hair (dyed with Special Effects Atomic Pink) with a short fringe. |
My friend Avery had dyed their hair with Manic Panic's "Hot Hot Pink" recently. They've always had consistently great results with various Manic Panic shades, but I never got the appeal because of how expensive it was to buy in Australia. Everyone has also gone on about Pravana and Adore being top notch dyes, and I've always been partial to Crazy Color, so in my final choices, I jumped onto Beserk and bought four dyes (all prices in $AUD):
Adore Colours in "140 Neon Pink" 118ml
$16.95 ($14.36/100ml)
Crazy Color in "Rebel UV" 100ml
$12.95 ($12.95/100ml)
Manic Panic Classic Formula in "Hot Hot Pink" 118ml
$20.95 ($17.75/100ml)
Pravana Chromasilk Vivds NEONS in "Neon Pink" 90ml
$18.95 ($21.05/100ml)
(Note: For US readers, I understand that in the US, a cosmetology licence is required to purchase Pravana products as it is a salon-only brand, but our laws aren't as stringent. These products are direct dyes, which means they are colourants in a conditioner (cream or gel) base that do not require activator, but they are meant to be used on pre-lightened hair.)
There are several factors being tested in this trial.
COLOUR ACCURACY - the colour must come out a neon pink, not purple pink, not raspberry red, straight up hot neon pink that hurts your eyes and practically glows in daylight.
COLOUR CONSISTENCY - the colour must be consistent on the varying bleach levels and porosity of my hair.
COLOUR FADE - the colour must fade to a candy pink without orange tones and stay that way through several washes.
COLOUR LONGEVITY - the colour must keep maximum brightness for as many washes as possible with colour safe shampoo + conditioner and no in-shower touch ups. I have to wash my hair every two days. Sometimes I manage to stretch it out to three, but my scalp feels absolutely gross and dry shampoos don't always work. I sometimes will do a co-wash or stick in a pre-poo deep condition (I'm doing a bit of Curly Girl Method to enhance my 2a/2b waves).
I'd like to state before I go into the nitty gritty, after years of bleaching my hair at home, I have been visiting a wonderful local hair salon called Rupunzel's Room [sic] to get staggered foils allowing my roots to grow out and not look so blunt, eventually working it into a streaky blend from my dark roots to pink as I grow it longer. I went home after getting my foils and applied my regular dye combo, which washed out really quickly and faded into an ugly salmon pink that's common when your hair isn't lifted light enough.
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| Image description: Lara, a pale skinned person staring into the camera. She is wearing a disposable face mask. Her hair is chin length with blonde streaks at the roots and washed out pink at the ends. |
(Note: I have to admit, the salon uses Wella products, which aren't cruelty free, but the service and skill of the staff are great. I did check what brands local salons use, and I haven't really found one that is using CF brands in-house.)
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Dye already!
To get my hair ready for the colouring, I washed my hair with clarifying shampoo (i.e. stuff with stronger surfactants and anti-dandruff shampoo) to strip out any remaining colour, then I toned it with a bit of BRITE "Purple" mixed with conditioner and Scott Cornwall Colour Restore "Chrome" to get rid of the yellow tones.
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| Image description: Straight light purple toned hair. |
I applied all dyes to clean hair with an tint brush, and massaged in the product to make sure my hair is saturated. I usually leave it on longer than the recommended time because they're direct dyes and do not cause further damage to hair, and most come in conditioning bases anyway, so they're literally just colour depositing conditioners, with the exception of gel based dyes, which require use of a conditioner after. I styled my hair as normal and let it air dry.
I posted all the four dyes on my Instagram and asked my readers to vote on which one I should try first. Crazy Color won.
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Crazy Color "REBEL UV"
I've been wanting to try the Rebel UV hair colour for a while, as it is advertised as a very bright neon pink. The swatch on the Beserk website shows it to be very bright, but this doesn't mean it is. I swatched it on white paper and it was quite subdued for a neon.
Swatch + Description
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| Image description: Screenshot of a bright magenta coloured swatch. Text reads "Rebel UV | HAIR COLOUR; CRAZY COLOR; x 1 $12.95". |
From Crazy Color: "Nothing is ever really pink enough, Rebel UV is as bright as it get's poppin' in both natural and blacklight. Our loudest shades ever these Neon shades are perfect for those who want to make a statement! For best results apply to pale or platinum blonde hair."
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| Image description: Packaging of Crazy Color Rebel UV next to a product swatch on a white background. |
Product + Application
This is a cream based colour that has conditioning properties and no discernible fragrance. I applied it to mauve toned hair and left it on for about an hour.
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| Image description: Lara, a pale skinned person holding a pink bottle in front of her face with the product applied to her hair. |
Results:
Colour Accuracy - 2/10
Colour Consistency - 1/10
Colour Fade - 2/10
Colour Longevity - 0/10
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| Image description: Straight light pinkish mauve hair. |
Verdict: EPIC FAIL!
This was so disappointing, because it is described as NEON PINK. In what universe is this even remotely close to a neon?! I guess I wish I found this video before proceeding to purchase it. This really brings down the brand's reputation because their Peacock Blue was one of the better dyes I used for my blue hair.
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Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids NEONS "Neon Pink"
At this point, I knew I should've gone to look for real hair dyed with these colours, not at the swatches on the listing. The swatches and description don't show how underwhelming the product's colour is in real life. It's not even pink.
Swatch + Description
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| Image description: Screenshot of a hot pink coloured hair swatch. Text reads "Neons Pink | HAIR COLOUR; PRAVANA CHROMASILK; x1 $18.95". |
From Pravana: "The professional hair color industry’s first-ever blacklight responsive neon shades! PRAVANA’s VIVIDS NEONS collection contains special dye pigments that rival highlighter shades. Use alone for show-stopping looks or add to VIVIDS formulas to give them an extra pop of color!"
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| Image description: Packaging of Pravana ChromaSilk Neons tube next to a product swatch on a white background. |
Product + Application
I washed my hair really well to get rid of the Rebel UV colour that was left, and it was back to that toned mauve shade.
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| Image description: Wavy light mauve hair. |
This is a cream based colour that has conditioning properties with a typical shampoo-type fragrance. The colour is recommended to be applied to level 10 or above blonde hair for 15 minutes, but I left it on for 40! The worst part about how underwhelming this colour is, I didn't even have to use any gloves because the colour had hardly any pigment and it washed out clean.
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| Image description: Lara, a pale skinned person holding the Pravana Neons packaging witht he product applied to her hair. |
Results:
Colour Accuracy - 0/10
Colour Consistency - 0/10
Colour Fade - unrated
Colour Longevity - unrated
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| Image description: Straight light pinkish mauve hair. |
Verdict: EPIC FAIL!
This is supposed to be professional hair colour and have a great reputation. It was an overpriced hair conditioner. I almost questioned whether the product I received was unknowingly counterfeit, but why would it be? Beserk is a reputable retailer. This was an absolute waste of money because it wouldn't even tint white-blonde hair.
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Adore Colours "140 Neon Pink"
I was feeling very defeated and ripped off at this point. I decided to use this one before Manic Panic because my friend Jess of Jessica Luna Cosplay had dyed her hair with this exact dye and it looked great. Twinning!
Swatch + Description
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| Image description: Screenshot of a hot pink coloured hair swatch. Text reads "Neon Pink Semi Permanent | HAIR COLOUR; ADORE; x1 $16.95". |
From Adore: "No Ammonia, No Peroxide, and No Alcohol. Adore’s exclusive formula offers a perfect blend of natural ingredients providing rich color, enhancing shine, and leaving hair soft and silky. Available in 56 shades."
(There is no colour description available from the brand.)
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| Image description: Packaging of Adore bottle next to a product swatch on a white background. |
Product + Application
This is a gel formula (it will stain everything it touches) with a fruity, almost reminiscent of cough syrup, type fragrance. I applied the product straight after sobbing at the misery of the Pravana colour, so that's what we started with. I could immediately see the final colour coming out and I almost cried tears of joy.
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| Image description: Lara, a pale skinned person holding a white bottle in front of her face with the product applied to her hair. |
Results:
Colour Accuracy - 10/10
Colour Consistency - 7/10
Colour Fade - 6/10
Colour Longevity - 5/10
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| Image description: Wavy bright hot pink hair. |
Verdict: MODERATE SUCCESS!
I'm very happy with the colour accuracy, but the consistency of the colour between the super damaged porous ends and the healthier but not as well lifted roots is a bit of a problem I have with gel based hair colours.
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| Image description: Wavy hot pink hair, 4 washes. |
The colour at 4 washes (above) was still really lovely! At the point of writing this big post, I am about 6 or 7 washes in. I have monitored the progress of how this colour is fading and it has proven to be the exact shade of candy pink I want, at least the ends are. The roots, unfortunately, have gone that salmon pink colour (again, the roots weren't lifted as much as the ends), so I'll probably wash it a few more times, then go in with a purple shampoo prior to using the Manic Panic.
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Manic Panic Classic Formula "Hot Hot Pink"
Previous experiences with Manic Panic have left me with a sense of dread because of its price in the past. I wasn't going to pay $30 for a jar of hair dye that wasn't going to work, but thankfully, it no longer costs as much, and it has been a good decade and more since that disappointment.
Swatch + Description
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| Image description: Screenshot of a magenta hair swatch. Text reads "Hot Hot Pink | CLASSIC COLOUR; MANIC PANIC; x1 $20.95". |
From Manic Panic: "Hot Hot Pink is cool-toned medium neon pink hair dye that glows vibrantly under blacklights when dyed on the lightest level 10 blonde hair. For deeper pink hues, this can also be used on virgin, unbleached hair."
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| Image description: Packaging of Manic Panic Jar next to a product swatch on a white background. |
Product + Application
Manic Panic Classic is a cream formula and it's deeply pigmented with no discernible fragrance. I knew this dye would be a powerful one because I got some on my thumb when I swatched it on the piece of paper, and it took quite a few hand washes to get off! When I first saw the swatch, I knew that this wasn't going to be the exact shade of pink I was hoping for. I snapped the photo below just before applying the dye.
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| Image description: Wavy light pink hair. |
I loved how the formula stuck to my hair and easily lathered through. It rinsed out so easily, and left behind its pigment. It's also a very softening formula, so you literally just use it in place of a conditioner on shampooed hair.
Results:
Colour Accuracy: 7/10
Colour Consistency: 10/10
Colour Fade: 7/10
Colour Longevity: 10/10
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| Image description: Straight bright magenta hair. |
Verdict: ALSO A MODERATE SUCCESS!
The colour is true to its swatch, (unlike some others, eh herm), but it came out magenta and not the neon pink that it did on my friend Avery! I know it's pedantic, but it's not what I was going for, even though it's hella bright and pretty. There was minimal fading during the first three washes. There's no bleeding, especially no staining of pillow cases, which is a good thing, and the colour seems to be stuck right in there. I wish I still had a blacklight so I could check out what it looked like under UV.
The photo below was taken after the third or fourth wash, and it is still bright. This dye has some very good longevity and the colour has stayed in and faded nicely, but it isn't quite the candy pink I'm after, yet.
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| Image description: Wavy bright pink hair. |
At the fifth or sixth wash, I have noticed that the colour around the roots is fading slightly faster and it's got a little bit more of a red/orange tinge than the ends, which have faded to a decent shade of Barbie Pink. I'm not complaining. Overall, this dye has lasted better than its predecessors and performed, it's just taking its time to fade to the right shade.
I think I'm going to leave it here, because at this rate, I won't be publishing this for another several weeks!
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Well?! What now?
Ultimately, the Adore colour won out for colour accuracy and fade, but Manic Panic won for colour longevity. I think I'm going to have to mix them together and see what that gets me!
Going by the prices, the Pravana was the most expensive, but the worst performing, and Manic Panic, the best performing, came in second most expensive.
This was a fun little pricy and long-winded experiment, but it kind of restores faith in some brands. I won't be buying any more hair dye until I've finished what I have on hand, because it's a waste otherwise, even if the dyes are an absolute waste of time (eh herm, Pravana Neon Pink and Crazy Color Rebel UV), they can be used as mixers.
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Have you dyed your hair pink? Let me know in the comments!
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Putting together blog posts such as these take a lot of time and effort on top of the cost of the product (if I have to purchase it myself), so I don't publish them often and leave this space for reviewing unique and unusual beauty products and trends. If you enjoy these posts, please consider buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi!
My regular beauty related content can be found on Instagram.
This post is presented as a product trial piece where all products were purchased with my own money, my thoughts are honest.
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