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The Ultimate Guide to Semi-Permanent Hair Dye
15th Jan 2024
What is Semi-Permanent Hair Dye?
Semi-Permanent Hair Dye allows you to colour your hair for a short period of time and much less commitment than a permanent. If you’re looking to try out a new colour, or simply want to change your look often, semi-permanent colour is a great choice! You can use Crazy Color directly from the bottle to achieve a single colour – there are 40 shades to choose from! But the fun really starts once you start mixing colours to create your own completely unique shade. As it typically lasts 10-12 washes, you can be as experimental and as crazy as you like! If you find a colour that you love and want it to be your signature look, you can continue to top it up using our tips and tricks! Find out more here.
To achieve optimal results, we typically recommend that you pre-lighten your hair to level 9 or 10 (blonde). Our products will also work on hair at level 8 (light brown), although the results will be tonal.
Crazy Color Semi-Permanent Hair Dye is completely free from ammonia and peroxide, so it is a healthy and non-damaging way of adding colour to your hair!
How Long Does Semi-Permanent Hair Last?
Our Semi-Permanent colour will last approximately 10-12 washes. However, the longevity of the colour will vary from person to person based on the overall health of your hair and its porosity.
The colour will be at its most vibrant as soon as you’ve finished the application process, and over time it will gradually fade. Each time you wash your hair, the colour will fade a little bit more. However, this is part of the process and your hair will still look great as it starts to fade! In fact some of our shades are picked specifically because they look beautiful during the inevitable fade! Prolonging the life of your vivid hair is also highly dependent on your aftercare routine, so have a look at our tips on how to nourish and hydrate your coloured hair. Please note, colours such as blue and green can be more stubborn and will typically take a little bit more time to fade.
How Does Semi-Permanent Hair Dye Work?
Does Semi-Permanent Colour Damage Hair?
As it is completely ammonia-free and doesn’t use harsh chemicals, semi-permanent hair dye will not damage your hair. One of the main reasons for this is that it does not compromise the hair shaft. It simply coats the surface of the hair which means the colour will wash out over time. Our formulations are ammonia-free for this reason, we want what you want: super hydrated, healthy colour with optimal vibrancy and shine!
We are proud to produce PETA approved, 100% cruelty free, award-winning vegan hair dye and colour care products. We are strong advocates of ethical production & testing, and this is something we have always been completely committed to.
Will Semi-Permanent Dye Stain my Hair?
Semi-permanent hair dye will not stain your hair and it will completely wash out after the appropriate number of washes (approx. 10-12). Semi-Permanent hair dye does not compromise the hair strand, it only coats the outer shaft. This means that given adequate time and washes, the colour should be completely removed from your hair. However, there are factors that can contribute to colour being more stubborn to leave your hair: if your hair has been dyed repeatedly, if your hair is exceptionally porous, if your hair is dry and damaged or if your hair has been over-bleached you may notice it takes longer for the colour to leave your hair. Check out our pro tips on how to remove semi-permanent hair dye.
How to Apply Semi Permanent Hair Dye?
Here’s how to dye like a pro:
1. Protect your clothes: Throw on some old clothes or a salon cape. We always recommend using disposable gloves, so your hands won't be stained with colour. Use a dark towel for your hair after dyeing to prevent any colour transfer, especially when you are using deeper shades!
2. Section Your Hair: Clip your hair into sections. Trust us, it makes everything easier. We have the perfect Kit for you to get this just right!
3. Use plenty of Dye: Using a brush or your (gloved) hands, coat each section from roots to tips. Make sure every strand is drenched in hair colour. We always say it but… it’s all about that saturation in colour to get the best results!
4. Massage and Comb Through: Work the dye into your hair and comb through for even distribution.
Wait for It: Let the dye work its magic for 15-30 minutes. For an extra punch of colour, leave it on a bit longer.
5. Remove the Excess: We can all get a little messy with our colour when dyeing so we created a product for all of you, like us who tend to get your dye on more than just your skin! PSA: Hit the Colour Remover Wipes.
7. Cool Rinse: Rinse with cool water until it runs clear. Top Tip: Keep it cool to lock in that colour.
Check out our full How To Guide or watch below to get top tips on how to apply your colour!
How to make Semi Permanent Hair Colour last longer?
Keep your colour looking fresh with these tips:
1. Always use Colour-Safe Products: Use shampoos and conditioners made for colour-treated hair. Sulphate-free is always the way to go and we have created plenty of care products that help to maintain colour and keep your hair healthy!
2. Wash Less: Wash your hair 2-3 times (some of us do it once!) a week to avoid fading.
3. Heat Protection: Minimise heat styling and always use a heat protectant spray as heat drains the colour from your hair.
4. Touch Up: Keep your hair colour fresh by popping some of your chosen hair dye into your shampoo or conditioner each time you wash it! This will create a colour mask and help to keep your colour for longer.
Check out our full Colour Care Guide for more tips and our guide on how to make semi-permanent hair dye last longer.
Want to use Crazy Color on hair extensions?
Want to make an impact with a new hair colour or trying something for a weekend or an event? Colouring hair extensions is the perfect solution!
You can colour your hair extensions with any of our 40 shades! This is a great option for trying new colours, especially if you are mixing your own shade! We recommend using real hair extensions as these will take the colour and give you a true to bottle shade whereas synthetic hair extensions can often repel the dye depending on the material.
We have a full How To Guide on dyeing extensions which goes into detail of what you need plus a step by step guide!
How To Do A Patch Test
Our Semi-Permanent Dyes are peroxide-free, ammonia-free and PETA approved, so the chance of a reaction is very rare, but still possible.
Different things can affect your skin sensitivity so we recommend doing a patch test each time you are going to dye your hair even if you are an experienced DIY-dyer. We recommend you perform a patch test 24 hours before dyeing your hair with our Semi-Permanent shades. This is to test your skins sensitivity and ensure you will not have any irritation from using the products.
Take a look at our full step by step guide on how to do a patch test for semi-permanent hair dye!
How To Do A Strand Test
Yes! You’ve decided to explore your creativity and choose Crazy Color!
So, first things first: we always recommend doing a Strand Test as this will give you a true indication of how the colour will take to your hair.
The condition of your hair and other factors can affect this so you might get different results each time, even if using the same Crazy Color Shade. We always recommend this as an important step in the process to make sure you are going to get the results you want.
We've also got a complete step by step guide on how to do a strand test when dying your hair!
How To Remove Crazy Color Hair Dye From Your Hair
If you have had enough of your colour and want to get rid or change it up. There are a few key steps you can take to eliminate that colour from your hair. Bear in mind certain colours are more stubborn than others such as Blues and Greens (you might want to consider this when choosing your colour at the start of your journey).
However we have some tips from our Crazy Color PRO’s to help remove that shade of hair dye!
How To Remove Crazy Color Hair Dye From Your Skin
We have recently launched the perfect solution to this question! Use our NEW Colour Remover Wipes! Gentle yet super effective at removing all permanent and semi-permanent colours from your skin, these wipes are an essential addition to your DIY dyeing kit! Formulated using a blend of ingredients to soothe and moisturise your skin. And unlike other wipes, ours are fully biodegradable and the packaging fully recyclable.
Alternatively, use a little bit of dish soap or hand sanitiser on a damp cloth to remove any stray dye on your skin. Do a small patch test beforehand to make sure these products don’t irritate your skin.
Is Semi-Permanent Hair Colour Safe to Use During Pregnancy?
Yes, it is safe to use semi-permanent hair dye while you’re pregnant, as long as you are cautious throughout the application process. The chemicals which are used to produce semi-permanent colour are not considered to be highly toxic and research confirms that it is safe to add colour to your hair while pregnant. Semi-permanent hair dye will only coat the hair strands and will not be absorbed by the scalp at any point.
Before you start your DIY-Dyeing session, we suggest that you should carry out a Strand Test and then go for it, following our How To Guide.
Please note, this is not medical advice and should only provide general direction. All medical concerns should be discussed with your doctor.