Hey there!
A few days ago, I dyed my hair pink and turquoise with La Riche Directions and figured I should post about it. I've use Directions dye a few times, usually Cerise, once with Plum and now Turquoise. One of my friends suggested using Manic Panic, but it costs about RM80-100 in Malaysia as compared to Directions (RM50+) and I've read that it fades quite fast so I doubt I'd be trying it out since Directions works well for me and it's much more affordable especially for someone like me who is on a student budget.
La Riche Directions dye.
Where to buy? If you're from Malaysia, and interested in purchasing it, I highly recommend the seller I usually buy from: rachelteoh from Carousell. You can contact her through Whatsapp (012-2678819) or WeChat (RachelTeoh123) if you don't use Carousell. There are other sellers on Carousell (some sell Manic Panic too), but she has promotions for special occasions and for certain colors quite often (who doesn't like discounts?). Also she's based in Klang as well, so my parcel arrives relatively fast.
As far as I know, only online stores sell brands like Directions and Manic Panic on platforms like Carousell, Facebook, Instagram. I wrote a post on my old blog titled Semi Permanent Dye in Malaysia back in 2014 which was more of a ramble on the subject. This is the updated 2016 version of that post but with more content derived from experience and actual use of the product :)
Cerise and Turquoise.
I didn't use much of the Cerise because I still had an old tub of it with about 30% of dye left which I used first. I used up a lot of the turquoise without meaning to, I only have about half a tub left.
I was hesitant about using the turquoise when I saw how blue it looked in the tub, but when I applied it only hair, it was definitely turquoise-y.
What my hair looked like before dyeing it. I should have used coconut oil when I bleached it but I completely forgot to do it. The green parts on my hair is a result of using Directions Plum; I read that they changed the formation of the plum color from a pinkish purple fade, it started to turn green as it faded gradually. It isn't awful but it was impossible to remove the green from my hair even with bleaching.
The dyeing process. I separated the sections with tin foil when I first dyed it to prevent any bleeding. At this point, I've left the dye on for about 4 hours, so it's mostly dried out. I sectioned off my hair from the bottom to the top, and alternate between dyeing it pink and turquoise.
Here's a closeup of my hair two days after I dyed it.
the galaxy hair effect or mermaid? I don't know.
My mum said it looks like a wig -_-
I think it looks like I dumped a bucket of paint on my head.
More closeups from the side.
I love the final look. Some sections did bleed a little, and turned into purple, but I like it.
What it looks like when it's wet.
Washed and dried after swimming in the pool.
It's important to note that if you don't want the colors to bleed into each other (pink+blue=purple), you should wash your hair with cold water and lessen the amount of shampoo you use.
I was in a holiday mood and completely forgot to do that -.-
Dyeing Tips:
- Use coconut oil when you bleach your hair to protect your hair from damage and also to condition it.
- Don't use conditioner after bleaching if you're going to use the dye right after because it will lessen the intensity of the color by 50% since the conditioner will be absorbed into your hair, leaving less space for the dye to seep in.
- Leave on for as long as possible; overnight or at least a few hours instead of the recommended 30 minutes. Since it's vegan dye, it's perfectly safe and it won't cause damage to your hair.
- Condition hair after dyeing, but don't shampoo it because it will strip out the color.
- When you're dyeing it, use wet wipes to wipe your gloves to prevent the colors from mixing when you alternate between dyeing it two colors. It's not necessary if you're only dyeing it one color.
- If you're dyeing it two colors, use two dyeing brushes and tin foil to separate the colors.
- If you can, use a mirror at the front AND back of you, so you can make sure you don't miss any areas.
- After dyeing, use a gentle shampoo; like baby shampoo to preserve the color and condition your hair often to counteract the drying effect caused by bleaching your hair.
- Wrap your fingernails with tape before putting on gloves. (Weird, but my gloves tore once and I had a purple middle finger for a day. Just an extra precaution)
Review:
For those of you who want to use the dye without bleaching your hair, it's certainly possible to see the color when you dye it with Directions, but it will be more of a dark tint than a vividly obvious color. I didn't dye the top part of my hair and it still turned out a tinted pink and turquoise even though it's darker.
Although I have never dyed my hair with Manic Panic (or gone to a salon to dye my hair, for that matter), I have heard from my friends who love to dye their hair as well as read on forums that Manic Panic doesn't last as long as Directions. Some say that it really depends on the shade you purchase; lighter colors tend to fade faster than the darker ones, pinks/blues/purples/reds tend to last longer than orange/silver/yellow.
Although I have never dyed my hair with Manic Panic (or gone to a salon to dye my hair, for that matter), I have heard from my friends who love to dye their hair as well as read on forums that Manic Panic doesn't last as long as Directions. Some say that it really depends on the shade you purchase; lighter colors tend to fade faster than the darker ones, pinks/blues/purples/reds tend to last longer than orange/silver/yellow.
One tub contains 88ml of dye. I was worried that it wouldn't be enough but because of the thick consistency of the dye, it was easy to distribute the dye on my hair and not waste any of it. One tub is more than enough to dye your whole head, provided that your hair isn't too thick and/or long.
The dye fades well, it doesn't turn a weird murky color or anything unlike some dyes I've used. The only thing that might bother you is that the first few washes after dyeing always results in color bleeding on your towels, pillows, sink, shower, etc but don't worry, it doesn't stain it permanently.
Having tried three colors from this chart, I would say Cerise and Turquoise are most definitely true to color (if you bleached you hair beforehand) while Plum was a disappointment because it was purple in the sunlight and blue/green otherwise.
I've gotten several compliments on my current hair color.. as well as some disapproving stares. On another note, I think it's better if you ask a friend or someone else to help you dye it, just in case. It's easy to miss a few spots since it's harder to see the back of your head. I dyed my hair without glasses or contacts (still getting over that phobia) on and without a back mirror, I had to pray that I didn't miss a spot and end up with an obvious section of blonde hair in the midst of the other colors. Thankfully, my prayers have been answered.
To conclude, I'd definitely recommend Directions dye to anyone seeking to dye their hair unnatural colors over the unknown brands which are sold in places like Sungei Wang and other beauty stores; because it's much safer and longer-lasting even if it may be slightly more expensive (RM20 more). also, you probably won't finish the whole tub in one go, which means that you can always touch up the color if you want to.
Manic Panic is also worth trying, due to the extensive range of colors they have. I'm waiting for the day when I'll be able to get my hands on Special Effects, Crazy Colours, etc but for now, Directions more than meets my expectations :)
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Previous Directions dye experience:
Photos taken in March 2015.
My boredom lead to me dip-dyeing my hair pink (Directions Cerise).
Taken in May 2016.
My hair started turning orange-pink at the top, so I bought Directions Plum to dye over. It looked purple in the sunlight but it was green/blue/dark teal indoors and eventually faded to just green. If you want purple hair, buy turquoise and cerise and mix them together. If you use Plum, you have to deal with the green aftermath which is impossible to remove. I also used the leftover Cerise dye to freshen up the color.
Taken on 17 July 2016.
Excuse the creases in my hair, I had it in a ponytail for most of the day.
I really love the mixture of turquoise and pink.
I'll probably be experimenting with different hair colors until I graduate from university in about 3 years time. I'm not sure if my future workplace will allow unnatural hair colors, so I'm going to enjoy having pink/purple/blue hair while I can :)
Till next time!
Maine.
