Lie Locks

(See updates below)I have always heard great things about Manic Panic so decided to switch after years of using henna. I figured I would use a paintbrush and dye my grey roots, while leaving the length orange and brown. The bottle came well sealed but the label was covering the instructions. I used a brand new paintbrush and just dipped it in, applying liberally.No stranger to messy dye, I used gloves and kept my work area tidy. Even so, when I rinsed the paintbrushes off, any tiny bit of contact with the countertop resulted in permanent stains, even when I tried to wipe it away immediately. Tried borax and super washing soda combined with lemon juice. No luck. Tried scrubbing bubbles. Nada. Tried hydrogen peroxide. Also no. Manufacturer's web site has some recommendations such as Magic Eraser and/or acetone but we have neither of those. Before you start, test your workspace in a non-visible area and make sure you have a good cleaning solution for it before you start.Even so, I was very tidy. I even managed to keep the dye off of my scalp in most spots, except towards my temples where the hair is very fine. I have very thick hair and figured I'd test a top layer before bothering with lower layers. But I also did apply it fairly thickly on top. It looked great during application. I let it sit for four hours (after running strand tests and finding the white hair to be fairly stubborn if less than 4 hours). When I rinsed the initial dye out, this is what it looked like right away, while still wet. Basically, pink scalp with still white strands.To be fair, I didn't bleach it. I have knee-length hair and am not about to risk that kind of damage. Henna is far more effective and doesn't need to be bleached. You can see some orange henna strands toward the back from months ago. I usually use a tiny amount of acid with henna, such as vinegar or lemon juice, to help the dye absorb. I may try a mix of that on a strand test to see if there's a ratio that wouldn't cause harm.I don't want to give up on Manic Panic but it's ineffective so far and damaging to bathroom surfaces. That said, it smells neutral, which is a lot better than henna. It's also nice that it's premixed and not as much of a royal mess, though at least henna doesn't permanently stain countertops/tubs.I had been hoping to go for buying purple, red, and blue to give a subtle flame-like hue on my grey roots, over the course of a couple of years. But this just isn't really working out so far. I'll probably keep trying and will update the review if I have any success.Update (about a week later):I did another round and am going to increase the star rating. This time, the dye absorbed really well! I did two things differently: I shampooed my roots a day ahead of time and I used about twice as much dye. I also used petroleum jelly on my scalp line, as others recommended. That helped for not having a pink face but I found it didn't really work on the top of my head, as it just meant that the roots became immune to dye, lol. Basically, for my hair, if it's too conditioned/coated, the dye won't absorb. If it's dry, it bonds better. I have almost ankle-length hair, so I usually keep my hair pretty oiled and conditioned to avoid snarls. I do not bleach, ever, as that runs too much risk of breakage/harm.I do love how conditioned my hair feels after using this dye. I've upgraded from 2 stars to 5 stars. I'd probably knock it a half star for the way it dyes the countertop and tub, if I could take away half a star. I'm not sure how well it will hold up with time and may update the review later. I will note that the dye didn't stain the tub if it was diluted, such as during showering, but I also only used this on my roots (I use henna on the length) so volume may be part of why it went okay. My fingernails got badly stained - even though I used gloves, this stuff is strangely itchy for me so scratching it the first day led to messy pink fingernails. Not a big deal though. I ended up buying another color too, as the second round went so much better than the first round.

I have been using Manic Panic for a few years. I used to go to the salon every six weeks or so when I had I natural hair color (almost black) which worked just fine. However, once I decided to go to a bright, vibrant color, I quickly knew that I would need to go more often and price wise, it just want sustainable. Shortly after going to red, my hair began to break off. I'll admit, I had no idea what to expect or how quickly to lighten, but figured my hair stylist did. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but within a few months my hair started to break off. Too much bleach. I went from waist length black hair to a bob that was just above my shoulders within a year. I was devastated. Since then, I vowed that if ANYONE was going to mess up my hair it would be me. I still have to bleach my hair since my natural color is just a bit above black, but I only do it every two or three months, and only hit the roots rather than my whole head. Then for the hair dye. I was worried about dying my hair as often as I would need to keep the vibrant color up, especially since I've got naturally oily hair and can really only afford to go two days without shampooing -even with dry shampoo. I didn't want to continue to damage my already fried locks, but I also didn't really want to give up my red hair. After some research, I found Manic Panic and have been in love ever since. YES, the color fades fast, but it is really up to you. If you wash daily or if you don't use a color safe shampoo, it will fade super fast. The thing that I LOVE about Manic Panic is that it doesn't seem to do any damage to my hair. Even with dying every few weeks, my hair is healthy and actually growing again. It's now down to the middle of my back again and is just as soft and beautiful as before I ever started dying it.I do have a few tips for anyone planning on using this product.1. You need to lighten your hair to use it. It will work on dark hair, but you're not going to get the vibrant color you want. P A C E yourself with the lightening. It takes time and it will be worth it. Some colors also require lighter hair. Once again, pace yourself. You'll get there. I usually choose a darker color of what I want (vampire red vs wildfire) and go with that a few times. Once my hair is light enough and retains the red base color then I'll start going for my lighter shades.2. Invest in a good shampoo and conditioner. This is imperative. Get something for color treated hair. Preferably without parabens, sulfates, etc. I use "Not Your Mother's". It's inexpensive and gives me the best results.3. Train your hair. Learn to wash less often. We're on quarantine so now is your chance to train your hair.4. Dry shampoo! I can't stress this enough. Not Your Mother's makes a really good spray powder dry shampoo. I've tried a few others and some leave my hair feeling sticky while others make my hair look dull and powdery. "Plump for Joy" is my go to.5. The longer you have the color, the longer it seems to last. For example, I had red for over a year and decided to transition to turquoise. After dying a few times my hair held the color much better.6. If you need to use heat on your hair use a heat shield. It's best if you can avoid heat as much as possible.

I have used Manic Panic since college over 20 years ago. The Amplified line has been a favorite of mine for just under half of that. It provides deep color that lasts about a month-- fading from a dark tone to a lighter one over time. That lighter tone rarely looks washed out like other color brands, so it gives me plenty of time to refresh it.This color in particular covers my grays well without having to treat my hair with bleach. If you apply it with a highlighting brush to grays, you get some nice variance and dimensionality. I am frequently complimented on this color. Before my grays, I would use the Vampire Blood color on bleached blond hair which would go from dark red to pink. Currently, I am using a bright green on my kid and it is washing very well, though the cool tone purple rinses out surprisingly fast.I happily endorse this product. Just be careful, it stains a variety of surfaces for a very long time. Apply it with gloves and try to avoid getting it on your skin if you don't want to look terribly bruised lol.

I have dark hair, so this turned into a lovely burgundy color on me. Loved it. Four stars instead of five for the constant mess in the shower. No matter how much rinsing I did, it seemed like there was always color on my towel after a shower. Otherwise, very nice product and easy to use!