Ion Shark Blue Semi Permanent Hair Color Shark Blue

This Colir is AWESOME ON LIGHT BLONDE OR GREY HAIR IS EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!!!!

I've been experimenting with bright colors for a while now, doing greens and teals in Special Effects and Splash brands. All of these washed almost completely out in under two weeks, even using recommended care instructions. I decided to try one more time using Ion and I'm blown away! The color is absolutely gorgeous, and while it's only been two weeks, it hasn't faded at all! I will update again later to report how long it lasts. Note that I was doing greens before, and this time I did blue - blues and darker colors in general last longer than greens and lighter colors, so keep that in mind if you're trying other colors. I haven't tried the green in this brand, though. This is the process I followed to do the initial dye job: 1. I bleached my hair nearly white, although there was a section around the middle that didn't bleach as white. 2. I shampooed (but NOT conditioned) my hair before dying. 3. I used a combination of Sky Blue & Sapphire colors and applied it to damp hair. We started with a base of sky blue, then did sapphire on the ends and randomly throughout the rest to give the color more depth. Since my hair wasn't bleached as much in the middle, and my hair bleaches into yellow-tones, that blended with the blue to create a greenish blue to create a beautiful effect (see the picture!) 4. I covered my head with a plastic bag and a shower cap, covered my pillow in an old towel, and left the dye in my hair OVERNIGHT. 5. I washed the dye out in the morning with COLD water. If you're like me and you can't handle cold showers, try rinsing out over the sink instead of in the shower. It's much easier to handle when you don't have freezing water running down your back. The initial rinse is the most important to do in cold water - I go back to hot showers after that. 6. I immediately treated the hair with Ion Color Defense After-Color Sealer , left it in for several minutes, then rinsed again in cold water. This is how I maintain the color: 1. I still shower in hot water every day, however I only shampoo twice a week (I do Wednesdays and Sundays to keep track). I can't stand having oily hair, which is why I still shower every day - the water by itself strips out quite a bit of the oil. 2. I use L'Oreal EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System Smooth Shampoo , but you can use whatever brand you want as long as it's sulfate-free 3. I use the Ion Color Defense again in place of conditioner, being sure to leave it in for a couple of minutes before rinsing. 4. Afterward, whether or not I shampooed, I use Ion Color Defense Leave-in Protector on towel-dried hair 5. After blow drying, if I didn't shampoo in the shower, I use dry shampoo to help keep the oiliness under control UPDATE: This color never seems to fade! I died it in July, and it stayed just as bright and vibrant until October, at which point I decided to switch to a different color. I only touched up the color once in 4 months! It's amazing that it never faded at all!

- You need 3 tubes for shoulder length hair and much more for thick or longer hair. This stuff is the consistency of toothpaste - Dilute with WATER, not conditioner. I guess some conditioners work -- mine did NOT. Water definitely works fine. Why? My first try, I diluted with Tresemme conditioner, mixed very well, and carefully applied with a brush. The results were large sections that were white, lavender, or silver. Ugh. The second time, I diluted with *water*, mixed very well, and applied with a brush (same as before). The color came out almost perfectly evenly -- a bright purple everywhere. The color was much brighter than I wanted, and it didn't fade! Over three weeks of shampooing my hair x2 every time I showered, it finally faded just a bit to the point where people called it "lavender". Just know that if you dye over platinum bleached hair, you will not have this pale color from the beginning. I've attached a few photos of the change in color over time. First photo (glasses) is after one week -- second photo (in the dress) is after 1 month. This stuff doesn't budge. A lovely bonus: If you bleach over this dye, it turns a bright greenish-blue color (mostly green), like Listerine. Seriously! It's almost impossible to avoid doing this just a little at the roots when you touch them up and it's ... pretty distressing. So don't plan on just bleaching this color out of your hair, and don't touch up your roots unless you have new dye on hand. This dye stays in hair well, and fades true to color. I've now let it fade (still shampooing x2 with hot water) for six weeks and it's still an even pale purple. I will definitely use it again if I want purple -- but probably only as streaks or ombre because of the issue with bleaching.

I used the Rose colored dye and pretty happy with the results. Pros: Easy application Doesn't have a strong smell Very pretty color (doesn't really look like the sample swatch but it comes out as a really pretty pastel pink without looking neon, which I really liked) Cons: Not enough dye in the tube (this won't apply to everyone but I personally used the dye all over my head but only on my roots plus maybe another two inches and it was barely enough. If you have long hair I would definitely recommend getting more than one tube) Needs to be put on very thickly (part of the reason I had to use a whole tube on such a small amount of hair was because you really have to put a lot on in order for it to take. My hair was bleached to a platinum blonde and the color still didn't take in some areas. Luckily I had just enough dye leftover to go over the areas one last time.) Hair needs to be very, very light to work. (You HAVE to bleach your hair before you use this dye unless you were lucky enough to be blessed with platinum blonde hair. For other colors such as the darker purples and blues it's not as necessary, but since the Rose dye is very light as pastel-ly your hair needs to be as light as possible before you use this. I already had my hair bleached so I didn't have to worry about it, but for those of you with medium blonde hair or anything darker, I would definitely recommend bleaching it lighter.

So I have a few things I want to mention about this product. I read the reviews prior to purchasing and wanted to purchase anyway because I know everyone's hair is different and sometimes, let's be honest, people don't read directions. 1. This is a semi permanent dye. Which means it will not last long and that's exactly what I wanted. It will only last for about 6 to 10 washes. 2. You do not need developer with this product. It only deposits color; which means you cannot apply this gray/silver color to dark hair and expect it to "change" or do anything to lift color. Color does not lift color. 3. Your hair has to be a high level of blonde to have good/decent results. Level 8 to 10 range. As for my rating, I feel as though 3 stars is adequate. The deposit of color was great from my level 10 hair (before and after pics) and the vibrancy was very good for being a semi permanent dye. Where the star deduction is coming from is the feel of the dye and amount that needed to be used. My hair is thin, but long. I'm 5'4 and it goes halfway down my back. I usually only need one box or tube of hair dye to cover every strand of hair; thank goodness I ordered two of these because I had to use them both. One only "covered" half of my head. The dye itself is gummy or like a very thick gel or wax. You have to really work the product into a tiny section of hair to make sure it is covered. Even then it is extremely hard to spread. It works, but just buy enough to cover your hard. Don't buy one box thinking "I usually only need one" because the consistency of this dye is NOT like other dyes. Be prepared for your arms to be sore halfway through because you have to work hard to cover each strand of hair. Have your hair prelightened to a level 8, 9, or 10 blonde before trying to achieve gray/silver hair with this product. :)

Usually just use splat or manic panic. Tried an orange from Ion forever ago and that was amazing so figured id give this a chance since the red (luscious raspberries) i used from spalt had decided to fade out to an orangey pink already Pros: deep beaauuutiful red, veeerry pigmented Good smell (some dyes smell all chemically and just nope) No developer needed, can just use it straight from the tube. Decent amount of product per tube, if you have thick hair like me and its longer then your shoulders consider buying two just to be safe and for touch up if you miss a spot after you finish off the first. Leave it on for however long you want without it damaging your hair, left it on my hair for at least an hour. Cons: Its veeeerrry pigmented, only a con if you dont think things through like me..and when you wash it out let the water run over your face. Had pink streaks running down my face. Came off with a bit of light scrubbing with a baby wipe. Very thick, its a bit hard to get it to spread so a tube doesnt go as far as it would if it were more of a creamy consistency. You can just mix it with some developer (2prt dye, 1/2 20vol developer. For if you still want a deep red but want it a little less thick to make it easier to apply. Add more developer of you want a bit of a lighter red.) All in all a good dye, very pigmented, low cost, a little thick, and it arrived when it said it would ^.^ Attached are before and after pics My faded splat red and then after i used a solid amount of this red for an hour

I wish I didn't waste my money on this hair dye. It turned my hair a brown red and a purple. Its two different colors and I did what the package told me to do. I bleached my hair and I weighted a couple of days and then I put the dye in and OMG I am very upset. I had to buy a different kind of hair dye to try and fix this mess. I will NOT go out LOOKING like this. I really should have listened to the people who told me not to BUY this stuff from this company but I did and boy I am kicking myself in the butt. If I was you I would just go to salon and get it done right. I have no clue what they did but I have no clue how part of my head of purple and the other looks brownish. I look like a bruised purine. And that is not what I was going for. Plz watch out when buying hair stuff off line you get what you pay for and then some. Very very unhappy right now. But new stuff coming and then I will go back outside. Not until this is taken care of.

I can't get over how accurate the swatch/pictures were for my chosen color! (Radiant Orchid) I used Neutral Protein Filler as a post-bleaching, pre-color treatment per a recommendation I found researching my color choices. I will never color without it again! I left it in for 20-25 minutes by itself before applying the Ion Color Brights as opposed to mixing it with my color, as a few reviewers suggested. I didn't find the cream to be too thick to use, as some others have complained, so decided to just do it as a pre-treatment. I applied Radiant Orchird immediately thereafter, without rinsing. I squeezed 25 gm (about half a tube. Bonus: 2 applications for my short hair!) in a tint bowl and swirled it around a bit with my tint brush and found it perfectly manageable and easy to apply without adding anything. I was surprised at how rich and pigmented it was and how far a small amount on my brush went. With further research, I found that like some other contemporary dyes, this can be left in much longer than the recommended 20-40 minutes. I opted not to leave overnight, but just over an hour. I am thrilled with my color result! This is the best result I've ever had from a contemporary color of any brand, and I've tried many, and I can't get over how similar to the swatch/product pictures it came out. In addition, not sure if it was the protein filler or the dye itself, but when I rinsed it, my hair felt uncannily slick, soft, and smooth, not at all fried as I was expecting from my multiple corrective bleach processes. I did follow with Ion Color Brilliance After Color Treatment 3oz Ion After Color treatment. For reference, before applying Radiant Orchid, the top of my hair was pre-lightened to a 9-10, virgin growth on sides and back to an 8-ish. It's only the first day, so I can't speak yet on color retention, but I am SO pleased with my result and looking forward to trying more colors!