- Like most semi-permanent hair dyes, Manic Panic washes out. However, according to the manufacturer, the line you choose will determine the duration.
- While the Classic High Voltage and Amplified lines last 4 to 6 weeks, the Creamtones line lasts 2 to 4 weeks. Of course, this duration may vary according to your hair beauty routine.
- If you want to choose a Manic Panic color that will wash out without leaving a trace of color, you should choose light colors or pastels such as Amethyst Ashes, Silver Stiletto, Dreamsicle, Sea Nymph, Blue Angel, or Sunshine.
- More intense colors such as Hot Pink, Fuschia Shock, Mystic Heather, Cotton Candy, Rockabilly Blue, After Midnight, Dark Star, Smoke Screen, and Green Envy tend to leave some traces of color because their pigments are stronger and more resistant.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: Is Manic Panic bad for your hair? Could it damage your hair? Short answer: Absolutely not!
When it comes to Manic Panic’s more exotic and eccentric colors, anything can happen. What do I mean?
I mean that most people “buy with their eyes”.
I know this from some of my clients, such as Ofelia. She’s a 15-year-old girl who is in the typical age of “I know everything because I was born in the times of the internet and social networks.”
Staying true to her life principle, “I know it all”, one beautiful sunny day she was checking the latest posts of her favorite influencer. She discovered that she didn’t want to live another day without her hair being hot pink.
When I say hot, I’m talking about a dazzling pink.
Following the advice of her favorite star of the moment, she chose the color Fuschia Shock by Manic Panic. Coincidentally, it was the same color that the influencer was wearing on her Instagram account.
Can you believe that after six weeks, that same person who “knew everything about life, worlds known and unknown,” came to my salon? She was begging me to help her wash the damn Manic Panic hot pink out of her hair.
Yes, many people make the same mistake as Ophelia.
They eye-buy a hair color, in this case, Manic Panic, without evaluating how long they’re willing to wear the color with their head held high.
You may want to sport blood-red hair one day for a bizarre gathering of zombie and vampire fans, but probably not show up at work with such a strident color.
I know that many claim that Manic Panic semi-permanent hair color fades with washes. After all, the pigments are deposited on the surface of the hair. In other words, they don’t change or modify your natural pigments.
But, some Manic Panic colors take longer to fade. At least, they may take longer than the manufacturer claims, which is a maximum of six weeks according to the line you choose.
Why does this happen?
I could say the only exact science is Maths.
In colorimetry, in turn, a myriad of variables come into play, such as the porosity of the hair, the base color on which you applied the Manic Panic, and even the different pigmentation of certain colors.
So, “before you screw up,” as my grandmother would say, and if you think “you know it all” after watching a few tutorials on the web, read on. I’ll tell you which Manic Panic colors wash out and which ones can leave some traces of pigmentation.
I’ll also tell you how to wash off Manic Panic in case you need to.
Tabla de Contenidos
Which Manic Panic colors can take the longest to wash out?
The more intense or darker the color you choose from Manic Panic, the longer it will take to wash out.
Its pigmentation is stronger and more persistent than that of lighter tones.
Therefore, chances are that when you reach the time limit indicated by Manic Panic, (four to six weeks), you’ll still have traces of color for several more weeks.
Of course, it won’t be as intense as the first day you applied it, but trust me. After six weeks, the stubborn pigments will be there as if they were playing hide and seek.
There’s another factor to consider.
Manic Panic has several coloring lines with more intense or more subtle colors. I’m sure you didn’t know this.
For example, the Manic Panic Amplified line takes the hair dye to brighter, stronger, and shocking levels. However, the colors are harder to wash out. Do you want to know about them?
- Blue: Lie Locks, Rockabilly Blue, Celestine Blue, Blue Moon, Shocking Blue, Voodoo Blue
- Green: Serpentine Green, Green Envy, Enchanted Forest, Electric Lizard
- Orange: Electric Lava, Psychedelic Sunset
- Pink: Cotton Candy, Cleo Rose, Pretty Flamingo
- Grey: Alíen Grey
- Violet: Purple Haze, Ultra Violet, Deep Purple Dream, Deadly Nightshade
- Red: Vampire Red, Wilde Fire. I must warn you that all the red options will stay in your hair for a long time.
- Black: Raven. Like the red tones, it won’t wash out for long.
You should also remember that you need at least a light blonde 8 base color to apply these colors.
If you want to make sure the color looks like the Manic Panic bottle, do the strand test.
This method is foolproof, and you’ll confirm if you need to bleach your hair before coloring it with Manic Panic.
If you don’t want to take any risks and you want the color to wash out in the time suggested by the manufacturer, you’ll have to choose the color accurately.
Manic Panic tones that most easily wash out
Just as Manic Panic offers a line of more intense tones, it also offers pastel tones.
Being lighter colors, they fade within a maximum of four weeks as indicated by the manufacturer.
The Creamtones line has a range of amazing colors, but you’ll need to bleach your hair to an extra light blonde 10 or more. It’s a must.
These colors are:
- Velvet Violet
- Blue Ángel
- Fleurs Do Mal
- Sea Nymph
- Dreamsicle
The good news doesn’t end there. Manic Panic also offers another miracle product so you can have a color as light as you want: Manic Mixer Pastel-izer.
This product can be mixed with any color you like to achieve a unique pastel tone if the options offered by the brand don’t satisfy you.
Both pastel tones and those you mix with Manic Mixer will wash out because their pigmentation is weaker and softer.
That’s why you’ll need to bleach your hair to apply them!
If your hair is blonde, you can do a strand test to see how the color looks on your hair.
- Comb your hair into a ponytail and release a strand at the back.
- Apply Manic Panic and wait for 20 minutes.
- Rinse and blow-dry.
Look at the color. Is it the one you wanted? Would you like it lighter or darker?
You now have a good base from which to start to reach your desired goal.
If you want to know more precisely how the Manic Panic will wash out of your hair, wash the colored strand for a week and see what happens with the color.- If it is duller and faded, you know that it’ll be gone in less than six weeks.
- Alternatively, if it didn’t change the intensity of the color or didn’t fully wash out, you’ll most likely need to remove the color remnants with some alternative methods.
How to wash off Manic Panic remnants that linger after six weeks
Before you wash out the Manic Panic hair color, you need to decide what you want to do with your hair.
- If you want to go back to traditional tones, choose a permanent hair dye. It’ll completely cover the Manic Panic pigments because it’s applied with a 20-volume developer and removes the color remnants.
- In turn, if you want to get rid of the Manic Panic color but haven’t decided what to do with your hair yet, you can use a clarifying shampoo.
Clarifying shampoos wash away any traces of chemicals or pigmentation from the hair without damaging it.
Some of the most popular ones are:
- Neutrogena Anti-Residue Formula
- Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three
- Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo
- BIOLAGE Normalizing Clean Reset
Any of these options will remove traces of Manic Panic hair dye.
All you have to do is replace your regular shampoo with the clarifying shampoo and leave it on for three to five minutes.You can use it up to three times a week, and you’ll notice that the Manic Panic hair dye will be washed out in no time.
Conclusions
Manic Panic’s more intense tones can take more than six weeks to wash out because their pigments are more resistant.
If you’re doubtful about the duration of this semi-permanent hair dye, the best is to perform the strand test. It’ll reveal how long it’ll take for Manic Panic to fully wash out.