How to Dye Your Hair with Manic Panic

Manic Panic is one of the best ways to get...ummm...unusual hair colors. It's a lot of fun because once your hair is bleached you can change the Manic Panic colors around pretty frequently and try out new colors since they are semi-permanent. Here are some tips on how to dye your hair with Manic Panic.

First, if your hair is any color besides light, light blond you are going to need to bleach it. You should note that bleaching your hair is really bad for it and once you use bleach it will never be the same again, so only do it if you are really sure that it is something you want to do. I'd recommend buying the Flash Lightening bleach kits made by manic panic since they do a great job of lightening your hair very quickly - even if it is really dark when you are starting out.

You can either bleach your whole head or you can bleach streaks in it, depending on the look you are going for. To bleach your whole head just follow the instructions on the bleach kit, making sure you do a test strand like the recommend. A lot of people get impatient and skip the strand test, but it is really helpful to judge how long you need to leave the bleach on your hair. You don't want to leave the bleach on longer than you need to, so by doing a strand test first you can actually help save your hair a little bit of damage and get the color you want.

If you are dying streaks in your hair one of the easiest ways to do it is to get a frosting cap. You can get these at a beauty supply store and they are just a plastic cap with little holes poked in them that you can pull your hair through. If you want to do large streaks you can cut a few of the holes larger so you can pull more hair through them. The main advantage of using the cap is that it helps keep the bleach off of the rest of your hair and just on the strands where you want it.

You should bleach your hair until it is light yellow, like a banana skin. For the lighter colors of Manic Panic you'll want to bleach it lighter until it is about the color of the inside of a banana. If you hair is really dark you may need to bleach it twice to get it light enough. Warning: keep in mind that bleaching your hair twice is going to cause extra damage, so don't do it if you aren't committed.

Once you are done bleaching wash your hair out. While it is still damp apply the Manic Panic to it making sure you cover it completely and don't miss any spots. You may want to put some Vaseline on your forehead before you start or you could wind up with colored stains all over your forehead. The Vaseline will keep the dye from sticking to your skin. Use a fine tooth comb and comb it through your hair until it gets foamy. Now, the Manic Panic bottle will say to just leave it on for 15 minutes, but most people have better luck if they leave it on for a long time. In fact, a lot of people will even wrap their heads in plastic wrap and sleep with the Manic Panic in their hair to get it to stay longer. Use your best judgment and leave it in as long as you feel necessary.

If you want your color to last longer, rinse it out and then immediately pour a 1:1 mixture of vinegar over it. Then, rinse the vinegar out of your hair with water.

If you finish dying your hair and you totally hate it, give it a day or two and see if it grows on you. Sometimes sudden changes can seem shocking, but you may find that you start to like it once the initial shock wears off.

If you absolutely hate the color or if it has faded out and you want to try a different color of Manic Panic you can get it out of your hair right away by mixing a small amount of hair bleach with shampoo and washing your hair. Let the shampoo sit on your hair for a minute or two and the color should fade right before your eyes.