Ion Aqua Semi Permanent Hair Color Aqua

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-free3. 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 hair5. After blow drying, if I didn't shampoo in the shower, I use dry shampoo to help keep the oiliness under controlUPDATE: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!

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 alreadyPros:deep beaauuutiful red, veeerry pigmentedGood 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 picsMy faded splat red and then after i used a solid amount of this red for an hour

- 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.