BLUE HAIR COLOURS

Hmm. Interesting.

I'm not sure it's really what we've been seeing here. The only blue I have issues removing is Directions Turquoise, I never totally get rid of the pale mint staining without a mild bleach, but I have great results generally from Decolour Remover. Well, certainly a lot better than other methods of fading that work for other colours. The colour in my avatar is one Decolour Remover on fairly bright turquoise.

It would be very interesting to know more about the silicone compounds if you're able to share more on that. It's not something I don't think I've been aware of and I'm not sure if others here are.

I've always found it very easy to fade and remove blues, and it's still the same now for me. I'm the same as Janine, the only type I found it harder to remove was directions turquoise. I've used decolour remover on various shades and of blue and managed to get most of the blue out each time. However the only brands of blue dye I've used are Directions & Crazy Colour dyes

Oh, also, it's not hard to get US dyes now too. Beeunique and others sell Special Effects dyes (which tend to be a lot harder to remover, which might be because of this method you're talking about) as well as Manic Panic (which are fairly easy to remove).

I've not used a special effects blue for several years though and I can't remember how easy it was to remove. I think the last time I used one I dyed over with black anyway.

I had a combination of blues in late winter/spring this year, I believe the dark blue was a Special Effects/Directions combo and the light was Directions Turquoise and Stargazer, all of them washed out beautifully using colour remover - it actually revealed practically virgin white hair except for a few purple patches which I added later (actually, it's my avatar's hair, haaah).

I've just put the Directions/Special effects dark blue back on my head, it isn't washing away as fast as it used to but I think that's because I use kinder shampoo and don't wash it as often. Also it was on top of pink so it's a purple-blue.

I only used one SFX blue and it was a total mess (blue haired freak), faded before I even washed it by rubbing off! 🙂

Crazy Colour blues are rather pigmented sometimes but they fade very easly (sky blue, capri).

Directions has 2 blue shades that stick on me for months, including turquoise which Glitterpix mentioned and atlantic blue which is a wonderful pigmented blue shade and takes a very long time to fade entirely for me (unlike lagoon which doesnt even get stain my hair enough and is quite odd to mix with).

Besides, personally, I find that pinks are the hardest to remove off my hair - so maybe it has a lot to do with the starting shade and the hair type.

I found atlantic washed out really easily on me.

I agree with the starting shade, when I put atlantic/Blue Haired freak on virgin hair it just washed out but putting them over a faded purple they stayed around for ages.

(I'm currently waiting for my dark blue to lighten up, it's very dark right now).

Atlantic turns out so dark on me sometimes, once it took about 2 months to fade with bi-weekly washing.

When I was moving into launching Decolour I did a vast amount of varying tests, that are standard for me to understand what consumers might experience.  I will always do tests on hair that should not remove based on the treatment given, just to understand what would happen.  Obviously, direct dye cannot be technically removed by a hair colour remover - however I do know that each fashion shade removes very differently (if at all).

From having huge experience with colour removers for years, I found Decolour actually removed fashion colour ridiculously well, but it's not to do with the hydrosulphite but the the base of the remover which is of a conditioner level.  Direct dyes (such as fashion colours) are acidic, whilst most permanent colours are alkaline.  Therefore, you remove a fashion colour you have to apply an acidic substance to it.  However, it's not as simplistic as using lemon juice, because you need to open the cuticle.  Acidic substances will effectively shut the cuticle (due to the PH) so you have a weird situation whereby the cuticle shuts before the acid can loosen the colour molecule within it.  In colour removal (for permanent shades), the technology will open the cuticle and if there is a high conditioning base (which would typically be acidic) being delivered into the hair - you can often get the slipping of he fashion shade.   You can't even clarify out a fashion colour because clarifiers are alkaline - so they will force the cuticle open but can cause the colour molecule to affix further.  You'd only clarify beforehand because you want to remove any barriers on the surface of the hair.  Ultimately, good salons will remove a fashion colour by steaming the hair open and then applying the acidic treatment and continually conditioning the hair hair - rather than clarifying - which will make the hair porous.

With the silicone blue (which is floating around out there), you cannot adhere to these principles, because silicone colour finds its way into the hair fibres and buries deep.  As I said, in the US quite a lot of fashion brands use this technology but will state such.  However, it's started creeping into some of the products sold in UK permanent colours and you just can't explain to a consumer what has happened, simply because the manufacturer are not telling the consumer on their product.  With permanent colours no brand in retail acknowledges hair colour removers are out there and stick with a legal point that 'permanent' colour is supposed to be just that, how it's derived is not important.

However, if it starts to become so in fashion colours (claimed to leave the hair after several washes), it opens up another can of worms, because in these instances they do have to tell the consumer the colour will not go.  This is the issue I have seen with whatever this blue is that is out there.  I have to raise the question with the consumer as to why they thought to pay out for a 'permanent hair colour remover' (which they are claiming didn't work), when their first and immediate action should have been to contact the colourant manufacturer and ask why the product isn't coming out.

With regards to the Turquoise, another factor you have to remember is that hair colours are derived from varying pigments.  Therefore, unless you are dealing with a pure primary pigment shades like Turquoise, Purple and Copper comprise of several pigment molecules.  In relation to Turquoise, this shade needs a blue molecule to form the colour.  In fact it's a specific 'baby blue' molecule.  The key to understanding if a differing type of pigment has been used in that composition is to look to what the shade is fading out to.  If the hair is fading to a more dusky blue and then not budging it's that blue molecule that is a different composition.    Blue based colours (on bleached pale hair) should fade to a weird grey, then to a metallic blonde, then to white and finally the hair should look brassy.  When the hair starts looking brassy it's all gone.  On a dark base (which has been bleached to pale copper blonde), a vibrant blue will take at first and then fade to green (because of the orange base coupled with the muted blue).

Bleaching (to remove) can also be a double edged sword.  Remember, bleach is very alkaline, so by it's nature it will work against the acidic level of the fashion colour.  However, fashion colour should be vulnerable within the hair - therefore, the moment a very weak bleach hits it - it should come away.  The problem is, (and this is text book) when someone goes to bleach out a fashion colour - it's usually because it's not washing out - so you immediately have an indicator that direct dye molecule is somehow stuck in the hair.  The big gamble with bleach (of any strength) is that if the bleach damages the colour molecule (rather than shattering or expanding it to nothing), the molecule will remain affixed in the hair.  With silicone colours - the bleach can often have no effect at all - as it just can't kick out the silicone.  What then happens, is the bleach will work on all the surrounding hair fibres - lightening and weakening them - but as you look at the hair, you can't see any budge in the colour.    I would also advice people to use non ammonia lifters on fashion colours, as the key is to keep the PH as controlled as you can - to stop the hair becoming more porous and the molecule affixed.

As I said in my original post, I'm really not sure what bright blue brand is the culprit here - but as you all said, my experience of blue had been it was the easiest to come out.  I can honestly say (from seeing photos), this particular blue doesn't budge!  

The new fashion colour brands are awfully dodgy (pretty much like when I found out there are actual fakes on ebay!), I keep hearing about people getting it done "because they said it fades quick" and ends up being there for weeks ahead.

I've only used Directions Turquoise (which was sticky, but not immovable) and SFX Blue Velvet (which faded to a truly beautiful lilac).

One thing that has sprung to mind, though--Schwarzkopf have recently put out a new line of fashion colours, including blue (their "Ultra-Brights" range).  They're marketed as semi-permanent direct dyes, and I know the red faded out very quickly (someone on here tried it out), but I don't know how their blue fares.  A lot of people, however, are using them because they're on the majority of supermarket shelves.

It is a bright, neon-electric blue and Schwarzkopf are notorious for silicone delivery methods--perhaps it's this dye?

(Anyone want to play around with strand tests?)

I was wondering if it was Schwarzkopf, they're the only on shelf brand that do blue, I haven't tried their new colours but many moons ago I used to use their purple and it didn't last that long.

Any reviews I've seen of the ultra-brights blue says it washes out quickly.

I am genuinely not sure if it is the Schwarzkopf semi as I have not as yet been able to find out the brands the consumers are using.  I can say this has started to happen within the last four to six months.  

I will put my neck on the line and say fashion colour going into mainstream retail is becoming a bit of a headache.  I've actually used the hair dye forum for donkeys years and you guys are real fashion colour experts and players - you get what it's doing, how to achieve stuff.  The use of fashion colour has always been like this, with those who want to display the bold statement colour really learning about it, sourcing specific shades and understanding how to get a good base.

When (effectively) a cult or niche colour method goes into mass retail it attracts the impulse colourer.  Impulse colourers will decide to do something on sight and then either grow bored or regret it very soon.  Because fashion colour is quite technical (in terms of how to get it to display well and upkeep), these individuals will often not have a good base to apply it to - get a result they don't want and then want rid of it.  In a lot of cases, you get people who apply it for a party or occasion and then want it out.  Fashion shades just aren't good for this (they should be using spray colour).  

I'm not so much bothered about the mainstream applying fashion colour, it's the necessity to have a lightened base that concerns me.  This issue really arises with the pastel shades as they don't often realise their hair has to be white to display the pastel colour and prevent it from acting as a neutaliser.  I then have to explain (if their hair is currently jet black) they can't go to a base light enough to display pastel in one go - they need to this really slowly over several months and even then they may not get a good enough base.  

From my years of experience dealing with hair colour remover products, I can say the common (and obvious) factor about fashion colour is it's followers (including you guys) are of a type that you like to alternate and swap shades - that's the very nature of fashion or vibrant colour.  As much as people might moan funky colours fade, in 90% of cases the individual will swap out of the shade anyway - even by a small variant.  Therefore, manufacturers trying to apply the principles of permanent colour hold to fashion colour is dangerous - because these consumers will try all sorts of methods to get the shade out and then start to resort to bleaching which is lethal on bases that have already been bleached to display the shade in the first place.  As I said in an earlier post - silicone sealed colours will sit on hair as it's being bleached - not budging, whilst the individual doesn't realise all the hair fibre around it is being lightened to high heaven, you then get to the part the keratin fibre is going and the hair starts to break - even at this point you can often still see that sealed colour still in there - as shiny and vibrant as it was to begin with!  It's often the point the hair mulches the silicone breaks apart and the colour appears to go.

Silicones started being used in permanent colours really for the grey consumer (who is the core consumer in the home colourants market).  They wanted to be able to offer 100% coverage on some shades.  Typically redhead/copper shades (on grey) would either fade out or appear transluscent, so using the silicone sealing system was a good way to promise great coverage and continued vibrancy.  The same principles applied for lighter blonde bases.  The grey consumer is not a swapper - they will stick to their shade and not seek to remove it.  However, some brands then started sealing colours for additional vibrancy.  So in the professional market it was very common for a permanent redhead shade (for example) to feature an additional red direct dye molecule to boost the shade and effect.  This direct dye molecule would fade off over a few weeks, but be re-introduced on the comb through following the regrowth development on the next visit.   However, some brands in retail started sealing this direct molecule so it became permanent.  Again, the more vibrant and vivid a shade - the more prone it is to attracting a colour swapper - someone who will soon want it out.  Hence why all the experiences started arising of people who just couldn't budge them.  It's not helped because hairdressers hate them.  Most will have stories of a client coming in for highlights and opening the foil packets (during development) to see absolutely nothing happening and then losing 2 hours worth of service charge because you can't expect a client to pay for something that didn't work.  I've had this happen to me and seen first hand a sealed colour just not budging.    I have to say, sealed silicones (generally) can often be got out of the hair, but it needs clarifying (a huge amount).  The issue is when they use irons on the hair and start to melt the silicone.  

As I said, if any manufacturers have made the decision to 'seal' fashion colour in this way (which is supposed to be temporary) it will cause no end of bother and the blue I am seeing has definately been sealed.

I should also point out (and this is an important one to consider), when something like this occurs it's not always as easy as thinking of brands you have used and the results you have had.  You have to look to the source of origin of the product purchased by the individual having the issue.

To explain, manufacturers can change formulas, however these new formulations go out into the market place in different ways.  For example, if a manufacturer sells to Sally, they will be selling huge volumes directly - so you could purchase a product from here and notice it's different, because this source of origin would likely be the first (due to volume) who sells through the old stock and replaces for the newly manufacturered batches.  However, when a manufacturer sells to distribution this new stock could take a year or more to be used by the consumer - as the distributor sells on to smaller shops and online and holds the previous stock centrally, selling on in smaller volumes when required.  So if something changes with a colours performance, it can be the case new stock (and formulas) have gone into the market - yet not everyone has experienced them yet.

I've used SFX blues before, but not recently, it was over a year ago.  However, I didn't find any issues with fading it out, the colours faded quite quickly to a pale blue/lilac colour (purple based blues).  I do currently use Directions Midnight Blue, but I use it over a dyed to black shade to get a blue/black colour, so wouldn't honestly notice if it didn't fade out anyway!  I haven't tried Pravana blue yet, but have heard that the Pravana range of semi dyes are extremely long lasting and stay bright for a very long time, so maybe Pravana might be the culprit?  I'm actually quite the opposite of most semi dye users, as in I actually would be interested in using a blue dye that is near enough permanent, to add that blue sheen to my dyed black hair!  I've got no plans to change the shade at all, so am looking for ways to keep that blue sheen permanently and long term!