DIY Hair: Arctic Fox Sunset Orange Hair Dye Review

I love to dye my hair all colors of the rainbow. I love all things vintage, and I enjoy creating art, taking photos, and doing it myself.

Deciding to Go Orange

I'm a hair-dye-aholic. Can't stop. Orange is fun, and who doesn't like being compared to Haley Williams? It's like Vitamin C never sang Graduation. I had planned to go orange for a while, and I intended to use Manic Panic Psychadelic Sunset mixed with Manic Panic Sunshine. Before you do that, there are a few steps you need to take!

Because bleaching your hair sucks, I try to avoid it. I will bleach my roots after about an inch of growth, but try to avoid bleaching the length. This helps manage the damage on already processed hair. My game plan each time I dye is to wash out the previous color as much as possible, bleach roots, and then hit it with the next color on the rainbow. When I decided I was ready to do orange, my hair was a pink, much-faded red color.

So I did my usual process, and applied a mixture of MP's Psychedelic Sunset and Sunshine. I've used both of these dyes before, and mixing them together did not work as well as I had hoped.

Below is a photo from a few years ago, when I used Psychadelic Sunset on its own. After that, my most recent attempt where I mixed Psychadelic Sunset with Sunshine.

Choosing Arctic Fox Sunset Orange

So, when I used Manic Panic's Psychedelic Sunset a few years back, it worked out just fine. When I used their Sunshine, also a few years ago, it did not. I think choosing to mix the two this time around was a bad idea, and it's probably Sunshine's fault. It's just doesn't hold well (at least on my hair) and I find it fading significantly after just one wash.

I liked the result for about a week, but had to try something else. I was at Hot Topic, which carries Arctic Fox, and decided to give it a whirl. They had two oranges in stock, Porange and Sunset Orange, which I mixed together to create this wonderful look!

How To Apply

Supplies:

• Glass bowl
• Dye brush
• Gloves
• Butterfly clip
• Arctic Fox Sunset Orange (duh - I used one bottle of this mixed with Porange)

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The next steps are pretty standard - after bleaching to the appropriate level, brush your hair and section it off. Using the dye brush, paint the color onto your hair in thin strips, making sure to cover root to tip. You've got to be thorough or else you'll look like a hot patchy mess.

You can let it sit as long as you want. Hell, sleep in it! There's no ammonia or anything of the sort in Arctic Fox. I like to think of it as a highly pigmented conditioner.

I left the dye in for 2-3 hours before rinsing it out with lukewarm water. It worked like a dream!

Arctic Fox Sunset Orange: 5/5 Stars

Loved this dye. It was easy to find, inexpensive, bright and pigmented, and lasted for a pretty long time.

You can pick it up at Sally's or at Hot Topic. What I've learned is that Sally's (at least the one near me) doesn't keep their colorful dye stocked very well. Hot Topic, on the other hand, always has this stuff. I mean, where would the scene kids be without their hair dye?

Just to let you in on my routine, I wash my hair about once every 4-5 days with shampoo and conditioner. I don't use styling products or heat because they make your color fade faster. After using this dye, I had a pretty decent color for 9 weeks.

I had always wanted a nice peachy orange, so even though the color had faded significantly, my hair still looked pretty nice.

More Hair Dye Reviews

Hopefully this hair dye gave you the information you need to decide on whether Arctic Fox Sunset Orange is the right dye for you.

If not, and you're still searching for the right color, you're in luck! I have a ton of hair color reviews, complete with photos of my own experience. Check out my profile to see other colors, how to bleach and dye your hair at home, and what dyes you need to use to achieve the look of your dreams!

After using Arctic Fox Sunset Orange, I ended up going yellow. No, not using Manic Panic's Sunshine - we already talked about how that dye is pretty lackluster. This time, I used Arctic Fox Cosmic Sunshine. I think I'm converted.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.