DIY Hair: Ion Color Solutions Depositing Masque Review

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Gray hair.... There are many ways to achieve it. You could use a silver toner, find a gray dye, become the president. But one of my favorite methods is to use Color Solutions by Ion in the shade Titanium.

Right off the bat, I'd like to apologize because I have no idea what to call this product. I mean, look at the label. What would you call it? Ion Pigments? Ion Color Solutions Color Depositing Masque? Ion Pigments Titanium Color Solutions? I'm not sure. I even looked it up online, and that didn't help. Either way, the product this review is focusing on is pictured below.

What Is It?

This product isn't a typical dye, nor is it a toner. It's basically a pigmented conditioner, which you can use to apply or maintain color. It's made with natural oils and antioxidants that allow you to color your hair without damage - hence the "hair masque" title.

This product is best when applied on pre-lightened hair.

Titanium Pigment

Before you go any further, know that this review is only for the Titanium pigment. While I have had much success with other Ion products, Titanium is the only color I have tried from this specific line.

For a little backstory, I started out with a platinum blonde hair. I wanted to go silver, so I used Arctic Fox Sterling (shown in the "before" picture below). It didn't work out as I had expected, but that's a review for another time. Being unsatisfied with the longevity of the Arctic Fox, I was looking for something a bit darker to use. That's when I discovered the Ion Titanium masque.

Photos and reviews will show you that it goes on pretty dark gray - which was perfect for the dark-root ombre I was aiming for. My hair is naturally dark brown, so applying an equally dark color at the roots helps to hide my growth. The goal here was to apply Titanium at the roots, and blend it down the hair shaft to fade into a lighter silver.

How to Use

When using this product, I absolutely recommend that you put it on before you shower, on dry hair. I read plenty of reviews before purchasing, and it seems a lot of people used it for the first time IN the shower on wet hair, only leaving it on for a few seconds before rinsing off. That's a great way to get splotchy, uneven hair color!

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The key is control - I applied this product exactly as I would any other hair dye - carefully with the proper tools.

Supplies:

1-2 tubes of Ion Color Solutions Titanium (I used half of one tube to cover my roots)
Dye bowl
Dye brush
Butterfly clip
Gloves

Squeeze the product into a dye bowl. Use your dye brush to apply the color to your hair in small sections. You can certainly apply this on your entire head, but you'll see from my photos that I only used it on my roots. I usually work the layers from top to bottom, which is where the butterfly clip comes in handy.

Once you've saturated your hair evenly with the masque, you can really leave it in as long as you'd like. Typically, I like to let a dye sit in for two hours before rinsing it out.

Rinse the dye out using lukewarm water, and once you start to see the water running clear, you're ready to dry! Do NOT shampoo - you just put color in your hair, you don't want to pull it all out.

Upkeep

This product typically appears as a dark gray after it is initially washed out. As it begins to fade, it pulls to a light blue color (pictured below). I liked the light blue, so I let it fade out rather than upkeeping.

If you'd prefer the gray dark, spot touchups are the way to go. Just apply a little bit of the masque to fading spots a few minutes before you step into the shower. Or, since you've already done the full initial application, just use the product in the shower each time in place of a conditioner. This will help ensure your color is saturated and even.

When it comes time to remove the color, either a color stripper or bleach with 10 volume developer will easily do the trick.

This photo shows how Titanium fades. I only applied it on the top portion of my head. This photo is about a month after applying - you can see that my dark brown roots have grown out, and the Titanium has faded to a blue-silver color.
author

Ion Color Solutions Titanium: 5 out of 5

I loved this product, and I've used it to do a shadow root several times since. It's super easy to use, it definitely made my hair feel silkier, and I love the color. Not to mention that one tube is right around $7 - it's a pretty cost effective fix! I definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a dark gray dye.

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.