AF Blog — Mixology

Image Credit: chris0712

Pastel hues have had us all in a chokehold for as long as we can remember. And with summer right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to go for a shade that looks oh, so pretty even when it fades. From blues, to greens, to purples and pinks, the color options are truly endless! And don’t worry, Fox, we’re here to help you safely get your dream head of pastel from start to finish.

Image credit: @mynameislanes

Step 1: Bleach, Please

The first step to going pastel, is to completely strip your hair of any color. Pastel will only show up on a level 10 platinum blonde or lighter! Depending on your current shade, you might need a few bleach treatments to get your hair to the appropriate level. You can safely bleach at home with our Bleach, Please Lightening Kit, but if you don’t fully trust yourself, or your hair is already fairly damaged and contains previous color treatments, you’ll want to head to a salon first! We don’t recommend using Bleach, Please to remove color from hair - doing so can cause unexpected color results or permanent staining of the hair! If you do need to remove color, please use a color remover formulated for the type of hair color in your hair. 

Bleach, Please can lighten your hair up to 8 levels and includes a 35 Volume Developer. Its 3 oz tube of violet-toned bleach is packed with tons of ingredients that help protect and repair your hair during the bleaching process. Although we’ve formulated Bleach, Please to be as safe and healthy as possible, bleaching will still damage your hair to an extent. Bleach opens up the hair cuticle to remove pigment from the strand, which can result in a dry, rough feeling on your strands. Before and after treatment, nourish your hair with our Resurrected Shampoo and Conditioner, which is color-safe and sulfate-free, to keep your strands as moisturized as possible. 

Carefully follow the instructions on the Bleach, Please kit to safely color your hair, or read our Bleach, Please spotlight here, for more detailed instructions. Once you’ve let the bleach sit for 30-45 minutes, rinse it out and see if you’ve reached your desired result! If your hair is dark and you need several treatments to get to a level 10, make sure to space out your lightening sessions at least a week apart.

Image credit: alexis_hair__

Step 2: Do or Dye 

Now comes the fun part! 

Arctic Fox hair colors are formulated to be a bit thicker due to their conditioning properties, so you want to make sure that you divide your hair into small sections and fully saturate each with color to achieve your desired shade. 

Arctic Mist Diluter is your BFF when it comes to going pastel. Start with Arctic Mist as your base, then add in your shade little by little until you get the color of your dreams. The lighter you’d like to go, the less your color ratio will be to Arctic Mist. Remember, you can always add more Arctic Mist to lighten your mix to get that perfect pastel hue, so go slowly! 

If you want a one-step application to a pastel, check out our very own pastel formula favs, Frosé, Neverland, Periwinkle, and Girls Night! The best part about going pastel is how truly endless the possibilities are. You can mix, match, lighten, or darken, and as long as your base is at the appropriate level, you’ll see those light hues shine through! 

Image Credit: neutraljacqueline

Step 3: Color Care

Now that you’ve got the pretty pastel, hair care is a must! Care for your color in the shower with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner duo (try our Resurrected Formula for color-safe treatment), and cool water. 

One thing to note is that pastels are not as pigmented as other dyes, so in the coming weeks, give your locks a quick refresh by adding a few drops of dye to your conditioner in the shower, or giving your entire head of hair another coat of dye for a more pigmented look. Pastels fade in the most stunning way, so you can let it go or touch it up, depending on the look you’re going for. 

Image Credit: princessmei        

Image Credit: ashleymarieblake

Image Credit: salemmooncosmetics     

Image Credit: la_main_d_argent

So you’re looking for some refreshing inspo to spice up that split dye? Maybe you just want to go for a little pop of color? 👀

Whatever the case may be, we got you covered with 15 of our current favorite hair color combinations!👇

1. Space Cowgirl + Virgin Pink

@evelina.forsell 

2. Sunset Orange + Cosmic Sunshine

@lauren_loveslocks

3. Neon Moon + Aquamarine

@0allas

4. Sunset Orange, Cosmic Sunshine and Neon Moon (pairs SO well with a natural shade 😍)!

@lyn_bax

5. Diluted Poseidon and Iris Green 🤤

@lizzienowire

6. Half Virgin Pink and half dark brown? Yes, please! 

@colorlikenoother

7. Sunset Orange + Virgin Pink

@elle_n0r

8. Violet Dream + Sunset Orange

@woke.nikki

9. Neon moon + Iris Green

@jphair_st.helens

10. Cosmic Sunshine + Purple AF

@zoe_la_leigh

11. Diluted Sunset Orange + Poison

@theeglamnaija

12. Girls Night and Purple AF

@hadar_kawaii_hair

13. Virgin Pink and Cosmic Sunshine

@kaylahadlington

14. Pop of Cosmic Sunshine ✨

@dxnx.elle 

15. Pop of diluted Virgin Pink

@slm.beauty

✨ Pro tip: Using COLD water when rinsing will help to prevent some of the bleeding onto another color! 

Have a stunning color combination of your own to share? Please feel free to do so below! We’d love to see 🥰 In the meantime, we’re here if you have any questions. Stay Foxy 🦊❤️

Magenta is a red-based color with pink and purple tones, based off of the natural dye cochineal, a revered red dye that at one point was worth more than gold. Viva Magenta represents tenacity, vigor, strength, and bravery. 

2022 was a trying year for so many of us. It was the second full year of a global pandemic, it was a year of restructuring and redefining how we live and exist. I think for many of us, it was a year of loss. A lot of people lost jobs, lost friendships, and had to restart in many ways. Viva Magenta is the perfect color for 2023, and represents reigniting that spark we all have within us. 

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone said, Viva Magenta is about “writing a new narrative”. So what is your 2023 going to say? 

I know for me, I am going to commit to doing one thing that scares me, every week. Whether it is something as simple as asking an employee where something is in a store instead of my usual ‘wander all 110 aisles until I find it!’ stubbornness, or something much larger like trying to sell my art like I have been saying I will do for the last ten years, or keep going to my open mic nights I do bi-weekly (because let’s be real that scares me every. single. time). Time is going to pass regardless, and I will never regret trying, but I might regret not. 

Fall is finally here, Fox Fam! 🤪🍁 We’ve gathered some of our favorite hair color mixes for all of your fall hair transitions. ✨  From warm tones to dark smokey hues, we’ve got all of your Fall color inspo in one place. Sit back, relax, and get ready to get inspired! Here are some of our favorite color mixes that we’re loving this season.

Feel the (Burn)gundy 😏

This one is so nice, we had to mix it twice. Burgundy tones make us feel ALL the feels, and for good reason. Try it yourself by mixing Frosé and Ritual (top) for a lighter take on the trend, or go dark by mixing Ritual and Blue Jean Baby (bottom) for a richer color that’s also friendly to darker hair bases!

Dream of Green(ie)

One of our highest requested mixes this season! Forest green has become one of your favorite shades (and ours too 😉). This mix is suitable for just about ALL hair base levels, showing up vibrantly of prelightened hair, and as a gorgeous tint on darker bases. 🌲 Try it for yourself by mixing Phantom Green Aquamarine and a touch of Transylvania.

Ginger Spice

Our ginger spice mix is one of our most beloved mixes of all time, and for good reason! 🧡  This custom shade requires a base of Cosmic Sunshine, a bit of Sunset Orange and a dollop of Purple AF to create this ginger tone. BUT, you can also modify the mix to achieve a more coppery tone by adding in more Sunset Orange and Purple AF to the mix!

Let’s Get Witchy 

Did someone say… smokey purple? 😏💜 To say we’re OBSESSED with this shade, would be an understatement. Want to turn heads? Try this truly unique shade (suitable for darker bases) by mixing up Violet Dream and Transylvania!

Let us know in the comments below if you will be trying any of these mixes!