AF Blog — Neverland

These hair dye mixes didn’t go as expected…they turned out even better!

We’ve been mixing up a storm this week and had to jump on here to share with our Fox Fam some of our favorite discoveries. Nothing is more exciting to us than experimenting with hair colors, and the endless color blends and creative applications for our AF hair color range that are just… *chef’s kiss*. Even more exciting is when we go wild and start throwing together colors that shouldn’t work together—but absolutely do.

Here are some traffic-stopping new hues that we’ve created with some seriously unexpected color pairings. If you’ve been collecting our color range at home but you’re not quite sure they work together, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. Read on and have a look at some of the surprising ways our AF Hair Colors come together to shake up the rainbow. 

Why are AF dyes so great for mixing?

AF’s range of colors is truly full of endless possibilities - the bolds, brights, and pastels show up incredibly on their own. But if you’re looking for something new, or want to add a surprising twist to your usual color routine, you can totally mix away to your heart’s content! You’d be surprised at the stunning shades you can create. 👀 

Sometimes you might need a little inspiration when it comes to cooking up a new look, we’re here to save the day with all the inspo - ratios and swatches included! Ready to dive in? Let’s get into the mixes you wouldn’t think would work, but omg do they! 

✨AF Pro Tip✨ Once you’ve found a great hair color, you can stick with it and keep it intense with regular dyeing, or switch it up for something totally new! AF dyes are hydrating and deep conditioning, so coloring your hair as many times as you want is completely safe. 

Mixes you wouldn’t think work but do

First up on our list of surprising mixes is this velvety hue. 60% Blue Jean Baby to 40% Sterling gives the blue a serious depth. This swatch shows the results on a platinum base, but you’ll get a similar result on a medium blonde, and a gorgeous tint on light brown.

Electric Paradise with a drop of Wrath gives us this 5-alarm siren of a color that is hard to predict from two colors on the same slice of the color wheel. It’s bold and bright, but it still gives ‘sexy’. Again, a platinum base here yields this exact color, but up to a medium blonde will see the same color and a light brown will still get a tint.

Ginger Flare, Space Cowgirl, and Frosé on a medium blonde base bring a fiery edge to your locks, in what might be our most unexpected blend yet. How can you get it? The mix to get this one just right is 70% Ginger Flare,15% Space Cowgirl, and 15% Frosé.

Arctic Mist Diluter, Poison, and Girl’s Night make a bubblegum pink that will stand out no matter where you show it off. What’s extra fun about this cotton candy hue is that adjusting the mix is a snap. So this swatch (on platinum) is about 80% Arctic Mist, 10% Poison and 10% Girl’s Night, but if you find it’s a bit dark just add in more Arctic Mist!

Space Cowgirl and Virgin Pink in a 50:50 ratio brings out a cinnabar hue in the final mix, and on a platinum base it gives a va-va-voom effect that can really pack a punch. 

Space Cowgirl and Periwinkle join forces to create an unexpectedly dark, leafy, earthy green. A simple 50:50 mix will get this result on a platinum base. 

For a dreamy twist on a calming green hue, add 75% Neverland and 25% Transylvania in your fave mixing bowls and adjust away! If you want darker, drop in more Transylvania… if you like it on the lighter side of the spectrum, use less. This color feels very ‘underwater fantasy’ to us. FYI this swatch is on a platinum base but you’ll still get a lovely deep teal tint on darker colors.

Basic rules of mixing

If you’re going to use this post as the match to your potion-making fire, make sure to follow a couple of basic rules:

1. Don’t go overboard with the colors, at least at first! Mix one or two to start with, otherwise the colors start to all trend towards brown.
2. Use the right tools! We always recommend (and use) our tint bowls to make sure we’re treating our dyes right and keeping the blends precise. If you want to keep your Foxology manicure intact, use these reusable gloves as well.
3. Remember that some colors can cancel out certain shades. As always, take a look at our color wheel post for some ideas on how to mix and match using the right colors.

You don’t know until you try

Mix it up, baby! Splash your fave shades into your best mixing bowl and stir away. And let us know what you discover! As always—share your hair change journey with the Fox Fam, tag Arctic Fox, @arcticfoxhaircolor and let us see what you create.

@rubyhair3 in Wrath, Virgin Pink, Electric Paradise, Sunset Orange

Want to start getting creative with your AF shades and don’t know where to start? Well take a deep breath because you are exactly where you need to be 💕 The last thing we want to do is overwhelm you, so allow us to ease you into some information and a few of my favorite beginner friendly mixes to achieve a custom shade! 

Pro Tip ✨: It is important that before applying a mix of shades to your hair that you perform a strand test to be sure the outcome on your hair is what you’re looking for. It is much easier to adjust the shades in the bowl than it is after you’ve already colored your hair ☺️

Let’s first go over the 5 things to ask yourself before you color your hair and understanding the best AF colors for your undertone, as this is the best place to start, if you’re unsure. Now, if you aren’t familiar with the color wheel, here’s a full explanation on how to easily understand the magic of mixing! Once you’ve got an understanding of this, you’re ready to go.

Purple AF: Purple is a VERY versatile color simply because it’s a combination of warm and cool tones, made with red and blue. Just about any color or mix can include Purple AF for added depth and can also be used for color correcting, fixing brassy tones, adding to blue dye to counteract green results OR you can add a few drops to your conditioner to create your own purple shampoo! Moral of the story, if you’re a custom color addict like us or you’re just beginning your custom color journey, purple is a must-have so let’s jump right in!

For a deep cobalt hue, use a half-and-half ratio of Purple AF and Poseidon, or for a more pigmented shade use Aquamarine instead of Poseidon!

Adding in less purple will achieve this gorgeous blue, so I’d recommend starting with a base of Poseidon and adding in small amounts of Purple AF until you’ve reached your desired shade. 

However, for a more purple leaning shade, I’d recommend a base of Purple AF and slowly incorporating your Poseidon for a “blurple”! 

Now, if you didn’t know already, purples look SO good with other purples and Purple AF is the perfect shade to punch up our other purple shades. For example, here is a base of Girl’s Night + Purple AF for a vibrant indigo:

@ashley_the_fairy_color_mother

More Purple AF mixes: 

Basically, Purple AF is a necessity when it comes to mixing and can also be used to cover leftover green, red, orange, or blue tones that simply won't budge 🍇  💅

Pro Tip ✨: If you haven’t noticed it by now, when mixing, we suggest using the lighter shade as your base and adding the more pigmented shade in smaller amounts to not overpower your lighter base shade. This allows you to control the colors easily! 

Ritual: This color is a gorgeous burgundy all on its own, but today we wanted to showcase some of the awesome mixes you can create with this versatile tone! Whether you’re looking for a deep, dark red, or a soft, smoky pink, the possibilities are limitless. 

Base of Poison and added in Ritual for this hot look 🤤

Believe it or not, this mix of Sunset Orange, with a bit of Cosmic Sunshine and a drop of Ritual created this must have ginger shade 🤩

A moment for Ritual alone because she’s stunning 👏

🤤 Okay okay okay. We still have so many mixes to get to! 🏃‍♀️

How about a base of Ritual and Wrath for when you’re feeling a merlot moment? I’ll cheers to that 🍷

More Ritual Mixes: 

Note: Arctic Mist is not a dye, toner, or lightening product. This diluter will have no effect on the hair if applied by itself - it’s meant to be mixed with other colors to create custom shades.

Up next… Aquamarine! 

Aquamarine is one of our most pigmented blues with aquamarine/teal undertones. If you’re looking for an easy to mix shade, this is it! Starting strong with one of my favorite Aquamarine mixes: 
Aquamarine + Phantom Green 🌱: The jewel toned green can be achieved by combining two super pigmented shades! Starting with Phantom Green, slowly incorporate small drops at a time of Aquamarine for an unreal shade, guaranteed to turn heads.

I mean, c’mon! …

If you’re wanting more of a blue mix, we have this Poseidon + Aquamarine mix, which is a base of Poseidon and slowly incorporates Aquamarine until you get to your preferred custom shade.

For an extra deep blue, try Blue Jean Baby + Aquamarine 👇 Lots of Blue Jean Baby and small add-ins of Aquamarine. 

Maybe you want something on the lighter/softer side? PERFECT because this next mix is just that and it’s gorgeous! 

Diluted Aquamarine and Neverland (base of Neverland + drops at a time of Aquamarine + Diluted using our Arctic Mist Diluter) 

You could also try adding in a bit of Iris Green to your Aquamarine + Neverland mix (without diluter).

One of the last shades that I’d like to showcase is Sunset Orange. It may not seem like it at first, but Sunset Orange is a surprisingly versatile shade and can be used in lots of different mixes for custom colors! As you may or may not know, she is BRIGHT and on her own, this shade is a jaw dropper. However, let’s unveil some of these mixes, shall we? 😏 Buckle up, Fox Fam.. She’s coming in HOT!

Sunset Orange + small drop of Cosmic Sunshine.

Sunset Orange + 2 drops or so of Cosmic Sunshine

Sunset Orange + Purple AF for a rich red

Looking for an even spicier red? How about a base of Poison + Sunset Orange added in? 

Sunset Orange + Electric Paradise? Yes, please! This mix can be used to achieve that peachy vibe 🍑

I hope you enjoyed these simple custom mixes and we can’t wait to make more of these! 

Let us know your favorite color recipes with Sunset Orange, Ritual, Aquamarine and Purple AF in the comments!

Need more inspo pics before making a decision? Check out our Instagram for tons of inspiration! And of course, if you ever have any questions or need help mixing up the perfect custom shade, send us an email at support@arcticfoxusa.com. We’re always here to help 🫶 

 Happy coloring, Fox Fam! 🎨



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. 

Shop our Perfect Pastel Starter Kit, find your next color, and show us those hues, pretty please!

Image Credit: princessmei        

Image Credit: ashleymarieblake

Image Credit: salemmooncosmetics     

Image Credit: la_main_d_argent

By Thuy Pham

Happy New Year, AF hunnies!

A new year always calls for a fresh look! Every year, I always like to ring in the new year with a new look and this year is no different. When considering my next color, I had a couple choices that would have worked well for me. Taking into consideration that I had Arctic Fox Neverland in my hair, I thought my best choices were to go to a pink tone or violet tone color. 

Neverland is a beautiful soft mint color that was so fun to have for the holidays. It complimented all the red I was wearing for the season. With the green tones in Neverland, I decided that pink or violet tones would be best for my hair right now because I love having sunny and bright oranges and citrus color tones for the summer. Since we are a few months away from basking in the glory of summer sunshine, I needed to decide on a color for the spring. Since violet and pink tones live next to reds, oranges and yellow on the color wheel, they made the most sense to be my transition color.  

After deciding on my next color, I always come up with a formula or recipe for how I’m going to achieve this new color. I was having a really difficult time deciding between the violet and pink. I even took an IG poll that was split 50/50! 

A few days before I was planning to change my hair color, I was helping Kinsley clean and organize her room. I picked up a little velvet bag and emptied the contents into my hand. It was crystals! One was a beautiful amethyst looking stone. It had reflections of purple and sometimes pink and magenta. That’s when I thought, why not do something similar to this crystal? Purple with some pink undertones! Now, I had to figure out the formula. Had I wanted to do a true purple color, I could have easily applied Arctic Fox’s Violet Dreams over my Neverland hair and I would have gotten a beautiful cool toned purple. Since I wanted something with a little warmth to it, I had to color correct the green tones from my hair, otherwise the formula I create will reflect much cooler than I want. To do that I mixed a color correcting shampoo and shampooed my hair 2-3 times until the green tones became an ash/cool blonde. Once this is done, I apply my new color formula. 

Oftentimes, as a chef I am always looking for inspiration in daily life and my new hair color can inspire my desserts such as my butterfly pea flower limeade and purple ube whoopie pies. I believe that your hobbies can inspire you in so many ways. 

Directions to achieve my look from green to purple: 

Color correcting shampoo formula:

1:1 ratio of Arctic Fox Resurrected shampoo and electric paradise

Mix and shampoo. Repeat shampoo until the hair is a cool blonde. 

Final color formula:

2 parts violet dream

1 part periwinkle

1 part girls night

Arctic Mist diluter for ends of hair

Application instructions:

Mix color until well blended. Apply starting at the root of hair and work your way yo about 1/3 down hair shaft. Do this until entire head is complete. Mix equal parts of Arctic Mist diluter into remaining color mixture. Use this diluted formula to cover the rest of your hair. Process for 40 mins. Shampoo and condition with Arctic Fox Resurrected shampoo and conditioner. 

When choosing your next AF color, considering your skin’s undertone can help narrow down your choice and accentuate your natural features.

So what is an undertone anyway? Your skin tone is the surface level color of your skin that can change due to the season or sun exposure. For example, your summer foundation color might be darker than your winter foundation. Your undertone on the other hand is the underlying tone of your skin that is ever-present and doesn’t change with the seasons. Keep reading to find out more about how to determine your undertone and which Arctic Fox hair colors are best suited for you.

While knowing your undertone can help narrow down your choice of color, don’t let it stop you from fully expressing yourself. We’re all about breaking the rules at AF! Read through to the end and we’ll give you some tips on how to break the rules in a way that still accommodates your undertone.

Undertone Categories

There are three categories of undertones: cool, warm, and neutral. Cool undertones have a pink or bluish hue to their skin. Warm undertones have a yellow, golden, or peachy hue to their skin. Neutral undertones have undertones that are close to the color of their surface skin.

How to Find Your Undertone

Figuring out your undertone can be a bit confusing at first. Follow the tests below for an easy way to determine your undertone.

Vein Method

Take a look at your veins. A good place to look is around your wrist or the back of your hands.

1. Do your veins appear purple or blue? You have cool undertones.
2. Do your veins appear green or olive? You have warm undertones.
3. Do you have a mix of blue and green, or can’t tell? You likely have neutral undertones.

Jewelry Method

If you have trouble seeing your veins or want confirmation of the vein method, the jewelry method is a great option! Most people are attracted to either silver or gold jewelry based on the way it looks against their skin. Grab a piece of silver and another of yellow gold. Try them on and take a look at which you feel best in.

1. If you prefer the way silver jewelry looks on your skin, you have cool undertones.
2. If you prefer the way yellow gold jewelry looks on your skin, you have warm undertones.
3. If you look great in both or don’t have a preference, you likely have neutral undertones.

White T-Shirt Method

Throw on a white t-shirt and go outside in natural light. Pay attention to how your skin looks in comparison to the white t-shirt.

1. If your skin looks rosy or pink, you have cool undertones.
2. If your skin looks golden or yellow, you have warm undertones.
3. If you don’t really see a change, you have neutral undertones.

If you’re struggling to figure out which category you fall in, or you’re a mix of cool and warm undertones according to the tests, then you most likely have neutral undertones!

Best AF Colors for Cool Undertones

If you have cool undertones, cool colors will complement your skin best. Think blues and purples or colors with those undertones. Check out the color chart below for the best AF colors for cool undertones.

Cool AF Collection: https://arcticfoxhaircolor.com/collections/cool-af

@blairemartine

@sheaella

Best AF Colors for Warm Undertones

If you have warm undertones, warm colors will complement your skin best. Think reds, oranges, yellows or colors with those undertones. Check out the color chart below for the best AF colors for cool undertones.

Warm AF Collection: https://arcticfoxhaircolor.com/collections/warm-af

@notyourdestiny___

@itslauren.jpg

Best AF Colors for Neutral Undertones

If you have neutral undertones, lucky you! You can rock any literally any AF color.

@berlinstacey 

How to Break the Rules

Rules are meant to be broken, babe. So how do you break the rules while still considering your undertone?

Frame your Face 

Use the trendy money piece look or face framing layers in a color that does complement your undertone in combination with colors that don’t.

@chjango john.n1115

Split Dyes

Split dyes are a great way to incorporate multiple colors. Choose one side that compliments your undertone with the other half that doesn’t.

@itskcphan

Create A Melt

Create a melt with a color that matches your undertone closest to your face melted into a color that doesn’t match. Another option is to melt AF into your natural color. For inspo on the best color melts, make sure you’re following us on TikTok and Instagram!  

@la_main_d_argent_

@kisandyy

Don’t Give A F!

Seriously. Do whatever you want! Rules are meant to be broken, and if you feel great in a color that doesn’t complement your undertone, who cares?! Confidence is the best complement.

@ashley.smit17