AF Blog — Phantom Green

@violentinside in Purple AF and Transylvania

Taking that first dip into vivids might sound a bit scary…but it definitely doesn’t have to be! AF dyes are totally safe for your hair (vegan, cruelty-free, and they deep condition!) so you never have to think twice before you take the plunge. Whether you’re going for the coveted purple hair with Purple AF, a deeper red with Wrath, or a classic ginger with Ginger Flare, we have ALL the tips to make your first time experimenting with hair dye well worth the wait. So let’s get started with those first timer tips, shall we? 

Before you get started with hair dye, you’ll need to know the color of your current hair and what shades are going to work for you - aka your hair level! If you’re thinking, WTF is a hair level anyway? Don’t worry! We’ll break it all down for you. Simply put, it’s the current color of your hair, and it fully impacts how the color will take to your strands. Hair level ranges from a deep black at level 1 all the way up to a white platinum shade at 10+. Your own natural hair color will fall somewhere along this gamut of options, and if you need some help finding it, this blog has it fully covered for you! 

Hair Dyes that Work for Your Hair Level

Your best strategy for a first time dye is sticking to the most pigmented and deeper shades, and not pastels or lighter colors. We know that pretty pastel is everyone’s envy, but they shine best on pre-lightened hair, so if you’ve never had your fun with bleach, you'll want to choose the semi-permanent colors that don’t require this step.  

The best part of using strong, pigmented shades is that they take easily to almost any hair base - giving you the best chance of an amazing result on your first attempt with color.  

The next part of your hair color master plan is to choose the right pigmented shade for you. We’re about to dive in with color inspo, and spill all the deets on which AF shades will work for our brunette, blonde, or red haired Foxes! 

Best Hair Color Shades for Brunettes 

Brunettes usually line up on the hair level range between 4-6, so the best colors to dress those tresses would be the deeper, warmer shades of the AF rainbow. You’ll rock a gorgeous tint of your chosen color on level 4 hair, without having to use any bleach! And when the sun hits…O.M.G. 😍

✨AF Pro Tip✨: The deeper the brown the more likely the color will show up subtly. A strand test is your best bet to see exactly how the colors will translate to those locks!

Ritual offers a deliciously dark purple that will look beautiful over a brown hair base. This shade is daring enough for brunette’s taking the first step into hair coloring, but it’s also classy enough to graciously take center stage at any and all events. 

If you’re a brunette and like the idea of going red, try stepping into the warm glow of Wrath. She’s a red cherry shade that offers brown-haired Foxes a risk free route to switch up their style. Thanks to her warming tones, Wrath compliments your brown hair level perfectly.  

Another stop off on the purple section of the color spectrum and we find a bold, true purple. Purple AF is an intense all-out look but one that definitely works on a brunette base. If you’re interested in greens and blues the good news is your brown shade can take these cold colors too. Check out Poseidon, Aquamarine, and Phantom Green. Ready to pull off the look of your dreams? 

Best Hair Color Shades for Redheads 

If you’re a Fox with natural red hair, well we’re in AWE! Red is one of our fave hair colors, but if you’re looking to switch it up, you can experiment with a whole range of new colors too. 

But, there is a small catch. Redheads often find that their hair holds its natural pigment more firmly than other hair colors. (Hair can be stubborn like that). The hair color might not take in the same way as with blonde or brunette bases, but do a strand test first and you’ll get your answers. If the strand test works as intended, you’re all set to give your new shade the go ahead.  

Of course, there is also the option to lighten your hair first using Bleach, Please, our hair lightening kit! We get that bleaching might feel scary given it’s your first time dyeing your hair - but Bleach, Please is an easy DIY method to ease yourself into it. Just make sure you use gloves and follow all our instructions (like avoiding your roots!) for a smooth transition into lighter locks. If you’re not down to go that route, we still have some shades that we think would look ah-mazing on you!  

Purple AF is a shade that will definitely work over your natural red hair and give your tresses a whole new dimension. If you want to go a little darker on the spectrum, Poseidon offers a blue hue, which when poured over natural red hair can appear a little purplish in color. It’s a shade that will totally WORK IT on our red-heads. 

If you want to enhance those fiery locks, try on Poison, Ginger Flare, or Sunset Orange! Because of their orange and auburn tones, they absolutely STUN on a red hair base. Virgin Pink poured over red hair can give a light, natural ginger, too! Who knew!? 

Best Hair Color Shades for Natural Blondes

Natural blonde hair is at the lighter end of the hair level range, falling between 7 and 10+ on the spectrum. To break that down just a bit more, 7 is a dark blonde, 8 is blonde, 9 light blond, and 10+ platinum!

Sunset Orange will come through slightly differently depending on how light your blonde hair is. For Foxes with medium blonde hair, you can expect a deep-red orange. For lighter blonde hair expect a stronger hue, delivering more of the red undertones of this stunner.

Phantom Green shows up wonderfully on lightened hair, however if you have medium to darker blonde hair, this shade will still look unreal and deliver a more subtle emerald nuance to your strands. 

Aquamarine is a delightfully intense blue shade that will have you dreaming of mermaid hair and crashing ocean waves. The good thing about using a blue shade like this on blonde hair is that it will hold the color for a while, so you can take time to enjoy that new shade to its full potential. 

Once you're ready to move to a new hair color, the blue can be gradually faded out with sulfate-free shampoos. Once it’s faded you can transition to a new hue, you can find complementary colors on the color wheel and cocktail up some stunning hair color combos! 

Because purple is a complimentary shade on the color wheel it works wonderfully well over blue. Purple AF, Periwinkle, and Girls Night are some of our fave purple shades to work over the top of faded out Aquamarine. 

Certain shades of green including turquoise or teal, can create a vibrant and mermaid-like appearance when combined with blue hair. Phantom Green and Neverland can deliver a rich green hue over a faded blue shade amplifying that sea-maiden siren vibe. A final tantalizing option for covering faded blue hair is to go pink! Try Virgin Pink over blue if you want something that really pops with a bubblegum pink shade. 

Whether it’s your first time dyeing, or your one thousandth, keep those looks comin’ and tag us at @arcticfoxhaircolor. We LOVE to see it! 

@bluepixiie in Aquamarine

@emma.cairo in Virgin Pink 

@honeybeecolorcollective in Wrath, Ritual, Poison

@yadeemua in Purple AF and Sunset Orange

The holidays are upon us (where TF did this year go!?) and the stars have aligned to bring you a gift guide ruled by the Zodiac elements for that special someone in your life. So let’s get started with the gifting magic shall we? 

Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Air signs are the thinkers and doers of the zodiac, with their intellectuality and curiosity being the driving force in how they move through the world. Their live and let live mentality allows them to breeze through life, rarely stopping to catch a breath. They analyze and probe, but easily make decisions, because they’re just THAT smart. Sound like anyone you know?

Air signs are synonymous with freedom, and bringing a breath of fresh air to our world. People under an air sign are adventurous, curious, and ever-changing (much like our hair). This personality can make them somewhat difficult to pin down and to peg exactly what gifts they’d enjoy.  So we have a few ideas to help you out!

Arctic Mist Diluter is designed to swish with other colors and create unique mixes, and pastel shades. These lighter, customized looks match well with air signs and appeal to their outgoing personality, and ever changing nature. 

@salinesimon in Arctic Mist Diluter and Aquamarine 

While air can seem elusive or confusing for some others under a different elemental star sign, they are very interested in other people and naturally analytical. The air element can sometimes be an overthinker, taking a while to ponder their next move. For that reason, people and products that ground them back into the present moment are great for air zodiac signs. 

Resurrected Shampoo and Conditioner is perfect for the Gemini, Libra or Aquarius in your life. Air zodiac signs tend to be intellectual (many air signs are lawyers, doctors, writers, speakers, or scientists) and their minds can get a little busy. Treat them to a touch of pampering and down time with the Resurrected duo. She will help them nourish their hair and maybe even switch off that deep thinking mode for a while. 

If you want to treat an air sign with something that will appeal to their more adventurous side,  Celestial Shimmer is an electric member of Foxology’s latest Holiday Glitter Nail Polish drop! This eye-catching blue glitter brings seasonal shine and more than a hint of the stars - perfect to be the center stage at allll the holiday parties! 

Fire - Aries, Sagittarius, Leo 

Arguably the most perfect gift for that passionate fire sign in your life is Crimson Claus, a delightful crimson red shade for those who are not sure they made the nice list this year. But hey, it was a good time wasn’t it!?

Fire signs are known to be pretty fiery; (ironic we know!) sometimes they deliver a chaotic, disruptive energy due to excitement and passion, because well, fire signs are always in doing mode. They are trendsetters often leading the way and breaking new ground. They are confident and there is very little in life that they don’t feel they are equipped to take on.  

Fire signs will be well matched to Poison, our most fiery red tone that mirrors their personality. This shade will exude that confident, center-stage persona that belongs to Aries, Sagittarius, and Leo zodiac signs. 

@not_reagan in Poison

If there’s one word that comes to mind when we think of fire signs, it’s VOLUME. Pump up that hair with Vacay Volumizing Shampoo, and make any hairdo end in…WOW. 

Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Helloooo, practical and grounded queens!

Earth signs are known to be creators, and organizers with a loyal nature. Their artistic flair makes them innovative in their personal and professional lives. Rooted and grounded energy permeates the auras of earth signs, and they generally take on life with a practical approach and take time before making big decisions. Do you feel that calming energy already? 

Earth signs love anything tasteful and classy. Mix that in with self-care and you’ve got a winning gift on your hand! Our Stony Path Gel Nail Kit combines all of the above in a simplistic, yet classy design - that mix of gray and silver is enough to make an earth sign say yes, please!  

We can’t do our earth signs justice without highlighting a rich green that just GIVES earth, goddess energy. Phantom Green is THE shade for earth baddies, and you can pick the matching nail polish to fully embody the look! 

@aambriaa in Phantom Green

@jadetoblack in Phantom Green and Frosé

Earth signs are good at caring for themselves and their loved ones. This caring nature can even extend to their homes or objects they care about. Earth signs will go to war for the people and things they care about most.

Lean into the protective, nurturing nature of the earth sign personality with the OG Hair Perfume and UV Protectant. This product keeps locks hydrated and protected from UV, because you KNOW our earth signs are spending all the time they can in the outdoors. Combined with that luscious grape scent? It’s the perfect stocking stuffer. 

Water - Pisces Scorpio, Cancer

Water signs are intuitive, emotional, sensitive, and sentimental. So yes, they love all the extra love they can get! 

Water signs have an elite ability to sense the world around them, and understand feelings and emotions of themselves and others. They tend to absorb the environment and emotions around them like a sponge, so having the right circle is important to them. This zodiac group needs clarity in their mind, body, and spirit.  

When you’re thinking of the water sign in your life, a gesture of nurturing self-care will go a long way! Throw in Pool Party, our foaming hair mask with allll the yummy nutrients for a spa day you can squeeze in before a shower or long, relaxing bath. 

Pisces, Scorpio, and Cancer signs are also capable of transformation in order to reach their potential, with more focus on building a fulfilling life than awards or material things. 

If you want to gift your loved one with a new look to aid their outward transformation, Blue Odyssey is a navy blue, and steel blue marbleized nail kit that can perfectly fit the spiritual and intuitive sense of a water sign, allowing them to transform their look with ease. 

Because of those heavy feels, water signs can be cautious at times, and tend to seek comfort in life, but this doesn’t stop them looking for depth and emotional fulfillment by any means! 

The color that best channels this feel-y energy is Aquamarine! The gorgeous blue with teal undertones that brings the watery element to life and channels intuitive, imaginative, and free energy. Take it to another level with Aquamarine’s matching nail polish and omg, you know that’s a winning combo.

@rike.m in Aquamarine

@jadetoblack in Aquamarine and Blue Jean Baby 

Whether you’re treating yourself or your loved ones to our Zodiac picks this year, we can’t wait to see what you come up with! If you’re testing out a new color, or a special nail look, tag us at @arcticfoxhaircolor on Instagram - you know we LIVE for it. 

Bonus tip! If you’re a Fox Fam Rewards program member, you can send any of your friends a gift of $5 to use towards their first purchase! You’ll get $10 off your next order with every successful referral. Spread the Fox Fam love, we adore a big fam. 🥰

Fox Fam, ask and you shall receive! You wanted to know how and IF you can color your hair without bleaching and I’m here to set the record straight 🌟 😘

I'm going to be covering ALL the bases (literally), as we dive into getting the shade you want… Without bleaching, of course! If you’re just giving your hair a break from bleaching or newly entering into the world of color and you want to start somewhere simple, this is the place for you. Let’s jump right in 🤸‍♀️

First, let’s talk about our bases! 👩‍🦳

Light Brown - Dark Blonde

Generally, you can get a SUPER gorgeous light coverage or tint at this level using our more pigmented colors. Here is where you’ll find a list of our most pigmented shades 😉 our swatches show examples of how each color may turn out depending on your level!

Brown

With brown hair, it’s best to use warm and rich colors like Purple AF or Wrath!  Since these shades are deeper and contain a highly pigmented formula, the dye has the ability to really settle on the hair and ever so slightly within the hair cuticles. This will help to achieve a gorgeous tint! With semi permanent color you won’t have to worry about any dye damaging your hair's natural color. Even though the shade settles, it will wash out over time. Need color removal tips? Here’s some helpful information on how to fade your color.

Black/Deep Black

Black hair is typically too dark for any color payout, but this is common across the board. In order to achieve any vivid color, you’ll want to consider pre-lightening. Our Bleach, Please Lightening Kit has all that you need to easily bleach your hair at home! 

Gray

Since unbleached and/or gray hair can vary in how well it takes color, it’s not easy to say EXACTLY how the color will turn out but in general, if you stick with darker and more highly pigmented colors you should get at least a tint of color to gray hair!  Typically, gray’s are more coarse than your natural hair and gray hair follicles create less oil, this makes the hair more dry and harder for color to penetrate but we have SO many gray haired Foxes who look GORGEOUS in pinks, purples and blues. Fresh gray roots are also non-porous which can make it resistant to color, so you may have to leave the color on longer and add heat to open the hair’s cuticle.

Dark Gray

When I think Dark Grey, I think salt & pepper hair. If your hair is more of a dark gray, the color might turn out a few shades darker and more subtle than it would look on lighter shades of gray (as seen above), and unbleached hair does tend to lose color faster as well, so just a heads up! You can usually achieve a light ‘stain’ on salt & pepper roots! 

✨ AF Pro Tip ✨ Our dyes are conditioning and made with no harsh chemicals that are known to damage your hair, so leaving it on longer is completely okay! 

PAUSE… I have to get something off my chest. I cannot stress enough how important it is to perform a strand test. As everyone's hair is different, results can always vary! 💗 Strand tests are the best way to know for certain.

Okay okay, PROCEED ✌️🤪 Now that we have an idea of what we’re going for, we can get to the colors! We have lots to pick from 🎨

Sunset Orange

@blakejael

Aquamarine

Ritual

  @sarah_carollyn

Wrath

@queenbcyn

Virgin Pink

Here is a video of us applying Virgin Pink on multiple bases for you to see! 

Phantom Green

  @makeup.by.veny

Poison 

Purple AF 

@makeupbyaad

Ginger Flare

Here is a video of us applying Ginger Flare on multiple bases for you to see! 

Did you select your next color yet? I know it may seem impossible to choose when they all look THIS good but the best part of semi permanent colors like ours, is that you can change up the color often without risking your hair's health. Fun, isn’t it?! 💖😍

Now that you’ve got your color picked out, let’s walk through some tips that you can add into your application process to ensure that you get the most out of your color: 

• Apply the dye to freshly washed and dried hair (shampoo ONLY. No conditioner) ✨AF Pro Tip✨  It's best to shampoo 12 - 24 hours before coloring!

• Leave the color on longer if you’d like. Our dye contains no harmful chemicals, so essentially you’re using a conditioner 💧

• You can also feel free to add heat to the process (about 10 min) to keep the cuticle open while processing. This will help the color really settle 🌈

• After you color and it’s time to rinse, be sure to rinse your hair in cold water (as cool as you can handle it but you may need a detachable shower head) until the water runs clear 

• If you haven’t before, feel free to use a color sealant to lock in the shade

Post Care: 

• Try to avoid washing your hair too often. Dry shampoo in between washes will save you 😜

Not sure what a color might look like on your hair? Check out our Fox Fam Facebook Group which is a great place to request pics from other members of the Fox Fam so you can see some results first-hand!

Let us know what you want to see in the comments! And as always, if you have questions on how best to use any of our products, feel free to reach out to us at support@arcticfoxusa.com. Stay foxy! 🦊  

@berlinstacy in Arctic Mist Diluter, Virgin Pink, Sunset Orange, Cosmic Sunshine, Iris Green, Aquamarine, Purple AF, Violet Dream, and Poseidon 

What is the Color Wheel?

The color wheel is a visual tool to explain and visualize the relationship between colors. When it comes to coloring hair, the color wheel is your personal hack to understand how colors will combine or cancel each other out when you’re creating your dream shade!

Understanding the color wheel will help you better understand color theory so you can better predict how specific colors will mix together and how to avoid results you weren’t expecting.

Color Definitions

When speaking to the color wheel, there are a few terms to know.

Primary Colors - What we learn in Kindergarten! Red, yellow and blue. These colors cannot be made from any other colors.

@erez_ivan in Poseidon 

Secondary Colors - Two primary colors mixed together that create orange, green, and violet.

@kunailuv in Sunset Orange, Cosmic Sunshine, and Purple AF 

Intermediate Colors - One primary and one secondary color mixed together: blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, and blue-green.

@lilygraceglam in Blue Jean Baby, Purple AF, Violet Dream, Poseidon 

What Are Complementary Colors?

Complementary colors are two colors that live opposite each other on the color wheel. For example: violet and yellow, red and green, orange and blue.

When mixing these colors, you will get a brown shade. We receive a lot of questions around natural shades from the Fox Fam, so this color wheel hack is good to know in case you want to go back to natural color OR to avoid mixing colors or applying over faded color that might yield a muddy result.

Knowing complementary colors can also be great in creating looks that are bold and contrasting, especially for split dyes or layering colors.

@ashley.smit17 in Space Cowgirl, Aquamarine, Virgin Pink, Violet Dream, and Purple AF

@hairwaytoheavennn in Poison, Phantom Green, and Space Cowgirl

What Is Your Base?

When choosing a color, it’s important to consider how your base shade will affect the final outcome. Using the color wheel and color theory, you can have a better educated guess on what might happen or how to plan to get the result you’re looking for.

Starting From A Natural Base

Your natural hair color will affect the outcome of your look. Learn all about hair levels here and which AF colors will work best for your natural base. 

Starting From A Processed Blonde

Most Arctic Fox hair dyes will look and perform best on hair that’s a level 9 or higher, for some, that will require processing. Using the color wheel to figure out the tone of your blonde will help determine which colors to choose to get the results you want. Most natural hair colors that are bleached to blonde will start with an orange undertone and may reach a yellow/brassy color at the lightest. There are multiple ways to cancel out unwanted yellow/orange tones. One option is to use a commercial toning product found at your favorite beauty supply store. A second option is to use the color wheel and “tone” with AF colors. If your hair is leaning toward the yellow side, pre-dye using Arctic Mist Diluter and Purple AF to create an extremely diluted purple color. If your hair is leaning toward the orange side, you might try pre-dyeing with Arctic Mist Diluter and Poseidon to create an extremely diluted blue. 

@salinesimon in Arctic Mist Diluter and Aquamarine

For example, if you want a Poseidon to appear as a nice true blue, but are starting out with yellow undertones, your color might pull green. Since we know that violet is opposite the color wheel from yellow, mixing in a little bit of Purple AF may help counteract those yellow tones.

Starting From A Faded Color

If you’re a DIY dye queen, you might already have a faded color on your hair. Using color theory, you can get to the next color seamlessly without creating a muddy mess!

This video by Stella Cini is a great example of how to use color theory to get your desired color or read this blog by Thuy Pham on how she shifted her hair from green to purple.

AF Colors Charted

Each of our colors have specific undertones. Knowing where our colors fall on the color wheel, can help you make decisions on which dyes to mix to get the results you’re looking for.

@nadine.xoo in Cosmic Sunshine and Sunset Orange 

@chjango_john.n115 in Violet Dream, Cosmic Sunshine, Sunset Orange, and Virgin Pink

@angelicabarragan3 in Space Cowgirl and Neon Moon

@_kenzurrito in Poison, Purple AF, Periwinkle, Aquamarine