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While we say goodbye to another year, one of the most anticipated things about the year ahead is Pantone’s Color of the Year announcement and how it applies to what’s happening around the globe. Did you know Pantone first started their Color of the Year program in 1999? For the last 25 years, the team at Pantone has found a way to visualize the current state of the world through color, something our Fox Fam can really get behind!

Before we look ahead, we thought it would be fun to look back one last time. We spent all of 2023 celebrating our 10th anniversary, so before moving into the next decade of AF we’re time traveling to see how Pantone encompassed the last 10 years in terms of color and why. SO many of these colors are still some of the Fox Fam’s favorite shades to play with!

2013 - Emerald, a hue that enhances a sense of well-being further by inspiring insight as well as promoting balance and harmony.

2014 - Radiant Orchid is still a custom hair dye mix that we love to see and according to Pantone it’s “expressive and exotic blooming with confidence and warmth.” 

That brings us to 2024…. We say it every year, but it feels like the folks at Pantone are reading our minds, or maybe, we just know what we’re talking about when it comes to color too 😀The 2024 Color of the year is PEACH FUZZ! According to Pantone, “Peach Fuzz is a heartfelt hue bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration. A warm and cozy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others or for enjoying a moment of stillness and the feeling of sanctuary.” As a brand who puts our community first, we could not love this more. 

Peach Fuzz sits between pink and orange on the color spectrum, and we’ve already been dreaming of ways for you to give this a try in 2024. We fully expect this color to be EVERYWHERE in the spring. 

If you’re looking to nail “Peach Fuzz,” you’ll want Sunset Orange Hair Dye and our Arctic Mist Diluter. If you’re already at a level 10 for your base color, use Arctic Mist Diluter the heck out of Sunset Orange until the color appears as warm and fuzzy as you’d like. Of course, perform a strand test FIRST to be sure you’re peachy keen! 

Faded Sunset Orange 

For a more pinky peach hue, take your diluted Sunset Orange and mix her with Frose or Electric Paradise Hair Color, depending on how pink you want to take your peach. 

@siren.style in Sunset Orange and Electric Paradise 

For a darker take on the Color of the Year, start out with Cosmic Sunshine hair dye, add a dollop of Frose hair dye and a few drops of Sunset Orange.

@sheaella in Cosmic Sunshine, Frosé, and a few drops of Sunset Orange

One of our most coveted mixes is this dreamy peach made with equal parts Arctic Mist Diluter and Girls Night hair color plus a dollop of Poison! 

So, are you ready to embrace that warm fuzzy feeling? Don’t forget to tag us @arcticfoxhaircolor with your new look! 

Split dye:

A split dye is when you use one color per side of your head, giving a two toned look. 

@Die4whitney in a Transylvania and Virgin Pink split dye

 How to create a split dye at home:

1. Pre-lighten hair if you’re planning on doing pastels or any AF colors that aren’t great for darker hair. See this blog for the best colors for unbleached hair if you don’t want to pre-lighten.
2. Part hair down the center of your head starting from the top all of the way to the base of your neck. 
3. Clip the half of your hair that you are dyeing second to one side starting from the base of your neck, using more clips as needed to make sure the hair is secure to one side. 
4. Take the other half of your hair and clip the top of your head, leaving only one small section, starting from underneath.
5. Apply dye section by section, roots to ends, until you have reached the top of your head. Make sure the last section you are careful to only apply product on the side of your hair you are dyeing. Go slowly here! I recommend using a small amount of dye applied with a brush and repeating until the last section is fully saturated.
6. Apply steps 4 and 5 to the other side of your head with your second color.
7. When you are ready to rinse, use cold water and lean your head to each side to prevent bleeding. Or if you have a detachable shower head, rinse each side at a time. 
8. Air dry or style from there and take a selfie or video of your new look and share it with us on Instagram!

Money Pieces

@pret_a_paisley in Wrath, Ritual, and Violet Dream Money Pieces

Money Pieces are dyed face framing sections for a fun color pop!

How to create money pieces at home:

1. Part from the middle of your scalp from the top of your head about 1-2 inches back depending on how chunky you want your money pieces to be.
2. Section each side from the end of that part, moving down the side of your head towards each ear. Clip or tie back the hair behind the money piece sections to make sure it is out of the way.
3. Apply dye to each side of the hair starting from the root to the ends. If you have thicker hair, do this in sections moving from underneath to the top. I recommend using a brush to do this. Be sure your hair is very saturated.
4. When it’s time to rinse, use cold water and keep the back of your hair clipped or pulled back. Lean your head forward and rinse to prevent any bleeding.
5. Enjoy your new fun look! 

Color Melts:

Color melts can be applied to any sectioned portion of hair, whether that is all over color, money pieces, peek-a-boos, etc., and can include as many colors as you want. Just make sure you are using complementary colors so when you blend them, they work together! A color melt is exactly what it is called- you are melting or blending each color into the next. 

@Ciarasikes created this rainbow color melt

How to create a color melt at home:

1. Section hair into the style you want to do the color melt on.
2. Take a smaller section of hair and clip up the rest, sectioning from the base of the section to the top of your head.
3. Apply the color you are using for the top of the melt at the root, making downward strokes with the brush. Apply as far down as you want for that color.  
4. With the second color, apply starting about a centimeter from the end of the previous color. If you are only using 2 colors, apply all of the way to the ends of each section. If you are using more than two colors, apply as far down as you want each color section to go, and apply the last color to the ends.
5. With a gloved hand or brush, blend the two colors filling in the gap. The colors will mix creating an ombre gradient so there is no banding in the melt.

AF pro tip: Make sure you are making each color block the same size for an even melt for each hair section for an even look! 

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Here is a video for multi-colored rainbow color melt!

There are so many color placements and mixes you can create using Arctic Fox, but these are some of the trendiest placements for the summer! You can even get creative with combining all of them, like a color melt on a split dye, split dyed money pieces, or a combination of all three! What color color placement are you going to try next?

@gontscharowaa in Ginger Flare

Thinking about taking the big leap this summer and dyeing your hair red? Red is a very symbolic color in many cultures representing life, health, war, danger, and even love. It is considered to be a statement hair color choice. So what exactly does dyeing your hair red entail? Let’s chat on a need to know basis!

Red Hair Maintenance 

The common problem that seems to come up with red hair is that it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to maintain. It’s not as tricky as it seems. A good hair trick is to add some of your hair dye, (Arctic Fox Hair Color Wrath is always a good choice) into your conditioner to give your hair a quick pick me up every time you wash your hair. You also will want to reduce how often you wash your hair every week. Keep water at a warm temperature, not too hot or cold, to prevent hair damage. Add these small changes to your wash routine to maintain the vibrancy of that fiery head of red hair!

@bhaddmakeuphabityt in Poison

Get Bright Red Hair 

So what steps can you take to achieve that vivacious bold red hair? You’re in luck if you’ve never dyed your hair before. Going bright red is very possible without bleaching your hair when you are dyeing virgin hair. If your natural virgin hair is extremely dark just opt for a higher developer! Now, color won’t lift color! So if you’ve recently dyed your hair any pastels or purples prepare to have to go through a process. You will most likely have to use a color remover to help get some of that pastel color off. You might be able to achieve a more bronzy color on your first go. If you’re looking for a super bright look you will need to bleach your hair to lighten it up to create a blank canvas for that hair dye. Opt for Arctic Fox Hair Color in Poison for that ultimate Rihanna red look!

@faux_face_maker in Poison

Tips and Tricks for Redheads

If you’re a newly red hair goddess and just looking for some advice on being a redhead we’ve definitely got your back! First, use sulfate free shampoo! Sulfate shampoos tend to do more stripping of color than anything else, so steer clear. Harsh UV rays are notorious for fading almost anything, so opt for thoroughly spritzing your hair with UV protectant before basking in the sun! Keep yourself on a retouch schedule. Sometimes we can forget and suddenly our red hair is truly on its last leg. Keeping yourself accountable to retouching will help keep your locks looking fresh.

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 @dos_of_jos refreshing her red hair with Wrath and Ritual

Make a statement this summer with that fiery red hair! Now that you’ve got some tips and tricks to long lasting red tresses you’re ready to take on this new persona.  Shop all Arctic Fox Hair Red Semi Permanent hair dyes here!

Pink hair is the hair right now. Whether it is the perfect spring pastel or Barbie dream house inspired, you can’t go wrong with choosing a pink shade as your next color. 

If you love pink but don’t want to bleach, we recommend sticking with Virgin Pink for a true, vibrant pink. Virgin Pink is a highly pigmented hot pink that shows up best on pre-lightened hair, but will give a light to deep magenta tint on most darker bases. If you want to have all of the fun with none of the bleach damage, Virgin Pink is it! If you want a richer magenta shade, add some Ritual or Purple AF to add some depth, just like this custom mixed @yeseniadavis.hair look.

If you are aiming for a striking pink, Electric Paradise is the perfect stand alone color. It’s vivid, neon pink with coral undertones, that appears best on a level 10 pre-lightened hair and is UV reactive. Add some Poison like @tamaracamps did and you will have the most brilliant shade of pink!

If pastel is what you’re after, make sure you are at a level 10 platinum base. Pastels won’t show up or last on hair that isn’t pre-lightened as much as possible before application. Achieve the ideal pastel pink with Bleach, Please to lighten and our favorite pastel pink, Frosé to color. Frosé is the perfect bubble gum pink that is gorgeous on its own or is great as a starting point for a custom pastel pink base! @Laura_lape looks pretty in pink showcasing Frosé as is. Cotton candy bubble gum dreams!

These are just some of the pink shades you can achieve with Arctic Fox! Check out our Instagram to learn more about other custom mixes to find your perfect pink 💓

You know grunge is back in a big way for spring 2023 when supermodel Kate Moss rocks tattered jeans, a plain T, and an oversized plaid shirt on the catwalk. 

With the fashion industry currently focused on thrifting and sustainability, dealing with a seemingly never ending pandemic, the current polarized political climate, and Pluto entering Aquarius for the first time since 1777 (if you are into astrology, this is a period of chaotic energy and big change!), it makes perfect sense why grunge would also be making a resurgence. 

Grunge was originally a social statement fueled by a new style of music, and when it was reflected in clothing bent all of the rules that were deemed acceptable in society. Men were dying their hair pink and growing it long, wearing make up, and breaking the rules of masculinity, while women opted for short or messy hair, and played into oversize clothes for a more androgynous look. 

It was a time to break the rules, and now it’s time to break them again. Whether it is a Seattle- style thrifted oversized plaid, or a more modern take on the grunge aesthetic - just a little less polished and a little more clash - the natural evolution of fashion this spring is to lean into the mess. 

The overall message we will be seeing right now is: Do whatever the F*ck you want!