The Beginner's Guide to Mixing AF Hair Color
@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:
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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! 🎨
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