ionSky Blue Semi Permanent Hair Color Sky Blue

I've been experimenting with bright colors for a while now, doing greens and teals in Special Effects and Splash brands. All of these washed almost completely out in under two weeks, even using recommended care instructions. I decided to try one more time using Ion and I'm blown away! The color is absolutely gorgeous, and while it's only been two weeks, it hasn't faded at all! I will update again later to report how long it lasts. Note that I was doing greens before, and this time I did blue - blues and darker colors in general last longer than greens and lighter colors, so keep that in mind if you're trying other colors. I haven't tried the green in this brand, though.This is the process I followed to do the initial dye job:1. I bleached my hair nearly white, although there was a section around the middle that didn't bleach as white.2. I shampooed (but NOT conditioned) my hair before dying.3. I used a combination of Sky Blue & Sapphire colors and applied it to damp hair. We started with a base of sky blue, then did sapphire on the ends and randomly throughout the rest to give the color more depth. Since my hair wasn't bleached as much in the middle, and my hair bleaches into yellow-tones, that blended with the blue to create a greenish blue to create a beautiful effect (see the picture!)4. I covered my head with a plastic bag and a shower cap, covered my pillow in an old towel, and left the dye in my hair OVERNIGHT.5. I washed the dye out in the morning with COLD water. If you're like me and you can't handle cold showers, try rinsing out over the sink instead of in the shower. It's much easier to handle when you don't have freezing water running down your back. The initial rinse is the most important to do in cold water - I go back to hot showers after that.6. I immediately treated the hair with Ion Color Defense After-Color Sealer, left it in for several minutes, then rinsed again in cold water.This is how I maintain the color:1. I still shower in hot water every day, however I only shampoo twice a week (I do Wednesdays and Sundays to keep track). I can't stand having oily hair, which is why I still shower every day - the water by itself strips out quite a bit of the oil.2. I use L'Oreal EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System Smooth Shampoo, but you can use whatever brand you want as long as it's sulfate-free3. I use the Ion Color Defense again in place of conditioner, being sure to leave it in for a couple of minutes before rinsing.4. Afterward, whether or not I shampooed, I use Ion Color Defense Leave-in Protector on towel-dried hair5. After blow drying, if I didn't shampoo in the shower, I use dry shampoo to help keep the oiliness under controlUPDATE:This color never seems to fade! I died it in July, and it stayed just as bright and vibrant until October, at which point I decided to switch to a different color. I only touched up the color once in 4 months! It's amazing that it never faded at all!

I can't get over how accurate the swatch/pictures were for my chosen color! (Radiant Orchid) I used Neutral Protein Filler as a post-bleaching, pre-color treatment per a recommendation I found researching my color choices. I will never color without it again! I left it in for 20-25 minutes by itself before applying the Ion Color Brights as opposed to mixing it with my color, as a few reviewers suggested. I didn't find the cream to be too thick to use, as some others have complained, so decided to just do it as a pre-treatment. I applied Radiant Orchird immediately thereafter, without rinsing. I squeezed 25 gm (about half a tube. Bonus: 2 applications for my short hair!) in a tint bowl and swirled it around a bit with my tint brush and found it perfectly manageable and easy to apply without adding anything. I was surprised at how rich and pigmented it was and how far a small amount on my brush went. With further research, I found that like some other contemporary dyes, this can be left in much longer than the recommended 20-40 minutes. I opted not to leave overnight, but just over an hour. I am thrilled with my color result! This is the best result I've ever had from a contemporary color of any brand, and I've tried many, and I can't get over how similar to the swatch/product pictures it came out. In addition, not sure if it was the protein filler or the dye itself, but when I rinsed it, my hair felt uncannily slick, soft, and smooth, not at all fried as I was expecting from my multiple corrective bleach processes. I did follow with Ion Color Brilliance After Color Treatment 3ozIon After Color treatment. For reference, before applying Radiant Orchid, the top of my hair was pre-lightened to a 9-10, virgin growth on sides and back to an 8-ish. It's only the first day, so I can't speak yet on color retention, but I am SO pleased with my result and looking forward to trying more colors!

Worked exactly as I wanted it to work: I have medium-long dark brown hair, heavily streaked with grey - all natural. I don't mind going grey, not in the least. What I DO mind is the yellow-ness and wiry-ness of the grey hairs. I used to color my hair constantly, and had great fun experimenting with different colors/combinations. It was time to do something again.In a plastic bowl, I stirred together one ounce of Biotera conditioner for long hair plus one ounce of water. Then I squeezed in one tube of this (Titanium) on one side of the bowl with one-half tube of Lavender (from this same line) on the other side, and blended them separately, letting them co-mingle in the center.I applied petroleum jelly to my forehead, ears, and the back of my neck to protect it from the dye, then I started in. With a brush, I painted the mostly Titanium mixture on the major grey streaks. Then I separated the crown hair (about a third of the total) from the rest, and treated that and all hair that framed my face with Titanium. The next third down got mostly Lavender, and Titanium was used on the bottom third.Lastly I spritzed the mess with a bit of water, and massaged it in to make sure every strand was treated. I covered my head with an old plastic shower cap, and let it sit for an hour and a half, then rinsed like mad. No shampoo or conditioner, just water.I love the result! The grey is tamed, darkened very slightly to a more pronounced silver, and the difference between the Titanium and Lavender layers is very subtle. Update: I wanted to make clear that my natural brown color was not changed. It's still brown, albeit a bit glossier from the product.