The Best Bright Hair Color? Arctic Fox Purple Rain Review

I’m going to be upfront: I wasn’t expecting a lot when I ordered the Arctic Fox Purple Rain Hair Color off Amazon. I had a sales associate at Sally Beauty recommend it, then I saw a friend on Facebook use it with some pretty good results, so I thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t have super high hopes, though.

My hair hasn’t come out “right”— or, what I expected it to look like— literally any of the times I’ve colored it over the past several weeks. Even when I used Vibrant Purple from Overtone, I had a lot more of a berry vibe because my hair just loves showing off warm tones. It was cute, don’t get me wrong, but not what I envisioned. That’s when I realized Overtone is more of a maintenance product, not a hair color, if you’re not starting with light hair.

So whatever, I picked up Arctic Fox on Amazon and one random Sunday, decided to throw it in my hair after my previous color (a mix of Radiant Raspberry and Plum from Ion) had almost completely washed out. I was starting with faded pinkish-orange hair that was definitely looking brassy. Because I didn’t plan on doing this review, I didn’t take an official “before” photo. Sorry! The above is the last picture I took before coloring over… and it was even a little more faded than the picture once I washed it one more time before dying.

Since Arctic Fox is semi-permanent, you’re supposed to apply to freshly clean and dried hair. I washed my hair with my dandruff shampoo, which also helped strip a little more of the pink I was trying to cover. After rinsing, I stepped out and let my hair air dry completely (doesn’t take long here in this dry weather) without adding any more product. Once it was dry, I went to work sectioning and applying Purple Rain straight out of the bottle. I was actually very surprised with the texture. It spread very easily throughout my hair without having to add extra conditioner like other semi-permanents, since it already has some in the formula. I’m happy to report that the 8oz in one bottle covered my entire head of hair generously.

I left the color in for a full hour— the minimum recommended is 30 minutes. But again, since I used the entire bottle, I wanted to give it the best chance at coating my hair since I couldn’t go back and add more. Since Arctic Fox doesn’t contain peroxide or ammonia, leaving it in longer than recommended won’t hurt your hair at all. Since there’s added conditioner, you’ll even get extra hydration!

I rinsed in the coldest water I could handle— a little cooler than lukewarm but not freezing. I was really surprised at the lack of color that was rinsing out right off the bat. Usually when I do that first rinse, I get a flood of the color coming off my hair. But the water was a very translucent purple right away. With that said, this color stained my tub the most out of any I’ve used in the past month. There was definitely a noticeable purple tinge to the bottom of my tub. But, it was easy to remove by sprinkling Oxyclean on top and letting it sit for about 30 minutes. The stain wiped away.

The result? I was BLOWN. AWAY. The color came out so incredibly rich and blends really well into my brunette shadow roots. On top of that, I had various levels of fading in my hair before applying, but the color came out totally even throughout. Besides the color, the actual feel of my hair left me floored. My hair felt… normal again. Ever since lightening it, it had been a little bit gummy at the ends and overall very straw-like. After using Arctic Fox, it felt nourished and healthier than it has in over two months. And yes, I’ll say it… more conditioned than Overtone left me (plus, it’s cheaper!). As someone who wanted to add a new color without putting my hair through any more damage, it was the perfect solution that actually delivered the results it promised.

The first time I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner a week later, I had about the same amount of color coming off as the first rinse. However, once I was out and dry, I was stoked to find that my hair looked just as vibrant as my first application. So many other semi-permanents faded dramatically on me after just one rinse, so the fact that I don’t have to plan a touch-up any time soon is making me very happy. I did have to scrub my tub again, though.

Arctic Fox is also 100% Vegan, made with no animal byproducts and cruelty free. Also… it smelled like grape. It was the best smelling hair color I’ve ever used. Plus, 15% of their profits go toward animals in need at three different animal charities.

I bought mine on Amazon. They also make their own diluter if you want to make it lighter— it clearly comes out really strong and pigmented straight from the bottle! They have 22 colors in their line (all fantasy colors— nothing neutral here!) and you can mix them together for your own custom color.

My hope is that as my Purple Rain hair fades, it fades on the cooler side and I can avoid the warmth I kept returning to. Honestly, I’m pretty in love with how this looks and will probably apply the same color again when it’s time for a refresh. I think I’ve finally found my fantasy color!

Have you ever tried a bright hair color?