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.

See an Arctic Fox Purple Rain Review Before and After, plus my full review and thoughts on Arctic Fox vs Overtone. | Slashed Beauty

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.

See an Arctic Fox Purple Rain Review Before and After, plus my full review and thoughts on Arctic Fox vs Overtone. | Slashed Beauty

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.

See an Arctic Fox Purple Rain Review Before and After, plus my full review and thoughts on Arctic Fox vs Overtone. | Slashed Beauty

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.

See an Arctic Fox Purple Rain Review Before and After, plus my full review and thoughts on Arctic Fox vs Overtone. | Slashed BeautySee an Arctic Fox Purple Rain Before and After, plus my full review and thoughts on Arctic Fox vs Overtone. | Slashed Beauty

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.

See an Arctic Fox Purple Rain Review Before and After, plus my full review and thoughts on Arctic Fox vs Overtone. | Slashed Beauty

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?

20 Comments

  1. Hola Miranda, espero estés muy bien, quisiera saber aproximadamente cuanto te duro el color antes de retocarlo y como lo retocas algún matizante? O nuevamente usas el tinte?

    1. ¡Hola! Se desvanece en un rosa, por lo que normalmente esperaría unos tres meses antes de retocar el púrpura. Yo usaría el mismo color encima. Si estaba demasiado crecido, primero tendría que decolorarlo de nuevo para llevarlo más alto.

  2. Thanks for your review!! I have the radiant raspberry in right now and really tempted to use this colour overtop!! i have the radiant raspberry all over including the top of my head so im definitely scared that it will make it turn a different colour. do you have any advice? did it cover your radiant raspberry completely fine?

    1. I didn’t have Radiant Raspberry in my hair– I used it over a faded out rose gold from a different brand and it covered it completely! I would wait until your current color fades out a bit if you’re worried it won’t come ut as vibrant.

  3. Thanks a lot to you for sharing arctic fox purple rain review before after here, these kind of ideas are were much needed. I really appreciate that you have provided the data too, really appreciative and useful blog for us. Looking for more!!If possible visit this website Paulbhair.com to gain more idea or tips on the same.

  4. Hi bought artic fox purple rain for the first time!( love the product and color) ( got it from Sally’s )
    Two questions is it normal for it to stain ur skin after washing it two days later? And what do u use to maintain the color ?
    *Two more questions *
    How long does it last and is it normal for it to look like it’s washing out a tad. Just did it two days ago from today ( aug 1, 2020).

    1. It’s semi permanent hair color, so how long it lasts depends on a number of factors– how often you wash it, what you’re washing it with, how much sun exposure you get, etc.

      Usually skin stains washed off by two showers– I used a loofa to help exfoliate the color off.

      For maintaining the color, check out my post here!

  5. What about the residue it leaves when you rest with dry hair. I can’t sit down or lean against anything light without the purple showing up… Any way to get rid of that? This is after two washes.

    1. Not that I know of– it’s a double edged sword. I could tell you to rinse with really hot water until it runs clear but that’s also going to actually fade your color. Just one of the many plights of fantasy hair, unfortunately. Although, I didn’t really have this problem so perhaps you *should* actually rinse in the shower a bit longer when washing.

    2. I haven’t had any issues with it rubbing off against anything also used the purple rain! I absolutely love it.

  6. I just bought this color! I have blonde root and light brown ends (naturally). How do you think this would look on my hair?

    1. I never let it wash all the way out, but there were strands of my hair that faded almost back to blonde before I touched up!

  7. Hey Miranda,

    Love the colour, I am a hair colour virgin, never dyed my hair before and opting for change that is vibrant yet suttle but I am afraid of bleaching my hair. I have dark brown/almost black hair and I want to colour it purple preferably like yours but without bleaching is it possible. or if you can help me out as to what I should do.

    1. Hi Sumaya! If you add this to dark hair you may end up with a tint– it definitely won’t be vibrant. Overtone just came out with a Purple for Brown Hair product but again, if your hair is almost black you’ll only get a tint in the sun and it won’t be as purple as you see on my hair which has been lightened. I would suggest getting your hair lightened professionally– they know what they’re doing and they can avoid damage. Don’t do it at home. Then you can play with all the color you want!

  8. Thanks for the review! I was looking into maybe trying this brand and this color after seeing them at Sally Beauty and you answered all the questions I had, thanks! 😀 And your hair looks beautiful!! 🙂

  9. I can’t wait to try this out! The before picture reminds me of my hair at the moment. I love the idea of semi-permanent also.

    1. Excited for you! I will say this is the longest lasting semi-permanent hair color I’ve tried. It’s sticking really well and I haven’t had to touch it up… it’s fading to a deep magenta that’s really pretty!

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