MANIC PANIC VS SPECIAL EFFECTS

**MANIC PANIC VS SPECIAL EFFECTS** was the 28th post on the WonderlandWardrobe blog.

## Content

Without a doubt, my most frequently asked questions always have something to do with my hair color. What dye do I use? Which dye do I think is best? How long does the color last? And so on. Therefore, I figured why not do a little comparison review of two of the most popular dyes? Sounds like a wonderful idea!! hehe, here we go!

Like many, the first dye I ever used was Manic Panic. It comes in a ton of colors, it’s cheap and it’s easy to find. Actually, I’d say one of the best things about Manic Panic is that it’s easily accessible; you can get it at your local Sally’s. However, I wouldn’t say it’s the best choice. I used Manic Panic for about two months and I found that it faded painfully fast. When doing a pastel {which, I mean… pastels are a pain in the ass no matter which dye you use} it literally faded from just straightening it. I’m very good about taking care of my hair and doing everything to help the color last… I shower in ice cold water, {QUICK TANGENT… showering in cold water is pretty much as fun as getting beat with sticks, it’s AWFUL. The other day I was actually showering at a friend’s house and noticed that they had a detachable shower head. I got SO freaking excited. I was all, “wow, this is so easy and painless!” but then… never having used one of these things, I made the mistake of thinking I could just set it down while I put in my conditioner. Um, wrong. It went crazy and sprayed ice cold water all over me, mostly in my face. You know how dogs react to a hose in their face, yeah, that was me… LMAO} I use sulfate-free shampoos for colored hair, I use color-maintaining cream and so on. But still- MP just doesn’t hold up for me. Once I started dying my hair teal with MP, I would say I got about 2-3 weeks of good color. Keeping in mind that I only shampoo my hair twice a week, that’s not very good. I will say though, the color looked beautiful… but it really wasn’t worth the time, effort or expense. The only thing MP has over Special Effects is their packaging appeal, but… meh.

Now, let’s talk about Special Effects. Special Effects is GREAT. It’s not a dream dye or anything, but it’s pretty damn good compared to MP. However, SE is not easy to find in stores. I have to order mine from Amazon, which is perfectly fine {it’s PRIME, hell yes} but it would be SO much more convenient if they carried it in stores. There have been so many moments where I wanted to do a quick touch-up, but didn’t have any dye left. It’s not really that big of a deal, I just need to stock up! Anyway, back to the things that matter. As far as longevity, SE lasts twice… maybe even three times longer than MP. I can’t speak for the other colors, but the blue and green range is FANTASTIC. Another great thing about it, it fades smoothly. When I first dye it, it looks fairly dark and concentrated… but as it fades, the color becomes lighter, more dimensional and brighter. I found with MP it just looked kinda, dirty… and muddy.

To give it to you straight- go with Special Effects. It’s annoying that you have to order it, but it’s totally worth it. It lasts longer, looks better, fades nicer and doesn’t bleed as often. If you guys have tried either of these dyes, I’d love to know your experiences with them. Leave me a comment!!

Thanks for stopping by! Come back and see me soon if you get lonely.

-Kalel

## Archive

* December 13th 2012 (Archive)
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