Semi permanent hair color deposits pigment without lifting your natural shade, so it fades gently over a few weeks. Here are Overtone's pigment conditioners, glazes and toners, and the care that keeps color fresh.
Semi Permanent Hair Color at Home, From Punk Dye to Pigment Conditioner
Semi permanent hair color has punk roots. Tish and Snooky Bellomo, who sang backup for Blondie, opened Manic Panic on St. Marks Place in New York in July 1977, selling bright dyes because no mainstream brand sold unnatural colors to the musicians and artists around them. Those dyes need no developer and traditionally last about four weeks at most, which is the whole appeal: color without commitment. Overtone took that idea into the shower. Maegan Scarlett and Liora Dudar, friends tired of the fading and damage that came with vivid color, started the brand around 2015, and Scarlett developed the first formulas in her Los Angeles kitchen as oil-based conditioners that deposit pigment instead of using harsh chemicals. They self-funded it, still owned all of it as of 2020, and grew by sending samples to beauty creators. Espresso Brown, Cotton Candy Pink, Ruby Red and Golden Rose show the range, from a subtle refresh on brunettes to full pastel on pre-lightened blonde. Pigment shows most on light hair, so brunettes get a tint rather than a new color.
Glazes, toners and a root fix
Carmen Tal found argan oil at a Tel Aviv salon after a bad color job, and Moroccanoil grew from one oil into masks like this one; the linked version is clear, a glossing mask for shine. Davines began as a research lab in Parma in 1983, named for the founders' children, Davide and Stefania, and Heart of Glass is a sheer glaze that brightens blond. IGK, named for the initials of its four stylist founders, makes purple drops you mix into any styling product to cancel brass. Bumble and bumble started as Michael Gordon's London salon in 1977, and its color stick covers roots between appointments.
Keeping color fresh, and the skip
Color fades fastest in hot water and harsh shampoo. Davines's Minu shampoo and mask are made for colored hair and protect vibrancy, from a family-run company that became a B Corp in 2016. Amika, whose name means friend in Esperanto, began in Brooklyn in 2007 and makes Bust Your Brass, a toning mask that strengthens. Moroccanoil's purple oil neutralizes brassiness on blondes. What I would skip is a vivid pigment on hair you have just bleached at home. Let it recover for a few days, then do a strand test first. A deep conditioner the day before helps the color take evenly.
Making it last
Wash with cool water and a color-safe shampoo, and wash less often. Use a pigment conditioner once a week to top up. Wear gloves, since pigment stains hands and grout. Protect your pillowcase for the first few nights. For a big change in shade, a colorist is still the safest route. Semi-permanent shades wash out, so experiment freely. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Drugstore Color Safe Shampoo and Orange Hair Dye, From Neon Semi Permanents to Copper Permanents.
