Editor Tip: After highlighting your hair, make sure you provide brass-busting maintenance in between dye sessions with Madison Reed’s Color Therapy Mask in Perla, a purple-toned deep conditioner that neutralizes warm tones.
Formula Type: Permanent | Available Shades: 4
BEST SHADE RANGE: L’ORÉAL PARIS FÉRIA SHIMMERING PERMANENT HAIR COLOR
L’Oréal Paris
L’Oréal Paris Féria Shimmering Hair Color
Why It’s Worth It: Whether you’re looking to go dark and bold or want to touch up your (faux) natural color, L’Oréal Paris’s Féria Shimmering Hair Color line has you covered. You have 38 shades total (you can check out the full range here) to choose from, each featuring the brand’s vibrant, multi-toned formula that gives your permanent tint a more dimensional appearance.
This collection’s nourishing formulations are as delightful as their radiant results. Each dye is enriched with a blend of sunflower and coconut oils that significantly minimize dryness and brittle texture. This kit also comes with a bond-repairing conditioner that leaves strands smoother, stronger, and softer than before you dyed it.
Editor Tip: The Féria hair dye lasts at least six weeks, depending on your natural hair color and the pigment you use. To prolong your color, we recommend minimizing your wash days, as skipping wash days allows the color to sit in your hair longer.
Formula Type: Permanent | Available Shades: 38
BEST FOR DAMAGED HAIR: MARIA NILA COLOR REFRESH
Why It’s Worth It: If your hair has gone through one too many bleaching sessions without proper hydrating maintenance, take a break from drying, damaging permanent color. Instead, try Maria Nila’s Color Refresh, a luxe color-depositing hair mask that releases vibrant pigments onto strands while smoothing and softening them with conditioning argan oil. Depending on your current hair color, you can create anywhere from a light tint to a head of vivid color in 10 minutes max.
Editor Tip: Any of the 15 colors available can be mixed together to create a custom color that’ll nourish rather than damage your hair. Just keep in mind that this is a temporary formula that’ll last for at least four washes.
Formula Type: Temporary | Available Shades: 15
BEST LIGHTENING KIT: ARCTIC FOX BLEACH, PLEASE COMPLETE HAIR LIGHTENING KIT
Arctic Fox
Arctic Fox Bleach, Please Complete Hair Lightening Kit
Why It’s Worth It: Arctic Fox’s Bleach, Please kit comes with everything you need to lighten your hair in preparation for pastel colors like cotton candy pink, lilac, or platinum. You get a vegetable-based cream bleach, a 35-volume developer enriched with mango and cocoa seed butters, and a pair of latex-free gloves. What’s more: The bleach has a violet base to help cool down yellow tones, just like a toner or purple shampoo would.
