Semi-Permanent Hair Color (43 colors) (Cranbaby, 8 fl. oz.)

I’ve been loyal to Arctic Fox for like a decade. I liked the brand better than Pulp Riot, which my stylist uses in the salon, so I always brought AF to my appointments and used it at home for touch-ups in between. For whatever reason, I felt pulled to branch out and try Lunar Tides recently. The reviews had me sold and I loved the shade range, so I figured, what’s the harm? I bought Cranbaby for most of my head, and Petal Pink for my money piece, and took them along with me to my appointment at the salon. My stylist had never used this brand before either, so she made sure to really saturate my hair in small sections to make sure we got even coverage. And my oh my, did it turn out like a dream. Cranbaby covered my faded purple flawlessly, but the best part of the whole experience has been how long-lasting it is for a red. Stylists and people with general knowledge of hair color know that reds are the hardest color to maintain. I fully expected this shade to fade to a pinky color before the one month mark, but it didn’t happen. I’m pleasantly surprised that I’ve finally found a red that is relatively low maintenance. I usually touch up my color at home every 4 weeks, but I went 6 weeks before I did it this time, and it wasn’t really out of necessity. Most of the color held up, it really only faded at the crown of my head where my shampoo is doing the most work. Although the floral scent of this brand isn’t as nice to me as the grape candy scent of Arctic Fox, that’s just a minor little detail that won’t stop me from repurchasing from this brand again and again. If the red holds up this nicely, I imagine the other shades will outperform AF as well. Petal Pink faded somewhat quickly, as is the nature of pastels and their lack of pigmentation, but with Cranbaby I don’t even feel the need to wash my hair in cold water to maintain my color, and that speaks volumes on the pigmentation and longevity Lunar Tides is giving me with this lovely red. I’m sold, I’m converted. I can’t wait to try out more colors.

Beautiful color, stays in for a good period on time

Cranbaby was THE EXACT color I envisioned: berry-colored, or cool reddish pink! One pass with the dye came out pretty even, but stained EVERYTHING I owned. My hoodie's hood was tinted pink. My neck was PINKKK for days because of the dampness after a fresh wash and friction from my hair. The collars of my shirts turned pink in the back. I didn't tone my hair, so I knew it would come out a little warmer. However, whenever I washed it, the dye would be an orange-red or hot pink. Now, after a few more washes, the original orange tone I had underneath is more visible. My goal was to use a cool-red in hopes it would balance out the warmth after a bleach bath (color theory, yk), but I feel like the base of this color isn't perfect for that. My biggest complaint is the SMELL it leaves on my hair. It smells so weird? It reminds me of stale hairspray on freshly ironed hair or something? I've tried other dyes and never had this issue. Speaking of which, my hair took well to other dyes like Arctic Fox, Unicorn Hair, and GDY. However, this didn't feel as conditioning to my hair. Overall a bit disappointed, but maybe this will be better for others! So sad it didn't work out.

great color, easy to use, does not smell bad. will be buying again

Beautiful color. I did not bleach my hair and just put this color over my dark brown hair, I have a lot of greys so it was this beautiful deep red with pops of a lighter red. Because I didn't bleach my hair beforehand though it only stayed a few washes. I have the underside of my hair bleached and when I do my roots again I'll be dying it this red. I'm very excited. Smells like old punky color used to smell, which I find pleasant and nostalgic.