Can you dye synthetic hair with Arctic Fox? Check out this article to learn more about how to dye your synthetic hair extensions using temporary and box dye.
I love dyeing my hair. But as I grew older, I realized that the chemicals in the dye were taking a toll on the health of my tresses.
The constant bleaching, dyeing, etc. had left my long hair damaged. However, I still loved trying out new hair color ideas and pushing fashion boundaries with my dyed hair.
To this I found a simple solution. Get a wig or extensions and dye them instead of your real hair. And this “hack” has worked really well for me so far.
In fact, I can now change my hair colors as much as 3-4 times a month and my real hair would be absolutely fine.
- Related: How To Wash A Wig With Fabric Softener
- Related: Does Arctic Fox Damage Hair
- Related: Arctic Fox Semi-Permanent Periwinkle Hair Dye Review
So how do I dye my synthetic hair hair extensions? Well, whether you use temporary dye or permanent dye depends on how long you plan to wear that hair color.
If you like changing your hair color often, I’d suggest coloring your hair with a temporary dye like Arctic Fox, Manic Panic, Adore, etc.
But is it possible to dye your synthetic hair with Arctic Fox? Will it take color or will the wig look blotchy? Let’s find out!
Can You Dye Synthetic Hair With Arctic Fox
Yes, you absolutely can dye your synthetic hair extensions or wigs using Arctic Fox hair color. This hair brand, like most temporary hair dyes, is a color-depositing dye.
This means when you use the dye it saturates the top of your hair strands (whether it is artificial or natural) with dye pigments coating it with color.
The good part about these dyes is that they do not contain ammonia, peroxide or any other harmful chemicals that are used by other dyes to help open the hair cuticle to lighten the melanin pigment and deposit dye.
They are gentle on hair (both natural and synthetic) and won’t damage the fibers when used regularly.
The downside to using color depositing dyes like Arctic Fox is that they get washed off pretty easily as the dye pigment isn’t saturated inside the hair strand but only coats the outside.
This makes Arctic Fox a good option for dyeing synthetic hair if you like changing your hair color very often like I do.
My Ratings:
- Color Lasting Ability – 3/5
- Gentleness on Synthetic Hair Fibers – 5/5
- Brightness of Colors – 4/5
How Do You Dye Your Hair With Arctic Fox
Using Arctic Fox to dye your synthetic hair is a very simple process. In fact, it’s much easier than dyeing your natural hair as you don’t need to wash your tresses to allow color to penetrate your cuticles.
- The first step to dyeing your synthetic hair with arctic fox is to wash the wig/extension with a clarifying shampoo
- Yes, synthetic hair fibers do not have cuticles, however it can still accumulate old dye pigment, product buildup, silicones and other chemicals that can prevent the dye from taking hold
- Washing with a clarifying shampoo will help it get clean and better able to take the dye
- Now simply add the Arctic Fox hair dye to the wig and leave it on for the stipulated time.
- Again, as this isn’t a natural hair wig the amount of time you leave it on for will have no bearing so you can wash it off at the recommended period
- And voila, you have a freshly colored wig at your disposal!
Note: I think Arctic Fox works best if you have a lighter colored wig that you’re dyeing a darker shade. Yes, it can work on brown/black wigs and add lighter colors to it too, but the shades might appear a bit faded.
Can You Dye Synthetic Hair With Box Dye
No you cannot. Using Arctic Fox to dye your hair is possible because temporary dyes like those deposit dye pigments on top of hair strands to coat it completely in color. So it works regardless of whether the hair strand is made of synthetic or natural fiber.
However, box dyes use a completely different mechanism to dye your tresses.
They have chemicals that help open the cuticle of your hair and deposit said color pigment inside the cortex of your strand.
This isn’t possible with a synthetic wig or extension as they are made of fabrics like nylon or polyester and don’t have a cuticle or any anatomical similarity to a natural hair strand.
There might be some staining if you use box dye on synthetic fabrics especially if you use the dye alongside a developer (which is basically hydrogen peroxide, a lightning agent). But this staining will be blotchy and unsightly in appearance.
Also, the developer and chemicals from the box dye can leave your synthetic hair extensions or wig damaged.
So I wouldn’t recommend using semi-permanent box dyes on synthetic hair.
- Does It Work – Somewhat
- Will There Be Damage To Synthetic Hair Fibers – Yes
- Will The Color Look Good – No
- Do I Recommend It – No
Can You Dye Synthetic Hair With Food Coloring
So naturally the next question you’re thinking is… “is there any other sort of dye that will work on synthetic hair if not box dye”? Well, there are several.
Will food coloring work? Umm. The answer to this isn’t simple.
If you have a light-colored synthetic hair wig (blonde, platinum, white, etc.), food coloring will add a light shade to the wig.
For example, if you use red food coloring on a platinum blonde wig, you will get only a pale pink color.
And if you have a darker colored wig (black, brown, any unnatural color) then forget about it. Food coloring isn’t going to work at all.
This method won’t damage the hair, but it won’t give you good results either. So I don’t recommend this one either.
- Does It Work – Not Well
- Will There Be Damage To Synthetic Hair Fibers – No
- Will The Color Look Good – No
- Do I Recommend It – No
Can We Use Fabric Dye For Synthetic Hair
Okay! No box dye and no food coloring! So what can we use instead of Arctic Fox to give synthetic wigs a more long lasting hair color?
The answer to that is fabric dye.
Yup. A lot of synthetic hair extensions and wigs are made from fibers like nylon and polyester which are commonly used as fabrics in clothes.
You can dye your synthetic wigs using fabric dyes the same way you dye your t-shirts.
Add the dye to boiling water and soak your synthetic wigs in this dye bath for the recommended time to get the right shade of hair color.
- Does It Work – Yes
- Will There Be Damage To Synthetic Hair Fibers – No
- Will The Color Look Good – Yes
- Do I Recommend It – Yes
What Is The Best Dye For Synthetic Hair?
Synthetic hair can be made up of different fibers, so the best dye for these wigs/extensions depends on the fibers of the hair.
If you have nylon, polyester, kanekalon, acrylic or plastic synthetic hair then you can use any sort of color depositing dye like Arctic Fox, Adore, etc. as these do not use any type of chemicals and only coat the strands with dye.
However, if you’re looking for something more long lasting, then you can use fabric dye like the Rit Fabric Dye. But be warned that this will work only on synthetic fabrics that have nylon, polyester or other fabric fibers.
Is It Possible To Dye Synthetic Hair Extensions?
So what happens if you have synthetic hair extensions that have been added to your tresses through glue or clip-ins. Do you have to take them out every time to dye them in a fabric dye bath?
Well, no not necessarily. You can use a temporary, color-depositing dye for hair extensions every time you’re coloring your hair.
However, if you have synthetic hair extensions and want to dye your hair a certain shade (semi-permanent or permanently) then I’d definitely recommend removing the extensions first.
Some fibers of synthetic hair won’t take color so your hair will look really patchy if you dye with extensions on.
Summary on Dyeing Your Synthetic Hair
It’s always better to use a synthetic hair wig and dye that regularly instead of dyeing your natural hair fibers directly and causing them damage.
But there are only certain dyes that can work on synthetic wigs.
A temporary color-depositing dye like Arctic Fox will definitely color your synthetic hair as it coats the strands with pigments and doesn’t use chemicals.
A box dye on the other hand won’t work as well as it’s formulated especially for natural hair strands.
If you have synthetic hair wigs/extensions made of nylon or polyester, you can always use a fabric dye like Rit dye to give it a more long lasting color.
Also Read:
- How To Remove Semi-Permanent Hair Dye From Bleached Hair
- How To Get Pink Hair Dye Out Of Hair
- Can You Mix Splat Hair Dye With Conditioner
To Summarize