L’Oréal Professional launches #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye
#COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye. The first ever L’Oréal Professional rainbow hair colours.
Rainbow hair is officially mainstream. I have been saying for YEARS that L’Oréal Professional needed to have a range of vivid direct dyes for professionals. However when I suggested this to our L’Oréal Professional rep, or to the L’Oréal educators, I was always met with the same response… “There is not enough demand for this type of colour” or, “L’Oréal Professional doesn’t really do alternative colours”. With the increasing popularity of Unicorn and Mermaid hair obviously L’Oréal Professional have finally realised it’s worth the investment! You know when a major brand like L’Oréal decided to join the rainbow hair tribe, it means unicorn hair is here to stay.
The new colours…
L’Oréal Professional had it’s launch event for #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye on the 5th March with a select number of hairdresser reviewing the new shades. The colours are conditioning ammonia free direct dyes that need to be applied to a pale blonde base, and will fade from the hair with each shampoo. You use these colours directly from the tube, and do NOT mix with peroxide. There are 8 shades including a “Crystal Clear” that can be mixed together to create tailored pastel colours. The shades are: Hypnotic Magenta, Pink Sorbet, Sunset Coral, Electric, Navy Blue, Caribbean Blue and Iced Mint.


Photo credits: L’Oréal Professionnel
How long do they last?
L’Oréal Professional say the new colours last up to 15 shampoos but may vary depending on the type of shade/effect chosen, colour depth and porosity of the hair. Matthew Collins, International Hair Artist for L’Oréal Professionnel told FAB that these colours last 4-5 shampoos, depending on the hair type. The L’Oréal Professional rep I spoke to said the lighter pastel colours such as Pink Sorbet, Sunset Coral and shades mixed with Crystal Clear would last only 2-4 shampoos. But that the deeper colours would last more like 15 shampoos depending on the hair.
How long is the development time?
20 minutes is the suggested development time. However as these colours are direct dyes, with no ammonia or peroxide, you can leave the colour on for longer period of time for a more intense, longer lasting result.
How much product do you get per tube?
Each tube has 90ml of colour, and is a gel-cream constancy for easy application.
How much does it cost per tube?
It will depend on how much stock your salon orders as to how much discount your L’Oréal Professionnel rep will be able to offer you. The more you order, the better the value for money per tube. The price can be anywhere from £7 to £12 per tube.
Can you get them if you are not a hairdresser?
At the moment #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye are for professionals only. You would have to visit a L’Oréal Professionnel salon to have these colours applied by your hairdresser. However these are direct dyes, so it is possible they could be made available to purchase from the salon to “top-up” your colour at home in the future.

Photo credits: L’Oréal Professionnel
How much would it cost to get these colours done at the salon?
That would totally depend on the salon’s own pricing. Also you will need to consider if you need your hair lightened to blonde first, as this will add to the cost. If you want a more creative design, using 2 or more colours, this will add to the application time and amount of colour, bringing the price up. I would suggest you contact your local L’Oréal Professionnel salon for a consultation and quote before you book in for a #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye service. For those who are already blonde, or booked in for a normal highlight service, and looking of just a simple pastel shade all over, it would most likely be a similar price tag to what you would pay for a toner after your foils.
L’Oréal Professional tutorials using the new #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dyes…
#PEEKABOO
This electrifying #peekaboo transformation on Talia Mar by Marcello Moccia was created using #ColorfulHair and the following steps…
Step 1. Pre-lighten the hair using Blond Studio Multi Techniques powder 30 vol + #Smartbond
Step 2. Apply 1 tube of Navy Blue with ¼ Crystal Clear to the roots, lengths and top section of the hair
Step 3. Apply ½ Electric Purple with ¼ Crystal Clear to the side sections and section by hairline section of the nape of the neck
Step 4. Apply 1 tube of Caribbean Blue on the mid-section above the occipital bone
#LAVENDERHAIR
Hari’s Hairdressers created this beautiful makeover using the following steps…
Step 1. Balayage pieces using Blond Studio Platinium Plus + 30 vol + #Smartbond
Step 2. Apply 1 Crystal Clear + ¼ Electric Purple through mid-lengths and ends
#CANDYHAIR
Colour transformation by Seanhanna Salons using the following steps…
Step 1. Pre-lighten the hair using Blond Studio Platinium Plus + 30 vol + #Smartbond
Step 2. On the roots apply ¾ Crystal Clear + ¼ Electric Purple + ½ Sunset Coral
Step 3. Balayage lengths and ends alternating mixes of the following colours:
Colour 1 – ½ Pink Sorbet + ½ Crystal Clear + ¼ Sunset Coral
Colour 2 – ½ Sunset Coral + ½ Crystal Clear + ¼ Pink Sorbet.
#MERMAIDHAIR
Check out this gorgeous #mermaidhair iced mint transformation by Brooks and Brooks Hairdressers using ColorfulHair and the steps below…
Step 1. Pre-lighten the hair using Blond Studio Platinium Plus + 30 vol + #Smartbond
Step 2. Tone with LUO PO1 + PO2
Step 3. Isolate the front hairline to keep blonde
Step 4. Taking sections from the nape of the neck apply #colorfulhair in a mixing ratio of 1 Crystal Clear, ¼ Caribbean Blue and ¼ Mint Green, leaving for 10 minutes on the roots before melting the mixture into the lengths and ends
The #COLORFULHAIR Looks…










Photo credits: L’Oréal Professionnel
Follow the L’Oréal Professional education team for #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye
Discover L’Oréal Professional’s colourist’s squad for the new #COLORFULHAIR Direct Dye. You can follow them over on Instagram…
@leysahairandmakeup @shivvvey @matthewstylist @class76 @shelleygregoryhair @chitabeseau @majormoonn @kinkikappers @brunodviana @minkimcolorist @xavigarcia44
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Want Rainbow Hair?
Discover Anya’s eBook guide: ‘Any Colour Of The Rainbow – The Ultimate Guide to Alternative Hair Colour‘. This guide covers everything from safe bleaching with ammonia free bleach to creating stunning multi colours with foil. Find out all the best products, how to do pastel colours, how to maintain vibrant colour, create ombre colour like to professionals and so much more…
- Published in New Hair Dyes Launch, Runway Fashion Hair, Tutorials