Majicontrast Red Vs. Magenta Red

[feebeast]

Hi all
Looking for some advice (funny eh!). Anyhooo, I currently have longish (mid back length) red hair (not as red as I want). it's in good condition - considering what I put it through(!) as I use Aussie 3 Minute Miracle in every wash, and get a 8-10 week trim. I try and stay away from my straighteners unless I'm going somewhere other than work, and only use a hairdryer once a week - I have dry skin so my hair never gets greasy to need washing more than on a weekly basis. My hairdresses always going on about how good condition it is...   

I achieved my red-head status from being dark brown in January, through bleaching (to strawberry blonde/ginger), dying with a Live Colour XXL Red Passion & Crazy Colour fire combo - nice, til it was root time. The next application of XXL Red Passion/ CC Fire went too dark  (clearly the bleach was having an impact in the 1st application).

Soooo in February I bleached again (just a couple of shades up this time - I don't want chewing gum - been there done that!) & used XXL Hypnotic Red/ CC Fire. Still not red enough for my liking though!

I've have had it this colour for 2 months now - though I changed from CC fire to Fudge Paintbox Red Corvet coz CC was dying my neck/ back/ hands/ bedding red for about 3 washes (3 weeks for me!) - Fudge doesn't!

But now the roots need done (which are brown #6 & 30-40% grey BTW). I want it a true RED!, and with pinky rather than orange tones. So I'm considering MajiContrast - in the hope I can cut dying time from 2hrs to 1hr max!

I've used majicontrast in the past, but can't remember if it was Red or Magenta Red that I used - or what volume developer I used. Also, at the time I was using it - it said it wasn't recommended for a full head tint.

So - eventually here's the gist of my problem.
1) I can't find a colour chart for MajiContrast online - so can anyone let me know the difference between Magenta Red & Red.
2) Given my hair already has a red base, what %age developer do you think I should use - my hairdresser said 40% but not sure if this is too strong...
3) My hairdresser also doesn't know why it's not (or wasn't) recommended for a full head tint - Anyone here know why?

Thanking you in advance

F 

[The_sunny_girl]

If you want a pinky toned red then Magenta is probably what you used. I use the majicontrast in red and it fades orangey. That's the difference between them, you can tell even by the name the Magenta is more.... ummm magenta-ish  

I have mousey brownish hair and i use 30 vol and it goes lovely. I used to use 40 in the past thinking that i will get a better result but there is no deference in my color (only that 40 is more harmful than 30)

It's not recommended for the full head because it's a lifting color, meaning it lightens AND colors your hair together so it kinda process the hair like a bleach (it's not as harmful as the bleach but still). So it's meant to be for streaks of hair (highlighting).

I have to tell you if your dyed hair is too dark, majicontrast can't lift them as it's not an actual bleach. If they are close to the color you want you will not have a huge uneveness i am guessing.

If your color goes away from your former bleached part of the hair you will keep having that issue with majicontrast as it's as well a hairdye with a developer.
On virgin hair it does an excellent job. It gives a very good bright red color, i believe with veggies you can get an even brighter result. Plus on virgin hair it has a good staying power as mine started this month to fade noticably after a lot of months (i am just dying the root every month not the whole hair with it).

That's all so far. I hope i was helpful, if you want anything else ask away

[Mindi Kellaway]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
Majicontrast red is an orange based true red, the magenta red is more of a pink based red.  It is essentially a bleach and colour in one step, but it is designed for virgin hair, so it doesn't take very well on already processed hair, which could be why you were told it's not recommended for a full head application, if your lengths are already processed.  I had good success using majicontrast red instead of bleach and then using a semi-permanent red over the top.  
However, be aware that as majicontrast uses a peroxide developer, it is just as damaging to your hair as bleach, and will still need a semi dye over the top to keep the colour vibrant.  Permanent reds actually last for less time that semi reds, as the dye molecules in the permanent reds are larger than the molecules in the semi reds, so they slip out from under the cuticle easier.  This is why permanent red dyes are notorious for fading.  
I'd suggest using colour B4 to remove as much of the permanent dye build up as possible, then waiting a week and bleach bathing your hair until you get a suitable base colour (bright reds will take really well over a ginger base, so it shouldn't take too much bleach bathing), and then just skipping the permanent dye step and putting a semi red straight over the top.  I've never used Crazy colour myself, but others have said it washes out really quickly, which could be why it had a lot of rub off for you.  I've always found that Special Effects have the best staying power and least rub off, especially if you use a vinegar rinse as well, so maybe try one of those?  They do some good pink based and orange based reds, and you can mix them together if you want a true red.
However, if you're determined to use majicontrast, I'd recommend only using a 20 vol developer, and definitely no higher than 30vol!  40 vol should never be used on a scalp application, as it's far too strong a chemical and could give you nasty burns!

[MommyMorgan]

Ok a few pointers about majicontrast...

Majicontrast is not recommended for full head application due to the high levels of PPD (p-Phenylenediamine) in the product - PPD being the most common cause of allergic reactions to hair colour.

It can be used on both virgin and coloured hair - although as with all tint/bleach the results will vary as the bleach in the product has to eat through previous tint first before removing the pigment from the natural hair.

If you use higher than 30vol peroxide with anything and especially with majicontrast you will get what we like to call 'colour blow' - this is where the peroxide used is too high causing the product to lift an deposit too quickly - to the point where it almost bleaches the deposited red back out again. You are likely to achieve a much more vibrant result using 20vol - and also it will be a lot kinder to your hair and your scalp!

Reading your post i see you have bleached previously -  there is a risk that with using majicontrast (or any colour that uses peroxide) the colour will not hold on the bleached areas - this is due to the fact that peroxide opens the cuticles of the hair in order to allow the tint to penetrate and reach the cortex - the part of the hair where chemical processes take place. Post colour the cuticles close to lock in the pigment. Over time, and with repeated use of peroxide, the hair can become unable to complete this process and the cuticles can become permanently open resulting in poor colour hold.

In this case the best course of action is to go for a true semi permanent as these actually 'stain' the hair and have a better staying power. If i was your hairdresser i would recommend the following -

Being base 6 with 30-40% grey your best option is bleach with 20vol for approx 30-45 mins. You do not require a high level of lift for a vibrant true red. It is a myth that the higher the peroxide volume the higher the lift -  a good way to think of it is - you have two cakes - you put one in a 230c oven for 20 mins and one in a 150c oven for 45 mins. The first one which has had excessive heat applied will inevitably burn on top and be raw in the middle - (using 40vol will result in poor lift, damaged hair, and chemical burns to the scalp) the second which has been cooked slowly will be edible and of a good result (slower lift, lower peroxide, scalp and condition of hair are preserved more effectively and the lift achieved is cleaner)

Post bleach, a true semi (veggie dye) as sold on beeunique.co.uk will give you the red you desire.

I am a trainee hairdresser wishing to specialise in colour and have researched the process a lot so i hope this helps. x

[feebeast]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the quick replies.

I have considered bleaching/semi reds, but I was hoping the MajiContrast would cut my colouring to a one step process rather than having to bleach/semi my hair every 3 weeks. It's not that I'm against bleaching, my hairs pretty resilient to what I throw at it - in fact the only time it turned to chewing gum was when I let a "professional" hairdresser use bleach on it(!!!!!) - and I had to get my hair chopped

When I used MajiContrast before, it was on tinted hair (can't remember when I last had more than 1" of virgin hair lol) and it took (and lasted) OK - hence I thought it'd work OK on my current colour. I don't have much problem with fading, my roots need done by the time my colour needs refreshed! I used MajiContrast on a couple of occasions - once as a huge slash that took up my fringe when I had short hair, the other was on the under layers, which I then flicked out from my parting which was black - so basically a half head of MajiContrast - which is why the full head tint confused me - my half head was fine. On both occasions, the colour on virgin hair/lengths was pretty even.

Mindi, I did read your post (and pics) with your use of MajiContrast & SFX Loved your results. I'm looking for your MajiContrast colour stage (pre SFX). Not sure If I could go your B4 Colour suggestion (I can't go about with stripped hair for a week! - farrrrrrr to vain for THAT lol!!!) Also - its going to cause a root/ lengths mis-match as my roots are virgin hair - too dark for a semi to take Wouldn't I be better doing just a bleach wash, as my hairs not too much darker than what I actually want. Basically, I want it to be the colour it shines in the sunshine/ bright lights alllllllllll the time. Could I do a bleach wash to lift my ends, then go straight into MajiContrast + 20% vol? or would that be too much too soon?

MommyMorgan - thanks for the clarification, I was worried when my hairdresser suggested 40% - and had a feeling that it would actually bleach out the redness/ cause fading. Hence decided to do my own homework (admittedly she doesn't use MajiContrast). Given I don't have much problem currently with fading, and the fact I need to cover the ol' greys so often, I'm not sure the bleach/semi is a viable option. However, I would be OK using a veggie dye as a treatment mid cycle if I did get fade with the MajiContrast

Thanks All
F x

[Firefox7275]

I was Live XXL red (same two as you!!  ) over mousey hair for about nine years. IMO strip out the Live XXL with Colour B4 Extra which is far less damaging than another bleach. The browns tones tend to build up on porous hair whereas the reds fade which is likely why you got a dark result. You will probably need to do a two or three these to get all the dye out, I recommend waiting two to three weeks before you bleach or use Majicontrast or you risk reoxidising the colour molecules and ending up back where you started!! I can only speak for myself but I got way more lift from Colour B4 than from blonde box dyes (equiv. strength to bleach bath). Be aware that if you have cuticle staining nothing will get the colour out not even a strong bleach so please do strand tests.  

You are actually more like to cause a mismatch by bleaching out the dye, it's not just base colour that is relevant but also the porosity of your hair which worsens each time you bleach, each time you shampoo and each time you heat style. If you over process you might end up with chewing gum hair or you might end up with hair that simply won't hold a colour. You can try to Colour B4 and bleach/ Majicontrast in one weekend, just start Friday night do LOADS of shampoos before you redye Sunday night. Also this technique has helped a few people
http://www.hairdyeforum.com/index.php?topic=6197.0

[feebeast]

strip out the Live XXL with Colour B4 Extra which is far less damaging than another bleach.

But if I use colour B4, and wait a week before using MajiContrast, what colour hair will I have though??? eek.

Since writing this post, I have found a tube of MajiContrast from the last time I used it, and a 20% & 30% delveloper. I'm currently doing two strand tests (one of the 20% and the other of the 30% developer) to see what the result of MajiContrast alone would be

Well... there goes the timer - fingers x'd