Hi Cynthia! Grey hair can be very resistant to any hair color and even though it is light in color, it often needs to be pre-lightened or otherwise processed in order for Manic Panic Semi-Permanent Hair Color to work best. Bleaching hair not only makes hair light enough for the colors to show up properly, it also opens up the cuticles of the hair strands so that the dye molecules can be absorbed. An even and toned level 10 platinum white blonde is required for Alien Grey to work properly. For any questions or tips, please contact our color experts via email:customercare@manicpanic.com. We would love to help you with the hair color process!

Hi! For best results with Manic Panic hair color, we recommend pre-lightening your hair first to a pale white blonde. This will not only help the color show up as vibrantly as it should, but it will also help hold the color in your hair properly. An even and toned level 10 platinum white blonde is required for Alien Grey to show up properly. You can use our Flash Lightening Bleach Kit to pre-lighten hair to prepare for color. I recommend doing a test strip first to preview the results and judge how much time is needed to lighten to the desired shade. After the test strip, apply the bleach to the middle of the hair section first, often referred to as the "cold zone", since this section will take the longest to lift. Once you are approaching the desired level of blonde you will apply the bleach to your roots and pull through to your ends. The maximum time the bleach should be left on hair is around 50 minutes. We also recommend checking the level and texture of your hair every 10 minutes to make sure your hair isn't being overprocessed. Please visit our Instagram: @manicpanicnyc and YouTube channel for helpful tutorials on the process. For any additional questions, please feel free to email our Color Experts at customercare@manicpanic.com where we are available to help you 7 days a week!

Hi! This is a direct dye that will not lighten hair and will require pre-lighening to work properly. For best results with Manic Panic hair color, we recommend pre-lightening your hair first to a pale white blonde. This will not only help the color show up as vibrantly as it should, but it will also help hold the color in your hair properly. An even and toned level 10 platinum white blonde is required for Alien Grey to show up properly. For questions or help email us at customercare@manicpanic.com anytime!

I have salt&pepper hair, a mix of black and white, and use alien grey to turn it a slightly darker slate grey and it turned out great. I get a lot of compliments. My only complaint is that it fades fast, but it fades into a lighter grey with a touch of blue BUT not the dreadful blue tone that the purple shampoos turn my hair. This is more of a steel grey and looks great in the sun and under cool lighting. It does not damage the hair so using it every 4-6 shampoos has not harmed my hair. Some people even sleep with it! I keep it in for 1.5-2.0. I initially kept it on for 40 minutes but found that it washed out in a few washes. I also read that it will last longer if you wash in cold water but I couldn’t tolerate a cold shampoo so I use slightly cool water. 

Hi LABNAT60! Here is a link to Alien Grey: If you are unable to view please visit our Instagram @manicpanicnyc or search #aliengrey on Instragram to view examples of this color on different hair types.