Color Spotlight | Purple AF | Arctic Fox Hair Color Blog

We’re ending the year strong with a brand-new color spotlight for you, Fox Fam, and who better to close out 2019 than the queen herself, Purple AF? Not only is she one of our most versatile shades, Purple AF is our most popular color by far. If you don’t already know why this perfect purple reigns supreme, read on to find out!

Who is she?

Purple AF is a deep, vibrant purple. While it’s relatively dark as one of our most highly pigmented colors, it will still turn out a very vivid, intense purple on a lightened base. A level 7 or so will be best if you want the brightest purple, but on a darker base, Purple AF will still give you a visible darker purple tint, especially in the sunlight! In fact, Purple AF is one of our best options for tinting unbleached hair, often giving a dark purple hue to a dark blonde or light brown base, and even tinting medium or dark brown hair with more of a deep eggplant or burgundy hue. While Purple AF goes on a gorgeous grapey purple on a lightened base, our purples are formulated to fade in more of a pink range over time (and then eventually silver on platinum hair).

Tips and Mixes:

Purple is a very versatile color simply because it’s a combination of warm and cool tones, made with red and blue, so of course Purple AF is one of the most versatile AF shades too! Just about any color or mix can include Purple AF for added depth. So if you’re a custom color addict like us, Purple AF is a must-have! So many of our very favorite mixes feature Purple AF.

For a deep cobalt hue, use a half-and-half ratio of Purple AF and Poseidon, or for a more pigmented shade use Aquamarine instead of Poseidon!

You can get a deep burgundy by mixing Purple AF with some Wrath or Poison, or if our existing burgundy, Ritual, is too red-toned for your taste, you can bring it into more of a cool-toned burgundy range by adding Purple AF.

And have you seen our Ginger Spice recipe? Surprise - Purple AF is in that, too! Want to get a more pumpkin color like the one below?

Punch up a pastel for better coverage on a medium to light blonde base by adding a few drops of Purple AF to Girls Night or even Periwinkle! Need a super dark, almost-black purple? Purple AF and Transylvania. Aiming for more of a smoky lavender hue? Sterling and a few drops of Purple AF. A UV-reactive violet? Electric Paradise and just a smidge of Purple AF. She can really do it all!

What could go wrong?

Purple AF tends to be the troubleshooting solution rather than the issue itself, but you may still run into a hiccup or two along the way. Gave Purple AF a try only to find it’s a bit too dark for your taste? Try washing your hair in warm water to help speed up the fade, and use a diluted Purple AF with your next application for a more medium purple result!

Purple AF is one of our best options for tinting unbleached hair, but depending on your hair type you may still see it not show very well or only turn out visible in bright sunlight. If this is the case, your hair may be too dark naturally to grab on to a visible amount of pigment, in which case lightening a few shades should do the trick! But truly, Purple AF is the closest thing to a universal solution to any hair problem we offer. Can’t get the last of your previous color to fade out? Cover it with Purple AF! If you’re coloring your hair blue and it goes teal due to some yellow tones, the addition of purple rain can cancel out the yellow and give you a truer blue shade! Plus it can help prevent a green fade if you add it into your blue mixes. Brassy/yellow tones in your hair when you were aiming for ashy blonde? Add a drop or two of Purple AF and Poseidon to your shampoo and conditioner for a DIY purple shampoo with a light toning effect.

Talk to us!

So what can’t she do?? Purple AF is our most popular color for a reason, Fox Fam! Let us know your favorite way to use this queen of color in the comments, and show off your completed looks in our Fox Fam Facebook Group! And of course, if you have questions about using Purple AF or any other AF shade, you can send us a message at support@arcticfoxusa.com. Stay colorful, and see you next year!