2023 pixie hair colors: Mint gray & platinum blonde | Hair dyeing | Taipei salon

What is pixie hair color?

Recommended pixie hair colors

Pixie Mint Gray
The high-fashion, cool-toned Mint Gray fades into a light yellow over time. Luca suggests that after it fades, you can use a color-depositing shampoo with a mix of White and Rose Blue to maintain the mint gray's subtle ash tones.

Pixie platinum blonde
The mysterious, cool-toned platinum blonde has a slight yellow tint. On darker skin tones like black, red, or yellow, it may lack the translucency that fairer skin achieves. For slightly darker skin tones, Mint Gray is recommended as a better alternative. When platinum blonde fades, it also turns slightly yellow. Using a color-depositing shampoo like White is all that's needed to refresh the color.

Further reading: [Recommended Color-Depositing Shampoo]: "MCG Color-Depositing Shampoo" offers 7 built-in shades to choose from. How do you evaluate which color to use?

Why dark or black-dyed hair can’t be colored pixie shades?

To achieve the light and translucent effect of pixie hair colors, the hair must be bleached to a very light base. If the hair has been previously dyed black, bleaching it to the desired lightness may cause the hair to break before reaching the target color. Therefore, attempting pixie colors after dyeing hair black is not possible, as it will inevitably result in color blocking. Besides black, Luca also points out that red and violet-red are difficult colors to remove. If you’ve dyed your hair dark and want to try pixie hair colors, you'll need to wait until all the dark-dyed sections have been cut off before proceeding.

Why gray hair is perfect for pixie hair colors?

Dyeing hair darker to cover gray is a common choice for those dealing with gray hair, but an alternative is to go lighter instead. Light hair colors can extend the time between touch-ups compared to dark shades. When dyeing hair dark, the new gray growth contrasts sharply with the dyed sections. However, with extremely light pixie hair colors, the color difference between the natural gray and the dyed sections is much less noticeable. Based on Luca's experience, "you can wait at least four to five months before returning to the salon for a touch-up."

Further reading: Is there a better option than dyeing your hair black to cover gray? Gray hair highlights can extend your time between touch-ups!

Maintenance tips for mint gray and platinum blonde

Achieving pixie hair colors on natural hair typically requires 2–3 rounds of bleaching, which causes more damage compared to regular dyeing or perming. Since women generally have longer hair, the damaged hair remains on their heads for a longer period. In contrast, men tend to have shorter hair, so any damaged hair is trimmed off more quickly. Therefore, for women undergoing bleaching, it is recommended to incorporate bond-building treatments during the process. Hair stylists often prioritize maintaining hair quality first and focus on achieving the target color second.

Hair care routine

After dyeing your hair to a pixie color, you can immediately use a toning shampoo like White to maintain the color. Once the color starts to fade and turns yellowish, switch to a color-depositing shampoo with other pigments. This method helps prevent washing out the original color and avoids mismatches with the desired shade. However, Luca recommends adding White to dilute the pigments when using other colors. The lighter the base color, the more the color-depositing shampoo will take hold, and without diluting, the resulting color may become too saturated.

In addition to bond-building treatments during the bleaching process, post-bleaching care is essential. Along with toning and color-depositing shampoos, a rinse-out hair mask is crucial. It’s best to choose a neutral pH shampoo with high moisturizing properties because alkaline shampoos tend to cause more tangling and dryness after washing. You can also use a moisturizing scalp tonic to soothe any discomfort after bleaching. Luca emphasizes again, "Toning shampoo is the most important product for maintaining pixie hair colors."

Further reading: What’s the difference between color-depositing, toning, and color protecting shampoos?

Recommended hair salons for coloring in Taipei

In addition to working at Cyan Salon, Luca also serves as a stylist for entertainment events, including "Jungle Voice 3", Taipei Fashion Week, and the web series "Dear Uranus". Compared to simply focusing on hair styling, Luca excels at creating an overall ambiance: "In the salon, the hairstyle is the main focus, but for entertainment events, the emphasis is on the overall image. The main subject is usually the theme of the drama or the product in the advertisement, so I have to think beyond just the hairstyle. It’s about how the clothing, makeup, and hairstyle work together to match the event's focus."