Hit parade-20: the twenty reddest direct-action pigments that have passed through my hair

Red hair has always made a statement because it is blatantly colorful, striking, and eye-catching. I’ve played around with a range of red pigments over the years, from intense copper tones to rich crimson. Every shade adds a unique flair that changes a look’s overall vibe in addition to the hair.

Discovering the ideal red is a journey for color-loving people like me. While some pigments fade too quickly or fall flat, others bring out the best with an intense color payoff and a stunning finish. I’ve put together a list of the top 20 red direct-action pigments that I’ve used on my hair after going through many trial and error.

This list features reds that stood out for their longevity, vibrancy, and overall impact—not just the boldest or brightest reds. These pigments might become your new favorites if you’re looking to add some fierce red to your hair.

Rank	Pigment Name	Color Intensity	Durability
1	Arctic Fox – Wrath	Vivid Red	4-6 weeks
2	Pulp Riot – Fireball	Bright Scarlet	3-5 weeks
3	Manic Panic – Vampire Red	Deep Crimson	4-6 weeks
4	Crazy Color – Fire	Fiery Red	3-4 weeks
5	Adore – Truly Red	Bold Cherry	2-4 weeks
6	Directions – Pillarbox Red	Classic Red	3-5 weeks
7	Special Effects – Nuclear Red	Electric Red	4-6 weeks
8	Sparks – Red Hot	Intense Red	3-5 weeks
9	Punky Colour – Cherry on Top	Rich Cherry Red	3-4 weeks
10	Pravana – Red	Pure Red	4-6 weeks
11	Lunar Tides – Blood Moon	Dark Red	3-5 weeks
12	Ion Color Brilliance – Red	Bright Red	2-4 weeks
13	Joico Color Intensity – Red	Vibrant Red	3-5 weeks
14	Keracolor – Clenditioner Red	Soft Red	2-3 weeks
15	Overtone – Extreme Red	Intense Ruby	3-4 weeks
16	L"Oréal Colorista – Red	Bright Warm Red	2-4 weeks
17	Wella Color Fresh Create – Uber Red	Rich Red	3-5 weeks
18	Schwarzkopf Live – Real Red	True Red	4-6 weeks
19	Splat – Crimson Obsession	Bold Crimson	3-4 weeks
20	Clairol Color Crave – Red	Bright Ruby	2-3 weeks

My main criteria for choosing direct pigments

I’ll go over the primary criteria I used to rank the products from worst to best before I begin my hit parade. Even though all of this is incorrect, there are best and worst cases because every dye has specific qualities. The question is which qualities my favorites meet and which ones my outsiders don’t.

• The first thing I pay attention to is the availability of the dye. Ideally, it should be sold in professional stores in my city. I can still understand buying in well-known and trusted online stores, where, despite the current situation in the world, there is no interruption in supply, and, in a good way, fast delivery. It"s a mixed feeling when you have to show proof of your qualifications as a master to buy from a single supplier, but if there are problems with deliveries and/or the dye is sold only on foreign sites, where you can"t do without the help of an intermediary-transfer, then this is not the case.
• Next, I consider the ratio of price and volume. It is clear that the cheaper, the better. But not always a cheap dye will be of good quality. The same with more expensive dyes. Especially if they have a small tube volume.
• Purpose of direct pigment and the concentration of color in it. Yes, there are pure direct pigments, which are called that, and there are tint masks, tint balms, toning masks for maintaining color. And if pigments and balms are decently pigmented, then tint masks cannot boast of this and are good, perhaps, for maintaining pants color. In the same heap, the beauty of color. If the color is initially dirty, then why do I need such a dye?
• Physical features and features of application\aging of the dye also play a significant role. Actually, that"s why you won"t see anthocyanin here, because I still haven"t decided to buy it. But I have a product in my arsenal that corrodes gloves. How do you like that, Elon Musk?

20th place. Ollin Matisse Color Tinted Balm

Ollin Matiss’s tinted balm Color—which should not be confused with direct pigment in a white tube—is produced in 300 ml plastic bottles with a high-quality black dispenser and retails for between 300 and 350 rubles in upscale stores in the city. Along with a ton of shades for blondes, the palette also includes red and fuchsia. If the longevity, guessability, and readability of the shade after two to three washes are acceptable for blondes, then this is, in my opinion, impolite behavior for red (pomegranate), ginger, and fuchsia.

Even though I won’t buy it again, I won’t stop you from buying it because, in a fishless world, a crayfish is still a fish. I do not advise blondes to "play around" with this shade because I have not checked on test strands and I am unsure if it will wash off.

19th place. NYCE DYEMASK Toning Hair Mask

18th place. Tefia Color mask tinting mask

I wrote a post about it here, along with a number of other products that were presented. However, I’ll say it again. The brand offers a range of tinting masks, with a primary focus on blond tones, but also includes masks for maintaining chocolate, purple, and red tones.

Indeed, this is an additional mask designed to revive and preserve the color achieved using permanent dye. Furthermore, while the effect may be WOW for the general public, it may not be strong enough for bright color enthusiasts. The mask’s 250 ml capacity and marginal price reduction (to 900 rubles) over the previous model are positive aspects. Despite being aware of the price of my preferred mask, I wouldn’t purchase this one again.

I’ll walk you through my personal experience using twenty of the most vivid red direct-action hair pigments I’ve ever tried in this post. I’ll discuss how each color worked on my hair, how long they lasted, and which ones really stood out, ranging from vibrant oranges to rich burgundies. Whether you want to try something new or are just fond of playing around with red colors, this "hit parade" of pigments will assist you in selecting the ideal shade to draw attention.

17th place. Kapous Professional Life Color Tinting Conditioner

I’ve also mentioned it here. Because of this, my opinion has not changed. Although you can take it for clients, I haven’t taken it again and I don’t plan to. acquired from a professional. 200 ml shops in my city cost between 280 and 300 rubles.

Despite being a tinting balm, this product has a gel-like consistency rather than a balm. Like the color and durability, the scent is pretty average. To give it credit where credit is due, though, this balm works well for temporary pastel coloring; dilute with a mask or conditioner to try a new color that won’t leave your hair looking completely white. I promise.

Because the carousel uses a variety of shades, I advise testing the washability of the strands beforehand. I used it to tint this gorgeous pink hair, and it was sure to wash off into a blond purple shade. It dries in its pure form, and everything works well in its mixed form. In my experience, the brightness lasts for roughly five washing sessions when the balm is used in its purest form.

16th place. Direct action dye Kapous Professional Rainbow

I also wrote about it in that post, which I already pinned a couple of times above.
Unlike the previous example, this guy is more pigmented, but the same gel, and the same wildly drying in pure form. Still, after Kapous, you need to pump out your hair. The volume is the same, it costs 100 rubles more on the same shelf in the store as the balm, but why is it in 16th place, and the balm in 17th? And because there are more color options. Let"s say a diva comes to me and asks for a blue one that disappears to zero or is cleaned with powder quickly and without problems. I know that this dye has such a blue. And one more, but more about that later.

15th place. Direct action pigment Constant Delight Crazy color

look at the palette, some shades will make your eyes bleed

Then it dawned on me why I had given this dye such high marks: it didn’t dry out my hair. I will not, however, use it for work.

I can just see your delights

14th place. Sim Sensitive SensiDo match direct action pigment

This Finnish guy stands out because his color scheme lacks green and instead features multiple neon shades. Not every professional sells it. shop, many iMags are selling a 125 ml volume for 670 rubles. Elegance.

But still! The extraction and application of the dye are truly torturous due to the icky consistency of sticky jam, a tiny hole, and an incredibly inconvenient tube. For easier application, it is preferable to combine the dye with a conditioner or mask. As for the tube, I’m not sure what to do with it.

Three colors have passed through my hands: red, blue and neon yellow. Red was used in its pure form, lasted a couple of weeks, and the test strand washes off into peach, after which it is almost completely removed with powder, and the freshly dyed powder does not go away. Consumption in pure form is outrageously uneconomical. Neon yellow in my case it was used with a drop of green Nexxt and conditioner, it disappeared, you could say, completely in 1.5 months, the test strand is successfully cleaned with powder both immediately after coloring and washed off. Blue, it is blue even in Africa: it gets stuck, the bastard, both in pure and fresh form, and in washed off form, and there is green everywhere.
I will not buy it again because of the above-described inconveniences with application and extraction.

13th place. Ollin Matiss Color direct action pigment

Everything about them is good: the palette is nice, the consistency is gel-like, the colors are eye-pleasing, my care stops the dryness after this pigment, and it smells like candy. However, I was not lucky with the saturation’s durability. Available for purchase in professional stores, the 100 ml tube costs 280 rubles. Unlike its predecessor, this tube is incredibly soft and convenient, and it has an opening control. Actually, this is a dream rather than a dye! I do not own the durability, though.

12th place. Direct pigment Estel X-tro

Yes, exactly—the same dye that stains your hands for a week and corrodes gloves. The same dye that’s been marked for durability. The same homegrown dye, particularly in black, has an extremely fashionable appearance.

Features a protective foil covering, a decent range of long-lasting colors in black packaging, as well as shades that are washable and removable in white packaging, and soft tubes. In a professional shop, the issue costs 250 rubles for every 100 milliliters. Remember to wear latex or vinyl gloves rather than nitrile ones to avoid dying your hair as well.

Since the dye must be applied quickly and to thin strands, which are then undesirable to separate the cuticle will open and the hair will become tightly tangled, it actually smells like alcohol. This is the illegitimate daughter of Anthocyanin’s grand nephew, so say evil tongues.

11th place. Tonika tint balm

but Tonika needs straighter arms,

P.S. This guy costs 100 rubles for a full 250 ml at any low-cost home chemical store. Tonika has undergone changes in palette, formula, and packaging over the course of approximately ten reissues. My favorite raspberry, "Indian Summer," suddenly lost its pinkish tint and turned into a dull red. This is what makes my heart feel like a simple organ devoid of guilt, conscience, and days off.

I was not particularly concerned about the rumors that it contains heavy metals and pigments that can only be removed under industrial conditions and by means of industrial means, until this very tonic started to leave brown spots on the once smooth base after the saturation of the shades was washed out. If this is acceptable for warm shades, then it is unacceptable for cold shades.

My sister went all out, but she’s okay with it for the time being. Tonika and I tied up. Tonic is incredibly resilient, particularly in the hues of the previous release. The newer generation of this dye makes things easier, but you still need to test. Okay, so… She understood and accepted all the risks I had told her about at the time. Regarding working with clients, I don’t think less of Tonika if someone asks to use it to dye their hair.

10th place. Prestige tint balm

A strange consistency, a large palette, an awkward metal tube, and an affordable Bulgarian dye. It’s difficult to locate in your hometown, difficult to locate in a foreign city, and difficult to locate an online price tag that is comparable to the city’s; for instance, a 100 ml tube costs between 70 and 100 rubles in this place. Gel, orange, and yellow cream were encountered. I seem to recall that the dye has no smell.

Without the aid of powder, washes, SMS, or registrations, yellow and orange—both pure and diluted with conditioner—go blond. I’m not sure about the red, but my hair looked really nice for two weeks. fades to a pink hue. I’m not sure what to say about the other shades, so research them independently. Therefore, I suggest it to anyone in need of the aforementioned colors with comparable qualities.

9th place. Galacticos direct action pigment

Probably the least expensive dye I have in my collection. It is captivating due to its soft tube that can be cut when needed, great cleaning qualities, vibrant color scheme, packaging, and high-quality contents that are exactly like the direct pigment Nexxt (which I will write about later). It also costs only 60 rubles for 100 ml. However, the prospect of long-term employment with it is entirely destroyed by its near total absence from offline and online environments.

Similar to true love, everyone is searching for it but very few have had the opportunity to meet it. If there are no lyrics, local distributors will likely reject the dye and the brand altogether. You won’t be able to find it in iMags warehouses either, which suggests that delivery issues or production halts may be the cause.

I experimented on myself with pink and red. In a few weeks, crimson turned into a somewhat muted shade of red, almost peach in tone, while fuchsia turned into pink. Even though the dye does not entirely disappear, it is still possible to clean up the leftover powder.

8th place. Any direct action hair pigment

This location could be where your advertisement You can order any direct-acting pigment online, and even though it’s quite red and doesn’t dry out hair, I would do this for the first and last time. Either the price is excessively high, the image does not exude confidence but did not fall flat during the ordering process, the tube is skewed, the dye’s consistency is inappropriate, etc., etc. p. Just give it a try at work and on my own hair to see how it goes overall.

Framesi BOLDand I really wanted to submit the post

7th place. Direct action pigment for hair BB one I.Q. COLOR

If I had used the previous dye sooner, the joke about it being an advertisement could have been there instead, but it was not meant to be. The BB one I.Q. COLOR pigment is put in a washer-jar with a screw cap that cannot be opened. While it is not safe, it is incredibly practical for individual use—you just need to dip your brush in it and apply it to your hair instead of mixing it with anything else. For 200 ml of red-shimmer happiness scented with watercolor and lemon, the issue costs 450 rubles.

I painted just the root zone of the canvas because the paint does not dry out the hair and lays down red without a pink tint, covering small flaws in the canvas. In three weeks, the pigment turned into a peach. Regarding getting stuck, freshly colored hair virtually never loses its coloring, while perfectly cleaned hair has the pigment completely removed.

Though I thought the dye was generally good, its cost and extended shelf life made it disposable in my opinion.

6th place. Direct action pigment Pulp Riot

But before working with Pulp Riot, you should give it a lot of thought because the vast majority of shades are out of stock due to the pandemic and have been for months. As a regional master, I am also concerned about the dye transfer to me, even though as a master I should be troubled by the color’s incredibly unstable behavior during application, development, and wear.

5th place. Direct pigment Londa Professional

just like an ambulance

Furthermore, there is no intense urge to use the metal tube. The color scheme is traditional pastel and rainbow, with some shades that can be removed to achieve a blond look, and a red that is so rich and complex that I may order it again in the future. Though the dye is a one-day dye in theory. It is nearly odorless, thick, and has a faint pink tint. In my case, the cost of the problem is 300 rubles for 100 milliliters.

Although the dye was used in its purest form, it can also be used in a mixture with balm because of how dense the color is. Saturation lasts for roughly two to three weeks.

4th place. Nirvel Professional Tinted Gel

Another instance of a judge that I "bought," but this time I did so primarily because the dye was available rather than because of the color. Overall, the product’s presentation is pleasing: it comes in a soft, practical 250 ml tube that costs 700 rubles, and it has an extensive color range that ranges from several blonde variations to vivid, saturated rainbow hues. Tonics: gel consistency, effortless application, and scent Indeed, the phrase "the smell of tonics" has already gained popularity.

3rd place. Nexxt direct action pigment

We’ll now proceed to the top three. And to be honest, this pigment would have been ranked #1 in my TOP if not for supply issues and the actions of local distributors who took this dye off the shelves of Astrakhan stores. I’m not sure who it upset, really. You can extract the dye from a white jar with a screw cap and a handy spout in any way you choose—no one will suffer—well, not the jar, that is.

The cost of this dye is typically a fairy tale, ranging from 60 to 110 rubles for 100 ml, but in iMags, the price is increased by two to five times. When required, the primary rainbow palette should be highly pigmented. The most stunning blue and green, the most extravagant fuchsia and purple, and the most astounding orange and red, in my opinion.

Indeed, this is my first direct-acting pigment since quitting henna and basma, and if not for the aforementioned factors, I would have continued using it. Even though it hurts to buy at such prices, I try to keep a small supply on hand for my clients because I know that this dye can be purchased for less.

The consistency is creamy, the aroma of granny"s roses, but I like it sooo much … Durability and pigmentation are different: red, fuchsia, blue, green, and purple are the most saturated, the saturation can last up to 2 weeks. Blue \ aquamarine and yellow are the least pigmented, they can wash off into the base, in the same pile of shades for blond "platinum" and "graphite". Red without a pinkish tint, orange with a reddish tint at first, which then disappears, fuchsia is gorgeously pink, blue is blue, not an extremely saturated blue, violet is violet with all its cold blue and warm pink, aquamarine, aka blue, is exactly as it should be, green, as I already said – cold, the color of green, yellow is standard and, unfortunately, poorly pigmented. All the same can be said about the shades of the Galacticos dye palette.

2nd place. Direct pigment Iro iro.

It"s gorgeous. Seriously. When I ordered two different American dyes to try, I didn"t think I would love Iro iro so much. I thought that this honor would be bestowed on Pulp Riot, but no.
Two release formats: 118 ml and 236 ml, and both in a soft foil bag with a tricky plastic lid, vegan composition, caring properties, just a huge palette of both stuck shades and completely washable ones, among which there is a line of neon shades, and all are amazingly clean, and this thing smells like prunes … Seriously, for this I am ready to close my eyes to the price tags of 850 rubles and 1250 rubles, respectively, and the fact that I can buy these pigments only in one IMag.

On myself, I applied red and neon red. In addition to being long-lasting, both dyes have a faint neon effect, even in regular red. Furthermore, neon red hair truly glows in the sun. It’s gorgeous, but it takes a long time to wash out. In the end, neon red turns into a clear base when combined with powder and washing. Normal red has a sticky texture. Neons from this manufacturer are slowly making their way into my collection because I want to use them to draw glitches using this dye.

1st place. Concept Fresh Up and Concept Fashion Look

This is not surprising, you know. since there isn’t anything to be upset about. First of all, the dye looks chic! Easy-to-open black matte tube featuring a metallized label and a functional black dispenser. Furthermore, it can be found in numerous stores within my city. Thirdly, the cost of the 250ml is not too steep at 300–400r.

While using this dye, you can feel blissful thanks to its creamy consistency and berry candy scent. Yes, I mixed the pigment and balm together for a purpose. Personally, I use a pink pigment and a balm for red shades; both have the same technical properties. This post has more reading for you.

Red washes out in a couple of weeks into a pale version of red with a slight pink tint. Cannot be cleaned with powder. The Fresh Up palette of dyes can renew the freshness of copper, chocolate and black shades, but I can’t say about durability and washability, I haven’t tried or tested them. Pink washes out into a pale version of itself and is slightly cleaned up with powder. Fuchsia is cleaned out with powder into… warm peach. Yellow and green, which are the color of a pickled cucumber, wash out into yellow and remain so even after cleaning… Blue, it’s blue-2 even in Africa, washes out into a greenish turquoise and remains the same after cleaning, but light blue, steel and violet can go to zero over time. Especially steel and blue.

Instead of drying out the hair, the dye has a very nourishing effect. I value this above all else, so I buy it and I will continue to buy it for myself and my clients. It is fantastic and convenient.

It was an adventure of daring decisions and vivid outcomes to investigate the top 20 direct-action red pigments. With its distinct shade, texture, and finish, each pigment offered a novel interpretation of what "red" could actually mean for hair. There was something to suit every taste and mood, ranging from fiery oranges to deep burgundies.

While some pigments stood out for their ease of use and ability to blend seamlessly with other shades, others offered intense, long-lasting color with great coverage. It became evident that the ideal red is dependent upon the type of hair, the desired maintenance level, and personal preference. There is a direct-action pigment on this list that will work for you whether you want a bold, eye-catching color or a soft, subtle shade.

Trying out these 20 pigments encouraged experimenting with various shades and combinations while also showcasing the diversity in the world of red hair color. Because hair is a canvas, there are countless ways to express yourself with these pigments. Play around, experiment, and choose the shade that most accurately captures your distinct sense of fashion and personality.

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