It’s becoming easier and more accessible to dye your hair at home. So much so to where only 22% of women get their hair dyed at a salon now. If you love dyeing your hair DIY, you may always be looking for crazy and unique hair looks to try. That’s why I suggest dyeing your hair green!
I used to have green hair. I loved it. I first tried a true forest green look and then a cute teal look. I loved both! I just wish green hair lasts longer and fades to a prettier color.
I learned a lot in my green hair dye journey. If you’re ready to try green hair, here’s how to find the best green hair dye.
Bottom line up front: The Keracolor hair dye and conditioner in emerald is my favorite product here. This is not only a hair dye but a daily hair conditioner, so you can easily maintain the look of your green hair. It’s a semi-permanent hair dye, so it doesn’t contain ammonia or any other harsh chemicals.
How to Find the Best Green Hair Dye
Later in the article, I will recommend some of my favorite green hair dyes. But with so many options out there, I want to help you find the best green hair dye for your next look.
Consider Your Skin Tone
We all have different skin tones and undertones. The shade of green you choose should match your skin tone and undertone. Let’s take a look at each skin tone and undertone so you can find a corresponding shade of green:
Warm. Choose a brighter shade of green, such as lime green or neon green. The yellow undertones in lime green will especially look great on you. If you do go darker, choose a dark yellow-green such as forest green.
Cool. Choose a deeper shade of green such as forest green. If you want to go lighter, choose a blue-green such as turquoise.
Neutral. Technically all shades of green will look amazing on you. However, mint-green looks best on those with neutral undertones.
Pale skin tone: choose a darker shade of green, such as emerald green.
Medium skin tone: moss green looks best on you, especially if you have warm undertones. Moss green is a muted yellow-green that’s really unique. If you have cool undertones, any deep shade of green will work. Forest green, a deep blue-green color, will look the best.
Dark skin tone: go as bright as possible! Parakeet green, which is a bright green color, looks best. If you do go for a darker color, choose emerald green, which is a medium-toned true green color.
Know Which Shade of Green You Want
From here, you know which shade of green to get before you start shopping. Using your skin tone and undertones is a good starting point. You should also read reviews to ensure the green color is true to the packaging.
Your Hair Dye Look
You may not want full green hair. You may want to do an ombre of green and another color or maybe even a green balayage. If this sounds like your desired look, you’ll need more than one color — possibly more than one shade of green. Before buying multiple colored dyes, make sure the dyes can work together. I also suggest buying from the same brand when possible.
Dye Type and Preference
There are three types of hair dye:
- Permanent: long-lasting color that changes the shade of the entire hair shaft
- Demi-permanent: doesn’t contain ammonia and lasts about 24 shampoos
- Semi-permanent: also doesn’t contain ammonia but only lasts four shampoos
- Temporary: adds color to the hair surface, fades after a couple of washes
Since green isn’t a natural color, you’ll mainly find demi- and semi-permanent green dye on the market. If you’re only dyeing your hair green for an event, such as St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween, you may only want temporary dye.
Chemicals vs. Natural
Most hair dyes contain chemicals, such as ammonia, alcohol, and peroxide. These chemicals are important since they oxidize the hair, altering its natural color. Unfortunately, these chemicals can be damaging. Even demi and semi-permanent hair dyes contain some chemicals.
If you want to avoid chemicals in hair dye, opt for temporary since they don’t contain the strong chemicals found in other types of hair dye. You can also achieve green hair dye in different ways, such as with Kool-Aid, food coloring, and even washable markers.
My Favorite Green Hair Dye Choices
Are you ready to choose your green hair dye? Here are some of the best green hair dyes on the market!
Keracolor Color + Clenditioner Vivids in Emerald
This is the hair dye I recommend the most.
First, it’s a multipurpose hair dye packed with many benefits. You can color your hair with this semi-permanent dye, but it’s also gentle enough for daily use. That means you can use this as a daily conditioner to keep your color fresh.
This product is formulated with conditioning ingredients such as coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, keratin, and rosehip oil. Keep in mind that keratin isn’t vegan. As a semi-permanent color, it’s also formulated without ammonia as well as parabens, sulfates, and gluten.
I’m also choosing this dye for the color. Referring back to my choosing a green dye based on skin tone and undertone, you probably noticed that emerald looks good on so many people. This is a really nice shade of emerald. It’s vibrant and has full coverage — some reviewers said it even covers their grays.
Pros
- Not made with harsh ingredients
- Can act as a daily conditioner
- Cruelty-free (but not vegan)
Cons
- Not made for darker hair
Arctic Fox Semi-Permanent Hair Dye in Space Cowgirl
Arctic Fox is a brand I hear about everywhere. They’re affordable and you don’t need a salon license to buy their products. They also have a wide range of colors and they’re pretty potent. As a semi-permanent color, it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals such as ammonia, peroxide, and PPD. It’s a hydrating formula and is also vegan!
Arctic Fox offers several color options, but I’m choosing the shade space cowgirl because it’s such a trippy, alien shade of electric green. Arctic Fox recommends lightening your hair to a level 8, which is light blonde. At this level, it looks like lime green. But you get the truest color at level 10.
There are other reasons why I’m mentioning Arctic Fox high up. First, few customers complain that their dye transfers. Even Pravana green dye transferred to my skin, nearly all of my shirts and towels, and even the chair at work!
Arctic Fox colors are also long-lasting — I’m reading Arctic Fox colors last as long as eight weeks! But this one also fades to a pretty shade of green, not vomit green which was my experience. Keep in mind that Arctic Fox dyes have a fragrance. I suggest doing a patch test first before applying the dye.
Pros
- Doesn’t contain dangerous chemicals
- Hydrating formula
- Cruelty-free and vegan
- Color doesn’t bleed
Cons
- Complaints that the dye is messy
- Need to lighten your hair to a level 8 to see results
Manic Panic Professional Gel Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Serpentine
Serpentine is one of Manic Panic’s most famous colors. It’s a dark teal and also fades to a beautiful color. Plus, you don’t need to lighten your hair that much. Customers are saying they only lightened their hair to a level 6 (dirty blonde) to get this intense color.
Manic Panic dyes are affordable but last for several washes, I’m even reading as long as six weeks or 40 shampoos. Unlike other Manic Panic dyes, this gel doesn’t require a developer. This dye contains castor oil to moisturize hair and prevent breakage. As a semi-permanent dye, it doesn’t contain ammonia or PPD.
Pros
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Gentle and moisturizing hair dye
- Doesn’t contain PPD or ammonia
- Long-lasting
Cons
- Can be hard to work with
- Doesn’t work on dark hair
Punky Colour Semi-Permanent Conditioning Hair Color in Apple Green
Are you looking for a cool-toned green but want something truer than teal? I love this unique apple green shade by Punky Colour! It’s a bright cool-toned green that looks like an apple. While the packaging makes the color look brighter, it’s still a vibrant color that looks like green apple candy.
The dye includes a conditioner to leave hair feeling soft and looking shiny. These dyes don’t contain paraben, PPD, GMOs, and ammonia. This dye does have keratin, but it’s vegan keratin. It’s pretty long-lasting — Punky Colour said this dye lasts for 25 washes.
The main problem with this dye is it can be difficult to work with, so I wouldn’t recommend this one unless you’re experienced dyeing your own hair.
Pros
- Long-lasting and doesn’t transfer
- Doesn’t contain dangerous chemicals
- Vegan formula
Cons
- Color isn’t easy to work with
Pravana Chromasilk VIVID Neons in Green
If you ever got your hair colored by a stylist, they likely used Pravana if you did a look with crazy colors. I’ve used so many Pravana dyes on my hair in the past. While they have multiple shades of green, I thought their VIVID Neons collection in green looked best on me. This is the first professional-grade dye that can react to a blacklight, which is super cool!
But there are some downsides. Since this is a professional brand, you can only purchase it with a hairstylist license. It’s also not the most conditioning formula on this list. You also have to bleach your hair really light, to a 9 or 10. I remember my stylist had to bleach my hair, apply a little product, and then I had to go in for another bleaching and dye application about a week later. It also has a weird smell, like men’s cologne.
Pros
- Long-lasting color
- Neon green that reacts to a blacklight, is a really unique concept
- Fades to a nice color
Cons
- Need to bleach your hair really light
- Requires a hairstylist license to purchase
Lime Crime Full Coverage Unicorn Hair in Swamp Queen
The best way I can describe the color swamp green is the color of money. It’s a warm shade of dark green that’s very rich and vibrant. Lime Crime is known for making saturated makeup and the same can be said about their hair dye.
While you should bleach your hair to a 9 or 10 for the truest color, the color is dark enough to still stand out if your hair is a level 7. It contains vegan conditioning ingredients so your hair feels moisturized and looks shiny.
It has a nice scent — sugar! But I would still be wary if you have a sensitive scalp. Always do a patch test first.
Pros
- Vegan ingredients
- Doesn’t stain
- Doesn’t contain harsh ingredients such as ammonia or peroxide
Cons
- Jar packaging doesn’t make this the most convenient product to use
- Fades easier than the other products on this list
L’Oreal Colorista 1-Day Temporary Hair Color in Green
Nearly all of the colors on the list have been semi-permanent, but I wanted to include a temporary hair dye for those special events or if your child wants to dye their hair green. L’Oreal is a reliable brand name and the color is a true green shade. It’s only temporary but can last longer than a day if you don’t wash your hair. Plus, it even shows up on brown hair! It also has a gentle formula.
Pros
- Gentle formula
- Can be used on brown hair
Cons
- Customers complained about staining
- Doesn’t contain moisturizing ingredients
- Color may not be true to the packaging
Splat Double Lift Permanent Color in Envy Me
I honestly never thought I would find green in a permanent dye option, but take it upon Splat to shock me. As the name suggests, this is a permanent hair color that completely transforms the shade of your hair. The secret? Splat can achieve unnatural colors in a permanent form by doing darker colors.
Envy Me is a fun green color, yet it’s subtle. Reviewers described this color as black with green highlights. A friend of mine used to have a color like this and it looked beautiful.
The box includes the color cream, color concentrate, developer, reconstruction conditioner, gloves, and a processing cap. Since this is a dark color, you can use it on dark brown hair for vibrancy. Splat just recommends using this on virgin hair (hair that has never been color-treated before, or at least those who naturally have dark hair). It contains ingredients such as soy protein and aloe vera so your hair feels silky smooth.
But as permanent color, it doesn’t last as long as you would expect. Some reviewers noticed fading even after one wash. The green really only lasts for a few weeks before it’s gone. It seems like this is more of a semi-permanent color than anything.
This isn’t the only complaint. Reviewers complained this dye is difficult to work with, so I wouldn’t suggest using this dye unless you’re experienced.
Pros
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Gluten-free
- Includes everything in the box
- Easy dyeing process
- Beautiful dark emerald color
Cons
- Many stores no longer carry this product, have to order it online
- Need at least two kits if you have long and/or thick hair
- Has a scent, do a patch test if you have a sensitive scalp
- It may not be a true permanent dye
Adore Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Jade
I can’t get enough of this color! It’s such a pretty pastel green and you don’t need to mix different colors to achieve this unique look. While pastels are some of the most difficult colors to maintain, I suggest choosing this color if you want something unique. This dye doesn’t contain peroxide, ammonia, or alcohol. Instead, it contains conditioning ingredients to leave your hair soft and shiny.
Pros
- Not made with dangerous chemicals
- Sustainable packaging
- Doesn’t stain
Cons
- Pastel colors, including this one, fade quickly
FAQs
Answer: I suggest asking a hairstylist for advice. Green is a vivid color and you shouldn’t combine it with other colors. But for now, you have a couple of options. If your hair is dark, bleach it to the best level. That is usually between 7 and 10. You can also use a color removal product, but I would proceed with caution with this product unless you’re experienced. Another option is to mix green with your existing color by doing an ombre or balayage.
Answer: Again, I suggest asking a hairstylist for advice. Still, you can refer to the advice above. Either bleach the color out or use a color remover. Dye your hair another color from there. I’m also seeing you can remove hair dye by using a strong shampoo or a scrub, but the bleach or color remover options are more effective. I’m also reading you can neutralize green with ketchup, but ewwww who would want to do that?
Answer: No, but you’ll likely need to bleach it first.
Bottom Line
I’m always amazed at how much the funky hair color trend is growing! That’s why the Keracolor green hair dye and conditioner is my favorite product. Not only does the emerald green look amazing on so many people (regardless of skin tone and undertone) but you can use this product daily, maintaining the color of your hair. I still suggest you look through all of these recommendations, especially if you want a specific shade of green!
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