Special Effects Alternative Brands.
SFX closed in 2019 and very quickly all the remaining dyes sold out. Any dyes you find now will be at least 4 years old so mix well and try a strand test if you buy one of these.
We still get almost weekly about hair dyes that are as vibrant and last as long as Special Effects! Sadly there are none that truly compare to this wonderful and well-loved brand. Many people are importing brands from the USA such as Arctic Fox & Lunar Tides, Beeunique cannot stock these as the ingredients do not comply with EU rules. This means the dyes should not be for sale or imported into the UK or Europe.
Peronally, from the brands we do sell I have found that Adore Hair Dyes have the closest colour range to Special colours. They don’t last near as long but are a fair bit cheaper to buy so would be worth trying. I have also found that Adore Hair Dyes are very easy to wipe off the skin with a face wipe unlike SFX that stained your skin for several days usually.
The colour from Special Effects that we are most asked about is the amazing Atomic Pink Hair Dye – this was UV reactive neon pink and lasted for months! The longest lasting semi-permanent brand that is allowed in the UK & EU is Manic Panic and their Hot Hot Pink is a very close match to Atomic Pink colour-wise. From customer feeedback & reviews there are a few Headshot & hermans colours that are also close to this bright pink shade.
Hermans Wanda Copper Hair Dye is a new colour to the range. This brings the total number of colours in the Herman’s Range to 34. Wanda Copper is a rich golden cooper/orange shade. As with all herman’s dyes the colours last approx 8-12 weeks depending on how often you wash/use products on your hair.
This is a new colour to Beeunique so we have based our swatch on the manufacturers colour swatch. This may be changed once we have seen photos showing the actual colour result on real hair.
Hermans Electric Violet Hair Dye is a new colour to the range. This brings the total number of colours in the Herman’s Range to 34. Electric Violet is a deep purple with a blue undertone. As with all herman’s dyes the colours last approx 8-12 weeks depending on how often you wash/use products on your hair.
This is a new colour to Beeunique so we have based our swatch on the manufacturers colour swatch. This may be changed once we have seen photos showing the actual colour result on real hair.
Hermans Magic Orchid Hair Dye is a new colour to the range. This brings the total number of colours in the Herman’s Range to 34. Magic Orchid is a deep purple with a strong pink undertone colour. As with all herman’s dyes the colours last approx 8-12 weeks depending on how often you wash/use products on your hair.
This is a new colour to Beeunique so we have based our swatch on the manufacturers colour swatch. This may be changed once we have seen photos showing the actual colour result on real hair.
Manic Panic Dark Star is a new colour to the range. It is a deep grey shade with a purple undertone.
This is a new colour to Beeunique so we have based our swatch on the manufacturers colour swatch. This may be changed once we have seen photos showing the actual colour result on real hair.
Our swatch:
This dye is on order and due into stock around the start of March 22. As usual you can sign up for a back in stock notification email to be notified when this colour is added to the website.
Amelia Aqua Blue is a new colour to the Herman’s Hair Dye range. This is a beautiful mediterranean sea blue aqua shade.
This is a new colour to Beeunique so we have based our swatch on the manufacturers colour swatch. This may be changed once we have seen photos showing the actual colour result on real hair.
This dye is on order and due into stock around the start of March 22. As usual you can sign up for a back in stock notification email to be notified when this colour is added to the website.
Fuck You Im Magic is a new colour to the Headshot Hair Dye range. This is an intense bright blue shade with a purple undertone. Depending on how light your base colour is will determine how much of the purple undertone shows through.
This is a new colour to Beeunique so we are using the manufacturers swatch but will create our own once we have seen photos showing the actual colour result on real hair.
This dye is on order and due into stock around the start of March 22. As usual you can sign up for a back in stock notification email to be notified when this colour is added to the website.
Rebellious UV Dyes Discontinued by Paintglow. They are still continuing to sell all of the standard non-UV shades. We will be unable to get the UV colours back in stock.
UPDATE – we are now offering you 20% off all all Rebellious Hair Dyes while stocks last.
We are out of stock of Neon Green & Neon Yellow so these have been removed from our website, If you like any of the other UV colours then grab them while you still can!
Rebellious UV Dyes Discontinued – our reasons why:
We decided to discontinue the range due to ongoing issues with the manufacturer. New products added then discontinued (mini glitter tubes and now the uv range), several packaging changes, changes to minimum order quantities and bottle sizes. All of these changes are a nightmare to keep up with, updating the website when new packaging and sizes etc come in, but the massive increase in minimum amount of each colour we have to purchase makes it uneconomical to continue with this brand and this time.
We are often asked if the semi permanent dyes we sell are ‘vegetable dyes’ or if we sell permanent hair dyes. The short answer to both is no, at present we only sell semi-permanent dyes. The three main types of hair dye are Vegetable, Semi-Permanent & Permanent and a brief description of each of these can be seen below:
Semi Permanent Hair Dyes:
This is the type of dye currently available on the Beeunique website. These do not permanently change the hair colour but rather coat the hair shaft and temporary change the overall shade. Semi-Permanent Dyes are often called ‘veggie’ dyes in relation to most of them being vegan friendly which could explain why many people confuse them with vegetable dyes which are in fact made from plants.
These type of dyes do not need mixed with anything, can be used straight away and contain no ammonia. If you do not have light coloured hair or do not wish to bleach your hair you can still use these dyes but the results will not be as vibrant so best trying a strand test first. Some of the deeper/darker hair colours may show up on unbleached hair but it is unlikely to be as vibrant as on lighter hair colours, and may only given a sheen of colour. We have a section in the Hair Dye Gallery showing how the colours can look on Unbleached Hair
Semi Permanent dyes can last anywhere from 1 wash to several months, it all depends on the brand, the colour being used as well as the porosity of your hair. The following pages can help you further with how long each brand tends to last and how to get the best results from your dye – Hair Dye FAQ and Hair Dye Tips
Vegetable Hair Dyes:
Vegetable hair dyes are made with plants such as Henna and Camomile. They don’t tend to make more subtle changes to the hair and certainly not the kind of neon results brands like Manic Panic & Directions are known for. Camomile is normally used to bring a sun-kissed look to hair, such as lighter streaks in fair hair whereas Henna usually brings out red tones in darker hair. We do not currently sell these type hair dyes on Beeunique.
Permanent Hair Dyes:
These type of dyes are often called ‘box dyes’ and they will permanently change the hair colour. They usually contain chemicals to lighten the hair so can give drastic results to the hair. Eventually the hair will need to be re-bleached, dyed over or grown out. Some manufacturers make permanent hair dyes in neon colours like bright pink and red etc, however despite being called ‘permanent’ these do tend to fade over time and don’t tend to give the truly neon results that semi-permanent dyes can. Any product that contains chemicals such as permanent dyes and bleach can damage the hair if used incorrectly or too often. At this time we do not sell any permanent hair dyes.
Disclaimer: The information given on this site has been from our own personal use, our customers feedback and various websites and forums. Beeunique are not trained hairdressers or professionals and as such we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of all the information in this section and tips etc should be used with caution. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another and if you are in any doubt about a procedure it is recommend you contact a hairdresser or other trained professional first.
For April you can get 10% off all of your Directions Hair Dyes. The reduced price is shown on the website so no need for codes or vouchers. Simply add the dyes to your shopping cart and checkout as normal.
Antique Mauve – a pale purple with silver tones
Deep Purple – a rich purple with aubergine tones
Fluorescent Green – an intense bright green (UV Reactive)
Fluorescent Lime – an intense light green (UV Reactive)
Pastel Blue – a powder baby blue shade
Pastel Rose – a pale ducky pink/rose gold shade
Peach – a peachy orange/pink shade
Slate – a mid grey with blue undertones
Stormy Grey – a dark greey with a purple tone
Sunflower – a rich golden yellow shade
Ultra Violet – a vibrant purple with blue undertones
Renamed Directions Dyes:
Fire – is now Neon Red
Mandarin – is now Fluorescent Orange (UV Reactive)
Fluorescent Glow – is now Fluorescent Yellow (UV Reactive)
Directions new shades are all on order and should arrive within the next day or two. As always you can sign up for a back in stock notification to be emailed as soon as they arrive. You can view the directions new shades here.
As with all Directions hair dyes, these new colours are vegan friendly and no animal testing.
Crazy Color Anti Bleed Spray is a new product to their hair care range. Fully Vegan & Cruelty Free
Bottes are 250ml
Locks in colour for upto 10 extra washes
Ultra low PH
No salt or sulphate
Soya bean oil enhances hair shine
Works in just 60 seconds
Doubles as a leave in conditioning treatment
After dyeing your hair, simply rinse with cool water then apply the Anti Bleed Spray to wet hair. Let it sit for one minute and then rinse to reduce/stop colour bleeding. Low PH.
Another new product recently added is the Colour Extend Shampoo. Bottles are 250ml.