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Byrdie / Chloe Jeong
Maybe you're a DIY dye veteran, a salon devotee, a professional stylist, or are new to the world of hair coloring. In any case, if you want the best results, it's worth exploring higher-end formulas. Celebrity colorist Reece Walker says he uses a medley of professional brands. "Depending on what kind of work I'm doing, I change up what I'm using," he tells Byrdie.
Meet the Expert
Reece Walker is a bi-coastal celebrity colorist specializing in blond color work. He has worked with many high-profile clients, including Miranda Kerr, Victoria Beckham, and Eva Longoria.
While salon-grade formulations are generally better quality than the over-the-counter variety, high-profile colorist Matt Rez warns against buying them if you're not a trained specialist. "Pro hair color works on a level and tone system that only a professional knows how to formulate properly," he explains.
Meet the Expert
Matt Rez is a celebrity colorist who has worked with Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber. He is also the inventor of the midlight technique and brand ambassador for Redken.
With this in mind, we rounded up standout options that, for the most part, are reserved for color specialists to consider using on their clients. And if you're not a pro but just like to know exactly what's being applied to your head, you can ask your stylist about a specific brand of treatment.
Meet the Expert
Felicia Dosso, hair colorist at Nunzio Saviano Salon in NYC.
Ahead are the best professional hair color brands available today.
Best Overall: Wella Professionals Illumina Permanent Creme Hair Color
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Walmart
Gentle formula
Leaves hair shiny
Colorist-recommended
Contains PEGs
What do buyers say? 91% of 500+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
"My first choice for tints (permanent hair color) is Wella Illumina," says Walker. "These colors are gentle on the hair and very versatile, depending on what result you're looking for."
This cream hair dye is available in 36 shades, ranging from mahogany brown to medium ash to pearly blonde. Thanks to the brand's MicroLight technology, it coats each hair with reflective, illuminating micro-particles. "The shine after using them is like freshly cleaned glass," Walker adds.
Price at time of publish: $17
Type: Permanent | Active Ingredients: Ammonium hydroxide, trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate | Shades: 36 | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Budget: L'Oréal Professionnel Majirel Permanent Crème Color
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Walmart
Budget-friendly
True to tone
Long-lasting
Strong smell
L'Oréal makes some of the most affordable hair dyes in both the professional and drugstore categories. Available in an impressive 60 shades, the brand's Majirel line promises true-to-tone color, high-lift lightening, and long-lasting coverage.
Price at time of publish: $14
Type: Permanent cream | Active Ingredients: Ammonium hydroxide | Shades: 60 | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best With Bond Protection: Matrix SoColor Pre-Bonded Permanent Hair
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Walmart
Protects bond fibers
Long-lasting
Budget-friendly
Strong smell
Contains PEGs
If you want to keep damage at a minimum, Matrix SoColor might be your best bet. It contains a concentrate of bond protectors that work to safeguard the inner structure of your strands. And with 90 shades to choose from, there's something for everyone.
Price at time of publish: $17
Type: Permanent | Active Ingredients: Ammonium hydroxide, sodium chloride, m-aminophenol, p-aminophenol | Shades: 90 | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Toning: Redken Shades EQ Gloss Bonder Inside Hair Toner
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Walmart
Versatile formula
Colorist-recommended
Leaves hair shiny
Not DIY-friendly
Rez and Walker both use Shades EQ for in-salon glossing, toning, color-correcting, and blending white or blonde hair. "I have used almost every brand of semi/demi gloss out there, and nothing compares," says Walker. "They make blondes glisten."
Price at time of publish: $19
Type: Demi-permanent | Active Ingredients: Ethanolamine, sodium chloride, deceth-3 | Shades: 108 | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Demi-Permanent: Wella Color Touch Demi-Permanent Hair Color
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Budget-friendly
Gradually washes out
Colorist-recommended
Doesn't work as well on dark hair
Walker also often reaches for Wella's demi-permanent Color Touch. "These colors are a little denser than Shades EQ," he tells Byrdie. "I would use these on someone with a few grays that don't want or need to move to a permanent hair color."
Price at time of publish: $14
Type: Demi-permanent | Active Ingredients: Ethanolamine, sodium chloride | Shades: 27 | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Gloss: L'Anza Liquids Demi Gloss
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Walmart
Leaves hair shiny
Minimizes swelling
Works quickly
Activator sold separately
L'Anza Liquids is available in 60 shades, ranging from blue-black to golden-brown to ultra-light violet blonde. It processes in less than 20 minutes and promises minimal swelling of your strands, which can be damaging. The demi-permanent treatment leaves hair super shiny and lasts for about 24 shampoos.
Price at time of publish: $13
Type: Demi-permanent gloss | Active Ingredients: Ethanolamine, keratin | Shades: 60 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Natural Colors: Schwarzkopf IGORA ROYAL Permanent Color Creme
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Courtesy of Amazon
Budget-friendly
True to tone
Long-lasting
Developer sold separately
If you're looking to cover grays or just want your hair color to look natural, Schwarzkopf's Igora Royal might be the way to go. The formula penetrates each strand with true-to-color pigments, then seals the surface to ensure full, long-lasting coverage.
Price at time of publish: $15
Type: Permanent cream | Active Ingredients: Ammonium hydroxide | Shades: 52 | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Trendy Colors: Pulp Riot Semi-Permanent Hair Color
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Amazon
No developer needed
Leaves hair shiny
Gradually washes out
Contains PEGs
Works best on pre-lightened hair
Want to experiment with a trendy hair color like lilac, blush, plum, periwinkle, or maybe even orange (à la Ally from A Star Is Born)? Pulp Riot has you covered. It comes in 29 shades, including a few neon hues that glow under blacklights. And since this is a semi-permanent treatment, it's not a serious commitment.
Price at time of publish: $25
Type: Semi-permanent liquid | Active Ingredients: Basic color, stearalkonium chloride, hydrolyzed quinoa | Shades: 29 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Bright Colors: Pravana ChromaSilk VIVIDS Everlasting
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Courtesy of ecosmetics
No activator needed
Strengthening
Gradually washes out
Doesn't work as well on dark hair
Contains PEGs
We're also loving ChromaSilk Vivids. The semi-permanent, ammonia-free cream comes in 20 statement shades ranging from aquamarine to emerald to magenta to red—as in fire-engine red. What's more, it contains strengthening amino acids and washes out just in time for you to choose a new hue.
Price at time of publish: $12
Type: Semi-permanent cream | Active Ingredients: Basic color, amino acids | Shades: 20 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Cream: Sparks Professional Color Permanent Creme Haircolor
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Amazon
True to tone
Replenishes hair fibers
Strong smell
Sparks Permanent Creme comes in a whopping 86 shades. The range includes dozens of natural colors, along with a few bold, trendy tones. In addition to true-to-tone pigments, it contains lipids that help bind the color while replenishing your hair fibers.
Price at time of publish: $16
Type: Permanent cream | Active Ingredients: Ammonium hydroxide, lipids | Shades: 86 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Neutralizing: Pulp Riot High Speed Toner
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Walmart
Works quickly
Cancels unwanted tones
Leaves hair shiny
Doesn't work as well on dark hair
Developer sold separately
If you're looking to neutralize the unwanted tones of chemically lightened or tinted hair, reach for Pulp Riot's High-Speed Toner. Beyond bluish-violet pigments that counteract yellowish, brassy hues, you can choose silver, ashy, rosy, or icy treatments for a more custom effect.
Price at time of publish: $23
Type: Toner | Active Ingredients: Ammonium hydroxide, neutralizing pigments | Shades: 8 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Bleach: Wella Professionals Blondor Multi-Blonde Lightening Powder
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Courtesy of Amazon
Gentle formula
Anti-yellowing agents
Colorist-recommended
Not DIY-friendly
Developer sold separately
Walker likes to use Blondor for foil highlights, though it's also great for ombré color, balayage, and all-over lightening. "It's gentle on the hair and gives you incredible lift without having to use a high-volume peroxide," he tells Byrdie. "I also use this bleach for my clients' scalps when their natural hair is light brown."
Price at time of publish: $50
Type: Permanent powder | Active Ingredients: Magnesium carbonate hydroxide, potassium persulfate | Shades: Up to 7 lift levels | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Kit: Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit
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Ulta
DIY-friendly
Gentle formula
Colorist-recommended
Contains PEGs
"The only at-home hair color I would recommend for use when in a pinch is Madison Reed," says colorist Felicia Dosso. "Their products are more gentle than most boxed colors, being free of harsh ingredients like ammonia, parabens, and titanium dioxide."
Price at time of publish: $30
Type: Permanent | Active Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 36 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Final Verdict
When it comes to salon treatments, the best professional hair color line is Wella Illumina Permanent Creme Hair Color. Available in 36 shades, the colorist-recommended formula is gentle, versatile, and leaves hair oh-so-shiny. However, if you're looking for a DIY option, your best bet is the Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit.
What to Look for in a Professional Hair Color Brand
Coverage Strength
“If you have a high percentage of gray or want to lighten your natural hair color, you must use permanent color,” explains Dosso. “Demi-permanent color will only cover a low percentage of gray—think someone who is just starting to get strands of gray that they want to cover. Meanwhile, semi-permanent hair color “should be used only for refreshing faded out ends and adding shine,” says Dosso. “It will not cover any percentage of gray hair or lift color.”
Color
Before buying a professional hair color, ask yourself whether the color you’ve selected is the proper level for your hair—you want to make sure it’s not too dark or too light. “Too dark of a color will be hard to remove from the hair, and too light of a color can cause a 'hot root,’" says Dosso.
Ingredients
Look for nourishing ingredients like keratin and argan oil to ensure hair won’t be damaged during the dyeing process. There are also certain ingredients you’ll want to avoid when buying any sort of hair dye. “Check for ingredients like ammonia, metallic salts, and henna,” suggests Dosso. “These are all extremely harsh ingredients that you do not want to use on your hair—and unfortunately, most box dyes contain them.”
Product Size
If you have long, thick hair, keep in mind that you might need more dye than you'd think. “One box of color may not be enough to fully saturate longer or thicker hair types,” says Dosso.
Why Trust Byrdie
Theresa Holland is a freelance copywriter specializing in beauty and lifestyle within the commerce space. She interviewed two celebrity colorists for this article, who provided product suggestions and expert insight into usage. Next, she looked at dozens of professional hair color lines, pored over ingredients lists, and referenced several scholarly journals before landing on the final selections. Theresa covers hair care, makeup, skincare, and fitness equipment at Byrdie.
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