5 Best Lilac Hair Dye Options (2023 Reviews and Buyers Guide)

If you’re looking to dye your hair purple, you are in luck because today we’ll be sharing with you all about the best lilac hair dye options, different shades, brands, prices, tips, where you can find them, and more.

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Going pastel definitely takes some courage and may not be for everybody but know that everyone that has taken the plunge has never regretted it.

For starters you’ll be glad to know that not every lilac hair dye is made the same, like with any other hair color, there’s every shade of lilac imaginable, from ashy to pastel, dark to light, ombre to dip dye.

This is great news because it means there is probably one shade out there that will suit you. So if you are tired of your current hair color and overall style, choosing pastel lilac hair dye or a silver lilac hair dye, might be just what you need.

Although it might look bold, a lilac purple hair dye is the color of luxury and allure that’s always high on luster and trendier than ever, because who wants old boring black hair after living through a pandemic?

Plus, keep in mind dying the hair is one of the key acts we can do to improve our appearance. The reasons for coloring your hair are many, and most importantly, you don’t always need one.

Whether you’ve dyed your hair a bright color before or you’re completely new to the dying process, we’ve got you covered with the best lilac hair dye options around, or maybe some of the best copper hair dye options.

To help you in your lilac hair dye journey, we’ll additionally be sharing with you, where to find them, tips, and much more.

Best Lilac Hair Dye Reviewed In This Guide

How To Choose The Perfect Lilac Hair Dye For You?

Lilac hair color is everywhere, from our social media feeds to the high fashion runways. This hair trend is as unique as the rainbow it draws its inspiration.

The many shades of the best lilac hair dye color give you the liberty to embrace your inner rock star to vividly cover up gray hair.

In addition to your skin, you obviously want to keep in mind the color pigment, in other words, how strong the color pigment in the dye is and how close it is to be a true “lilac” after application.

You also want to consider if it will fade quickly or not, always check how long the dye managed to stay on the hair. And if it is as permanent or semi-permanent as some claim to be.

You also and very importantly, want to focus on gentle ingredients; ammonia and PPD-based dyes are huge no-nos. Additionally, check if there are moisturizing ingredients like argan oil or aloe vera in the dyes.

For best results using both temporary lilac hair dye and lilac semi-permanent hair dye, your hair will need to be extra light blonde (so you will need to pre-lighten if necessary). For permanent lilac hair dye, your hair should be natural light to dark blonde.

You need to choose whether you want a permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary hair color. A semi-permanent lilac hair dye is a good option for newbies because it is vibrant, ammonia, and PPD-free and lasts for 4-5 washes only.

As with all hair dyes/bleaches, the results and the longevity of your color can be affected by your individual hair type and hair history.

Types Of Lilac Hair Dye

Violet Lilac Hair Dye

This ultra-vivid violet is a bold hair color statement that’s especially powerful on anyone with natural brown hair. Your hair will look just like springtime with hair color the shade of a deep violet flower.

The brightness means it works all year long. Try it with simple makeup like brown mascara and glowing highlighter to let the color really make a statement.

Neon Lilac Hair Dye

Lilac hair doesn’t have to be soft if you don’t want it to be. Add vibrance by using different shades of purple to give dimension. Calling all teens at heart and future rockstars.

Neon hair is having a moment, and there’s no hair color more fun than electric purple. This head-turning hair color shade also works as an ombre or highlight; no matter what you choose, you’ll be sure to stand out.

Smoked Violet Lilac Hair Dye

The coolness of this ashy lilac hue has a subtle ombre gradient. This purple hair color shade is purposefully mixed alongside grays and blacks for a dark, almost natural-looking version of the rainbow.

Try it to turn dark hair into an ombre or with dark roots intact, then lean into the smokiness with a sultry thick black cat-eye and dark brows.

Pastel Lilac Hair Dye

One of the most of-the-moment purple hair color shades, pastel purple is a subtle take on the color. Blonde or even white hair may peek through underneath this super-light hair color shade. Accentuate the softness with baby-pink lips and creamy peach blush.

Lavender Lilac Hair Dye

Lavender hair color has tones of blue and purple the color of a sprig of soothing lavender. A light yet energizing hair color, opt for lavender if you like to stand out, and if you have plenty of silver jewelry to accessorize it with.

Mauve Lilac Hair Dye

Deep hair color with notes of gray and brown, mauve is purple hair color’s stately older sister. Opt for this shade if you want a “mature” rainbow hair color, and make sure to complete the look with brown mascara and eyeliner, and nude lipsticks in your beauty routine.

Amethyst Lilac Hair Dye

This gem-colored purple hair color shade has all the shine and richness of one of our favorite birthstones. It works well on natural brunettes, who can transition well to this deep purple. Follow it up with shimmery blushes and metallic lips to complete the luminescent quality of amethyst.

Eggplant Lilac Hair Dye

Eggplant purple evokes the rich, hearty color of vegetarians’ favorite veggies. It’s a bold hair color statement that works especially well on anyone with naturally dark skin or hair.

The best part? You get to dress in a garden theme with complementary browns and greens that make this hair color perfect to brighten up colder months.

Silver Lilac Hair Dye

Add metallic notes to your look with a purple hair color that lets silver hair strands peek through. Try this on-trend hair color in a highlighted style to liven up naturally gray hair or give an understated elegance to a hair dye job.

Magenta Lilac Hair Dye

Your favorite crayon is now a hair color. This bright hair color shade is a marriage of the brightest pink and happy purple. We suggest choosing this look if you love to stand out. Finish the fun hairstyle with perfectly matching magenta lipstick.

Cool Melt Lilac Hair dye

Lilac hair dye is central in this look quite literally. The center of the hair is a cool lilac, with indigo roots and pale-pink white ends. The balayage technique was utilized to ensure that the transition is natural and seamless, despite the fashion colors.

Metallic Waves Lilac Hair Dye

This metallic look is perfectly streaked with a double layer of lilac hair colors that are gorgeously complex. The top layer of this shiny, curly look is warmer, with red-based purple roots fading to warmer lilac, and with the underlayer showing cool purple and lavender hair tones.

Dusted Lilac Hair dye

A natural hair look with very fashionable streaks is not particularly outrageous, but doing the opposite is a surprising and sophisticated twist. The hair was dyed in a mixture of neutral lilac tones, with a few streaks of ash brown here and there making them look a little earthier.

Peach Lilac Hair Dye

The warm touch of peach hair dye nicely offsets the cool lilac tones, making for hair that’ll keep you feeling warm even on snowy winter days. The peach was applied with very subtle balayage streaking over pastel lilac hair ends, while the roots and top part of the hair were kept a deeper lilac tone.

Cotton Candy Lilac Hair Dye

These ultra-light shades of pink and lilac hair dye, applied in clever streaks, are the perfect way to achieve multi-dimensional and super-sweet cotton candy hair. It’s the perfect real-life way of doing magical girl anime hair.

Cloudy Lilac Hair Dye

These streaks of colors have a real presence, making for a look that is dramatic despite the softness of the colors. Deeper lilac hair dye at the roots fades into a variety of pastels like baby blue, pink and silver hair.

The silver, in particular, is a great touch because it makes the whole look a little cloudier and dreamier.

Deep Lilac Hair Dye

This deeper take on lilac hair would be perfect for brunettes looking for a change that won’t take them too lightly. The roots are a deeper lilac that melts seamlessly into silvery pastel tones at the bottom half of the hair. A touch of baby blue hair dye and pink at the ends is subtle yet playful.

Icy Lilac Hair Dye

There is a lot going on with this beautifully icy hair creation. The roots are actually a very warm magenta-auburn tone, which melts easily into silvery lilac waves. The extra unique touch is the underlayer of icy blue just peeking out and complementing the lilac hair color beautifully.

Electric Pastel Lilac Hair

Pastel hair does not have to be sickly sweet! This stunning look features cotton candy and pastel lilac streaks, but they are made a bit more interesting by the addition of a few threads of electric blue.

Best Lilac Hair Dye List

1. ARCTIC FOX Vegan and Cruelty-Free Lilac Hair Dye

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Girl’s Night is a sweet pastel lilac, perfect for activating your Magical Girl powers! As a pastel, this color requires platinum, level 10 hair for the best results, and most likely won’t show on hair darker than a level 9. Pre-lightening is a must with pastels.

Natural base colors may not take pigment as well and you will usually see color fade faster. If your hair is naturally blonde and you don’t want to try lightening at all, sticking with colors that are on the darker and more highly pigmented side will still work best to give you the most vibrant and visible results!

Made only from vegan ingredients with no animal by-products. No harmful chemicals in Arctic Fox hair dye that damage the hair like chemical-based hair colors.
Arctic Fox hair dyes are gentle for frequent use and actually condition your hair as it restores vibrancy.

Arctic Fox’s Girls Night is a long-lasting direct dye that conditions leaving your hair feeling healthier and deeply hydrated.

2. MANIC PANIC Mystic Heather Hair Dye Color Classic

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Mystic Heather is a rich, orchid dye with warm pink undertones. This is one of our lighter shades, so lightening hair to the lightest level 10 blonde before use is highly suggested for the best results.

Applying Manic Panic hair color to pre-lightened hair is the best way to assure that you will achieve the vibrant results that you see on our color swatches.

Lightening with our Flash Lightning Kits to a pale blonde (level 9-10) will give the most intense results.

Manic Panic Classic High Voltage Vegan Hair Dye is a semi-permanent cream formula that conditions hair during coloring and gradually fades in 4-6 weeks. Ready to use, do not mix with peroxide.

Use a hair dryer to evenly apply heat for 5-10 minutes of your processing time. This will help to open up the cuticle and allow the Manic Panic hair color to better penetrate the hair strand. Make sure to allow the hair to cool completely before rinsing out the color.

How To Use MANIC PANIC Mystic Heather Lilac Hair Dye

1. Wash hair with a deep cleansing/clarifying shampoo. Do not condition.
2. Dry hair with a blow dryer to make sure the hair is extremely porous.
3. Put on gloves and apply Manic Panic Hair Color using a tint brush making sure hair is thoroughly saturated.
4. Comb through the hair color to make sure it is evenly applied. The cream may become slightly frothy.
5. Cover hair with a plastic cap and leave it on for 30-45 minutes. For more intensity, add heat.
6. Rinse with cool water away from your face and body until the water runs clear. Do not shampoo.
7. Style as desired. To avoid color transfer or bleeding, always make sure your hair is completely dry.

3. WELLA Color Charm Paints Semi-Permanent Hair Dye

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This semi-permanent lilac hair dye is great. According to users, it is easy to use and the color is definitely pigmented but not too bold which you will love.

Wella Color Charm PAINTS Intermixable Semi-Permanent Hair Color. See It. Create It. Wella Color Charm Paints are 25 shades of inter-mixable semi-permanent hair color.

Results last up to 20 washes and fade beautifully on tone. Apply Paints to pre-lightened hair or to natural hair (lighter than level 9). Develop for 20 minutes and rinse.

Now you can express yourself like a true artist, with a palette of the world’s most creative and mixable hair colors. The world of Wella color charm Paints.

PAINTS also includes a clear pastelizer that softens the intensity of the color to create a softer, more pastel look.

4. Crazy Color Hair Dye – Vegan and Cruelty-Free

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Achieve head-turning looks with these bright colors. Lasts 10-12 washes, with appropriate aftercare.

Apply directly to pre-lightened or bleached hair for the best results. The conditioning formula makes this easy to apply and hydrate the hair.

The lilac hair dye is packed with our triple oil complex; sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, and raspberry oil, to hydrate and nourish the hair.

There are no harsh or harmful chemicals in our formula, meaning it’s safe for you and safe for your hair! No alcohol, no peroxide, or ammonia.

The perfect dye for anyone who wants to experiment with hair color. It’s simple to create your own custom hair color with the Crazy Color Semi-Permanent Hair Dye range.

5. Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Permanent Hair Dye

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This London lilac hair dye is among the most popular lilac hair dyes. It gives you intense shades and gives you the chic, fashion-forward look you want, without a visit to the salon.

With this London lilac hair dye, you can get bold, beautiful permanent hair color mixed by color Experts at Vidal Sassoon to calibrate the perfect blend of pigments, resulting in bold, beautiful color that lasts.

The easy at-home system provides up to 8 weeks of salon-quality Midnight blue color. The London lilac hair dye kit includes Vidal Sassoon VS Hydra Block Color Preserving Conditioner, designed to help prevent fade out and keep your color vibrant.

Lilac Hair Dye Buying Guide

What Is A Lilac Hair Dye?

In general, hair dyes are chemicals that are used to change hair color, therefore a rose gold hair dye, if properly done, chemicals in the dye will change the structure of the individual strands of hair in order to let the new color take hold.

Lilac hair dye is a gentle purple hair shade that evokes a sweet spring flower. Perfect for anyone transitioning from gray to pastel hair color, this light purple hair color shade can even be workplace-appropriate.

The hair color pops even more on anyone with a fair complexion and light eyes.

How Does A Lilac Hair Dye Work?

Hair coloring works by coating each strand with color (non-permanent color) or by penetrating each hair cuticle, entering the hair cortex, and bonding with the hair (permanent color).

While non-permanent hair color can be shampooed out eventually, permanent color, as the name suggests, permanently colors the hair.

If you want to transform your locks and either add a touch of violet or go completely lilac with your hair, it is important to have a light base.

Both semi-permanent and permanent brightly colored hair dyes don’t really show on darker hair but if you’re blonde to light brown, they will work perfectly on you.

If you’re a brunette or have red or black hair, you may want to get an in-salon treatment to lighten your locks before using a lilac hair dye.

To maintain the color, a purple or ‘silver’ shampoo is non-negotiable. These boast violet pigment that counteracts orange brassiness in blonde hair although if you leave them in a little longer, they’re adept at depositing a purple veil.

Features To Look For In A Lilac Hair Dye

Ingredients

Always look for products that do not contain ammonia, parabens, and other harsh chemicals because they can further damage my hair and aren’t gentle on the hair and scalp.

Look for lilac hair dye that has the least amount of chemicals and additional nasties in it.

Admittedly, there will be a certain amount of chemicals in your hair dye, as they are what enable the dye to penetrate your cuticle and color your hair cortex.

Hair Texture

Finer hair types (in any texture from coily to straight) tend to process a lot quicker than more coarse hair types, noting the volume of peroxide used when formulating a single process is so important.

Ease of Use

The very first and most important factor that determines a quality hair dye product is how easy or complicated it is to use. Coloring your hair shouldn’t feel like forever. The simpler, faster, the better.

Pre-Treatment

Some women tend to use bleach for making the color more prominent. If you have lightened your hair, the color will take a purer shade. Although a lot of brands advise against it, some specifically instruct you to do so.

Product

Is your product cream-based or you can directly apply it? According to the instruction manual, you may need to mix and then apply the dye to your hair. There are some that come housed in a tube for direct application.

Softness

The shine and softness that the hair dye leaves your hair with. There are dyes that are going to make your hair dryer than you can think, along with taking away the shine. So, whether the hair dye maintains the softness becomes a critical feature.

If the chosen hair dye makes your hair soft or rough, as so many hair colors tend to take the moisture out of the hair, leaving it rough; this is vital to make your final choice.

Duration

• Temporary lilac hair dye: If you’re after a short-term lilac fix, the semi-permanent LIVE Ultra Brights and temporary LIVE Pastel Sprays can be used to create your own custom lilac shade. To get more of a grey lilac look, your hair will need to be a cooler, ash-toned blonde, to begin with.
• Permanent lilac hair dye: These permanent shades are designed for the best results on hair that is naturally light to dark blonde. So if you’ve already got color or bleach on your hair, the results may not turn out as expected. If your hair is bleached, a temporary shade may be a more suitable option.

Maintenance Level

You do need an extra effort to maintain lilac hair dye, but it’s not as hard as you may think. The biggest enemies of pastels are the sulfates, they contain salt that strips the color. Always opt for sulfate-free hair products and purple or “silver” shampoos to boast violet pigment.

Common Questions About Lilac Hair Dye

What color does lilac hair fade to?

Purple hair dye typically fades to a lighter version of purple initially, but you may also notice a red or blue tint, depending on the specific purple shade you use. Referencing color mixology, red and blue make purple, so you can bet that purple hair dyes have both red and blue pigments in them.

Do you have to bleach your hair to dye it lilac?

Dark hair can be dyed purple without bleaching. Several brands manufacture hair colors that do not require bleaching for a good color payoff.

Can you dye grey hair lilac?

A Permanent Lilac Dye is a commitment, so you’d probably want to get it if you already tried pastel purple before and you are sure it’s something you like. Also, it’s great for covering grey hair.

How to get lilac hair at home?

• Pastels look good on a cool/ashy blonde base but don’t work when applied on yellow hair, so unless you are already a light cool blonde, you will need to lighten your hair first. Don’t let it stop you from getting the hair your dream of, you can lighten your hair at home too.
• The DIY pastel lilac Pastel Hair is an easy job to do if your hair is very light blonde or bleached. All you need is a semi-permanent lilac Pastel Hair home dye kit that contains a colorant, a pair of gloves, an application brush, and a leaflet that will guide you step by step.
• If you don’t want to bleach your hair, try a beautiful Amethyst Purple hair color instead, it will look gorgeous against brown strands.

How to keep lilac hair?

After you’ve colored your hair, don’t wash it for 1-2 days to let the dye settle. Lower the temperature of your styling tools to 180 degrees to keep the moisture in. This whole routine may take some time, but your freshly colored lilac pastel hair will thank you for that.

How to prep your hair for lilac hair dye?

• Consider whether you need to bleach or lighten your hair before dying, depending on how dark your natural tone is.
• Remember your deep conditioners and moisturizers, so that you can treat your locks to some hydration after coloring.
• Never forget to strand test the dye before applying it over your hair.
• Remember to wear dark clothing that you don’t mind getting stained. Wear gloves and even a bib if that would make you more comfortable.
• Try not to let the dye drip down your shower or tub, as it will likely stain. There are many dyes specifically formulated to minimize dripping.
• Remember to buy color-safe, sulfate-free shampoo, and wash your hair less frequently to preserve the dye.
• Mixing a bit of the dye into your conditioner helps to neutralize any brassiness and will also maintain the color for longer.

How to wear the best lilac hair dye?

• Streaks: If you want a bit of color but aren’t keen on dyeing your whole head of hair, consider getting streaks. Intersperse them around your hair, being sure to split them up evenly.
• Peek-a-boo hair: It’s essentially when you dye an underlayer of hair a bright color, so that it ‘peeks’ out in certain styles, making it ideal for people who don’t want to dye their whole head.
• Traditional highlights: Whether you’re after an ombre, balayage, or standard set of highlights, lilac hair dye is a unique way to add flashes of color to your tresses.

Enjoy Your New Lilac Hair Dye

Remember the lilac hair dye has been set to be among the most wanted hair colors of this year, plus it is a great seasonal color change for your hair.

You can always choose between a pastel lilac hair dye, lilac purple hair dye, or silver lilac hair dye to make your best lilac hair dye dreams come true.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed our top picks for the best lilac hair dye. We believe you are now ready to make an informed decision and evaluate what’s best for your specific hair needs.

Feel free to contact us if you have any doubts, questions, or comments. We are here for you.

Disclosure: The Hair Products recommended in this article are our top favorites because they have a great combination of quality, features, and affordability. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through the links as a way to support this site. If you buy a qualifying product, you’re not charged anything extra, but I’ll get a small commission to help pay for my expenses. I hope you find our advice helpful and discover the Best Hair Products for your needs on this list.