Is Splat Hair Dye Good? A Close Look at This Funky Hair Color

If you love expressing your unique style through fun, vibrant hair colors, chances are you’ve heard of Splat hair dye. Their neon bright shades like electric blue and hot pink have made Splat a cult favorite brand.

But is Splat actually a good hair dye that delivers on its promises?

With so many horror stories circulating about disastrous Splat dye jobs, it’s understandable to be hesitant before taking the plunge. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll examine what makes Splat so popular yet so controversial to help you decide if it’s the right choice for your hair.

We’ll cover:

• Splat hair dye overview
• Pros of Splat hair dye
• Cons to be aware of
• Ingredient analysis
• Customer reviews
• How to use Splat properly
• Alternatives to consider

By the end, you’ll know whether the pros outweigh the cons for Splat dye based on your unique hair type and needs.

Overview of Splat Hair Dye

Splat hair color burst onto the scene in the early 1990s as a new, vibrant, affordable at-home dye. Created by husband and wife team Dave and Ann Agrey in California, Splat quickly became a hit among teens and young adults seeking to make a bold statement.

What set Splat apart was its claims to deliver long-lasting, vivid color on all hair types. For a fraction of salon prices, anyone could rock brilliant reds, electric blues, hot pinks, and more.

However, over time Splat developed a reputation for not living up to expectations. Mixed customer reviews reveal it doesn’t always produce promised results or follow the claims on the box.

Yet Splat still remains popular thanks to its accessibility, fun colors, and low cost. Let’s analyze the pros and cons in more detail.

Pros of Splat Hair Dye

Vibrant, trendy colors: Splat offers a rainbow of on-trend fantasy colors not easily found in traditional hair dye lines. Their dyes allow you to try mermaid blues, cotton candy pinks, and vivid violets.

Doesn’t require pre-bleaching: Most Splat shades are designed to show up on darker brunette hair without bleaching first, making application easier. However, blondes still need to pre-lighten.

Vegan and cruelty-free: Splat is PETA-certified vegan and cruelty free, making it appealing for environmentally conscious consumers.

Multiple product types: Along with semi-permanent colors, Splat also offers temporary colors, color masques, and bleaching kits so you can find an option for your particular needs.

Affordable: Prices tend to range from $5-$15 depending on the product, making Splat an budget-friendly choice. At-home bleaching kits save money over professional lightening.

Easy availability: Being stocked at major retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, CVS, and Sally Beauty Supply makes Splat accessible at both brick-and-mortar and online stores.

Cons of Splat Hair Dye

Misleading claims: Many customers report Splat doesn’t deliver the vibrant, long-lasting results promised on the box. Results can be dull or fade quickly.

Can damage hair: Harsh chemicals like bleaches, peroxides, and ammonia in some Splat products can damage and dry out hair.

Staining: Splat is notorious for bleeding onto skin, clothes, countertops, bathtubs, and anywhere else it contacts, especially when hair is wet. The stains are difficult to remove.

Inconsistent results: How well Splat takes to your hair depends highly on your base color and porosity. Blondes tend to see the best color payoff.

Can irritate skin: Some users experience skin irritation, itching, or burning from the bleach, peroxide, and/or ammonia.

Unreliable: Many consumers complain Splat’s colors wash out prematurely, turn blotchy, fail to cover grays, or just don’t meet expectations.

Key Ingredients in Splat Hair Dye

To understand Splat’s pros and cons, you need to examine what’s in the products. Here are the key ingredients and how they impact your hair:

Bleach/Peroxide

Splat kits containing bleach and peroxide solutions help strip hair of its natural pigment so vivids show up better. However, bleaches damage the hair cuticle and weaken strands by deconstructing the disulfide bonds in keratin.

Ammonia

Added to activate the peroxide, ammonia swells the hair cuticle so dye can penetrate deeper. But ammonia is very drying and damaging. Those sensitive may experience scalp burning.

Alcohol Denat

Denatured alcohol helps penetrate the hair shaft to deposit color. Too much alcohol can be drying.

Fragrance

Most Splat dyes contain added fragrance which can be irritating for some users.

PPD

Paraphenylenediamine is an aromatic compound sometimes used in Splat’s darker shades as a permanent dye. PPD can cause severe allergic reactions in those sensitive.

Customer Reviews of Splat Hair Dye

Looking at customer reviews reveals very mixed experiences using Splat hair color.

Positive Splat reviews mention:

• Vibrant, intense colors
• Fun, trendy shades
• Easy to apply
• Doesn’t damage hair
• Affordable pricing

Negative Splat reviews commonly cite:

• Dye bleeds everywhere
• Stains skin, clothes, countertops
• Burning or itching of scalp
• Drying and damaging to hair
• Colors fade too quickly
• Results are blotchy or dull
• Failed to cover grays

The consensus is results seem to depend highly on your natural hair color and porosity. Overall, blondes and lighter shades tend to have the best luck with Splat dye.

How to Use Splat Hair Dye

To optimize your results, follow these tips when using Splat:

• Pre-lighten hair to a pale yellow with bleach
• Use petroleum jelly on skin to prevent stains
• Apply over damp hair for even coverage
• Keep dye only on the mid-shaft and ends
• Process for the full recommended time
• Rinse hair with very cold water
• Wash with sulfate-free shampoo
• Use a color-protecting conditioner

Even when following directions, Splat’s staying power and purity of color can be hit or miss for many consumers based on reviews.

Alternatives to Consider

While Splat offers a fun range of colors, the damage causing ingredients and poor performance causes many to search for healthier professional alternatives like:

• Overtone: Conditioner-based dyes with nourishing ingredients

• Lunar Tides: Vegan, no PPD, ammonia or bleach

• Iroiro: Salon-quality formula, less bleeding

• Manic Panic: Gentler formula, wide vivid color selection

Though pricier, these alternatives offer more dependable results with nourishing ingredients to keep hair healthy. A professional salon bleach and color service is also an option for the most vivid results on dark hair.

The Bottom Line on Splat Hair Dye

While Splat provides a budget-friendly way to experiment with vibrant colors, its inconsistent results give many consumers pause.

If you have blonde or pre-lightened hair, Splat offers a fun way to sample mermaid or cotton candy shades without a huge investment. Just don’t expect salon-style perfection.

However, with Splat’s harsh formulas and poor performance on darker hair, you may want to explore less damaging alternatives for longer lasting, truer hues. At the very least, do a strand test before committing your whole head.

Have you tried Splat hair dye? Share your experience in the comments!