![Life is too short to have boring hair! Colour bug review](https://myeclecticmuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/picmonkey-collage-pink-1600x400.jpg)
Craving colourful hair?
Today pastel hair is a magazine cover staple.
More celebrities than ever are daring to try bold statement hair colours and recently international catwalks have been filled with brightly coloured strands.
With so much gorgeous inspo, like the images I’ve curated below, you may want to try a new look.
So, what to do when you want to try a new colour, but don’t want to commit to it long-term? Or perhaps, like myself, you love having pink hair, but simply can’t have it all the time due to work purposes.
The Kevin Murphy Color Bug is a temporary hair colour product designed to wipe on and wash out for a fun hair makeover that can be achieved quickly and easily.
This product has been around for quite some time, but I hadn’t tried it until now.
I purchased a pink bug (they also come in Shimmer, Neon, White, Orange and Grape) from Adore Beauty.
Having tried hair chalk before, I was eager to see whether this product was easier to apply and less damaging to my hair.
I was so excited when the package arrived (albeit a lot later than expected due to courier issues – on that note Adore Beauty have amazing customer service reps who organised the product to be re-shipped via Australia Post) with the product itself and a short set of straight forward instructions and recommendations.
Protected under a clear plastic lid, the product itself is a chalk-like texture in a deep but vibrant pink hue.
Kevin Murphy shows you how easy it is to use in this video below and I’d definitely recommend people watch this if they’re wanting to know more about the product and how easy it is to apply.
So is it that easy in real life?
Kevin Murphy would have applied the Color Bug many times, so it’s slightly more time consuming doing it yourself for the first time. However, I followed all the recommendations and found the process really easy.
I was a bit nervous going in, as I had read a few comments saying the product was messy and got everywhere, which I can’t say I experienced too much. I put a towel around my shoulders to protect my outfit. A little bit of product fell on the sink during the process, but as it comes off with water it wasn’t an issue.
As I have slightly unruly locks naturally I straightened my hair before using the product. I used leave-in conditioner prior to application to prevent the colour grabbing, as my ends are a very light blonde hue.
To help the colour adhere to the hair and give a boost, I used a texturising spray as a base and then after applying the colour I set it using hairspray.
For applying the Color Bug itself, there are little finger holes on the container, which makes it easy to hold.
You simply rub the Color Bug onto your hair and work it in with your fingers until it is evenly distributed. Definitely wash your hands quickly afterwards so they don’t stain, or even better use gloves.
You can apply it quite lightly for a washed out colour or keep adding more for a vibrant pink.
My hair is a bayalage blonde and the colour showed up nicely on my darker strands, and was beautifully bright on my light blonde ends.
This whole process takes a while, but I found was quicker then using hair chalk and much easier if you are wanting to colour large sections of your hair. This product can be used for colouring your whole hair, steaks or simply the tips.
I just applied the product by myself, but it would be handy to have someone to help colour the back sections of your hair, so you may want to enlist help from a friend if you are wanting the look to be perfect.
Hairspray afterwards is a must, I would say, to prevent transfer and keep your colour vibrant for as long as possible.
The colour is long-lasting and you could keep it over to the next day, just keep in mind that you are likely to get a bit of product transferred onto your pillowcase unless you wrap your head in a towel.
After only one shampoo, the colour had gone from my roots, and my ends had gone from a bright pink to a lovely, light pastel pink shade that complemented the natural blonde.
I expected this since my hair is so light, but it’s important to note that it doesn’t necessarily all go after one wash. The ends of my hair had a light tinge of pastel pink for a week (multiple washes) after using the product.
Photo: On the left is my strands after using the Color Bug (taken with flash), the picture on the right is my hair after one shampoo (without flash).
I will definitely use the Color Bug again, although it is hard to see how much product is left due to the packaging.
Overall, I think the Kevin Murphy Color Bug produces a fantastic effect, is easy to use, is not damaging to your hair (definitely doesn’t seem as harsh as hair chalk in terms of drying out your hair and isn’t as bad as dying your hair) and allows you change your look up quickly and temporarily.
It is best for people with dark blonde hair or darker. For people with light blonde hair, it’s not quite so temporary.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post and if you’re looking for a semi-permanent hair colour solution found this review helpful.
If you have any questions, just pop them below!
Awesome hair color! Good to know that there are better ways than hair chalk. It’s good that this is less damaging.
Thanks Joy! With hair that has a natural tendency towards dryness (I go through so many conditioning products haha) it’s so great to find a product that doesn’t seem to be as damaging 🙂
this is good to know! I couldn’t keep any permanent bold colors because of my job too- but this seems like a great alternative! Thanks for sharing at the link up today!
xoxo K
http://peeledwellness.com
I really want to have a temporary pink colour but my hair is heavily bleached. Would you recommend this product for someone with white blonde hair ?
http://www.westfourteen.wordpress.com
Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend it, if you are wanting it to wash out straight away. In my experience, the colour stayed on the ends of my hair, which are bleached light blonde, for a week (multiple washes) in a really light pastel pink hue. I followed all the recommendations and this still happened, which I’m a little disappointed about as I would have loved to find a product that washed out straight away. I wouldn’t risk it with your white blonde hair. This product is probably best for use by people with dark blonde/light brown hair or darker.