I Tried the Viral Heat-Activated Hair Color — Here's What You Need to Know

I finally got my hands on Pravana's Vivids Mood Color, the heat-activated color that's all over Instagram right now. The color comes in four options: peach to invisible, purple to pink, green to yellow, and silver to invisible. Janet Rufin, of Janet Rufin's Parlor, and I decided to do the peach to invisible, which means the hair starts peach and when heat is added, the color disappears.

Overall, I think it's such a cool idea. But before you run out and do this to your own hair, here's everything you need to know about it.

The concept is great. Color-changing hair is a brand-new idea that's never been accomplished before, and Pravana is on top of it. Your hair will literally change colors when any kind of heat is added, whether it's a hot tool, the beaming sun, or just your breath. This is also a great option for someone who wants to try out rainbow hair without too much commitment, because this color is only temporary, it's not a dye. If you have been considering lime green hair but can't pull the trigger, try the green to yellow mood color to get a feel for it.

This color is also pretty quick to do. You mix it up, brush it on, and blow it dry. There's no washing involved, because you start with freshly washed hair. I was in and out of the salon in about an hour, which is maybe the fastest color appointment ever in my life.

This color is temporary. It only lasts until you wash it out because it's an overlay, not an actual dye. Because of the science behind it, the color can't soak into your hair strands or the heat wouldn't be able to change its colors. So you should keep in mind that after a good amount of work, time, and money, it's very temporary. Also, it sits on top of your hair kind of like a film. If you don't touch your hair much, you won't mind. I, however, have a habit of messing with my hair constantly, so I kept sticking my fingers in it and pulling them out coated in dusty pink flecks.

You should also expect to get in a little bit of a mess! Janet ended up with pink dust all over her salon from blow-drying my hair, because even though the color goes on as a paste, it dries back into a powder-like substance, so a lot of it blew off my hair. That brings me to another caveat: I thought the color was barely noticeable. It could be the fault of my hair type — because I've seen the videos where hair came out more vibrant — but it was hard to capture the color change when there wasn't too much color to begin with. Maybe it was just the peach shade.

I still think it's worth checking out, just because rainbow hair is always cool no matter who you are or where you live. Not many people can walk into a room and show off hair that changes colors if you touch it, so no matter what, you'll be cooler than everyone else, which is fine by me.