This holographic, heat-reactive hair dye will help you through your next crisis

In the 2000s, the closest you could get to a near-instant hair color change was with a few spritzes of Sun-In, a hydrogen peroxide-lemon juice mix that lightens your hair without a salon visit. But in 2022, British brand The Unseen is pushing hair technology forward with a heat-reactive dye that changes color in a matter of minutes.

Do or dye — Known as Colour Alchemy, the dye has a formula is that it allows it to react directly to temperature and use different wavelengths of light to emphasize the color. Each color is described by the brand as “holographic” because microprisms in the formula shrink and expand to produce the different shades.

The scientific process may sound a little complicated, but the user just needs to apply the gel-like substance directly to their hair, coms it through, and set it with a blow dryer. Once it’s rinsed out, sunlight, body heat or movement, or even styling tools will activate the dye and give hair an iridescent finish.

You also don’t have to worry about a dye job gone awry because the dye is temporary. There’s no bleach in the solution, meaning it will work its magic without burning your scalp and hair. Plus, it claims to work on “the darkest of hair tones” without a pre-treatment. There are five holographic shades to choose from: “Scarab,” “Peacock,” “Borealis,” “Andrite,” and “Phoenix.”

The next phase of beauty — The Unseen has dabbled in tech-beauty before with its Spectra eye makeup, a cream that blurs and changes color under a camera’s flash. Other brands have also attempted to take a similar approach to beauty products, such as the color-changing foundation makeup already available on the market by Almay and Dermablend. Color Alchemy, however, is one of the first contemporary products that uses this safe, heat-reactive technology on hair.

If you’re thinking about making a radical change to your tresses but can’t commit to a full salon job, you can purchase a 2 ounce bottle of Colour Alchemy dyes through its website for about $80 each.