So, its time to order dye again and I've been wanting to get some orange for the future. I've seen the pictures of Napalm Orange and it is lovely. I've never tried special effects. I'm in Europe and I order Directions from England. Does anyone know anything about Directions Mandarin? It looks like it should be a similar color. Everyone says that Napalm lasts forever. I'd be fine if it had a little less staying power frankly. I like having the freedom to change fairly often without having to strip too much.

Napalm Orange is very neon...Mandarin is not.

I don't have experience with Directions Mandarin, but I can recommend an alternative to Napalm... Hi-Octane Orange from Special Effects is a very pretty bright orange (like a nice ripe orange, the fruit) and fades quicker than Napalm. It's also less intense. I find Napalm to go on almost red and stay that way through several washings. I swear, it hums.

Hi-Octane goes on orange and fades in a lovely way, maintaining a high amount of the yellow pigment. It's never looked yucky fading for me, which is a nice plus. I find that Hi-Octane lasts about a month before fading significantly.

I like it in it's faded variety, so I sometimes keep it without refreshing the color for 2 months. If you try to bleach it out, it can leave behind bright yellow color like Napalm, but again, less intense.

I hope that information helps you decide!