HAIR COLOR 101
When deciding if color is right for you, take a minute to go through this quick check list:
1. Am I coloring for fun?
There is nothing wrong with having a little fun with trying different colors. However, reversing the procedure can be costly and damaging.
2. Am I covering grey?
For 100% grey coverage (nearly) you must use a permanent product. Demi"s are a wonderful alternative to permanent color because you achieve about 90% coverage with little or no demarcation upon grow out. Demi's also offer super shiny results with their low ammonia developers.
3. Am I coloring to improve texture?
I always know it is time to color (obvious grey not withstanding) when I feel a texture change. Fine hair can have an added plumpness where as more coarse or curly will feel more smooth.
4. Am I willing to keep up the maintenance?
Fine highlights or Demi's are forgiving if you change your mind or if it no longer fits your budget. Permanent colors will require 4-6 week maintenance.
5. How does my lifestyle effect my color?
Being a daily swimmer may not be compatible with a head full of blonde highlights. A few rounds of weekly golf will most likely fade your color. A good stylist will ask you if there are any special lifestyle considerations that she needs to take into account.
6. Is my stylist a colorist?
Yes, all cosmetologists are licensed to do color but that does not mean that they LOVE it. Find one who does.
1. Am I coloring for fun?
There is nothing wrong with having a little fun with trying different colors. However, reversing the procedure can be costly and damaging.
2. Am I covering grey?
For 100% grey coverage (nearly) you must use a permanent product. Demi"s are a wonderful alternative to permanent color because you achieve about 90% coverage with little or no demarcation upon grow out. Demi's also offer super shiny results with their low ammonia developers.
3. Am I coloring to improve texture?
I always know it is time to color (obvious grey not withstanding) when I feel a texture change. Fine hair can have an added plumpness where as more coarse or curly will feel more smooth.
4. Am I willing to keep up the maintenance?
Fine highlights or Demi's are forgiving if you change your mind or if it no longer fits your budget. Permanent colors will require 4-6 week maintenance.
5. How does my lifestyle effect my color?
Being a daily swimmer may not be compatible with a head full of blonde highlights. A few rounds of weekly golf will most likely fade your color. A good stylist will ask you if there are any special lifestyle considerations that she needs to take into account.
6. Is my stylist a colorist?
Yes, all cosmetologists are licensed to do color but that does not mean that they LOVE it. Find one who does.
GLOSSARY OF COLOR TERMS:
Permanent:
All "permanent" hair color products and lighteners contain a developer, or oxidizing agent, and an alkalizing agent ammonia.
When the tint containing the alkalizing ingredient is combined with the developer (usually hydrogen peroxide), the peroxide becomes alkaline and diffuses through the hair fiber, entering the cortex, where the melanin is located. Lightening occurs when the peroxide breaks up the melanin and replaces it with new color.
The ammonia opens the cuticle of the hair to allow the color pigments to penetrate deep into the hair shaft.
Permanent color is truly permanent and will not wash out, although it may fade. New hair regrowth will obviously be in the hair's natural color, meaning that regular monthly or six-weekly coloring will be essential for as long as the hair color is maintained.
Permanent haircolor is the only way to dye dark hair into a lighter shade, and it must be done in two parts: First, the hair is bleached, then color is applied.
The only way to get rid of permanent color is to undergo a stripping process (which is not possible with all colors and can damage the hair) or color it back to its natural color (which can be difficult if the color change has been extreme).
When the tint containing the alkalizing ingredient is combined with the developer (usually hydrogen peroxide), the peroxide becomes alkaline and diffuses through the hair fiber, entering the cortex, where the melanin is located. Lightening occurs when the peroxide breaks up the melanin and replaces it with new color.
The ammonia opens the cuticle of the hair to allow the color pigments to penetrate deep into the hair shaft.
Permanent color is truly permanent and will not wash out, although it may fade. New hair regrowth will obviously be in the hair's natural color, meaning that regular monthly or six-weekly coloring will be essential for as long as the hair color is maintained.
Permanent haircolor is the only way to dye dark hair into a lighter shade, and it must be done in two parts: First, the hair is bleached, then color is applied.
The only way to get rid of permanent color is to undergo a stripping process (which is not possible with all colors and can damage the hair) or color it back to its natural color (which can be difficult if the color change has been extreme).
Demi:
Demi-permanent hair color is, in fact, permanent hair color that contains an alkaline agent other than ammonia (e.g., ethanolamine, sodium carbonate) and, while always employed with a developer, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in that developer may be lower than used with a permanent hair color. Since the alkaline agents employed in dem-perms are less effective in removing the natural pigment of hair than ammonia these product provide little to no lightening of hair's color during dyeing. As the result, they cannot color hair to a lighter shade than it was before dyeing and are less damaging to hair than their permanent counterpart.
Demi-permanents are much more effective at covering gray hair than semi-permanents, but less so than permanents.
Demi-permanents have several advantages as compared with permanent color. Because there is essentially no lifting (i.e., removal) of natural hair color, the final color is less uniform/homogeneous than a permanent and therefore more natural looking; they are gentler on hair and therefore safer, especially for damaged hair; and they wash out over time (typically 20 to 28 shampoos), so root regrowth is less noticeable and if a change of color is desired, it is easier to achieve.
However, demi-permanent hair colors must be used with caution because they are, in essence, permanent color and the darker shades,in particular, may persist longer than indicated on the packet.
Demi-permanents are much more effective at covering gray hair than semi-permanents, but less so than permanents.
Demi-permanents have several advantages as compared with permanent color. Because there is essentially no lifting (i.e., removal) of natural hair color, the final color is less uniform/homogeneous than a permanent and therefore more natural looking; they are gentler on hair and therefore safer, especially for damaged hair; and they wash out over time (typically 20 to 28 shampoos), so root regrowth is less noticeable and if a change of color is desired, it is easier to achieve.
However, demi-permanent hair colors must be used with caution because they are, in essence, permanent color and the darker shades,in particular, may persist longer than indicated on the packet.
SEMI-PERMANENT:
Semi-permanent hair dye has smaller molecules than temporary dyes, and is therefore able to partially penetrate the hair shaft. For this reason, the color will survive repeated washing, typically 4-5 shampoos. Semi-permanents contain no, or very low levels of developer, peroxide or ammonia, and are therefore safer for damaged or fragile hair. However, semi-permanents may still contain the toxic compound P-Phenylenediamine or other such ingredients.
The final color of each strand of hair will depend on its original color and porosity, so there will be subtle variations in shade across the whole head. This gives a more natural result than the solid, allover color of a permanent dye. However, it also means that gray or white hairs will not dye to the same shade as the rest of the hair. If there are only a few gray/white hairs, the effect will usually be enough for them to blend in, but as the gray spreads, there will come a point where it will not be disguised as well..
In this case, the move to permanent color can sometimes be delayed by using the semi-permanent as a base and adding highlights.
Semi-permanent color cannot lighten the hair.
The final color of each strand of hair will depend on its original color and porosity, so there will be subtle variations in shade across the whole head. This gives a more natural result than the solid, allover color of a permanent dye. However, it also means that gray or white hairs will not dye to the same shade as the rest of the hair. If there are only a few gray/white hairs, the effect will usually be enough for them to blend in, but as the gray spreads, there will come a point where it will not be disguised as well..
In this case, the move to permanent color can sometimes be delayed by using the semi-permanent as a base and adding highlights.
Semi-permanent color cannot lighten the hair.
TEMPORARY:
Temporary hair color is available as rinses, shampoos, gels, sprays, and foams among others. This type of hair color is typically brighter and more vibrant than semi-permanent and permanent hair color. Temporary color is most often used to color hair for special occasions and is often used in unusual shades for events, parties and Halloween.
The pigment molecules in temporary hair color are large and cannot penetrate the cuticle layer. Instead, the color particles remain adsorbed (closely adherent) to the hair shaft and are easily removed with a single shampooing.
However, even temporary hair color can persist if the user's hair is excessively dry or damaged, allowing for migration of the pigments to the interior of the hair shaft.
The pigment molecules in temporary hair color are large and cannot penetrate the cuticle layer. Instead, the color particles remain adsorbed (closely adherent) to the hair shaft and are easily removed with a single shampooing.
However, even temporary hair color can persist if the user's hair is excessively dry or damaged, allowing for migration of the pigments to the interior of the hair shaft.
OMBRE:
The word Ombre is actually a French word for shading or graduating .Think of dark hair at the scalp and lighter on the ends. Usually the color transitions from dark to light with no harsh transition line.This look is achieved with lighters.
BLEACHES AND LIGHTNERS:
"Hair lightening," referred to as "bleaching" or "decolorizing," is a chemical process involving the diffusion of the natural color pigment or artificial color from the hair plus the raising of the cuticle making the hair more porous.
EXOTIC COLORS:
A minority of hair coloring products are designed to create hair colors not typically found in nature. These are available in almost any color imaginable, including green or fuchsia.
These dyes are typically sold in punk-themed stores (such as comic book and music stores), with brand names like "Beyond The Zone", "Splat", "Clairol Jazzing", "Manic Panic", "Special Effects", "Punky Colour". A permanent alternative in some colors (such as bold infa-red reds and dark, inky purples and blues) is available in the U.S. under "Paul Mitchel: Inkworks" and "Chi: InfaReds". Some exotic color shades are blacklight reactive, to show up under nightclub lighting.
The chemical formulae of exotic colored dyes typically contain only tint, and have no developer. This means that they will only create the bright color of the packet if they are applied to light blond hair. People with darker hair (medium brown to black) will need to use a bleaching kit prior to tint application. Some people with fair hair may benefit from prior bleaching as well. Gold, yellow and orange undertones in hair that hasn't been lightened enough can adversely affect results, especially with pinks, blues, and greens.
These dyes are typically sold in punk-themed stores (such as comic book and music stores), with brand names like "Beyond The Zone", "Splat", "Clairol Jazzing", "Manic Panic", "Special Effects", "Punky Colour". A permanent alternative in some colors (such as bold infa-red reds and dark, inky purples and blues) is available in the U.S. under "Paul Mitchel: Inkworks" and "Chi: InfaReds". Some exotic color shades are blacklight reactive, to show up under nightclub lighting.
The chemical formulae of exotic colored dyes typically contain only tint, and have no developer. This means that they will only create the bright color of the packet if they are applied to light blond hair. People with darker hair (medium brown to black) will need to use a bleaching kit prior to tint application. Some people with fair hair may benefit from prior bleaching as well. Gold, yellow and orange undertones in hair that hasn't been lightened enough can adversely affect results, especially with pinks, blues, and greens.
CHALKING
Pastel chalks applied to damp hair. Yeah, that's it! Temporary fun.
FLAT IRONS AND COLOR
What is the best temperature to keep your flat iron at when straightening color treated hair? Try to keep your tool at 390F. While your flat iron will give you all the shine and reflection of light that you desire, too hot will discolor blondes and damage the cuticle of your hair. Get yourself a flatiron that displays the temp clearly. CROC makes a nice one.
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PARTIAL HIGHLITES
If you have been getting a whole head of highlites every time you color, you are most likely over-coloring and over-paying. Try sticking to a hair treatment plan of- full highlite, partial, partial, full and so on. You'll put less stress on your hair and your bank account. Make sure your colorist is comfortable just "picking out" previously colored strands. Over highliting is just another way of saying "all-over color" and that is not what you asked for in the first place. Look at your calendar and make sure your hair treatment schedule works around your special events.
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COLOR AND PERM?
Generally, I would say choose which one you want more, color or perm. Doing both will loose the integrity of one or the other. Ask yourself which one supports your style more and stick to that one. However, with all the wonderful Demi's on the market now, you can have both and on the same visit. I am speaking of DEPOSIT ONLY color, not LIGHTENERS.
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GREAT GREY COVERAGE
Matrix has made covering grey so simple with the most long lasting results that I have seen. Our salon has introduced this line to our clients 3 months ago and gotten rave reviews. If you are finding that you are not achieving great coverage or fading too fast this product might be your answer. Speak to your stylist to find out which line of color they are supporting- they might want to give Matrix a go. I think this product also belongs in my MUST HAVES.
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