New Braunfels Hair Stylist Dying
Hair coloring is used:
- to return gray hair to its previous color;
- to change hair color to a shade regarded as more fashionable or desirable;
- to return hair to its original color after chemicals (e.g. tints, relaxers, sun bleaching) have discolored it.
Types of Color
Hair coloring products are typically categorized based on how long the color persists in the hair. The four most common classifications are 'temporary', 'semi-permanent', 'demi-permanent' (sometimes called 'deposit only') and "permanent".
Temporary hair color
Temporary hair color is available as rinses, shampoos, gels, sprays, 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 and parties.
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 penetration and color strength of temporary hair color can be improved by bleaching prior to application.
Semi-permanent hair color
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 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 cannot be disguised.
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.
'Demi Permanent' hair color
Demi-permanent hair color is, in fact, permanent hair dye mixed with low volume (usually a 7 volume) developer that blows off the ammonia from the permanent tube so that only color molecules penetrate the hair shaft.
Demi-permanents are much more effective at covering gray hair than semi-permanents, but less so than permanents.
Demi-permanents has several advantages over permanent color. Because there is no lifting of natural hair color, the final color is less solid than a permanent and therefore more natural-looking (although that also means they are less effective on dark hair); they are gentler on the hair and therefore safer, especially for damaged hair; and they wash out over time (typically 20 to 28 shampoos), so root regrowth is less noticeableand 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.
Permanent color
All "permanent" haircolor products and lighteners contain both a developer, or oxidizing agent, and an alkalizing agent ammonia.
When the tint containing the alkalizing ingredient is combined with the developer , 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.
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).
Hair lighteners and bleaches
"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.
Application techniques
Hair color was traditionally applied to the hair as one overall color. The modern trend is to use several colors to produce streaks or gradations, either on top of the natural color or on top of a single base color. These are referred to as:
- Highlighting, where sections of hair are treated with lighteners, usually to create blond streaks.
- Lowlighting, where sections of hair are treated with darker hair color.
These can be applied by the following methods:
- Foils, where pieces of foil or plastic film are used to separate off the hair to be colored; especially when applying more than one color.
- Cap, when a plastic cap is placed tight on the head and strands are pulled through with a hook.
- Balayage, where hair color is painted directly onto sections of the hair with no foils used to keep the color contained.
All application techniques can be used with any type of color. For highlights, the hair will usually have to be bleached before coloring.