Steer clear from that hair dye aisle! While permanent hair dyeing has been pretty much practiced since well, forever, choosing the correct shade that will complement your skin and overall looks and keeping it all the way gorgeous is a much more involved process than you think. If you’re a bit clueless as to how permanent hair coloring works, here’s a few tidbits for you:
Permanent color/dye: How does it work?
When a permanent dye is mixed with an activator, what it does is to open up the hair cuticle to allow the pigment in the dye to enter the hair shaft. This move changes and manipulates the original color of the hair by introducing pigments that was not there originally. Experts recommend permanent hair coloring as the best option for grey hair, because it reinstates pigment back into the hair cuticle versus just sitting on the top of the hair. It is also the most long-lasting.
Does permanent hair dye last for long?
When it comes to permanent hair dyes, 6 weeks is pretty standard, but that only covers the time frame when the hair color was most saturated. Due to higher concentrations of ammonia in permanent dyes, the pigment it holds tend to oxidize faster than when you’re just using a toner. After 6 weeks, dyed hair has been very well exposed to the environment, plus it’s been washed and heat styled too, which causes the pigments to wear off. For example, a vibrant copper color may dull down a bit six 6 week post application, or a brunette may already look flat after that time frame. It’s always good to remind yourself that when it comes to coloring, regrowth maintenance is a must. If you’re not a fan of the roots, then you’ll find that you’ll be having frequent retouches after that.
Do permanent dyes exist in rainbow shades?
Anyone who colors their locks with vivid shades like green, pink or blue on a regular basis, surely wants a permanent hair color but doesn’t want the bi-weekly touch-up. However, there are a few reasons why rainbow shades are not really a market hit. In order to achieve a rainbow shade of hair, you must be able to first strip all the existing pigments from your hair cuticle. Otherwise, if you were to say, apply a blue shade on a naturally brown hair, the blue color will just neutralize the orange pigment in your brown hair instead of showing a final product of getting vibrant blue hair, meaning, not really the kind you were hoping for. If you really want those rainbow colors to pop out, you have to remove the natural pigments out prior to application. And because permanent dyes applied on bleached hair is a sure-fire way to get your locks damaged, and blending a neutral shade to a non-neutral one can only result to a murky shade, it helps put things into perspective as to why there’s still a long way to go before people can buy candy-colored dyes that work the way these permanent colors do.
Is there a difference between boxed dyes and the ones being used at hair salons?
Box dyes are typically not as “strong” as those being used at salons—the pigments on box dyes are not as rich. Salon jobs are tailor made; the colorist will create a formula that is suitable for your existing hair color and texture. When you buy a boxed dye, you’rejust getting a commercially packed thing that
companies have created for you to try.
How is permanent hair color maintained?
When it comes to permanent hair color maintenance, commitment is always the key. Changing your hair color is a chemical process and you need to be able to control in the week that will follow to ensure that it stays as lovely as it looks when you first had i
t. Try using a non-detergent shampoo so the artificial
pigment on your hair will not be removed when you wash.
