Hair Coloring: What makes Hair Color work

To make you understand exactly how hair color works, you must know the 2 key ingredients that cause the whole hair coloring process to take place.

Hydrogen peroxide-H202 (also know as the developer or oxidizing agent) helps initiate the hair color-forming process. The higher the developer, the greater amount of sulfur is removed from the hair.

Ammonia, which is found in the hair color product itself, is an alkaline that allows for lightening by acting as a catalyst when the permanent hair color comes together with the peroxide. Like all alkalines, ammonia tends to separate or open up the cuticle and allow the hair color to penetrate the cortex of the hair.

When the two are mixed together and applied to your hair, the alkalinity of the hair color allows it to penetrate the hair shaft and the H202 oxidizes and causes the color molecules to bond creating a new hair color for you.

Permanent color- Here, very small tint molecules combine with the developer to form large sized molecules in the hair. These molecules enter all the way into the cortex and expand to a size that cannot be washed out. Permanent hair color has two "actions:" it lightens the hair's natural pigment to form a new base and then it adds a permanent new color. Permanent colors can lift and deposit color. However, if you want to go more than two shades lighter than your natural color, you will need to do what is called a double process.

A double process consists of going in and eliminating your natural hair pigment (bleaching) and then putting the new color back into the hair. A professional should do this process. See Lightening your Hair color for more information on bleaching and going lighter with your hair color.

When you bleach your hair, some of your natural pigment will stay. Even though people believe that if you bleach your hair, you can apply any color and it will come out how the color swatch looks. This is not always the case. Since some of your natural pigment stays, it mixes with the color base you are applying and can some times cause, well, a funky color. If you've ever-turned green or orange, you know what I mean! See Hair coloring Tips for more information.

Semi-permanent color- SPCs add a minimum amount of hair color molecules to the hair shaft. Only the cuticle (outer layer) is penetrated. There for, they do not interact with your hair's natural pigments and because the molecules are small and have not penetrated very deeply, they eventually exit the hair shaft after several shampoos, leaving the hair as it was before treatment.

Lasts for 6-12 shampoos (3-6 weeks)

Covers up to 50% gray and subtly enhances your natural hair color

Does not leave roots

Will not lighten or lift your natural or artificial hair color

Demi-permanent color- DPCs last slightly longer (24-26 shampoos) due to the small amount of developer added to the DPC. Pre-color molecules penetrate the cuticle and enter the cortex where they then partner to create medium-sized color molecules. Because of their larger size, they take longer to wash out. These products do not contain ammonia, so the natural pigment cannot be lifted or lightened.