Hair care, WaterBear ?
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Re: Hair care, WaterBear ?
Yeah, I was a colorist for many years so I can sort of help you.
Sorry to say that permanent hair color is anything but! It gives best results when applied every 4 to six week because:
1) some of the dye bases are not stable, particularly in the neutral and ash shades. The blue dye bases used in these colors will actually oxidize to a reddish molecule over time from atmostpheric oxygen. This is what happens when hair color turns 'brassy'. I am sure that the sanitizes in pools will help speed this up!
2) Hair grows about 1/2 inch a month and this new growth is less resistant to chemical manipulation because it has not fully keratinized (oxidized by atmospheric oxygen) and is more 'plastic' so is less resistant to coloring. If the reagrowth is more than about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length it is less 'plastic' and more resistant to dye base penetration. This will result in uneven color. 3) The previously colored portions of the hair shaft become more porous and one of two things happen....with slight porosity they tend to grab color and go too dark compared to the first 1/2 to 3/4 inch of regrowth and when the porouosity increases dramatically (usually on the ends) they don't hold color and can look ashen or greenish (not to be confused with green from copper in the water!) This is why a touch up application, and not just working the color through the entire hair shaft is important. Best solution is to retouch every 4 to 6 weeks and do it properly.
Your regrowth is getting ligher and so are your skin tones because the melanin production in your body is slowing down....it happens to all of us!
You will get a more natural looking color if you select one a shade or two ligher than your natural color (it will go with your lighter skin tones better) and remember the 'silver' hair will not cover properly unless you are adding a golden or reddish color to your selection. Silver is the ultimate ash color (it is actually a blue). and unless you are dying it a deep brown or warm black will always look lighter than the pigmented hair that is colored. Once the hair greys it also becomes much more resistant to chemical manipulation. The cuticle layer becomes much more compact and the hair more 'glassy' in feel. It might even be coarser than the pigmented hair! That is why most haircolor lines either have special 'grey covering colors' that need to be used for at least 50% of the color formula or they make both 'transparent' fashion colors that are not meant for grey hair and 'opaque' colors that provide better coverage. (I am talking about professional color product lines....the home retail color lines do not inclued these colors). Also you will get better coverage if you stay away from color lines that use a constant violet base throughout and use a line with variable bases and be sure to pick a yellow based or neutral grey covering base for best coverage. If your grey is over 30% you will only achieve a blended look and not total coverage no matter what you use unless the hair is 100% white. Then your selected color will look one or two shades ligher than the color swatch unless it is black or a deep warm brown.
Sorry to inform you that silver hair IS grey hair.....so is slate, so is white. Your body has stopped producing the red and yellow oxymelanins and what you see as silver is the result.
Coating your hair with conditoner and wearing a swim cap, then rinsing it out after is the best way to protect your color. If I had some magic spray on formula I would be retired right now!
Originally Posted by RavenNS
Re: Hair care, WaterBear ?
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