Democrat & Republican of Hair Color: Permanent Hair Color > Holds Down 2 Opposing Jobs

Lift & Deposit ; 2 Jobs of Permanent Hair Color

Must Work Together For Good of Hair,

Come From Completely Different Camps

Permanent hair color, or single-process hair color is designed to permanently alter the natural pigment of hair. Oxidative color, henna, metallic, compound dyes and bleach are all considered permanent tints.











Today we are talking about permanent hair color. The only category of all the hair colors that performs 2 actions - while its on the hair - at the same time! With Semi & Demi Permanent hair color they have one job only and that is to "deposit" color onto the hair strand, which is why they do not lighten the hair.
There are 2 'jobs' that PERMANENT hair color is capable of performing

• lifting &
• depositing

It is also called subtraction of the hairs natural pigment and addition of synthetic pigment.

Permanent color is exactly as it sounds - it penetrates into the cortex of the hair and becomes "locked" in through a process called oxidation. Permanent color forever alters the texture of the hair, causing it to swell ( giving it body!)- which is why if you have thin hair, coloring it with permanent color makes you feel like you have a whole new head of hair. This is the #1 reason I color my own, and many like me do - I color mine the same color it is, I have no gray, I color it for the body... I have always felt my hair is in better condition since it has been colored with the top of the line professional hair colors, which is why I have made them available to you. If you are a fanatic about your hair, this is your web site.



The difference in quality between some of the professional lines even is tremendous, let alone coloring your hair with what you find in Sallys. I would never color my own hair with Matrix colors even, I value my hair, its condition and how it looks. So if you are a fanatic like me, I would suggest using Wella's Koleston Perfect, the ColorTouch line or any of Renbow's colors - all of them are made available to you through Killerstrands - join the Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/killerstrands/topics to view the color charts up close, drop me an email with PRODUCT ORDER in the subject line at: Killerstrands@gmail.com - for more info.
Permanent color means the color lasts until it grows out or is cut off. Once hair is permanently tinted is cannot be made "untinted". (unless of course you go through the Decolorization method http://killerstrands.blogspot.com/search/label/decolorization%20of%20hair )
Keep in mind if you are lightening, you are subtracting (-) or lifting color.
Lifting: Removing, subtracting, or lightening color from the hair. The lightening ability of hair color .... or the amount a certain volume of developer will oxidize

Depositing: adding color to the hair. the portion of single process oxidation when the color enters the cortex of the hair.
However in permanent hair coloring (not using bleach), there is also a stage that deposits color pigment into the hair. If you are depositing , you are adding(+), therefore, when you both lighten and deposit color, you are doing both subtraction and addition! This tint service is the highest in demand, BUT . . . it is the most difficult one to do correctly. Still, it is so much easier using the LEVEL SYSTEM which is why I have been trying to cram that into your head...the Level system will conquer so many issues for so many of you, just trust me and keep going over it , it took me over a year to thoroughly understand it. Just keep reading and using it - even if it seems foreign to you, I promise one day it will 'click' but you MUST keep reviewing it.

I realize we don't want to get too technical, nor into too much chemistry-head mumbo jumbo - but . . . in order to understand this we have to graze across those subjects for a bit, bear with me.

Permanent haircoloring products are designed to permanently alter the natural pigmentation of the hair. That line of demarcation appears when using this category of hair color,  demi's also produce this line, semis don't. The most distinctive point to permanent hair color is that it has the ability to "lighten" your natural hair because it is lifting the natural pigment out of the hair strand when applied. Ammonia (in the tube) combines with hydrogen peroxide in the developer to lighten the natural pigment, therefore making the change Permanent. With this technology you are able to go from a Level 7 to a Level 10 with a tube of color, NOT BLEACH. Many people like this idea, although this is where one will run into the "yellows" many times, if not performed correctly.







Permanent hair color has 2 tricks...2 jobs....2 missions : Lightening and permanent depositing, all permanent hair coloring products work about the same. The lift comes from the combination of the ammonia (or other catalyst) in the tube of color and the hydrogen peroxide in the developer that creates the lift.

Ammonia is a critical ingredient in permanent hair color and it must contain ammonia or an ingredient that does the exact same thing, or what we are trying to do with it, will not happen, and that is cosmetic chemistry ladies and gents. The problem comes from ammonia when too much ammonia is used, it can be damaging, at the same time...without ammonia -- deposit and lifting would not occur. Ammonia, or another product that is just like it - is essential.

"Ammonia" is picked on as the bad-guy in hair damage, which I can only deduct comes from its offensive 'odor' and again from its "name".

That is just not the case, almost every cosmetic chemist would agree with me I'm certain. Yes, unfortunately when breaks in some of the disulfide cross-links cause oxidative hair damage (damage from any permanent hair color), Stylists get the 'cause' mixed-up and think it comes from the ammonia, because that is what they smell as does the client....contrary to that misconception, the damage comes from the peroxide.

The problem being, in order to get that gorgeous beautiful "un-yellow" blond, you need all three components. As I have said before the best answer to this problem? . . . having a highly trained Stylist that knows the precise amount of the 3 ingredients ... not too much of one or too little of the other.. which takes years of experience.

When some say they don't want "ammonia" in their hair color, I scratch my head.... Its the exact same problem I find with the public and preservatives. People say they don't want preservatives in their products, but if they really understood the chemistry of it all, I am sure they would not say that. Preservatives keep your cosmetics, safe. Same with Ammonia in this respect, permanent hair color must have it - and it must be added in a precise amount. Manufacturers strive to put just enough and not too much ammonia in their hair color - I feel that is the key to which hair color works the best opposed to the slackers.

Alkaline substance: an ingredient hair color that has a pH greater than 7, causing the cuticle to open and permanent color to enter the cortex

Ammonia is an alkali; is SWELLS the hair shaft which helps with deposit/penetration. It is also a catalyst who's primary purpose is to facilitate the lightening by releasing oxygen -- supplied by the developer, to oxidize the (virgin) natural pigment. Ammonia, lastly creates the necessary alkalinity for the development of permanent color.

Permanent haircoloring is always alkaline in pH.

Alkaline substance is usually, but not always, ammonia. It causes the cuticle to swell, allowing for deposit of the color pigment molecules & promoting lightening action. You need ammonia to swell the hair shaft.

The refined color products available today use lower amounts of ammonia, making for little or no damage and less fading. They also enable the cuticle to close completely after the color process. The ammonia is not a free ammonia; its a derivative. You absolutely need it to open the cuticle. Most of the color products today have a very refined ammonia content that will readily wash from the hair with water, so the next time you hear 'ammonia' - I would suggest not making a "name" judgement {based purely on the name}. Its a much more complicated procedure than just the name.

The ammonia of a haircoloring product is not in the developer; it is in the tube with the dyes.

Lighter levels contain more ammonia than lower levels in order to provide more lightening capability. All Colorists know that distinctive WHIFF after opening a Level 12 Ash in the color room.

The higher the Level of color, the more LIFT and the less DEPOSIT. the Lower the Level, the less the lift and the Greater the deposit.

I'd like you all to be thinking about the following:

Most of you have seen Peroxide, or Developer, as I like to call it.

10 Volume, 20 Volume, 30 Volume & 40 Volume - are the 4 main 'boys'

6 Volume 17 Volume 25 Volume and on and on have been tacked on lately. The Volume of peroxide does not determine how strong it is, what the volume signifies is: "How Long It Will Lift" . Another point where I get frustrated is when people say to me they don't want to use 40 Volume, only 20. Well, its (virtually) the same liquid only one "lifts longer" than the other.
The higher the Volume the longer and more the Lift! So using 40 volume many times will help prevent the dreaded "yellows" or "brassiness" you see so much, again it is an art. Buy a doll's head with your hair color to practice on or I can sell you hair swatches of your own hair color to test with. Again make it a hobby, as soon as you get down, you will be doing your hair like the pros! Being sure to put in the proper amount of "practice time".

From just our Google Group and the comments posted in there, it seems to be the single most common problem for Crib Colorists the 'too yellow' problem . Lightening is the most common form of hair color we have so far, and why would there be too many yellows or problems with yellow?
4 answers:

#1.) Not leaving the color on long enough (or needing a 2nd application)

#2.) Using too low volume peroxide

#3.) Using the wrong tool for the job....Using high lift blond tint when bleach (lightener) was needed.

#4.) Not using a light enough tint/color/dye



Hate to say this but I have always felt the manufacturers are off about 1 level....they're never quite as light as you want, very very rarely will it be 'too light', that is a very hard problem to have and a super easy problem to fix.

Keep this list of 4 solutions to "yellow" hair.



To try when this problem lands on your head.

More on permanent color coming.

LET THERE BE LIGHT -- Peroxide -- Friend or Foe for frickin' sake

Questions - Calculations & 'mo

Now that I have helped befriend our dear darling Peroxide, the inquisition continues. I went looking through my old notebook for the calculations on how to make different Volumes of peroxide for your Color Room out of 130 Volume .I forgot to mention even worse than my writing? My math. Boy, I rarely mention my main faults so early in the game but they are necessary here. I will give you what it says and you all can take it from there. Tho - I'd like a volunteer to field questions about the calculations - please sign up in the Comments section below. (my kids are just like me its a disease math-i-tis I think they call it).





In addition, I'd like to fill in with what else I can about Hydrogen Peroxide to help you all warm up even more to the little bugger. There are many chemicals just like this little one, which is a terrific project that needs to be rescued by the big MFG. companies, I get my hopes up that big companies like P & G (whom actually I would love to work for > altho only on the "Green" side) might have researchers scoping the net trying to figure out the future of Hair, Hair Health and Hair Color - at which point they Zero in on my Web site and their prayers are answered. They call and ask me to advise them, develop a Killer Line of both Hair Color that involves teaching the public, the LEVEL System and shampoos and styling products that are actually moisturizing and healthy for the hair. Its easy, its possible and it can be done at reasonable prices. I swear to you I am just not too sure why it is not done now. What is better than a completely happy customer with Killer hair color. The way it is now the only reason people use those damn boxed color kits is because they are afraid to calculate the hair color themselves. I don't believe "fear-driven" success is near as prosperous as "confidant & successful" driven success





Killerstrands@gmail.com





There was an instance I bet when I mentioned "chemicals" that blew that fear of "Word Phobia" through your bones, am I right? Be honest - people hear "chemicals" and think; bad - horrible - get them away from me thoughts, when in fact so much of what we need, we require and what we actually want are chemicals in our daily life. Of course there are "bad ones" and "good ones" and there are bad 'amounts' of them and good 'amounts' - that is the fine line that must be maneuvered





Chemicals are all around us, always, and always have been. We are made of chemicals, indeed chemicals R Us. The plants we eat are also full of chemicals. But how does the body deal with these chemicals and what do they do to us?





The chemical industry has been able to make the stunning revelation that everything is made of chemicals! Chemicals are in fact perfectly natural substances and we really need to do more research before throwing them out . Apparently thousands of the so-called 'natural' products of the earth are laced with nasty toxic substances, of which, of course, we were all unaware until this startling discovery was made known to human kind chemicals are not only man made and not all of the chemicals made by man are dangerous and not all of the chemicals found naturally are safe. Some people will say that there must be a difference between things made by chemists in laboratories and things found in nature? It is true, there are differences, natural chemicals are often more complex and chemists find some very difficult to make! For example DNA and proteins are extremely complex. But surely man made chemicals must be more poisonous? Not necessarily true. We won't go into the entire discussion here. I just needed to point out - what I stumbled upon when I began my dive into Cosmetic Chemistry. Being a Vegan and a natural food buff for my entire life (yep californians are weird!) it was a very unusual revelation to come to terms with. So just know I watch out for every single healthy avenue for hair - I truly do, I doubt you will ever encounter a hair stylist more in tune with the "natural" "organic" and "healthy" avenues than me, except for maybe those that don't believe in hair color at all. I also live under the umbrella of " life cannot be all that serious" - we must have some fun, because life is short - play hard.











Again: H2 O is Water: a chemical- bad? I think not. Necessary? Very. When the Developer begins working with your hair color it starts out with 2 atoms of hydrogen and 2 of oxygen as soon as it is combined with the hair color 1 of the oxygen molecules is given off and the product is down to what? H2 O! Water. And that is bad? See how things get out of whack? Peroxide is your friend, it really is.





Hydrogen Peroxide is the OXIDIZER of permanent haircolor-ing, providing the Oxygen for

• lightening of natural pigment and for the


• development of artificial pigment.

Those 2 lines say it all, but those are 2 jam packed lines. Read them over a couple times as this will put your mind in the right frame to continue on.











The percentage of lift in any color is directly related to its ammonia content ( remember many stylists will quote "ammonia content" as a bad thing), in the Killerstrands world I: look for LIFT. Lift means lightening - plain and simple - if you don't want to lighten hair, do something else....most decent Colorists are looking to lighten hair...we want more ways to lighten hair....we want more conditioning ways of lightening hair. Don't people want to be blond?.... have blond ribbons, blond pirouettes, or blond under color blocks?? Lightening is the most common coloring technique in the biz... Every single time a new lightening product is developed it is greeted with a very warm reception by 10's of thousands of hair stylists so ammonia content is a very necessary product.





Blondes are very very popular, whether in 1 Color 'all-over-blond' or blond placed in very creative ribbons in a dynamic head of brown. If you can attain the lightening, then you can control it -- or tone it, is my theory. I want as much lift as they can give me, let "me" control the amount I use and where I use it. Maybe they don't because of all the mis-information going on around, but come on... that problem is easily solved. The biggest complaint category of hair color is

• "too brassy"


• "too orange"


• "too yellow"


• "too gold"

....have you all learned this one yet? What would be the reason for these 4 complaints?





Not enough lift - if you have those 4 problems then you have taken the bleach off TOO SOON





So having more lift, while remaining more conditioning & moisturizing has finally hit the manufacturers. There is a new "conditioning" Developer by Redken, they have teamed up with their new product Blond Icing. Like I said, more jazzy new lighteners the better - we love the new technology -- just like in any field. Bring in a new product that works 'higher' - 'faster' - 'longer' - of course we'll jump on it.





The developer has a few of the moisturizing alcohols - cetyl alcohol - stearyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol which are lipid based moisturizers and marvelous for the structure of hair. I thought of that trick as soon as I discovered how these worked a couple years back, what takes these companies so long, when they are in the business of manufacturing hair color?





You know why?





Because its a whole slew of Lab Rats sitting in their Labs at Redken,Clairol, or Wella or what-ever-hair color manufacturers International that don't have the Technician <> to CLIENT connection. That's why there is a lag in the business, and I only discovered that when I went from the TECHNICIAN to the LAB RAT, a step that is rarely if EVER taken by anyone. When they take someone like a FREDERIC FEKAI ( which i refer to as the Technician/Stylist)....or a Jonathin Antin and ask them to put their name on a product.... they do not TEACH them HOW the products are made....which ingredients do 'what'....or ANY of that technical B/S I hate to say. I know, because I was there. If I hadn't gotten sick I would have never had the time nor inclination to study Chemistry for 3 years - because to truly understand which ingredients should be used and "why" is just not something that can be learned in a day or a week.





The 'way' that shampoos work, must be understood.........not simple





Remember me rambling on about SLS shampoos - I did for weeks on end...??? Remember? Sulfate-free shampoos....? ? ? ? Which by the way> every single company on the market has one in production. Well, the one and only reason I have the confidence to make that claim is because I do understand "how" the shampoo works ...how each surfactant works and "how" each ingredient works. I have watched and breathed SLS and seen the damage it can do to a strand of hair...but Technicians do not have that advantage. What they do have is a company telling them whats in each of the shampoos, etc, and hoepfully going on their advice. Its a wonderful library of information to have and I Love the fact that I was afforded the time to study all the chemicals and ingredients and know what they are and "why"!

...so I know what everything is now when I look at it...But> remember the FREDERIC Fekkai's of the world.... and their $250.00 Conditioner - are not worth it - THRIVEN will blow the socks off it - on 86% of the candidates.. So let's hope you are one of those chosen few where the stars meet the sky.





I am NOT putting them down for that fact...what I am trying to do is educate everyone so we all understand how the system works. The more we educate hopefully the more we can improve on the system in place. Any large company like that should have a board of advisors that use their products and are constantly giving them advice and direction as to where the company needs to go with new products - blows me away how UN-innovative the hair industry actually is.





This industry should be setting the trends not lagging on them.The way the industry is now, Hair Color products are antiquated - archaic almost, I've had ideas for them for years that I do not understand why they have not made or attempted to make. Hair color is a tremendously booming business - 2 $ billion a year is a very conservative estimate and the more tools the better for every Colorist: whether it be a Crib Colorist or Pro.





Why not put more tools in the hands of Home Hair Colorists? What's the big secret? There is plenty of hair color that needs to go around... why is there not a level of Pro Hair Color available for the women at home that don't live in LA or NY that desire the quality of hair seen on every magazine cover? There is plenty for the Salon Colorist, which is not available to CRIB COLORISTS - why not? There is so much room for growth - expansion and this subject needs to be talked about and discussed openly so that the women of America are able to achieve decent hair color in their own homes. For the many women that cannot afford or do not live near the high dollar hair salons...they are stuck using hair color products that are a much lower quality than the hair color if they go to Cosmetology School. Do you realize that there are lines of hair color that I may get in trouble for selling to the public - which I cannot figure out "why"?? Anyone care to address this subject with and for me...





How can it be against the law to sell 'certain' hair color?





To certain people?





Then all the hair color in Sally's need to be against the law to sell to the American people....which "brand" is OK? and which one isn't? more importantly - WHY???





Who sets those standards? There aren't any sort of laws.....or rules....or ???? Why can I not sell hair color that I have legally bought, to another person that would like to buy it ?? Because that person has not gone to Cosmetology School, what book is that a law in? That is the most bizarre restriction - ever . I looked in Sally's and the exact same thing is printed on a box of hair color in Sally's that is printed on a box of hair color from a professional company. BOTH of those companies are owned by the same larger company.....that larger company?





P & G. Proctor and Gamble. CLAIROL & WELLA

BOTH OWNED ULTIMATELY - - BY P & G





I'm not done reviewing : ammonia and peroxide so please put that subject in the "hold" category. I ran a whole new demo for Readers to show you what bleach with ammonia and bleach without ammonia did to Level 4 hair.....so stand by.

The White Stuff - is - The Right Stuff ~ Permanent Haircolor ~ the Conclusion

H2 O2 Hydrogen Peroxide's effect on Permanent Hair Color

+ Deposit and Lift = exactly what that means

OK with every boxed hair color kit, with every hair color you have ever performed there has been this white stuff you mix with. People have talked about it for years: peroxide. . ."peroxide blonds" like peroxide is a "big-bad-meean" liquid. Again we are back to one of those word phobias. People hear a word like 'preservatives' like 'bleach', 'ammonia' and now 'peroxide' and through a process similar to that game Telephone when one person hears one word promptly gets discombobulated through the process of time, laziness, misinterpretation. The original story gets twisted & completely out of whack and the truth is the farthest thing from what is popularly known about the original word. That is what happens to these technical terms and they never get cleared up.

I feel the big hair product manufacturers like to keep you (the public) in the dark, fear keeps you in line. You listen to their commercials & ads if you don't know the truth, and buy what they tell you to. Many don't understand the hair color process so the only way to safely go about it is by either purchasing those Boxed Kits with "everything-you-need" in them (including directions) or go to the Salon, 'they' have to know what they are doing they have a license. From the emails and polls I have taken the percentage of quality hairstylists out there does not even sit at 50% which adds to my reasons to clarify the Home Hair coloring process for you.

A developer is an oxidizing agent that when mixed with an oxidative haircolor, supplies the necessary oxygen gas to develop color molecules and create a change in hair color. Developers, also called oxidizing agents or catalysts have a pH between 2.5 and 4.5. Hydrogen peroxide is the one used in haircolor.

Hydrogen Peroxide is the oxidizer of permanent haircolor, providing the oxygen for lightening of natural pigment and for the development of artificial pigment. It is the hydrogen peroxide in permanent hair coloring -- not the ammonia that causes the oxidative hair damage, although with the new ammonias and how they rinse thoroughly out of the hair, even that has been kept to a minimum.

The chemical "shorthand" for hydrogen peroxide, H2O2 means "2 Hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms. Remember H2 O is water, so there is just 1 more molecule of O Oxygen in Peroxide - think about that. Look how close it is to water, how could it really be that bad? Its not, I don't want to take the time here, for any doubters Google: hydrogen peroxide, put your mind at ease. On the contrary, wait till you see all the wonderful uses for hydrogen peroxide, it will blow your socks off.

Higher volumes of hydrogen peroxide provide more oxygen for more extended lightening

.

Higher volumes: create more lift & less deposit

Lower volumes: less lift and greater deposit

Any where from 15 - 20 Volume will get you the best gray coverage, one of the trickier formula's to come up with. Remember gray hair is hair with no pigment, so you are not trying to "Lift" any color out, are you? There isn't any color to lift. What you are trying to do is to deposit color to cover that pigment-free (gray) hair. One of the tricks of covering Gray is using the proper developer, many stylists don't know the 15-20 V > Gray coverage trick, I want all of you to be able to figure out how to cover gray hair...its not that hard but its one of the arrows in my quiver... a very tight-kept secret, that I look forward to sharing with you.

The higher the percentage of oxygen in peroxide, the more lift you can achieve. Why would lift be important? The more of the virgin color "lifted" out of the hair shaft the more the new color can be deposited. One color must be removed (lifted) in order for there to be room for the "new" color. As Oxidation occurs, LIFT begins, which is removal of the natural pigment (melanin) in the hair. DEPOSIT ALSO BEGINS. ***at the same time**** - a point I feel needs to be fully understood about permanent hair color, no other color works this way, this distinguishes this particular segment of haircolor from every other. If you can grasp this concept it 'should' make the theory of permanent hair color sink in and hopefully you will have one of those 'a ha' moments. If you don't I honestly want to hear from you at the bottom of this post. PLEASE! I want you all,every last one of you to understand this, leave me a little note in the comments section with a question. There is no 'dumb' question............NONE - ZIP - ZERO

Deposit is a process in which the color molecules lock together to form new color pigment combinations in the hair. The tiny size of the dye precursors before oxidation enables them to pass easily into the cortex of the hair, penetrating it fully. As the color processes, the tiny dye molecules change structure, coupling up to form big, colored molecules. These newly created dye molecules, now too big to leave the way they came in, affix themselves to the keratin chains in the hair. POOF - your hair has become colored just because the little buggers could not escape~!

The LIFT and DEPOSIT occur at the same time in this "permanent" Haircolor procedure. That is a point I have needed to make for several months now in writing some of my posts. Its a bit difficult to fully swallow at first, but such is the magic of chemistry I have come to find out.

Shortly after the cream which holds the dye is combined with the peroxide .....dye molecules begin developing - - - rearranging into bigger, complex, colored molecules. Which leads me to a point that I want you all to understand.The "lifetime" of hair color is narrow, or at least where the hair color's "sweet spot" is, which begins ticking away about 10 minutes after the colorant is mixed with the developer. You want to apply that formula just as fast and efficiently as possible to get the best use of it. Be all ready to go, no dawdling. Seriously

Many stylists mistakenly think it is the peroxide that causes the cuticle to open...which would be wrong...the peroxide acts as a buffer for the ammonia in color. Its pH is actually 2.5 to 4.5 . Only when it is released through oxidation does it begin to eliminate pigment.

Peroxide + Ammonia = Lift & Development of Color

In Permanent haircolor the substances you mix together will not "look" like the color you hope to achieve. This is the only category, because of the "oxidation".

During Coloring, the peroxide is converted to water and oxygen

• Water drives the pigment into the hair




• Oxygen develops pigments

Once they're developed, the pigments enlarge and become trapped inside the hair shaft. Compare it to a mini hydrogen bomb going off in each reaction, causing the intermediates to fuse together. THAT equals permanent hair color

It is the oxidation process that removes( lifts) melanin. it also DEPOSITS color. The colorless intermediates combine to form a compound, which makes the color.

Lift and Deposit Occur at the same time. Lift occurs at a more accelerated pace immediately after application, whereas deposit accelerates toward the end

The timing of the process is essential with the LEVEL SYSTEM.

If the product is removed too early, there will not be enough deposit. If the application is slow, the effectiveness of the lift is impaired, so be prepared and work quickly.

The final result of single-process tint is the total of the hair's natural pigment combined with the products color molecules. With the LEVEL SYSTEM use of refined pigments and base ingredients,the result is shiny healthy looking hair.

Alkali, Hydrogen Peroxide and Mohawks

THE EFFECTS OF ALKALI And HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

Hydrogen peroxide alone will not lighten hair easily; it alone is not a decolorizer because of its acidic pH level. It must be combined with an alkaline source to produce a chemical reaction with the color dye and the pigment in the hair strands.

The most common alkaline agent used in haircoloring products is ammonia.

In addition to maintaining stability of the dye , ammonia swells the hair strand, which helps the dye molecule penetrate the cuticle and cortex layers. Ammonia also acts as a catalyst to activate hydrogen peroxide, which helps the dye molecules to couple and form.

Hydrogen peroxide in combination with ammonia will break some of the internal disulfide bonds found in the cortex of the hair.

This IS IMPORTANT:

Disulfide bonds are responsible for hair's stability and strength.

In a typical haircolor process, approximately 10% of existing disulfide bonds are destroyed. In a highlift color or bleaching, 15 — 20% may be permanently broken. The destruction of disulfide bonds leads to the production of a new molecule called cysteic acid. Although this is an inevitable side effect, an appropriate protein/moisture balance can be achieved through the Deep OVERNIGHT Conditioning Treatments I preach about all the time.

I am a true believever that overnight DEEP Conditioning can solve/repair the disulfide bond breaking that occurs when lightening hair. I hope this helps you see now, why I say "lightening the hair" weakens the hair strands....while "same Level or darker" hair color "strengthens" the strands.Read the paragraphs over and over a couple times... it will sink in promise.

• If you understand how the hair gets damaged then it helps prevent you from damaging it, continuously.
• It's important to understand the individual components of haircoloring products and their primary functions.

Essentially, most haircolor requires dye and developer to produce a result.

DYES
There are two general categories of dyes: oxidative and direct dyes. Oxidative dyes are extremely small colorless molecules that penetrate through the cuticle and into the cortex with the aid of an alkaline substance such as ammonia. Direct dyes are pre-colored molecules that coat the surface of the hair and do not require a reaction with hydrogen peroxide.

DEVELOPER (HYDROGEN PEROXIDE)
In order for oxidative dyes to form colored dye molecules, oxidation must take place. Oxidation is the chemical process of a haircolor dye reacting with a developer to form visible color. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the most predominant oxidants used to develop color.

Hydrogen peroxide can be considered 'super-oxygenated' water, and is categorized by volume — most often 10, 20, 30, and 40. "Volume" refers to the 'volume' of oxygen gas contained in one 'volume' of hydrogen peroxide. It is a measure of concentration.

Each volume corresponds with a percentage level as follows:

Developer (Hydrogen Peroxide)

Volume Percentage of H202 Lifting Ability

10 Volume or 3% Deposits only

20 Volume or 6% Lifts Up to 1 level

30 Volume or 9% Lifts Up to 2-3 levels

40 Volume or 12% Lifts Up to 3-4 levels ......................Memorize these - its easy



Lower volumes of developer are used for minimal lift and staining techniques. Higher volumes are used when increased lifting of the natural pigment is desired.

Hydrogen peroxide has a dual purpose in the haircoloring process. First, it reacts with the melanin, breaking down the natural pigment and lightening the hair. This is what is referred to as 'lift'. Second, hydrogen peroxide develops oxidative dye molecules creating 'deposit' into the protein structure of the hair.

STRUCTURE & HAIR TYPE

Structure and hair type are partial determining factors in choosing which hair color to use, which will also affect the quality and ultimate success of the hair color.

Some hair color products may cause a dramatic change in the structure of the hair while others cause relatively little change. Knowing how products affect the hair will be one other feather in your cap so you can make the best choices for your own hair.

A little quick review of hair structure...the hair is composed of 3 main parts.

• CUTICLE: the outermost layer, it protects the interior cortex and contributes 20% of the overall strength


• CORTEX: the middle layer - which gives the hair its strength and elasticity. a healthy cortex lends 80% of the strength to the hair. It contains the natural pigment called MELANIN, which determines if we are blonde,brunette, or redhead.


• MEDULLA: the innermost layer. It is sometimes absent from the hair and plays a very minor role in the hair coloring process.
  
  TEXTURE

Hair texture is determined by the diameter of the individual hair strand. Large,medium, and small diameter hair strands translate into coarse, medium and fine hair textures, respectively. Melanin is distributed differently within the different textures. The melanin granules in fine hair are grouped more tightly, so the hair takes color faster and can look darker. Medium textured hair has an average response to hair color product and finally coarse-textured hair has a larger diameter and can take longer to process.

So on the RAZERBURN blog, we just got through teaching the men to determine the 'texture' of their hair - just so they would have the information and knowledge for life...and sure enough here is one other spot that just having the proper diagnosis would be of such a great advantage.

DENSITY
Another aspect that plays a role in hair coloring you must remember is density, which is the numbers of hair per square inch which can range from thick to thin. Density matters as it affects 'proper coverage'.

Porosity is the ability to absorb liquid, porous hair accepts hair color faster and permits darker color than less porous hair. There are different degrees of porosity.....

low porosity: the cuticle is tight>the hair is resistant. which means it is difficult for moisture or chemicals to penetrate & requires a longer processing time. an example of resistant hair ? Gray hair.
average porosity: cuticle is slightly raised, hair is normal and processes in average time.
high porosity: cuticle is lifted;hair is over porous and the hair takes color very quickly <> color also fades quickly

OK... that is now every little tiny bit of info that I was going to have to mention or bring up...in order to explain to explain the world of professional Hair color. Hallelujah!
Whoops it just hit me............
one more day of this.....I need to go Over lighteners.....lighteners such as BLEACH and High Lift Blondes. I love bleaches...as a colourist...I look for the tools that create the most radical change in the hair....that take the hair from black to WHITE.....or from white to black...because to accomplish that well can only be done by handful of people. Its a terrific sense of accomplishment to be the tops in your field.

So stay tuned...I may finish this off today or bounce back to Frizz-FREE FRIDAY....

Developer <> Hydrogen Peroxide It Speaks Volume's

Hydrogen Peroxide / Developers

{Let me bring the concepts down … to the planet, a lot of this may seem unnecessary and strange sounding but everything needs to be taught and understood for those of you wanting to professional hair color at home front. All of the info talked about, needs to be said ...so I can refer to it as I head deeper into teaching hair coloring at home, be patient. If you want to learn information that would cost a tremendous amount of $$ plus years of experience, just read and re-read every post. I am teaching all our secrets - I don’t know a soul that would do that.}

Getting down to the nitty-gritty > to make a batch of haircolor to put on hair, this is the picture: You have a bowl…a tint brush …on one side of the bowl is some color ….squeezed out of a tube…on the other side of the bowl…..Is the “white stuff”…..which has no smell until the 2 substances are combined…then POW- mix the 2 things together and it explodes in aroma and changes hair color .

That white stuff is the Developer …or Hydrogen Peroxide. I snicker when I hear that some new hair color is great & wonderful because it doesn’t use peroxide. To me….as a chemist….as a Colorist…the last thing on the planet I would want would be a hair color that does NOT have hydrogen peroxide in it ! Which of course depends on what you want to do ( lighten or darken). Things like “henna” were used by the Egyptians and are still available today….with absolutely NO facts or guide as to how it works or what it will turn out like. It’s all a crap shoot. When doing hair color I want the results to be “PREDICTABLE” so I can tell you and I can know in my head what it will look like when we are completed.

A developer is an oxidizing agent that, when mixed with an oxidative hair color, supplies the necessary oxygen gas to develop color molecules and create a change in hair color. Developers, also called oxidizing agents or catalysts, having a pH between 2.5 and 4.5 . Although there are a number of developers on the market, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is the one most commonly used in hair color.

VOLUME is the measure of the potential oxidation of varying strengths of hydrogen peroxide. The lower the volume, the less lift is achieved; the higher the volume, the greater the lifting action. The majority of permanent hair color products use 10 ,20,30,40 Volume hydrogen peroxide for proper color development.

OXIDATION , Hydrogen Peroxide & everything White

Oxidation: 1.The reaction of dye intermediates found in hair coloring developers with hydrogen peroxide 2. The interaction of hydrogen peroxide on the natural pigment.

Deposit: describes the color product in terms of its ability to add color pigment to the hair. Color added equals DEPOSIT.

Lift: The lightening action of a hair color or lightening product on the hair's natural pigment

Hydrogen Peroxide: An Oxidizing chemical made up of 2 parts hydrogen & 2 parts oxygen (H2O2) used to aid the processing of permanent hair color and lighteners. Also referred to as a developer by Stylists/Colorists; available in liquid or cream.


Now we move to the Hydrogen Peroxide ,the "white creme" in the other bottle! Within the BOXED KITS OF COLOR (I'm on the war path against) there are 2 items enclosed, one is a bottle of color the other a bottle of peroxide.

The percentage of LIFT in any color is directly related to its AMMONIA content. At times you will hear Color lines boasting of "no ammonia" which would only be in color the manufacturer does not 'want' to lift... for exam: in many of the "men's" color lines promising to cover grey and not change anything else. The only disadvantage to ammonia in hair color: if you are allergic to it, which is rare, but does happen, it is necessary for light blonding.

The percentage of dye content in the bottle is also known as pigment weight. The more dye molecules in the bottle, the more depositing capabilities the color has. The action of depositing dye or color molecules into the cortex of the hair shaft is partly triggered by OXIDATION, which is achieved by adding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to the color.


The dye molecule in any permanent color is too large to penetrate the cuticle of the hair shaft without first altering its structure with hydrogen peroxide. Since without hydrogen peroxide the dye will only stain the cuticle layer,understanding what happens when you add hydrogen peroxide to color is essential. That is also where the difference between Permanent,Semi-permanent, and Temporary color rests.

After the Hydrogen peroxide is added to the color, it begins to oxidize,or lose an oxygen molecule. This creates heat in and on the hair shaft, which expands the cuticle layer so that the color or dye molecules can penetrate.

Once the hydrogen peroxide is completely oxidized, it turns into water (H2O), and its chemical action stops. The color molecules return to their original structure and become part of the structure of the cortex. The cuticle closes, trapping the dye or color molecules inside. the color process is complete.

Don't let me lose you here, this may seem boring/confusing>or BOTH!! but... it will all make sense and come FULL CIRCLE here real soon, promise.
If it doesn't, then ask me questions LOTS of them, I want you to get it...I truly do, because if you do... then you will have knowledge that some of the top Colorists in the country possess & that is what ROCKS about the INTERNET, that high dollar information like that can be had for FREE ;-)...hee hee hee!