In my first blog on colouring grey/white hair I looked at Semi-Permanent colour and its power to blend those first white hairs, here I move to the next level with Demi-permanent colour.
During our greying progress we will start to notice that those first few grey/white unruly hairs start to make more of a presence. For some of us they will gather in focal areas such as around the ears, temples and hairline, for others they will be well scattered throughout the entire head or as isolated patches. The decision for many who want to disguise those now more obvious grey/white hairs is to gravitate towards permanent colours and yes, permanent colour will give an amazing colour but, in this blog, I want to offer you another choice one you may or may not have considered; the permanent colour’s little sister the Demi-Permanent colour.
Demi-Permanent colour appeared in the professional hair industry in the late 80’s, they had many names from, Qazi-colour, Oxidising-semi-permanent, Colour Bath to what has now stuck Demi-Permanent. It took about another decade before it hit the shelves in consumer hair colour. It was a revelation, until that moment our choices were two; semi-permanent or permanent colours both at opposite ends of the colouring spectrum. It opened up a world of soft colouring that had never been witnessed before.
What is a Demi-Permanent?
A Demi-Permanent colour is a mildly oxidising colour, it has two components; in the tube or bottle, dyestuff with a weak alkaline that is mixed with a low strength developer containing hydrogen peroxide. As soon as you mix the two components together you initiate the chemistry that 1) creates an environment on and in the hair allowing the dyestuff to travel through the cuticles into the outer layer of the hair’s cortex and 2) allows the dyestuff to form into dyes; the colour.
What does a Demi-Permanent do?
A Demi-Permanent colour will introduce dyes into all hair while having a subtle lightening effect on hair that is natural in colour. Due to its mild chemistry each strand of hair will look different; the grey/white hair will appear more toned or subdued, the natural hair will appear a little more intense and these variations are reflected throughout the hair giving a natural multidimensional result. In comparison to a permanent colour Demi-Permanent colour is noticeably more translucent.
The mild chemistry also means that the colour is not locked deep within the hair and will over subsequent shampoos fade eventually leaving a colour similar to the original natural colour. However, with regular use the dyes will build up in the hair and the Demi-Permanent although soft will start to become more embedded leaving a more visible regrowth.
Over the decades innovation in Demi-Permanent colours has brought a kaleidoscope of colours, more vibrant colours and new powers to lift (a little more) the natural hair colour, solidifying the Demi-Permanents place with both Professionals and Consumers.
How it is used?
Within the product ranges the colours can be mixed together creating new tones or used independently.
Most Demi-Permanent colours can be applied onto either pre-shampooed, towel dried hair or onto dry hair, the former being a great way to level out the porosity for a more even results if the hair is long or already chemically treated. The development time varies from 10minutes for porous hair to 20minutes for untreated hair.
Because the dyes develop within the hair it is possible to give the hair a light shampoo after the development time without negatively affecting the colour or its durability and it is always advisable to finish off with a post-colour conditioner to thoroughly shutdown the chemistry. Style as normal or not as the case maybe.
For years I personally used Demi-Permanent colour to add interest to my natural mousy brown hair and to camouflage the first signs of white/grey, I loved the way the white/grey hair ‘took’ the colour more intensively giving more of a coloured highlighted result. Professionally it is a great way to not only camouflage the white/grey hair but also to add longer lasting tonal effects from polished silvers, pastel pinks, khaki greens to smokey lows and beyond.
Next time I will look at Permanent hair colour.
Caroline
