When we discover our first grey/white hair we all react differently, for me, I was very curious as it would finally allow me to experience for myself something that I had studied and worked through for others. Over the years I have experimented on my own hair, as well as developing products and techniques for Professional and home use. Those first few white hairs can be managed without making a big commitment and I tend to recommend semi-permanent colours for first time colour clients and users.
What is a semi-permanent?
A true semi-permanent colour is a colour that is complete, in that it is ready to use straight from the bottle or tube. Because the dyes are complete the colour in the bowl/bottle is also what appears on the hair, a red mass with give a red tone to the hair, a brown mass will give a brown tone and so on.
The semi-permanent colour contains dyes that are called direct-acting dyes, that during a development time ‘diffuse’ into the top layer of the hair, from the outside. They’re available across a wide spectrum of colour natural shades tones to funky tones.
What does a semi-permanent do?
Not only does it add amazing shine because you have added a new additional reflective surface onto the hair, yes the dyes help to reflect the light. Each strand of hair will take on a variation of the colour depending on its original colour (not all our hair is the same colour), texture and porosity, so there will be subtle variations in the shade across the entire head which gives it a natural result. It also means that grey or white hairs will not be coloured to the same shade as the rest of the hair. If there are only a few grey/white hairs, the effect will usually be enough for them to blend in.
It does wash out, manufactures test the durability and will say on the product the expected number of shampoos. This is a guideline as your hair will be the ultimate deciding factor on durability.
What does it not do?
Semi-permanents contain no developer or alkalizer so they do not lighten the hair. The colouring is subtractive meaning it adds to what is already there and as such makes them safe for damaged or even fragile hair. Watch out; if it has to be mixed it is not a true Semi-Permanent. I will add one exception; in this category of colouring there are bespoke systems hitting the market that allow additional conditioning or fragrance to be added to the Semi-permanent colour tailoring the result even more to the hair and the wishes of the user.
How to use it?
Within the product ranges the colours can be mixed together creating new shades or used independently.
Most Semi-permanent colours are applied to pre-shampooed, towel dried hair. This allows the product to evenly distribute using the moisture within the damp hair and subsequently diffuse more consistently into the hair. There is a recommended development time, after which the hair is rinsed until the water runs clear. You don’t want to shampoo after the Semi-permanent colour as this will already remove one of your shampoos and shortening the durability. Style as normal or not as the case maybe.
Exceeding the development time, may give a slightly longer lasting colour, more intense colour result or extra vibrancy. Although I do this myself from time to time, I would add a few restraints; this can cause greater fibre staining which is difficult to remove, meaning that changing the colour could be more problematic. Also, be aware of scalp sensitivity, although very rare it is something, we need to be mindful when working outside of the manufacture’s guidelines.
All in all, blending those white hairs with a Semi-Permanent colour is a great way to test for yourself or introduce a client to the world of hair colour without commitment. Just like a new colourful scarf it can brighten up your features, make you feel good and be easily removed. A world without colour would be all too black and white.
Next time I will look deeper in to the science of Semi-Permanent colours.
Caroline
