Hair Coloring and Lightening
Color theory and products
Levels run 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde). Melanin is eumelanin (brown-black) or pheomelanin (red-yellow), and the underlying pigment you must neutralize follows the level. The law of color: primaries red, yellow, blue; secondaries orange, green, violet; complementary colors cancel each other (violet cancels yellow, blue cancels orange, green cancels red).
Products: temporary (coats the cuticle), semipermanent (deposit only, fades over shampoos), demi-permanent (deposit with low-volume developer), permanent (oxidation - lifts and deposits), lighteners/bleach, and henna or metallic dyes (which are incompatible with perms, relaxers, and other color). Developers: 10, 20, 30, 40 volume. Permanent color cannot lighten previously colored hair reliably - lightener is needed.
Procedure and safety
Perform a patch test 24-48 hours before every color service and a strand test when the outcome is uncertain. Mix in a non-metallic bowl, wear gloves, ventilate, and never store mixed color. Apply virgin applications mid-shaft to ends then roots, or roots first as the product dictates; retouches go on new growth and are then pulled through for the last few minutes. Pre-lightening followed by toning is a double-process service. Fill porous or damaged hair before depositing dark.
Traps
- Choosing 40 volume for on-scalp lightening - irritation risk rises fast.
- Forgetting that gray hair may need a natural or gold base for coverage.
- Overlooking that a color service and a relaxer need proper sequencing and a strand test.
Rule of thumb
Complementary colors cancel - pick the tone opposite the unwanted tone on the color wheel.