Color, Tinting, and Chemical Services on Alternative Hair
Color, Tinting, and Chemical Services on Alternative Hair
This domain tests which chemical services are possible on which fiber and how to strand-test before committing.
Core rules
- Human hair wigs can be tinted, lightened, and chemically waved, but the cuticle may be processed, so use milder formulas and monitor closely. A patch test is required for oxidative color, as with natural hair.
- Standard synthetic cannot be lightened with bleach or developed with oxidative color; the fiber is not hair and will melt, swell, or take color unpredictably.
- Some synthetic units accept surface color with dedicated synthetic dyes or fabric dyes; results are permanent and batch-dependent. Test an inside weft first.
- Heat-resistant synthetic may tolerate specific synthetic dyes, not human-hair developer systems.
- Color match in daylight, not salon incandescent light; consider undertone and root shadow.
- Chemical services on a unit are not the same as services on a client's scalp; never apply wig color to the client's natural hair unless licensed for that service.
Worked example
A client wants a dark human-hair wig lightened two levels. Reasoning: human hair can be lightened, but the wig may be heavily processed. Strand-test a hidden weft, use a lower-volume developer, check every five minutes, and be prepared to stop. A synthetic version of the same wig cannot be lightened; recommend a new unit or a surface dye.
Traps
Bleaching synthetic fiber; using 20-volume developer on synthetic; trusting a color swatch without a strand test; forgetting that heat-styled synthetic may change color; overprocessing a human-hair unit.