On my channel there were several useful materials for coloring gray hair, for which even novice colorists thanked. But for some, the articles turned out to be difficult. Today I will try to briefly and in simple words explain why gray hair appears and how to paint it.
Briefly about how gray hair appears
Melanin is responsible for the natural hair color - it is a pigment. Melanin is produced by special cells in our skin called melanocytes.
With age or for other reasons (stress, genetics, illness, lack of vitamins B12, etc.), melanocytes stop producing melanin. And that's all - hair without pigment grows gray.
Gray hair
It always takes place in two stages:
1) necessary loosen the walls of the hairso that the coloring pigment penetrates
2)the introduction of the pigment itself.
An oxidant is needed to loosen the walls (it is also called oxygen or oxide, it makes no difference, they are all the same product). For the introduction of the pigment - the hair dye itself.
In supermarkets, ready-made kits are sold, paint along with an oxidant. They are mixed in a certain proportion and applied to the hair.
But someone has two steps (loosening of walls + introduction of pigment) executes separately. This is also possible!
How to loosen the walls of the hair before dyeing:
1) if there is very little gray hair on the head and it is not vitreous, use deep cleaning shampoo;
2) oxidant 6-9%: the most popular and working solution, the oxidant is applied neat for 25 minutes, then paint. At the same time, remember that you do not need to wash off the oxidant before applying the paint, otherwise the pigment will simply not be taken;
3) bleaching powder: rarely used, this product is already for craftsmen, they know in what proportion dilute it with oxygenant to "jump" to several tones: for example, from light brown to light blond.
What pigment should be introduced
For gray hair, it is best to use paint with a natural range (where the last two digits after "." Or "/" are 00).
What are the last two numbers on the paint? I put together a little cheat sheet for you below, which is easy to navigate:
For example, paint with a natural dark blonde tone will be denoted (look at the picture above) - 6.00.
If you bought a paint with any shade (after the dot there are numbers other than zero), then it is able to paint over no more than 30% of gray hair. And then she will take it badly. You can adhere to the following scheme for persistent staining of gray hair, but for this you have to mix two paints: one of the natural range .00, the other with the desired shade:
1) if gray hair is not more than 25%, then mix 1/3 (20g) of the natural range .00 and 2/3 (40g) - with the desired shade;
2) if gray hair is from 25 to 80%, then mix in equal proportions;
3) if gray hair is more than 80%, then mix 2/3 (40 g) of natural .00 paint with 1/3 (20 g) of paint with the desired shade.
Is it possible to use separately paint (without oxidant) or separately oxidant (without pigment) in coloring?
No. If you apply only an oxidant or dye to your hair, nothing will change.
Dyeing is a chemical reaction after mixing hydrogen peroxide (in oxidant) with ammonia (in paint). Atomic oxygen (O2) is released, which oxidizes / destroys everything in its path, including melanin.
But as you remember, gray hair does not have melanin, so atomic oxygen is necessary for the coloring pigment to penetrate into the damaged hair.
What is the difference: to mix the paint with the oxidant at once and apply them separately (first withstand the oxidant, and then the paint)?
It is more convenient to mix oxide with paint at once in terms of staining at home.
Colorists mix separately. They know how to make a beautiful staining of vitreous gray hair (hard gray hair, this is something you can never paint normally at home), they know the necessary proportions and how to correctly draw the color, because sometimes you still need to dilute the percentage of oxide.
For the solution of such chemical problems, you, my dears, in principle, pay colorists.
I promised to tell you in simple and understandable language about the coloring of gray hair, but I did not guarantee that it would be easy to do it at home myself.
You must give yourself an adequate account of the fact that on your own, according to someone else's scheme, you risk getting a shade not the one you wanted. This is especially true for people with 100% gray hair. It is not recommended to paint it tightly; it is better to do with light toning to give a beautiful shade.
Whom the warnings above do not stop, you can familiarize yourself with other materials on staining gray hair (but it will be a little more difficult to understand there):
1.Gray hair coloring: helpful tips for color matching and pre-pigmentation
2. Hair coloring secrets at home: from choosing the right color to painting over gray hair
If you are interested in everything related to hair and caring for them - put a "thumbs up" and subscribe to the channel. Also subscribe to my VK group and on the work profile in Instagram. There will be more information in a blitz format about beauty and personal care.
