Does Coloring the Hair Damages it?

Part of every woman’s mystery is her hair. One day she is blonde, next day she is a brunette. February she has highlights and Ombre hair by June. We all use our hair as part of the routine that makes us look beautiful every morning and throughout the day (and years). We blow-dry it, try different hairstyles, use Remy hair extensions to add length and volume and, of course, dye it to either cover the different-color roots or experiment on a new hair color trend. Either way, could we be doing more damage to our precious asset than good? Or is it a common misconception? Check this blog out to find out.

Index:

Cuticle – The outer layer of the hair strand which plays a protective role and determines how healthy the hair looks.

Cortex – The middle part of the strand. It contains melanin that gives your hair its distinct color, and moisture.

Keratin – The main ingredient in the hair. It is colorless and makes the hair flexible.

What Happens to the Hair When It’s Colored?

Depends on what type of hair color you use: (1) Permanent, (2) Semi-permanent, or (3) Demi-permanent.

1. Permanent Hair Dye – First. Ammonia causes the cuticle to open like a flower and let the dye in. Then, peroxide is used to remove the existing color of the hair (aka melanin) and let the new one take over. To do so, it penetrates into the cortex. Finally, we condition the hair to seal the new color in by closing the cuticle again. The same process is used when we lighten or bleach our hair, except the melanin is either extracted until the hair stylist achieves the desired shade or completely eaten away. In this case, the natural color of the hair cannot be replaced. We just need to wait until it grows back in.

2. Semi-Permanent Hair Dye – It doesn’t have peroxide or ammonia and is a much more gentle process than that of the permanent hair color. It last up to 6 weeks and only add small color molecules to the hair without changing the existing hair color that much. After several shampoos, the color fades and eventually escapes the cuticle.

3. Demi-Permanent Hair Dye – This one lasts up to 12 weeks and also has no ammonia. However, it does have peroxide. It lasts longer than a semi-permanent hair dye because it creates larger molecules in the cortex.

If we had to choose an option, we’d probably say that semi-permanent hair dyes do the least damage to the hair. Although we help seal the cuticle with a conditioner after we dye our hair, the hair strand will not be able to revert to its previous condition on its own, when we use permanent hair dyes. On top of that, too frequent use of permanent hair dyes may lead us to dry and damaged hair. In this case, we’ll need to give a hand with hair masks, treatments, and products specifically designed for colored hair that’ll give the necessary nourishment and moisture back to the hair strands.

Our recommendation? Have your hair colored by a professional as there are many factors that can affect the outcome of your hair color (i.e. hair type, current shade, and condition). And, if you want to save yourself time and make sure your own hair always looks and feels healthy, we suggest you consider Indian virgin hair extensions that you can cut, shape, deep-dye, and color as you please, whenever you wish for a change.