Emerson Salon – Capitol Hill Seattle

The hair coloring process is a chemical process conducted on the hair to rearrange the natural pigment inside to reflect different colors in the rainbow spectrum. This process works as follows:

-There are 3 elements to permanently coloring hair:
-Hydrogen peroxide
-Ammonia
-Intermediaries

Ammonia: The pH of ammonia (it is more alkaline than skin/hair) softens, opens and swells the cuticle outer layer of the hair in order to allow the color to reach and drive into the inner cortex.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Otherwise known as H202. This chemical when mixed with the ammonia in the color in the bowl will determine how much of the natural pigment is left or lifted while depositing the color added. This process is known as oxidation as oxygen in the mixture activates the mixture to permanently alter how the cortex’s pigment appears.

Intermediaries: These ingredients act as conditioners for the hair and aid in the forming of the color as it deposits. They can reside in the hydrogen peroxide developer and the color in the tube.

Sometimes, in permanently lightening the hair it is required to strip out natural or artificial pigments. In order to do this a hair colorist must use bleach lightener in order to completely swell the cuticle and break up the pigment in the cortex. Only then can lighter colors be added to the hair to have a more intense or shinier effect.

Remember: When altering the color of your hair, you lose moisture and protein whenever you choose to go lighter (whether with color or bleach.) Using high quality conditioners like Kevin Murphy’s Leave-In Luxury can help restore moisture and shine content when used following Alterna’s Caviar Color Hold Moisture Shampoo and Kevin Murphy’s Born Again Essential Treatment Conditioner.