Virtual Salon

Beyond the psychological benefits to be gleaned from coloring your hair - making yourself feel younger, having a bit of fun, or trying something more daring - coloring your hair can actually be beneficial to the hair itself. In some instances coloring will give the hair a greatly improved texture and shine and it does make the gray disappear. Before you make the decision to color, however, it's good to know what you're getting yourself into because the consequences of a failed hair coloring can be absolutely devastating.

Available Methods

In choosing the right hair color or hair dye coloring the primary considerations are effect on the hair and duration of the resulting change. Depending on materials used, different hair colors may last as little as eight shampoos or as long as six months.

SEMI-PERMANENT
In semi-permanent hair coloring methods (sometimes called glazes, washes, or stains) there are dyes that contain ingredients that are extracted only from vegetables. The color resulting from the introduction of the dye sits on the surface of the hair and washes out after approximately eight shampoos.

There are also partial chemical hair dyes that contain approximately three percent peroxide. While not as safe to the hair as the vegetable dyes, the color will last for some twenty shampoos. These methods can be used to darken the hair only and they will temporarily cover graying areas. Right hair color dyes have an added advantage of calming down hair that tends to frizz and have a tendency to make hair more shiny and to improve its texture.

PERMANENT
Permanent hair dyes are harsh and hard on the hair. In this method the color is mixed with hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide lifts the original color and allows for the new hue to move through the cuticle of the hair and into the cortex. These methods can both lighten and darken the hair and is the method chosen when dying hair blonde.

Depending on the rate of growth of an individual's hair this method last several months. Normally a re-application is performed when the hair has grown to the point that its roots are a different color, for instance dark roots on a dyed blonde. If used in the long term, special attention must be paid to the daily routine of hair care to protect it from chemical damage.

HIGHLIGHTING
In highlighting, small strands of hair in locations strategic to the hair style are dyed one or two shades lighter than the normal hair. Either of the above methods may be used to accomplish the color change, but in general highlighting is not as potentially damaging to the hair due to the limited scope of the application.

The idea is to create the appearance of exposure to the sun which would create natural highlights. This technique gives the hair greater depth and visual texture. It's a good way for women who are scared of coloring their hair to "get their feet wet" with a fair assurance of safety. Normally highlighting needs to be touched up every three to six months.