Different Types of Hair Dyes for Coloring your Hair

Hair dye is used to color your hair. Hair Dyes are chemicals that are used to change hair color. Women have been dyeing their hair for centuries. Today, almost 40% of women dye their hair. Hair dyes can be divided into three general categories–permanent, semi-permanent and temporary–each of which has its benefits and drawbacks. Hairstylescut.com offers detailed advice on Hair Coloring

Temporary hair colors are applied in the form of rinses, gels, mousses and sprays. These products merely sit on the surface of the hair and are washed out with the next shampoo. Semi-permanent dyes penetrate into the hair shaft and do not rinse off with water like temporary colorings. Semi-permanent dyes usually come in liquid, gel, or aerosol forms. Permanent dyes require more work to apply, but the hair color lasts until the new hair – “roots” – grows in.

To apply permanent hair color, the user mixes together a hydrogen peroxide liquid with another liquid, works the mixture into the hair, and after about half an hour rinses the dye out with water. There are two basic kinds of permanent dyes: oxidation hair dyes and progressive hair dyes. Both work through a series of chemical reactions that first open the cuticle (outer layer) and then allow the dyes to penetrate the natural pigment hair molecules. Most permanent hair dyes rely on a dual component system. Permanent dyes not only penetrate deeply into the hair shaft, but get locked within it due to a series of chemical reactions that occur while the dye is applied. Gradual or progressive dyes are dyes in the form of a rinse that slightly darken hair by binding to compounds on the hair’s surface.

Gradual dyes are usually applied daily until a dark enough shade is achieved, after which it may be used less often to maintain the color. Hair coloring is a wonderful way to enhance your beautiful hair. However, as with all chemicals, there is a chance that one will have a negative reaction to hair dyes. Simple Hair dyes have historically been manufactured by the infusion (boiling in water) of natural vegetation. Henna however is a ‘permanent dye’ (the molecules are small enough to enter the cortex of the hairshaft) with the colour being oxidised by atmospheric oxygen. Henna may change the feel and lustre of hair. Camomile is another vegetable dye. The active ingredient is Apigenin (tri-hydroxyflavone). It is obtained from dried flowers of the Camomile plant. It coats the hairshaft adding a yellowish hue.