SALON COLOR VERSUS DRUGSTORE COLOR

We all have them, the clients who do their own color, whether they get it from a drugstore or Sally's, they tell you it's just as good as the stuff you have.  BZZZ WRONG!!!  What is the difference between drugstore color and salon color? Without being too technical, it's the size of the molecule of color that's being injected into the hairshaft.  Over the counter color has 80% oxidative dyes and 20% direct dyes, the big guys!  And many times it's 25 volume used, not 20 volume like we can use.  Over the counter color is normally a liquid formulation which requires a large color molecule suspended in air bubbles.  In order to penetrate the hair shaft and get thru the cuticle layers - all 7 to 12 of them - the hairshaft must be opened wide enough to admit the color molecule into the interior of the hair.  This is accomplished by using more ammonia to open the cuticle layer wide enough to accept these large molecules, and this is where over the counter color can cause damage.  Most clients color their hair once a month if they are gray or 6 times a year if they are pigmented, pulling the formula thru each time to refresh the mid shaft and ends, putting ammonia over ammonia each & every time!  Ammonia is the culprit, and with the higher peroxide volume it will leave the hair rough in texture, the color will fade out sooner and the hair will lack shine.  Salon color has much smaller molecules, uses less ammonia & has 100% oxidative dyes with no direct dyes and works off of a 20 volume peroxide system, which is all healthier for the hair.  So, hair's healthier, shinier and we have the ability to refreshen with a demi permanent that doesn't contain ammonia, so the hair shaft only gets one application of an ammoniated product.

                                                                  by Mags Kavanaugh