Have you ever bought a hair dye and not got the results you wanted? The chances are that your hair might not have been healthy enough to let the dye take properly, you needed a colour correction before you could achieve your desired shade, or you used the wrong type of dye for what you wanted to achieve.
Different dyes can bring you different results, and if you find choosing a hair dye or colour confusing, here’s our guide to the different dyes available and the results you can expect.
Permanent hair dyes
Permanent hair dyes are what people reach for when they are 100% certain about the shade they want and when they want to cover grey hair. They provide the most effective grey hair coverage, but if the colour is very dark, sometimes it can look a bit unnatural. Permanent hair dyes don’t wash out, but you’ll still need regular appointments to dye any new hair growth.
Never use a permanent dye, or any other for that matter, without doing a patch test. Paraphenylenediamine is a chemical in permanent hair dye that can cause serious allergic reactions so it’s important to apply a small amount of the dye to your inner arm or behind your ear with a cotton bud and leave it on for up to 48 hours. If there’s any redness, burning, itching, or stinging, the dye is not safe for you to use.
Semi-permanent dyes
Semi-permanent dyes don’t penetrate deep into the hair’s cortex, they are deposited on and in the cuticle, your hair’s outer layer. They’re milder than permanent dyes so they’re suitable for hair that’s more fragile. Because they don’t penetrate the hair deeply, they can only cover around 30% of grey hair and they tend to wash out in around eight shampoos.
Temporary hair dyes/colours
If you’re a bit of a colour chameleon, you might opt for a temporary hair colour. These tend to just sit on the hair’s surface so they wash out after a couple of shampoos, but if your is quite porous, they can last longer. They tend to come in more vibrant and unusual shades like pink, blue, or green.
Do you need advice about which hair dye will help take you towards your dream shade? Contact Salon La Reine today and book your consultation!