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View Full Version : Chemical dyers: is darker color really less damaging?



GlennaGirl
July 25th, 2011, 05:03 PM
Hey! I thought this might belong on the conventional products board but then again, I've seen "calling all people who dye their hair" posts on here, so...mods, move at will. :p

Is it really true that dyeing hair (with boxed prepackaged dye that comes with colorant and developer together) darker is less damaging than dyeing it lighter? (i.e. the brunettes range v. the blondes range)

I'm wondering how this can be if most commercial dyes use 20v lift peroxide. I mean 20v developer is 20v developer whether you add brown, black, yellow, white or plaid dye molecules to it. (Okay, maybe not plaid! :D ) Right?

Or is it wrong that all boxed dyes use 20v developer? Is stronger developer used on the blonde shades range than in the brunette shades range with the assumption starting point of "medium-color" (say light to medium brown hair) is what the user is starting out with?

Or is it simply wrong that brown v. blonde boxed dye is generally less damaging? Is that all a load o'shyte?

Any help would be great!

Apple_Betty
July 25th, 2011, 05:13 PM
I would think that it is usually more damaging to go lighter because it requires a "lift" to be done first, and then a toner on top of it. I know that every time that I haven't gotten the bright idea to go blonde that it has WRECKED my hair... but if you were already blonde, and wanted to simply tone, and not lighten, than it would be of equal chemical consequence.

RitaCeleste
July 25th, 2011, 05:25 PM
I've been wondering this same thing! Most of the cover-grey developers are 20 vol. So I'd think boxed dyes are all about the same. Now if you buy it separately and use 10 vol that would be better. However, if you do this does work on the greys or does that require 20vol for grey hair formulas? I've been using 20 vol developer for a long time. I think darker hair doesn't show damage as bad but I guess that doesn't mean it isn't there. I am also wondering if its 30 vol developers and stronger that wreck hair when people go lighter, or if its the bleach? Someone said if you going to use bleach, use 20 vol developers and bleach and just leave it longer and its better than 30 and 40 developers left in a shorter time. I used 30 vol developer on my hair once and it was pretty awful after I had to resort to stripping and recoloring on top of that.

MissAlyssa
July 25th, 2011, 05:56 PM
Although I don't know much about the different types of developers and all that, I can tell you that I dyed my hair a very dark red brown with loreal feria for two years, and it made my hair feel soo healthy and shiny. I have naturally blonde hair so I would redye about once every four weeks because of fading and roots, but my hair was still probably the most healthy it had ever been, and it grew really fast. I also blow dryed and straightened everyday. Then I bleached it to go blonde again and my hair was fried. :( I'm just now getting it back the the color and health that I want.
The way I thought about it was that the dye was sort of a protective coating on each strand that protected it from heat and every day wear and tear. But maybe that's just the way my hair reacted, I dont know how others feel.
Right now I'm actually thinking about using a clear dye to see if maybe it will help portect my hair. And if nothing else it will at least give me shine :)

GlennaGirl
July 25th, 2011, 06:16 PM
Thanks, everybody! Hm...a mystery! But it's interesting to hear that some people have indeed sustained less damage going darker than lighter.

ghilliegirl_an
July 25th, 2011, 06:29 PM
I think the hair dyes themselves are both the same, usually though if someone is dying their hair blond with hair dye and have dark hair they have to bleach it first, unless someone's hair is really light brown regular blonde boxed hair dye+dark hair=brassy orangeish yellow yuck. In this case because the dark hair has to go through two processes(bleach first, dye second) it will most likely be more damaged than if the same dark hair was dyed darker. Of course I can't back this up with any science or anything it's just my observation from my limited knowledge of boxed hairdyes and the plenty of friends I have who have dyed their hair every shade/color imaginable.


-Ashley

Anje
July 25th, 2011, 06:35 PM
My logic follows yours: 20vol developer is 20vol developer. However, with going darker you have the option of using deposit-only colors, which is definitely less damaging than developer ever was. All that said, I don't have a lot of experience in this regard.

manderly
July 25th, 2011, 07:07 PM
From what I understand, any and all box dyes you get at the store, whether it's a high-lift blonde or jet-black come with a 20vol developer. I'm not 100%, but that's what I have heard and accept it.

Now, dying your hair a darker color can definitely be less damaging, as far as developer strengths go. I dye my hair darker, and I use a 10vol developer and a demi-permanent dye on top. The 10vol gives just enough lift to the cuticle for the color to adhere.

When I dye my mom, who goes blonde and is almost 90% gray, I use 20vol developer and the lighter hair color.

But if I bought a box of dark brown and a box of blonde from Walmart and did our hair, we'd probably be equal with any damage caused since it's a generic, one size fits all developer in the box.

GlennaGirl
July 25th, 2011, 07:50 PM
Thanks, Manderly...totally makes sense...About how long does your demi last, can I ask?

I did Ion Color Brilliance not that long ago with a 10v developer...it seemed to wash out but it was hard to tell because it was over henna, so it never really took well to begin with.

manderly
July 25th, 2011, 08:05 PM
The last time I did it it didn't last at all - not sure if my product was old or I botched the mix (lost the paper telling me the ratio so I guessed).

Typically it would last me a few months before the ends would fade - I use it mostly to get the ends (henna'd and years of color damage) to match the rest of my hair and cover up my gray sprouts. It's nice that it kind of washes out of the sprouts and they don't have a harsh line when the grow out.

It's also based on my opinion of "bad". I could probably go a lot longer before I can't stand my hair than other people :)

Henrietta
July 26th, 2011, 10:38 AM
My logic follows yours: 20vol developer is 20vol developer. However, with going darker you have the option of using deposit-only colors, which is definitely less damaging than developer ever was. All that said, I don't have a lot of experience in this regard.

I think the same. People think that a dye darker than their hair will just cover it without any damage. And lighter dye needs bleaching first.
I don't use any dye, but even at the theoretical level- I have never came across this idea. Thank you for sharing. I can warn my mum now :)

HairFaerie
July 26th, 2011, 10:59 AM
I am not scientist (I just play one on TV), but I think the difference is, as mentioned, is that blondes and lighter colors "lift" the color out of your hair and darker colors deposit. When the color gets removed from your natural hair, the cuticle and cortex becomes very dry because a kind of "void" was created through the removal. When going darker, color molecules are added to your hair.

They are both damaging, yes. But the degree of damage depends on the product and the color. Bleach being the worst.

From personal experience, going lighter always made my hair feel like straw inevitably and it was dull and lifeless. However, when I used darker colors, my hair was always soft, shiny and never dry. The only exception was when I bleached and then tried to go darker again. The bleach had already wreaked its havoc and there was no saving it.

Tuna
July 26th, 2011, 11:04 AM
I've heard that dark colors only wrap your hair, and that the lighter penetrates it to change it's structure and color...
Personal experience: i went lighter, it looked like hay!
i went dark red (my natural is dark brown), my hair were smooth and not damaged at all.
That was long time ago... and i did it at home, when i knew almost nothing about the hair.

Calaelen
July 26th, 2011, 11:10 AM
Not all boxed dyes use the same volume developer, and blonde shade have to lift a lot more colour from the hair requiring a higher volume. Also, Darker colours use a lower volume to open the hair shaft and deposit a into the cortex of your hair actually adding to it.

Avienda
July 26th, 2011, 11:23 AM
well, the one time I dyed my hair black it did more damage then any other color I've had. So not all darker colors are going to be less damaging. I personally think they are all damaging so am staying away from now on! I used to dye at least twice a year, but it always kept my hair from being able to get past bsl!

ravenreed
July 26th, 2011, 11:50 AM
I use a 9 volume developer and demi-permanent dye. It doesn't last more than about three weeks, but my roots grow so fast that I need to redo my hair at that point anyway. I don't notice any damage since I switched.