K_Angel
February 3rd, 2012, 06:41 PM
I'm in the process of creating an Elumen FAQ. Would love to have suggestions and help for adding to the questions and answers. :flower:
I'm going to spread this over 5 posts for easier reading in the future.
Thank you for your patience as I enter things a little bit at a time. :blossom:
What is Elumen Hair color?
~ See website here (http://www.elumen-haircolor.com/)
About Elumen:
~ Elumen is a non-damaging, oxidant-free hair color that is easy to use at home too. It gives hair a very shiny finish and a nice feel. The color that gets added is a translucent stain and the color of hair underneath the Elumen will peek through. The color itself contains one 'cone but I don't think that is enough to create a really coated feeling for a long time. I wouldn't even compare it to the feeling you get after washing your hair with a really 'cone-saturated conditioner. The feeling after Elumen is silky, sturdy and very bouncy. Elumen is considered non-permanent, and reversible (with their product called Return). However, like all non-permanent hair color it can be permanent depending on your hair and which Elumen color you choose to dye with. Some colors seem to have more permanency than others. YMMV.
The color also contains drying alcohol so it can dry the scalp a bit. Coloring with Elumen several times consecutively makes the color remain in your hair better. This is why many redheads love Elumen: the color lasts long looking vibrant and the more you color, the more the color sticks to the hair.
Elumen tends to stick to damaged hair better than to virgin hair. That's why many Elumen users might use normal hair color on the roots (or weekly/frequent application of the Elumen) and Elumen on the lengths because Elumen might wash out from the roots in a few washes. But again, after coloring a few consecutive times with Elumen the color begins to stick even to the roots.
~Also see Swivelhop's excellent explanation of Elumen products here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1222714&postcount=2)
Elumen product ingredients:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=354537&postcount=90
Can Elumen lighten hair?
~No.  Elumen is a deposit only dye that uses no peroxide or bleach.
~Iris noted: Elumen is a lot like henna in the sense that it only adds color, it can't lighten, and the color that gets added is a translucent stain. If you do elumen over henna the henna underneath will still peek through, and if you henna over elumen you would still see the elumen peek through. Adding lots and lots of layers of color might make it opaque in the end but then you'll end up quite dark.
Does Elumen cover gray/white/silver hair?
~While Elumen is not recommended to cover gray, it has been known to cover gray. Again, it depends on your hair, but many people have had success in using Elumen to cover or blend their gray/white/silver hair.
Does Elumen cover Henna/Hendigo?
~Many people have had great success with covering henna/hendigo. The red still shows through in the sun, but it can tone down or help blend two tone hair while growing it out. See here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981898&postcount=5) for more information about covering Henna/Hendigo.
Can I henna over the Elumen?
~
Is Elumen permanent?
~It's designed to be a non-permanent hair dye, but some have experienced a permanent color. Apparently the Elumen reds especially are really quite permanent. Remember to do always do a test strand first.
Can I use sulfate shampoo and still keep my color?/Can I clean my hair with Amla and Shikaki while using Elumen?
/Can I wash my hair with Baking Soda while using Elumen?
~See After Care Section. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2001140&postcount=9)
Is Elumen truly reversible with their Return product?
~Elumen is tricky to remove from the hair completely. The Return that supposedly reverses the color does not work as good as it should work and Elumen users have been forced to use hair bleachers to get rid off the remaining color. YMMV
~See here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2001101&postcount=8) for tips and more information about the Return Product.
What does Elumen smell and look like?
~According to Iris: It doesn't smell much like anything, which is a big in my book - I was expecting an overpowering 'salon product' perfumy smell but it was fine.
~The consistency of the Elumen is a bit weird, it's like jelly, quite thick and it tends to want to fall apart into clumps.
How much Elumen does it take to cover my length of hair?
~See chart here.
What's the difference between Elumen and Manic Panic?
~Iris noted: Elumen and MP use the same type of dyes actually. It's just azo dyes. Azo dyes are synthetic colors. There's the stubborn misconception that MP is 'natural' somehow but it's not - it uses synthetic azo dyes (some of which are also used as food coloring so maybe that's where the 'natural' idea comes from). Both elumen and MP use only a few azo dyes to make up all their shades (I've noticed that they use the exact same yellow, BTW, Yellow 10). Stargazer uses a much larger range of dyes, but they're all azo dyes in any case.
The difference between elumen and MP etc seems to be that elumen has an alcohol-type solvent that makes the dye penetrate deeper into the hair. MP works by the principle of putting the color in a conditioner base that sticks to the outside of the hair shaft and slowly washes out. If you have porous hair MP will penetrate the hair, too, and it can end up being permanent in that case. But elumen is designed for the color to penetrate the hair, by the solvent.
The permanence really is a sliding scale - elumen is more permanent than MP but both can end up being permanent or nonpermanent depending on your hair's structure.
~ For further discussion on this topic see here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=166069&postcount=16)
Fading?
~Iris mentioned: The elumen does tend to fade from my roots. Goldwell recommends that you color your roots with an oxidative dye matching your elumen shade, for this reason I guess. Within two weeks after elumening, I'll have about half an inch of roots, and I know that my hair doesn't grow that fast, so some of that rootage must be due to fading. I'm experimenting now with a color-protecting shampoo to see if that prevents the root fadage. Other than root fadage, the color is sticking pretty well for me.
Applying Elumen hair color to your hair instructions/Application Tips:
~See here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981892&postcount=3)
Information about Elumen Lock product and how to use:
~See here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2001090&postcount=7)
Elumen Photos:
~See here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981886&postcount=2).
How does your hair look and feel AFTER using Elumen?
~See here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981892&postcount=3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm going to spread this over 5 posts for easier reading in the future.
Thank you for your patience as I enter things a little bit at a time. :blossom:
What is Elumen Hair color?
~ See website here (http://www.elumen-haircolor.com/)
About Elumen:
~ Elumen is a non-damaging, oxidant-free hair color that is easy to use at home too. It gives hair a very shiny finish and a nice feel. The color that gets added is a translucent stain and the color of hair underneath the Elumen will peek through. The color itself contains one 'cone but I don't think that is enough to create a really coated feeling for a long time. I wouldn't even compare it to the feeling you get after washing your hair with a really 'cone-saturated conditioner. The feeling after Elumen is silky, sturdy and very bouncy. Elumen is considered non-permanent, and reversible (with their product called Return). However, like all non-permanent hair color it can be permanent depending on your hair and which Elumen color you choose to dye with. Some colors seem to have more permanency than others. YMMV.
The color also contains drying alcohol so it can dry the scalp a bit. Coloring with Elumen several times consecutively makes the color remain in your hair better. This is why many redheads love Elumen: the color lasts long looking vibrant and the more you color, the more the color sticks to the hair.
Elumen tends to stick to damaged hair better than to virgin hair. That's why many Elumen users might use normal hair color on the roots (or weekly/frequent application of the Elumen) and Elumen on the lengths because Elumen might wash out from the roots in a few washes. But again, after coloring a few consecutive times with Elumen the color begins to stick even to the roots.
~Also see Swivelhop's excellent explanation of Elumen products here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1222714&postcount=2)
Elumen product ingredients:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=354537&postcount=90
Can Elumen lighten hair?
~No.  Elumen is a deposit only dye that uses no peroxide or bleach.
~Iris noted: Elumen is a lot like henna in the sense that it only adds color, it can't lighten, and the color that gets added is a translucent stain. If you do elumen over henna the henna underneath will still peek through, and if you henna over elumen you would still see the elumen peek through. Adding lots and lots of layers of color might make it opaque in the end but then you'll end up quite dark.
Does Elumen cover gray/white/silver hair?
~While Elumen is not recommended to cover gray, it has been known to cover gray. Again, it depends on your hair, but many people have had success in using Elumen to cover or blend their gray/white/silver hair.
Does Elumen cover Henna/Hendigo?
~Many people have had great success with covering henna/hendigo. The red still shows through in the sun, but it can tone down or help blend two tone hair while growing it out. See here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981898&postcount=5) for more information about covering Henna/Hendigo.
Can I henna over the Elumen?
~
Is Elumen permanent?
~It's designed to be a non-permanent hair dye, but some have experienced a permanent color. Apparently the Elumen reds especially are really quite permanent. Remember to do always do a test strand first.
Can I use sulfate shampoo and still keep my color?/Can I clean my hair with Amla and Shikaki while using Elumen?
/Can I wash my hair with Baking Soda while using Elumen?
~See After Care Section. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2001140&postcount=9)
Is Elumen truly reversible with their Return product?
~Elumen is tricky to remove from the hair completely. The Return that supposedly reverses the color does not work as good as it should work and Elumen users have been forced to use hair bleachers to get rid off the remaining color. YMMV
~See here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2001101&postcount=8) for tips and more information about the Return Product.
What does Elumen smell and look like?
~According to Iris: It doesn't smell much like anything, which is a big in my book - I was expecting an overpowering 'salon product' perfumy smell but it was fine.
~The consistency of the Elumen is a bit weird, it's like jelly, quite thick and it tends to want to fall apart into clumps.
How much Elumen does it take to cover my length of hair?
~See chart here.
What's the difference between Elumen and Manic Panic?
~Iris noted: Elumen and MP use the same type of dyes actually. It's just azo dyes. Azo dyes are synthetic colors. There's the stubborn misconception that MP is 'natural' somehow but it's not - it uses synthetic azo dyes (some of which are also used as food coloring so maybe that's where the 'natural' idea comes from). Both elumen and MP use only a few azo dyes to make up all their shades (I've noticed that they use the exact same yellow, BTW, Yellow 10). Stargazer uses a much larger range of dyes, but they're all azo dyes in any case.
The difference between elumen and MP etc seems to be that elumen has an alcohol-type solvent that makes the dye penetrate deeper into the hair. MP works by the principle of putting the color in a conditioner base that sticks to the outside of the hair shaft and slowly washes out. If you have porous hair MP will penetrate the hair, too, and it can end up being permanent in that case. But elumen is designed for the color to penetrate the hair, by the solvent.
The permanence really is a sliding scale - elumen is more permanent than MP but both can end up being permanent or nonpermanent depending on your hair's structure.
~ For further discussion on this topic see here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=166069&postcount=16)
Fading?
~Iris mentioned: The elumen does tend to fade from my roots. Goldwell recommends that you color your roots with an oxidative dye matching your elumen shade, for this reason I guess. Within two weeks after elumening, I'll have about half an inch of roots, and I know that my hair doesn't grow that fast, so some of that rootage must be due to fading. I'm experimenting now with a color-protecting shampoo to see if that prevents the root fadage. Other than root fadage, the color is sticking pretty well for me.
Applying Elumen hair color to your hair instructions/Application Tips:
~See here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981892&postcount=3)
Information about Elumen Lock product and how to use:
~See here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2001090&postcount=7)
Elumen Photos:
~See here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981886&postcount=2).
How does your hair look and feel AFTER using Elumen?
~See here. (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=1981892&postcount=3)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~