Peroxide Developers
Many people want to change their hair colour for different reasons. Some do it for fun, some want to achieve a lighter hair colour like blondes or some just do it out of necessity like covering grey hair. But not every color can be achieved if you have naturally dark hair colour. Even if you use permanent hair colours, semi-permanent or demi-permanent hair colours you might need to get the base colour ready first in some cases. If you reach a light base colour you will get the perfect results you expect from a hair dye. This is when developers come to work. A developer is an oxidizing agent that allows hair color to work. And in our today’s world, most hair colours use hydrogen peroxide as a developer. ... What is Peroxide & Developers? Peroxide and developers are the basic oxidizing agent that you will need to mix in with your hair colour. What the peroxide does to the hair is that it opens up the hair cuticle so the color can penetrate the hair. Depending on the strength of the formula, it lightens the hair colour and lifts to different levels. There are volumes of developers that changes from product to product. Professionals choose different volumes of developers that are suitable for that specific natural hair colour. Dark hair colours will need stronger developers but if the base is already light like auburn or light brown the developer can be less strong. But peroxide and developers should be applied or mixed with a hair colour carefully, as it can create damage when it is not paid attention to. That is why you can consult a professional before deciding on what to do. Especially virgin hair which is hair that is not exposed to any chemical processes before should consult a professional to get the best help. What Are Different Types of Peroxide & Developers There are different volumes of developers such as 10,20,30,40 or 50. These volumes represent the oxidizing potential of developers. The strongest developer is 50 volume which is mostly used for dark hair colours or for difficult colour ranges that would prevent the right outcomes. 10 volume is the least strong developer, it is mostly used for hair that needs little bleaching. The stronger the developer is the stronger and harsher it will process on the hair. The higher volumes don’t mean it will fasten the process or provide better results. It can create great damage to the hair when precautions are not taken. That is why you should always give the care your hair will need after these chemical treatments. The stronger the developer the more the cuticle opens and the more lightening of natural pigment it has. To reach the ultimate blonde shades, your hair will need an effective bleaching process, especially if your hair’s existing colour is really dark. How to Choose the Right Peroxide & Developers Peroxide & Developers come in a variety of options. Developers are essential tools for any hair colouring treatment. They come in a cream-like texture. When it is mixed with bleach or permanent hair colours the mixture shouldn’t be too runny or else it will run down from the hair. We can call developers simply hydrogen peroxide. This hydrogen peroxide opens the hair cuticle so that the color pigments can penetrate deep into the hair fiber and color the hair. 5 volumes of developers are often teamed with semi and demi-permanent colour lines for its minimal effect on the cuticle and deposit only. It will shift the natural shade to a very small amount and it will not offer grey coverage or lift at the same time. It is also the perfect volume for fragile baby hairs that need only 1 or 2 levels of lift. 10 volumes of developers will slightly open the cuticle and it is similar to 5 volumes. When 10 volume is used with bleach it can give 1-4 levels of lift depending on the bleach or the hair. It can be used with permanent color lines for depositing color but it won’t offer much lift to the hair. 20 volumes is one of the most used developer in professional hair salons. 20 volume will give 1-2 levels of lift when used with permanent hair color but you might need a stronger developer for resistant hair textures. 20 volume is the highest level of developer that should be used on the scalp because the scalp produces more heat and increases the power of the developer. 30 volume developer is ideal for lifting 3 levels using permanent hair color. It can also be used for grey coverage on more resistant hair types. Some professionals use the foil technique but with 30 developer it can process a lot faster with foils. This can result in over processing, which is why 30 volume is better for open-air processes. 40 volume developers can give 4-5 levels of lift depending on the power of the color and the texture of the hair. But it is not recommended to be used with bleach. What Are The Benefits of Peroxide & Developers The hair dyes is only activated with a developer, which makes it the main tool in any hair colouring treatment. After mixing the hair colour with a developer, you should keep in mind that the mixture shouldn’t be runny. And the mixture will be most effective after an hour. Developers help to maintain a thick consistency for this mixture as it should stay in place after applying in it to the hair or else it won’t be able to give good results. This consistency of a developer also helps to uniform coverage. The developer deposits color by lifting the cuticle layers just enough for the color pigment to work on the hair shaft. The color delivery can not be carried out if the developer is missing from the mixture. The developer opens the overlaps of the cuticle layer wide enough for the natural color pigment to be removed from the hair. This makes developers the ideal treatment for people who have difficult hair colours like black or red shades. These kinds of existing colours on the hair makes it harder to achieve colours like super blondes directly. That is why some hair types need longer treatment like applying it more than once. With the help of developers, the results will be more intense and it'll be more long-lasting. If you want to get the best result, it is important to use the right concentration of developer. This choice will also depend on the type of color, degree of lightening, type of hair, and quality of hair. You will need to consider what type of hair colour you will use on the hair. It can be temporary colours, permanent colours, or lighteners. The hair’s texture also affects the developer choice. If you have fine hair, your hair is easy to become brighter or darker. You can use the lower volume developer. If you have thick hair, it is harder to lighten and darken. You can use a higher volume developer. This type of hair is also very resistant to gray and white hair. But if you have normal hair, your hair will have a normal color reaction and you can use the recommended volume of the developer. .