Hair Coloring & Dyes

Natural hair color can be black, brown, red, blond or white — and hair color can be changed by a chemical process. Hair coloring is classed as “permanent” or “semi-permanent”, and understanding what each class actually does to the hair shaft is the difference between a color result you planned and one that surprises you. This guide explains the pigment underneath every color, the level system every box dye uses, and the brands worth knowing.

What Gives Hair Its Color

Hair color is the pigmentation of hair follicles due to two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more melanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair is lighter. The tone of the hair is dependent on the ratio of black or brown eumelanin to yellow or red pheomelanin. Levels of melanin can vary over time, causing a person’s hair color to change, and it is possible to have hair follicles of more than one color on the same person.

The tone is the color that is underlying in the pigment. Hair is naturally made up of four major tones: red, orange, yellow and pale yellow. Level 4 hair and darker contains more of a red underlying pigment; levels 5 through 7 contain more of an orange underlying pigment; levels 8 and 9 contain yellow pigments; and level 10 and above contain pale yellow pigments. That underlying pigment is what a dye has to work with — or work against.

Hair Color Levels and Box Numbers

Before coloring your hair, learn the levels of hair color. Natural hair colors are organized into levels from 1 — the darkest (black) — to 10 — the lightest (blonde). You can discover your starting level by determining how close your hair is to black or blonde; keep in mind it is about the levels of color depth and lightness, not the hair color itself. If you don’t want to get too aggressive with coloring, stay within 2 levels of your current hair color.

Most lines have their own color chart for you to view before picking your color, so look at the color chart from the line you are using before you pick a color. A box of hair color dye typically has a number and letter sequence — take these into consideration to set up for success when picking out your shade. The numbers on the box dyes indicate hair levels: the hair level number often goes before a dot or a slash, while other numbers given after it indicate color shade and reflection. The letters often represent hair tone, and the letter “N” usually represents “Natural”.

Permanent Hair Color

Permanent hair color does not mean that the synthetic color will remain permanently. It simply means that the hair’s structure has been chemically altered until it is eventually cut away. During the process, the natural color is removed, one or more shades, and synthetic color has been put in its place. All pigments wash out of the cuticle; natural color stays in much longer, and artificial color will fade the fastest, depending on the color molecules and the form of the dye pigments.

Semi-Permanent Hair Color

Semi-permanent color washes out over a period of time — typically four to six weeks — so root regrowth is less noticeable. The final color of each strand is affected by its starting color and porosity, so there will be subtle variations in color across the head: more natural, and less harsh than a permanent dye. However, this means that gray and white hair will not dye to the same color as the rest of the head — in fact, some white hair will not absorb the color at all. A few gray and white hairs will blend in sufficiently not to be noticeable, but as they become more widespread, there will come a point where a semi-permanent alone will not be enough. The move to 100% permanent color can be delayed by using a semi-permanent as a base color, with permanent highlights. Semi-permanent hair color cannot lighten hair.

Lightening, Bleach, Ombré and Sombré

Hair can only be lightened using chemical lighteners, such as bleach. Bleaching is always permanent because it removes the natural pigment — and hair bleach is extremely strong and should be used only with extreme caution. One more result factor: if your hair is dry and damaged, it can be more porous, which will affect how the dye takes on your hair.

Ombré is the blending of one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark; it has become a popular feature for hair coloring and nail art. In contrast to ombré, sombré is a much softer and gradual shading of one color to another. Using the proper products, you can customize your ombré highlights to illuminate your look, with easy-to-use applicators that allow for expert-like results: create a dark-to-light style that is subtle and sophisticated with a luminous touch, or go for something more bold and edgy.

Hair Dye Brands

Clairol

Clairol is the American personal care-product division of the company Wella, specializing in hair coloring and hair care. Clairol was founded in 1931 by Americans Joan Gelb and her husband Lawrence M. Gelb, with business partner and lifelong friend James Romeo, after discovering hair-coloring preparations while traveling in France.

L’Oréal Paris

L’Oréal Paris is more than a beauty brand — it is a brand that empowers women to recognize their true self-worth. Its mission is to remove all the barriers standing between women and their ambitions, and to drive social and environmental progress to benefit everyone.

L’Oréal Group

L’Oréal S.A. is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, with a registered office in Paris. It is one of the world’s largest cosmetics companies, with activities concentrated on hair color, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfume and hair care.

Revlon

Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932. On June 16, 2022, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Just for Men

Just for Men is an American-based multinational men’s care brand focusing on hair color (Control GX, Original Formula, AutoStop, Mustache & Beard, Touch of Gray, and Touch of Gray Mustache & Beard), beard care (The Best Face and Beard Wash, The Best Beard Conditioner, and The Best Beard Oil) and hair re-growth, designed for and marketed to men and manufactured by Combe Incorporated. Its hair color brands are designed to color gray hair, with the Control GX and Touch of Gray lines providing options for gradual hair coloring, in over 12 shades ranging from Sandy Blond to Jet Black.

Paul Mitchell

John Paul Mitchell Systems was founded in 1980 by John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell. With 300+ shades, Paul Mitchell Professional Hair Color delivers exceptional condition, brilliance and shine in every shade and pigment of your imagination — from the coolest blonde to the richest brunette. Vegan.

Garnier

Garnier is a mass-market cosmetics brand of the French cosmetics company L’Oréal. It produces hair care and skin care products — and its online shade selector is the brand’s tool for finding your color before you buy.

Madison Reed

Madison Reed was founded in 2013 by Amy Errett and is headquartered in San Francisco. It is an American brand of hair care and hair color products, with a subscription-based service through its online store as well as partnerships with Ulta, Sephora and QVC, among others — transforming at-home hair color with ammonia-free hair dye that results in multi-dimensional color that looks beautiful, healthy and natural.

You can also research root touch up, ombré hair color, hair color bleaches, hair highlights, and hair color removers or faders. The material above is only a small portion of what you need to know, so continue your research — learn more about beauty and beauty products. If you are ready to shop for beauty care products, learn about the top beauty product brands and the best beauty product stores to find what you require.

Photos