@Barber: Why is it so difficult to dye your hair the color you want? !

Do you have such troubles about hair dyeing?

I had carefully selected the reference pictures for the colors and confirmed them with Tony repeatedly, but when I finally finished dyeing and blow-dried my hair, I found that the color was very different from the model's on the packaging. I had chosen the same color number, so why did the dyed results turn out so differently?

In fact, the final color of your hair not only depends on the hair dye itself, but is also closely related to your hair quality, base color, and even the operation technique.

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Today, let us learn about the scientific secrets behind hair dyeing and tell you why there is always a huge gap between the “buyer’s show” and the “seller’s show” in terms of hair dyeing effects!

Why did you choose your hair color?

Always flip over?

Why does the color of hair dye often not match the color card?

That's a good question.

First of all, a problem that can never be avoided is that the color card is a printed product. Even if the ink used in it is the same substance as the hair dye, the effect of printing on paper is different from the effect of dyeing on hair. What's more, the ink used in most printed products is just a mixture of several standard colors, trying to simulate the actual hair color as much as possible, and the final effect has color difference, which is inevitable.

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Now the question is, why does the same hair dye look so different when used on different people's hair?

The two main reasons are hair quality and the hair dyeing process.

Although the main component of everyone's hair is keratin, keratin is a general term for a large class of proteins. The amino acids that make up the keratin in everyone's hair are not exactly the same. In addition, everyone's environment is different, and these differences will affect some of the properties of the hair. For example, some people's hair absorbs water well, while others have dry hair.

These differences in properties will be reflected in the adsorption capacity of the hair, and the final effect of the hair dye on the hair will also show significant differences.

As for the hair dyeing process, it is not difficult to understand. Every time a hairdresser dyes hair, it is an independent operation. No matter how skilled a hairdresser is, he cannot guarantee that the process is exactly the same every time. The original color of the hair dye will become the final color after a chemical reaction under high temperature conditions. Slight differences in reaction time and reaction temperature may affect the final effect .

In short, the effect after hair dyeing is different from what was expected. There are too many possible factors, and it is difficult to say which link went wrong.

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Colorful hair dye

What damage will it cause to the scalp?

Compared with color issues, more people are worried about damage to their hair when dyeing their hair.

Before understanding this issue, we should first look at the principles of hair dyeing.

The current hair dyeing technology is mainly divided into two categories, one is to bleach the hair first and then dye it with a new color, and the other is to color the hair directly . The former hair dyeing effect is permanent, and only when new hair grows out will it return to the original color; the latter hair dyeing effect lasts for a relatively short time, some can withstand more than ten shampoos, and some will even be washed out after just one shampoo.

It is not difficult to see from the dyeing process that the longer the hair dyeing method is retained, the more significant the damage to the hair . In the barber shop, the reagent for hair bleaching is usually hydrogen peroxide, which can not only destroy the melanin in the hair, but also cause certain damage to the protein of the hair itself.

At the same time, if you want to keep the hair dye for a longer time, you need to open the hair scales on the surface of the hair. The hair scales are a protective layer for the hair. Although they will be closed again after dyeing, the damage is inevitable. In addition, hair dyeing usually requires heating, not only to make the hair dye react, but also to enhance the bonding strength between the hair and the hair dye. When heated, the protein in the hair will also denature.

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In addition to the hair being damaged, the ingredients of the hair dye are also worth noting. The main ingredients of many hair dyes are azo dyes, which have a relatively high risk of allergies . Therefore, some people may experience itchy scalp after dyeing their hair, which may actually be an allergic reaction.

By the way, some people experience itching or even redness when wearing new clothes, which may be due to allergies to azo dyes in clothes. If this phenomenon does not subside for a long time, you should see a doctor.

If you don’t want to mess up your hair dyeing , try this

There are so many situations where hair dyeing can go wrong. For those who love beauty, what measures can they take to avoid it?

The most important measure is not to challenge a relatively uncommon hair color . For hairdressers, the more unfamiliar the color number is, the more difficult it is to adjust, and the greater the possibility of failure in the end.

If you are prone to allergies, you can choose a milder hair dye and avoid using azo dyes to avoid allergic problems.

Finally, if you just want to maintain a special style at a certain stage, you might consider temporary hair dyeing. If you really mess up, you can wash it and restore it to its original state, so you don’t have to sigh about your messed up hair all the time.

References

[1]Bhushan B. Nanoscale characterization of human hair and hair conditioners[J]. Progress in Materials Science, 2008, 53(4): 585-710.

Planning and production

Author: Sun Yafei, Distinguished Research Assistant at the Institute of the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PhD in Chemistry, Tsinghua University

Review | Feng Jun, Deputy Chief Physician, Dermatology Department, General Hospital of Datong Coal Mine Group Co., Ltd.

Planning丨Linlin Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin