Haircolor's Best Friend : Developer

H2O2 = Peroxide = Emulsion = Developer : What it is and Why You need to Love It

 One of our illustrious readers asked a question about 'developers' and how they worked... and in the process of attempting to send her a link to a Post I had written I discovered there were none !  

Are you kidding me, no wonder some of you have been having a hard time with formulating ....THAT subject is "key" to having some "A-Ha moments"... OMG its up to you all to bring that missing subject to my attention. See how I turned that all around and blamed you, instead of me ! Ha, I am completely sorry, my bad and all that ! You will now learn more than you ever wanted to learn about developers that are half of the entire process of coloring your hair whether it be light or dark.    

A couple blips from research on the web as far as what H2O2 is  & is used for :   

                        

.... Peroxides are found in nature and it is 100% true, they are. So Peroxide is a completely "100% Natural " product. So many of you are looking for "natural" products and want "natural" hair color. Well, using Developer (peroxide)is natural...

.... The main usage of hydrogen peroxide is in production of chemicals (approx. 40%), bleaching pulp and paper (approx. 30%) and bleaching textiles (approx. 20%). Small quantities are used in cosmetics. Hydrogen peroxide is used for hair bleaching and for oxidation in permanent hair dyes and in oral hygiene products such as mouth-rinses and dentifrices as well as in tooth bleaching products.  
So those of you worried about putting it on your hair...you have been putting it in your mouth for years --- get over it...

OK... now for the grass roots explanation and what you will need to know for coloring your hair! 1995: Sassoon declares that the use of the term: Developer will now be used exclusively for all Peroxides. For some odd reason Americans get nervous with the term: Hydrogen Peroxide / or Peroxide ... so to not have anyone nervous we will now be calling it developer. Got it.

 For this Post we will refer to those tubes of color you purchase and are in those Swatch Charts, as 4 different names, in order to get you used to what they are called. They do not have 1 name. 

They are referred to as all of these names:

1. Tint
2. Colors
3. Highlift Tint
4. HairColor

Hydrogen Peroxide :Technical Description

A developer is an oxidizing agent that, when mixed with a oxidative hair-color, supplies the necessary oxygen gas to develop color molecules and creates a change in hair color. Developers, also called oxidizing agents or catalysts, have a pH between 2.5 and 4.5. Although there are a number of developers on the market, hydrogen peroxide  (H2O2) is the one most commonly used in haircolor.

VOLUME : is the measure of the potential oxidation of varying strengths of hydrogen peroxide.
OK here it is: . . . .the lower the Volume ; the less lift is achieved ; the higher the Volume the greater the lifting action. Remember "lift" translates into the word "lighten" .... when going blond you want to "Lift" that color out of the hair so you may achieve a more beautiful shade of blonde. You want to "lift" out that darker color so that you can go PAST the brassy stage. The more lift the better for blonding. It is rare that there is too much lift, I can honestly say I don't think in all my years there has ever been one case of too much lifting. I know that would be one remarkable moment.

Actually that is one of the drawbacks of 'tint'...they just have not mastered getting a lot of "lift" out of hair yet.  Yet, do not get me wrong - the fact that 60 years ago someone discovered this marvel just blows me away ... STILL TO THIS DAY !  You apply Level 10 Blond + 40Volume to Level 7 dark blond (looks light brown) - and that tint combination "LIFTS 3 levels of color out of the virgin Level 7 hair and then DEPOSITS a tone to give it a nice tonal value as well. NOW THAT IS A COMPLETE AND WONDERFUL MIRACLE in MY BOOK !   Do not ever think that is an easy thing to accomplish. That miracle happens only and BECAUSE we have Developer.

So.......... Developer has created this miracle.

 

So when people tell me they have used 30 Volume when going blonde - -  I always cringe. Worried they will have landed at Brass and that is a tough color to get rid of. With Lightener it is not a problem.... because Lightener is not doing two things at once like tint.
Lightener is only LIFTING hair color out of the hair.
Lightener does not "lift" and "deposit" like Hair colors do.
Tint (haircolors) especially highlift colors have 2 jobs....all blonde colors when you are not using them as toners.... have to lift the dark color of the virgin hairout of the hair strands ( all of them) AND THEN... Deposit a Toner on top. I mean there is no incredible feat like that in skin care or in many other personal care categories that I can think of.

 I'm always stunned that so many of you are trying to color your hair and balk at using Developer.    WHY?
You have been gargling with it for years......Bleach your teeth? You have your teeth & mouth and are swallowing it all the time and you never put up a stink about it..That is much more invasive than haircolor. Using it, is a complete miracle....and if you don't want to be near it, then you need to just not color your hair.

Its so funny back in the Academy they had giant drums of 100Volume developer and we were all required to calculate and make gallon containers of 10 Volume 20 Volume, 30 Volume, 40 Volume. Now a days there is every variation in the world which only makes my formulating even more fun & complicated.....There is 3,5,6,9,10, &13 Volume for Levels available below 20....which classifies it as a DEPOSIT-ONLY Volume of developer. All the different Volumes makes for even more fun in personalized hair-coloring.
Here is a basic chart from the book used to study for the State Boards of California.
Oh how archaic this is!

 

This Chart is the standard chart from a long time ago before we began pushing the borders of hair coloring. It shows you how the developers were made to work. But in Chemistry (which is basically what hair formulating is) there are a set of rules with how each Level of colors were supposed to use. 

That is your first introductory Post on Developers, with a lot more to come, just give in and order yourself some hair color. Developer is not your enemy I promise you, it opens all the doors to achieving haircolor that is flawless. Yes, it took me a long time to realize that. Now I look at it with love not hate as I did when I didn't understand how hair color worked. I hope you will to. There will be more posts on developer and all I have learned about it.

James Blonde Series - Bleaching Your Hair At Home

How the State Board Outlines: 'How to Lighten Virgin Hair'

 

First we will learn the manner in which the State Boards of Cosmetology require this technique be accomplished. Yes, each state may have little variances from this exact description....but the California State Board is "supposedly" the toughest in the USA. We have some absurd amount of hair stylists here - over 100,000 - is the figure I'm pretty sure I remember hearing, so they try to keep the standards up.

 It is my opinion, after running this Blog/Group and Store for 5 years, that this battery of test include NOTHING in how to formulate hair color. I mean, that should be the number 1 thing they teach them (in my opinion). So I don't put a whole lot of stake in their Tests and the Hair Stylists that become licensed any longer. 

Implements and Materials

• towels
• comb
• gloves
• plastic clips (not metal - bleach & metal do not go together)
• tint cape
• plastic tint bowl
• shampoo
• peroxide
• finishing rinse (Intensive)
• cotton
• note card - for recording times/results
• tint brush
• lightener
• timer
• protective cream

Preparation

• Perform a preliminary Patch Test, 24 hours prior to Lightening procedure. ( See its required by law !)
• Perform a Strand Test ( this is the best advice the State Board has ever come up with)
• Apply Protective (Barrier ) Cream around hairline and over the ears
• Record the results from both Tests and log on computer as well.

PROCEDURE

• Divide hair into 4 sections
• Put on protective gloves
• Prepare the lightening formula you are using for this procedure, which in real-life would be the Oil-Lightening Kits found in the store http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/killerstrands-oil-bleach-kit 
• Apply the lightener. Begin the application where the hair seems the resistant, which would be in the back quadrants. First outline the quadrants with the lightener, moving quickly, proceed by starting with 1/2" OFF-OF-THE-SCALP and then along the parting and up "to" but not  through the ends. The ends have nothing on them - Zippo ! Apply the lightener to the top and underside of the subsection in quick, rhythmic movements.
• Place strips of cotton at the scalp area along the parts to prevent the lightener from touching the base of the hair. Complete all four sections in this manner.
• Continue to apply lightener, double check the application, adding more lightener where needed. Do NOT comb lightener through the hair. Keep the lightener moist throughout the application by reapplying as the mixture dries. Many Stylists don't understand that concept, but, Lighteners dry out very easily -so using more developer help keep the mixture moist....which then keeps it working steadily.
• Check for lightening action about 15 minutes before the time indicated by the preliminary Strand Test. Spray a hair strand with water and remove the lightener with a damp towel. Examine the Strand. If it is not light enough, then reapply the Lightener and continue with the application until all hair is as light as desired.
• Remove the cotton from the scalp area, prepare a fresh batch of lightener to apply to the base (scalp area) Apply the lightener to the Scalp area (NOTE: there has been NO lightener on the first 1/2" to 3/4" closest to the scalp - until this time) with a 1/4" parting. Process. According to your strand Test, if needed apply whatever is needed to the ends to bring all 3 area's of the length of the hair to the same color. 
• Rinse the hair thoroughly with lukewarm water , many people will have a tender scalp after this procedure so go forward carefully . . be gentle and using cool water  to help soothe the scalp and hair. Use a gentle sulfate-free shampoo and perform a light and quick shampoo. Rinsing thoroughly. Apply a pH balancer (Intensive - which uses many oils and plant extracts to calm the hair and scalp after that procedure is perfect - athough it is not mentioned in the State Board Description of this procedure.)
• Neutralize the alkalinity of the hair  (by using INTENSIVE - OOPS !) Then use THRIVEN ...overnight ........creates both a healed scalp and hair color.
• Towel-Dry the hair, or dry it completely under a cool dryer. If you must style and go.

• Examine the scalp for any abrasions. Analyze the condition of the hair.
• Proceed with a Toner application if desired, needed or wanted !
• Perform clean-up of entire area and check to be sure client is clean and perfect !

Now that is the technical and stuffy directions with have loosened up TREMENDOUSLY from when I went to school, let me tell you .
Now, I will be back to explain How to Lighten Tinted Hair in a day or 2.
Plus all about Toners and any other subjects having to do with Blonds.

Killer Chemist