July 15, 2012

Lets Talk Hair Color Categories <> Beginning w/ Demi-Permanent


595779-001There are a four hair color categories in the world of hair color:
  • Temporary Hair Color
  • Semi-Permanent Hair Color
  • Demi-Permanent Hair Color 
  • Permanent Hair Color
At this particular time, ALL OF YOU....want to know ALL ABOUT: Demi-Permanent Hair color... 

It lasts longer than semi-permanent, is great for first timers, great for when that first grey hits your temples, is perfect for men/women wanting to color their grey at home with top quality hair color.


I developed a love and deep affection for the newest category of hair color many years ago, as soon as the category was announced, now, nearly every single line has a demi-permanent line of hair color. 

When I began in the hair business, Demi Permanent Hair color did not exist. this new category added a whole new plethora of hair coloring ideas and options that are endless.
  • great choices for Hair Color "first timers"
  • clients 'new' to Gray hair
  • even "teen" Hair Color benefits from new class of hair color
  • men, perfect for men's hair color 
  • let alone all tricks we use it for in Hair Shows + Editorial Shoots 

 We use multiple Demi Permanent brands of Hair Color here at KillerStrands

 Demi is used on almost all Hair Color & Shampoo photo shoots. . . for any & all the boxed hair color brands . I'm sorry to say we don't use the product that is inside the box, we use the most expensive and BEST LINE of Hair Color that exists. What people want and look for is:  ? ? ? ? Shine - SHINE - SHINE - SHINE, and awesome condition. I mean besides the obvious "Photo Shop--ping" and silicone shine serums we have used since the 1990's if you can believe that ! We hi-jacked the silicone serums from the ethnic hair care companies...who found them to help with their FRIZZ 20 years ago which is pretty funny if you think about it.. that's how I found them 15 years ago!  We used to keep our photography secrets - hidden and away from the public. 

A while ago on the front page of the Los Angeles Times were 2 photos of a model  . . . both were in Color ....

The entire page was devoted to explaining in detail how the PHOTO SHOP program works and how almost every single actor, model and even sports celebrities have PHOTO SHOP Editing rights on every Photo taken of them - prior to publishing. The reason this article was in there? Seems one of the Kardashian sisters (who live near here)  had a photo taken of her and published 'accidentally'  PRE- PHOTO SHOPPING procedure. Turns out the young lady is a lot heftier than we see, think or believe her to be. Boy did that news spread, (operative word being 'spread')  - -lawsuits were threatened, yelling and screaming ensued we could hear all the way in my city 20 miles away ( not really but sounds good- - -  right?) all sorts of important things like that were flung from email to email.!! The result? The article on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, when I saw that initially I just laughed and laughed. It actually was a relief and I couldn't wait to not be restricted by that "silent" code of conduct.... 

Hallelujah! I could finally talk about it all openly and not have to worry I was the one blowing the whistle on the whole process. I WANT all the info out there, so young girls know the truth about these models that they look up to. I want them to see and hear how much work we go to, to make them look perfect , its something they can never achieve and it took me  a lot of years to comes to Terms with myself.....
The 2 photos of the model ( which were huge) showed the difference in very explicate detail, the photo on the left was the "Before" Shot.....the photo on the "right" was this woman "Photo Shop-ped" and 'After'. The article was a good one, I didn't even need to read it, I knew exactly what it said.... but when you have based a huge portion of your career on the deception we call advertising.... 

Well ---> It was as if I had been holding my breath for years, and I finally could let it out . That is what that article and those photos did to me and I'm sure every single other artist that works on advertising & photos and in that genre, from make-up people, to hair, to production, to P R, to Publicists, Agents, to the Celebs themselves. The truth finally out there.. OMG, don't you just LOVE the Internet..... here are the photos:
0000148398788 

This is what young girls strive to make themselves like. . . something that just isn't even real. Please educate your daughters and yourself on this deception.... that is very carefully crafted.

Now, let me get back to Demi-permanent Hair Color.The newest classification of hair color which is called Demi Permanent is deposit only and referred to as 'semi' permanent by some manufacturers, it is very similar to semi, but more long lasting.  Some of the European companies have chosen to use super low volume peroxides to differentiate the semi from the demi lines. But if you read the first post, which I hope you do/did . . . “True” Semi-Permanent hair color is not mixed with any sort of developer or catalyst and that is how I feel it needs to stay. I teach you all this, in the hopes honestly, it depends on the manufacturer, the Colorist or the school as to how it is defined. My education is Vidal Sassoon based which is known as the "Harvard of Hair Schools" so I think you'll be safe using my criteria.
White_palette.jpgFirst of all it helps if you understand a little bit about the technical side of how hair dyes work. Semi-permanent color consists of tiny molecules that enter through the cuticle but they don’t affect the natural pigmentation of the hair. Because these molecules are so small they can be washed out after only half a dozen washes.This is the one and only hair color that does not change your own hair color at all. The rest do, which I know is odd to many of you. But there are no rules in hair color, there is no one single HAIR GOD that regulates how the hair color system works.  The hair color manufacturers make it up as they go along.
 DROP GOES THE JAW of most of you!

I have seen "Semi-Permanent Haircolor Boxes" where they provide developer in the box. That is a major hair color company going AGAINST the rules of haircoloring in order to sell a product to you. As you can see a semi-permanent hair color Can not and Should not COME with DEVELOPER. Maybe if I put this here, people that come to visit here,  will begin to learn and someday some of you will begin getting mad, when your hair color has been destroyed due to that fact. You must start writing .... start turning those companies IN.   Where do you turn them in? start with your local congressional Rep (Google it) and then CC the Food and Drug Administration (Google it).



Demi-permanent color also enters through the cuticle but it combines with other molecules in your hair to make it larger molecules and these take longer to wash out....Demi permanent color is used with any developer 3 Volume all the way to 18 Volume. So many of you get all in a fluff when I tell you 15 Volume is Demi the same as 10Volume ...the same as 6 Volume ... all of which we carry.  Hair color is a scientific science it is not an Artistic painting. If you follow the rules of the science that I try to teach ........you will have successful color. It also involves color theory from the artistic world though so you cannot just be a Cosmetic Chemist. When that web site online that claims to be all Cosmetic Chemists and they answer all your questions and they claim" they don't work for anyone". Ask yourself ........who do you know who works all day on a business does it for free??? My answer to you........No one.  The Cosmetic Chemists  HAD to get together with the hair artists in order to make the hair color chemistry work correctly, because they did not understand color theory at all.


....which brings us to Permanent hair dyes, these react after entering your hair because they use ammonia and peroxide which shrinks as the molecules of color go in the hair strands and then makes the color molecules EXPAND so they cannot get out once inside.... it makes the molecules much too big to be washed back out of the hair. If you keep this information about molecules in mind when deciding which hair dye to use then it will stop you from choosing the wrong product. stephanie-comb
Always make sure that you do a strand test before dying your hair, this makes sure that you have the color you want and that you don’t react to the dye, remember different dyes from different makers have different chemicals in them. There is no UNIVERSAL SYSTEM over-seeing the hair color business . . . that implements these rules/laws .  Its up to each hair color company to follow what we hope is this universal LEVEL System I talk about so much.
 Remember . . . You may ALWAYS request a Free Strand Test with your purchase, I do that to show you how much I believe in them.
  If you have long hair make sure that you cover it properly with the color in any of the categories.... otherwise you will end up with streaks you don’t want and make sure that your hair is clean and damp before applying the dye.  For the absolute best application I would ALWAYS suggest applying one of our Malibu2000 COLOR PREP Applications.  Make sure that your bathroom or wherever else you dye your hair has plenty of fresh air - its just great for the lungs and health...don’t use hair conditioner for a day or so before putting on the hair dye but you should shampoo your hair to makes sure that it’s clean. 
 When using Level 7 and darker I would suggest using a Barrier Cream       which you apply around the hairline....it keeps the color OFF the skin, at the end of the process with darker colors. On the flip side there is also color-OFF that is used when the procedure is done and you didn't get it all off the skin.
If you stain your skin when dyeing your hair then rub a little stain remover. You will lose some hair when dying it but to keep this to a minimum after you have dyed it rinse it with cold or lukewarm water.



I like to think of Demi Perm Colors as any color line that uses above 5 Volume and below 19 Volume Developer, which makes this the perfect category to be used on men's, the first grays and up to 20 -25% Gray.


I use Demi Permanent Hair color on almost everyone EXCEPT if you want to go LIGHTER, that is the BIGGEST difference....in Demi-permanent color and Permanent color. The only action that will happen is Deposit of color - no lift <> no lightening......so remember that. There is no SUCH THING as a Semi-Permanent Blond no such thing as Demi Permanent blond. Those words make absolutely NO SENSE. If its a Level 9 blond that means it is a TONER .....remember why? because the developer is 10 or 13 Volume and that means its deposit only.  
I am of the belief that depositing color in the hair strands of either gray, white, or simply middle-aged (weak) hair can add:
  • strength
  • shine
  • illusion of thickness
  • reduce frizz & tangles 
This formula generally imparts vivid color results, and is ideal for covering un-pigmented hair, refreshing faded permanent color, depositing tonal changes without lift, corrective coloring and low-lighting.
 First of all it helps if you understand a little bit about the technical side of how hair dyes work. Semi-permanent color consists of tiny molecules that enter through the cuticle but they don’t affect the natural pigmentation of the hair. Because these molecules are so small they can be washed out after only half a dozen washes. Demi-permanent color also enters through the cuticle but it combines with other molecules in your hair to give larger molecules and these take longer to wash out, which brings us to Permanent hair dyes, these react after entering your hair because they use ammonia and peroxide and this makes the molecules much too big to be washed back out of the hair. If you keep this information about molecules in mind when deciding which hair dye to use then it will stop you from choosing the wrong product.  

Always make sure that you do a strand test before dying your hair, this makes sure that you have the color you want and that you don’t react to the dye, remember different dyes from different makers have different chemicals in them. If you have long hair make sure that you cover it properly with the dye otherwise you will end up with streaks you don’t want and make sure that your hair is clean and damp before applying the dye. I feel using our product that is a pH BALANCER  and is called INTENSIVE....helps with the shine and the longevity of the color on the strands...83463998


By their very nature, demi's or deposit-only hair colors darken the natural hair color when applied. They cause little or no damage to the hair and are generally positioned as gentle and mild due to their low ammonia or no ammonia content. In recent years, many top  colorists will apply demi to the 'lengths' of the hair while permanent is applied to the roots. That is how the true color application should be applied.
Apply Permanent color to the base and Demi Permanent ot the ends to refresh the color if you are just trying to stay the same color.
This fights the build-up effect that can occur on previously colored hair and is also less aggressive, resulting in less damage.
Demi-Permanent Hair ColorBF0146-001
  • contains no ammonia
  • is mixed with an activator, such as peroxide
  • activator lifts cuticle slightly so color sits in and under the cuticle
  • lasts 18 to 20 shampoos
  • fades gradually and then washes out to the original color of the hair
  • used for toning, changing tone, filling in highlights, and going darker
  • good way to temporarily change hair color to try something new
  • also recommended to color hair that is already significantly damaged or over processed
Demi-permanent hair color is, in fact, permanent hair dye mixed with low volume (usually a 5,10 up to 15 Volume) developer that blows off the ammonia from the permanent tube so that only color molecules penetrate the hair shaft.


Demi-permanents are much more effective at covering gray hair than semi-permanents, but less so than permanents.


200474281-001
However, demi-permanent hair colors must be used with caution because they are, in essence, permanent color and the darker shades in particular may persist longer than indicated on the box.
The two best lines in this category are:
  • Wella Professional meaning Koleston Perfect, Illumina, Color Touch,Blondor, MAGMA
  • Schwarzkopf : Igora Royal, Vibrance, BlondME
to date I have tested most every line and am still headstrong about these brands: its results & quality are top-of-the-line
d

69 comments on "Lets Talk Hair Color Categories <> Beginning w/ Demi-Permanent"
  1. Hi KC,

    I'm just wondering how often can I dye my hair with a demi-permanent without damaging it? Would once a month be OK?

    Thanks!

    Niamh

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  2. I believe demi-permanents are the ones used as fillers, is that right? I think I may have read that elsewhere in the blog. I would love to learn more sometime about how to use them this way, such as...does a filler need to be used repeatedly, or only once? Is it is recommended that one use a filler that is of the same level as the natural (virgin) color? I think that would be an interesting post.

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  3. @galaxy once a month will be totally safe, since demi are very gentle (there is little lift) and if you hair is good condition before hand it should be fine.

    KC
    i am forever indebted to you, thank for share all this great information with me (and everyone else)
    i was able to impress the stylist today with my knowledge of the processes.

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  4. Galaxy,
    I wish I could get people to understand that hair color NO LONGER damages hair, when applied correctly. Todays Professional Hair Color, that you can purchase in our store can make your hair stronger, shinier and enrich the color you already have. HANDS DOWN.

    I, like so many others have no gray and put Wella's Color Touch 6 R + 8RN...which gives me a 7RN on my hair which makes it stronger shinier and more vivid. I'm lucky - most people my age have lots of gray, I only color my hair needing the a fore mentioned advantages, otherwise I would be very happy to NOT do a thing to it.
    Natural hair color is only gorgeous and striking( in my opinion)when one is a child. Puberty, I'm sorry to say, starts the hair color decline.
    So many run to the drugstore as a teenager, many times behind the parents back and that starts them on 1 bad and damaging hair color after another.
    If a teen was to wet their hands by purchasing a tube of Color Touch, their experience would be positive and their hair health would be protected.
    That's part of my broad goal with this site. To educate parents which hopefully will trickle down and educate their young to the proper way to begin coloring their hair - - I realize its a long long road, but one foot in front of the other, is the way to start.

    KC

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  5. anonymous,
    you have fillers a little misconstrued. I just wrote about them and explained it very clearly, for the first time. Why don't you read that post?
    The reason I don't "give" links, is I want people to figure out how to find posts I've written.

    So many people don't understand that there is a complete "List" of all my POSTS right next to the RIGHT of this --->> see over there, in the Side BAR in the section called :
    LABELS/TAGS of all Posts
    All 400 Posts are listed with as SIMPLE names as I could come up with. Please check there for anything you need, if you can't find it, ask in the GROUP...There are many warm and helpful people in there. Thanks
    KC

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  6. Hi,
    Are you still doing consultations or are they on hold?

    Thanks,

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  7. Anonymous,
    Yes, I am going to try to get back to them this weekend. 8/29/09 .. I have not advertised them as I have about 6 to finish off... Have you paid? ...go ahead and pay if you haven't.......I will send you your questionaire and photo request. KC

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  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  9. In the past, my hair has been referred to by my stylist as a 'freak of nature' and my current very experienced stylist would now agree and here's why ...

    I am a Level 6/7 Dk Blonde/Lt Brwn that turns red/copper when lightened and but I also have cool skin & eye tone - so in search of Ash to compliment my skin tone, my current stylist used Matrix Color Sync Pastel SPA.

    We left it on for 30 minutes under a cap and my highlights turned out GREAT, but I ended up with 'hot roots' - what was Level 6 brown became a bright orange/reddish tone - it Lifted!!

    ...both my stylist and I are trying to figure out how this is even possible because she said there is no ammonia, no peroxide in this demi-perm product. She went back and applied a cool brown to my roots to tone it down which helped a bit, but the red/orange tone is still there.

    I am bummed because I've lost the depth and this tone makes my skin look splotchy ...not to mention I will now have to wait for this to grow out.

    Note: We used this same product 8 weeks ago without a cap and left it in for 15 minutes without any incident.

    Got any ideas???

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  10. I would never call any clients hair a "freak of nature"- that isn't very professional, polite or to be perfectly honest - - really isn't true.
    The problem with hair color as a whole is...
    If we all went by her terms: Everyone would fit the "freak of nature" category.
    There is a very solid reason there is no book on the subject.
    It cannot be written smartly because there are too many variables.
    If you've read any of the Blog you will see this loud and clear...
    Everything matters...
    > texture
    > your lifestyle
    > hairs porosity
    > base color
    > previous color
    > gray or not
    > hairs tenacity
    > DURP Dominant Underlying Remaining Pigment -- see we even have science

    Every head of hair we color is completely different than the last butt that sat in "the Chair".
    So by her standards everyone would be a freak of nature..
    I don't believe that to be true.

    this may seem harsh, but I like telling the God's honest truth on this site - so there is no reason to be any different here.

    Matrix is the cheapest color made, always has been. I find it hard to listen to anyone that chooses their hair color by "price" and not quality. I wouldn't trust a lick of MATRIX color and I have no idea what colors or line you are even referring to. I know they went thru a recent re-vamp of the line ( just like Color TOUCH and Koleston Perfect did )
    and what I will tell you is........
    Ammonia is the alkaline chemical that opens the cuticle and allows the hair color to penetrate the cortex of the hair.
    But the thing most hair stylists/clients don't understand is all the hair color companies got wind of the fact that clients & stylists started to seek out..."Ammonia-free" products... but there are a lot of other chemicals to replace ammonia that do the EXACT SAME THING.
    Personally,I want them to keep ammonia in my hair color products, then I know EXACTLY what I am going to get when I use everything.
    Its no "guess-work".
    Guess-work is a bad thing in hair color.
    You know what I wonder....
    Why she didn't run a Strand Test?
    You are never too old or too experienced to run Strand Tests.
    Especially with a New line of color...
    Hair color does NOT Lift hair accidentally.
    OK I just looked this line up - it has an "ACTIVATOR" that is added to the color, and as long as a hair color has a "developer" "Activator"...."peroxide" ---> all 3 are the EXACT SAME THING, {these companies change the name to trick YOU and to trick hair stylists} which BTW IS PEROXIDE you might want to teach her...
    you are going to have a little bit of lift...
    a "little bit of lift"
    is like a "Little bit of Cash"...
    Tempting, but not nearly enough to accomplish anything good.
    You don't have hot roots...when ever lame brain stylists don't know what they are doing they tell their clients they have HOT ROOTS.
    WTF
    ARE YOU KIDDING ME
    no wonder everyone thinks Stylists suck . . .
    its because they DO

    Sounds like the "Freak of Nature" title should be hanging over her head
    ..........not yours.

    You need to join the Group, the Blog and the Store.
    take back control of your hair

    KC


    There should be a very simple solution to this....just don't go anywhere near the person that did the damage.

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  11. First I have to disagree. I use Matrix and like it. If you are an experienced hairdressed and educated in the line it can work well for you. That being said... Developer, activator... yup- peroxide. Tricking hairderssers? I hope other hairdressers aren't that stupid. As far as your "experienced" hairdresser...ugh!. When you put a cap on the head you are keepeing in the body tempature. Color Syn is a demi-permanent color, when the "deveoper" is mixed with the color it has a 3.5 level of peroxide. Heat and peroxide equals lift. Of course your roots lightened and got "warm". If your color worked at 15 min with no heat- why change it? If it's not broken don't fix it.

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  12. I have used Wella products for years and have really liked their products both for color and hair care. My stylist just introduced me to the Color Touch line by Wella. Sadly I had to move away from her and am trying to use a similar product. I have found Wella's 'Color Charm' demi-permanent line at Sally's Beauty Supply, which has some of the same shades as the Color Touch line; but I cannot find any information on Wella's website or anywhere else online referring to Color Charm products.

    I was wondering what you knew about Wella's Color Charm line and it's relationship with Wella.

    Also wanted to let you know that after I purchased the demi-permanent line I read the ingredient list to find that both the Color Charm demi-permanent dye and activator lotion have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in them. Since I started reading your blog, I have stopped using products containing SLS and the thought of having my hair sit and absorb them during the process of developing color concerns me.

    After self-teaching myself and friends how to dye our hair at home. I find it really annoying how company's wont let us peons purchase the same coloring products that they sell to professionals. It didn't cross my mind that Wella would stoop to using SLS in their products.

    Thanks for all the hair care information. I live by it and tell all my friends about it.

    -Sonja

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  13. I've used Wella Colour Charm several times and found it to be very drying. Plus, it bsolutely stinks. It's just a liquid (consistency of water) that you mix with peroxide- there doesn't seem to be any conditioning ingredients at all.

    Now I use ISO i-colour which is like a cream. It makes my hair soooo shiny and soft, I'd use it even if I didn't need to colour my hair, just for the shine and richness it gives!

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  14. Anonymous,
    Why don't you just purchase Color Touch from our store? I make it available to everyone...it is wonderful.
    Wella is the worlds Premiere Hair Color Company...with Hair Color being all they make, Wella makes all big strides in new hair color technology.
    It is one of very few companies with 8 separate Color Lines of different qualities & prices.

    Color Charm is the lowest quality, with the cheapest pricepoint. But in starting this BLOG . . . I actually bought 2 dozen tubes and began my testing...with hopes of having people buy and use it.

    Big, no....HUGE HUGE mistake...there is no way I would recommend to anyone to use Color Charm Color, it is horrific.

    I also don't want anyone thinking that I agree with Galaxy's comment that ISO color is good. I have never heard that comment from anyone professional or non... and I may not remember much... But comments I keep track of.

    KC

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  15. I didn't say you did agree with me. I am entitled to have my own opinions on colours and it is possible to have success with colours that you don't sell.

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  16. I would really like to color my hair a dark brown or black underneath and a deep red auburn on top. Any tips on how to accomplish this? I looked at the feed on the sidebar for past articles but wasn't sure if you had something there explaining this. Do you do this all at once or do you have to do one and then the other? Will Demi work for this?
    My natural or "virgin" color is a light brown/dirty blond but I colored it with dark brown a few months back with permanent "boxed" (I know bad idea-I'm learning) dye. It seems to be fading out already. Great blog by the way, very helpful.

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  17. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  18. Hi, I'm interested in a consult on Dia Color by L'Oreal.
    Thanks,
    Page

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  19. I only do consults on Haircolor I have tested and approve of...Sorry.
    KC

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  20. Hello,
    I LOVE your website! Thank you so much for the education! I have natural dark brown hair and after a professional put level 3 on it ..it turned black! Then they had to bleach it and deposit a new color, darkness is ok but it has plumy/red tones ..... I love the picture above in this post with the dark brown hair and in the sun it has golden tone .... how do I get that? What should I tell my hair colorist to make them understand? Thanks!!!

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  21. I just found your blog and I love it! I am a hair hobbiest. I was raised by a cosmetologist and took on doing some friends and family when she moved out of state. I love to learn and would take classes if they would let me. I have toyed with the idea of going to beauty school but I can't justify the expense (especially because I have a Master's Degree in another field). Since I do not have access to most professional color lines I have been using ION Color Brilliance from Sally's. So far I have found the color results to be reliable and it leaves the conditioned. However, I am looking for a better color-line for "reds." Do you have a recommendation?
    Thank you!
    New Fan- Kasie

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  22. This was a really helpful post. I didn't know the differences between types of hair color until now.

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  23. Killer Chemist sounds like a douche.

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  24. Thank you for understanding the chemistry of hair color. Would you check out kenra color and educate the "educators" on the difference between demi and permanant color. Its so frustrating how so little stylists in this indrustry do not have knowledge of color and why they do what they do.

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  25. Hi,
    I have just bought 6 bottle of Clairol Torrids #660 AUDACIOUS RED. I was blonde (bleached and porous) and recently used a demi permanent to go back to red. It worked like a dream after multiple failed attempts with permanent colour. The demi colour I used has a little brown mixed in to a mahogany copper base, it's a bit dark for my colour preference but was great as a filler. Now I want to use the AUDACIOUS RED on my regrowth with a 30 Vol developer as my natural colour is close to a level 6 brown.
    After reading this post I think I will do my lengths with AUDACIOUS RED using a 5 or 10 Vol developer to keep the overall colour and not damage my already fragile hair.

    If I understood your post right, I can use a permanent colour (such as Clairol Torrids #660 AUDACIOUS RED) and get a demi permanent effect by using a low vol developer?

    How does using a low Vol blow off the amonia levels in the tint?

    Thanks,
    Great post!

    Fey

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  26. Lightbulbs went off when I read "if it's a level 9 blonde that means it's a TONER". It's taken me awhile to understand the dual action of permanents--lift and deposit. Also, where toners fit into the range of permanence. Do toners range from Demi to Semi Permanent, deposit only, and do pre-lightened hair applications of toner benefit more from Semi Permanent (than compared to Demi on normal hair) because lightened hair will always have a more open cuticle, and therefor be able to receive the deposit without the very mild lift from the Demi developer/ammonia action? Or is the Demi developer/ammonia action super delicate on pre-lightened hair as well and actually beneficial?

    I'll read this toner blog posts again, I really appreciate the depth, detail, and evidence based information on your site!

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  27. I bought a demi-permanent hair color recently thinking that it would only deepen my color a tad. I was looking at the color swatch of hair at the store and thought it was the shade that I wanted. What I thought was burgundy was darn near black! What the heck happened? Why is it that some colors come out looking darker? I was not happy! Right now I can live with it, but I want my burgundy hair color back! I would hate to bleach again, but I heard that a clarifying shampoo would lift the color.

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  28. Hi! I just stumbled across your blog and I'm so happy I did! Gonna get settled and study up :) I do have a question..what demi perm colour would you recommend for a level 7 coppery red? I'm looking for something that'll help maintain the colour between root touch ups. I haven't really seeb my natural hair colour in about a decade but I'm pretty sure it's a level 7.

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  29. I'm glad you found me too !
    I too am a Leve 8 RC, so we are also close in color. A special page on Reds has begun and I will be taking time out from Teaching Level System to focus on special products for Reds.
    Personally I love Wella Demi Perm-COLOR TOUCH, which you may get in our store...
    http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/wella-color-touch-demi-permanent-color
    use 8-RG {Wella runs one full level darker than any other line]
    We also have a Group on YAHOO GROUPS...just google it.

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  30. I have the X Factor large tubes of color (medium brown, I forget the number at the moment), which I have been using with 20% developer in a ratio of 1.5: 1, which is what the tube specifies. I want to continue using this on the roots, but make a "demi" color for the lengths. So if I mix my tube color with, say, a 10% developer, would I use the same 1.5 :1 ratio? And how long do I leave on the demi-permanent color. I leave the permanent color on the roots for 45 minutes.
    Mary

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  31. Hi.can you please tell me where can demi permanent color be found??

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  32. yes, I am not supposed to carry these colors and sell to the public, so they are hidden....follow this link:

    http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/wella-color-touch-demi-permanent-color

    for the BEST Demi- Permanent Hair color!

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  33. Hi! Can I use a demi/semi over faded permanent colour?

    I have dork brown hair, with a few greys, and started having my hair professionally coloured with permanent dye to cover them. I went about 1-2 shades lighter than my natural colour. I then decided to stop dyeing it, as it wasn't worth the cost and potential hair damage for just a few greys - and I like my natural hair colour. So I have been using one of those 'colour touch up' things for the greys, and it is great. But now it's been about six months since I last had my hair professionally coloured, and the dyed part has faded a bit, and it isn't shiny (or as nice as the regrowth of my natural colour). I would like to compensate for this with a semi/demi that's close to my natural colour. Which would be best? I'd like the least damaging product possible, but one that will still work.

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  34. I retired, decided to try platinum hair as a mid-life crisis change. Yes, that means at 63 I intend to live to be 126. LOL Seriously, my mother has had natural white hair since her twenties, so I wanted to see how it looked. Not me, especially in the sunlight outside.

    My hair isn't in great shape now, as you can guess. It is, I think, overly porous so won't take a color or keep it. I tried 2 oz of 10N and 1 oz of 10V (Agebeautiful) with a 10V developer and the white in my hair picked up the grey, not overly, but too much for me. The rest stayed the same, around a level 12.

    I'd like to, now that I've had my fun, become a light blonde around an 8 or 9 level. I am willing to go to a medium blonde 7 level if I need to, knowing it'll wash out lighter eventually. My skin is cool toned, eyes blue. I was born a level 8-9 level blonde. By the time I retired, my hair was a level 7N (some ash in it) and some salt and pepper grey with almost solid white/grey at my temples. It looked DULL and aging on me. My fine textured, fairly thick hair with a slight wave, mostly straight felt very good and silky, (with the exception of kinky mind of it's own silver grey hairs )- once upon a time.

    Can you help me? I'm not sure of my next step to looking natural and healthy, not dull and old, despite reading your articles for days?

    I read your article on platinums wanting to go darker.

    My question is, since Demi -Permanent sounds like what I need, should I put gold or red or both back into my hair? I'm not sure the level or color I need. I've heard gold (which is scary since I look terrible in gold, even my jewelry is silver) and I've heard red. Both colors are supposed to look terrible on cool toned older women.

    Hope I'm not confusing us both as to what my question is. :-)

    MO

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  35. Je suis heureux de chercher votre stratégie distingué de développement de la publier.
    bilder freistellen

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  36. Thank you for these news.They help to have a clear idea about the diferent hair dyes very well, I think :) .Just an inquiry please; what happens if someone uses a permanent hair dye (with ammonia)with very low volumes (5 volumes, for example)? does it cover gray hair ?Does the final result depends on how much fine the hair is? Kind regards from Italy and thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. many factors come into play when trying to determine hair color properly., That is just not enough information for me to give you the right answer and I wouldn't want to do that;
      KC

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  37. Sometimes you sound like a child when you respond to comments...like an annoying know it all..and in reality you dont!! Let other people voice there opinion sometimes there right and your so wrong!!

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    2. No she doesn't Anonymous, please get a life and get on another site.

      Delete
  38. It is nice that you consider the right hair color.

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  39. It will cover gray for 1 week probably...
    But, it depends on percentage of gray
    how resistant the gray is...........etc.
    But it will not cover it well at all - always use 20 Volume to cover gray and be sure partial amount of formula is a Neutral !

    ReplyDelete
  40. Which color is better, Matrix or Wella? Which cost more? Thank you.

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  41. Wella,
    but only the high-end Wella,
    such as:
    Illumina, Koleston Perfect and Color Touch are all wonderful hair colors and the top. Look in our storehttps://killerstrands.myshopify.com/

    ReplyDelete
  42. I have question about demi permanent, if stylist use demi for color correction, let's say to cover up highlight. Does it gonna faded and the highlight gonna show up again? Do you think permanent color is better to do color correction? Thanks

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  43. When attempting to cover up highlights, unfortunately a 2STEP process is needed .........
    or, the Color will not 'stick' !
    Therefore, first you apply demi permanent in the appropriate color - - FIRST !
    (which is NOT the desired color, but the "filling" colors that are apropos for the Levels of your Natural Level and your Desired Level !)
    Then apply the color you are Desiring in permanent.
    GL
    KC

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  44. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  45. I have some leftovers. Some leftover  Wella Demi-Permanent Color. 
    and some leftover Demi Dedicated Developer by Age Beautiful.
    it says it is a *demi dedicated developer*. / or gentle creme developer.
    I am thinking of using the demi wella color with the demi creme developer . all i need is a little touch up. Has any one ever tried using Differing Brands Before ? If a creme developer is simply a creme developer. I am hoping that it will not make the slightest difference that it has a different brand name. Any Help with this one ?

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  46. you are not clear, are you talking about different developers or different hair color brands?
    Hair Color Brands..............NO!
    Developers .....................YES!

    hope that helps

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  47. I dyed my hair in the salon 3 weeks ago (a mix of 3 semi permanent) it hasn't faded alot and I have been using anti dandruff and clarifying the past week. Will this colour ever fade?? Ugh it went way to dark for my skin tone

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  48. Hi,, I want to cover my greys and blend my roots to may natural hair color. I have medium blonde hair that gets, over course, dark in the winter months. During the summer months, I am outside all day due to my job and my hair bleaches. I used to spend a lot of money on beauty salon products, but that has made me broke. I have been going to to Sally's and using the ION Keratin Shampoo (which has really helped my hair). I was told 2 months ago to try the Age Defying Demi 9N with the demi developer. I do like it and my hair does not seem dry. I I want to add a little more brightness to my hair for summer, would your recommend a permanent hair color? I want to stay as natural and heatlhy as possible. I was told at Sally's the best to brands for a middle aged 40 year old with little grey around the hairline would be Age Beautiful or the Aargon Brand. What do you think? I miss my Malibu and Aquage products, but I have been happy with Sallys as a cheaper way. Also, is it true that the products at Sally's are better and less damaging then those boxed colors/toners etc... Thanks so much

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    1. To be perfectly frank I tell everyone that will listen to run for the hills from anything sold at Sally's except for maybe the combs (AND THAT'S IT ! ! !) , but I have spent a career talking people into fixing their poorly damaged hair from Sally's. The word Sally's give me a ungodly chill in my spine and brain. PLEASE PLEASE switch to our products, they aren't that much more but I can promise you they will save your hairs health and life, that is all I can say. There is not 1 nice thing I can say about that place, when you listen to person after person in tears over their hairs disaster you develop a very poor taste for something.

      AND THAT SOMETHING..........IS..........SALLY'S


      KC

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  49. If it hasn't fade then it was NOT Semi-permanent color - so I'm afraid someone has not told you the truth. True Semi-permanent color barely lasts 2 weeks. So now that you know that I would call and ask the brand and color then I can recommend how to properly remove that color.
    I speak of something I call the SHAMPOO TRAIN, which is shampooing with the cheapest grocery store bought shampoo you can find. It MUST have sulfates in it and you can leave the suds on your hair for 20-30minutes, then rinse and I promise you it will fade....

    If all else fails and you find out it is permanent color there is a one and only color removal that truly works called VANISH which u can find in the store.

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    Replies
    1. This answer is for the March 19 th Question........sorry for any confusion!
      KC

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  50. Hi! I had a level 10 platinum blond hair. I got tired when it looked so unnatural and asked a hairbloggist some help to dye my hair with balayage style. He said to use 20 vol developer. My color for the roots was igora vibrance in level 7 beige and to the rest of my hair igora vibrance level 9 beige. Both demi-permanent colors.

    I absolutely hate my hair now! The balayage turned out pretty good (well, few darker spots where it should be the level 9) but it is definitely too dark and the tone doesnt suit me..

    Immediately I started to read about how to fade the color and I am now horrified when I read that 20 vol developer with demi is somewhat the same than a permanent color ( and my hair is quite porous at the ends at least..)

    I can't bleach anymore and in the county where I live there is no color removers that don't damage the hair.. So what do I do? :(

    ReplyDelete
  51. Everything you are trying to do should not be decided by a hair blogger under the comments section.

    That is not a thorough enough consulting prior to figuring out what to recommend to you which is why we have the Killerstrands Group. If you would like to join our group I will then analyze what is truly going on with your hair and what the course of action should be to achieve a desirable outcome. We require photos and have 15 questions that need to be answered first. Hair Color is not a simple technique, there are dozens of factors that need to be taken into account to achieve what you desire and I am happy to help if you like.....or you can read this Blog from beginning to end which thousands have done, that will teach you a lot.
    BTW.....you have blond hair, you do not need a color remover for blond hair, your virgin Level needs to be known in order to give the correct advice.

    http://groupspaces.com/KillerstrandsHairClinic/

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  52. I love how straightforward (and helpful) you are. Thank you for all the useful knowledge you share through your posts. Being that this was originally posted in 2009, I'd love to know how your opinion has changed on the best demi lines currently available. Thanks again, and I look forward to your response.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Thank you. . . .
    Funny thing is, I remain loyal to and LOVE Wella Color Touch, I have tried so many other brands....but as I've aged I have become more sensitive to smells and chemicals (terrible thing for a Colorist/Chemist!).............which is where Color Touch comes in..........its so easy to use - smooth-- pleasantly scented, and it creates so MUCH SHINE, nothing can come close in my humble opinion.

    hope that helps
    KC

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  54. Hi
    I came across this post and found it pretty helpful. I don't know much about hair dying, but I have naturally very dark ash brown middle eastern hair, it's also very very curly (type 3b). Anyways, for the past year and a half I had it highlighted, I was like a dark to medium blonde and I decided to go back to my natural dark brown maybe even darker like a black brown and I knew that it wouldn't be a one step process. Anyways so I went to my hair colorist yesterday and I actually go to Sassoon, you mentioned thats where you got your education, and I LOVE my colorist and trust her with my whole life. She used a demi color on me and I LOVE my color its exactly that deep rich dark black/brown that i wanted. Now I am so terrified of this color eventually fading to a yucky reddish brown. I was wondering if you could tell me what will happen to my hair once it starts to fade and what would be the appropriate next step in keeping this hair color as dark and as rich as it is right now. I know that I have to use color protecting products which I do but I know that it will somewhat fade regardless, so what should be my next step once i do start to see the fading, i would obviously have it done at the salon, but i just want to have an idea and also to ease my mind from thinking that i can never be a dark brunette again, would doing another demi be better or a permanent?

    thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you

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  55. Hi .. I am just wanting to tone my hair to remove the brassiness .. i bought "keratin' colour 9.1 very light ash blonde & 1.5% (5vol) developer ... the girl in the store said it is ok to mix a permanent colour with 5vol ... but now i am a little scared (because i have always used a semi as a toner). My hair is very fine & not in the greatest shape (despite trying to look after it). so i just don't want to do anything that will cause further damage. Any help you can give would be really appreciated ... thanks so much

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  56. I truly think that using our BOOST...............or BOOST & BURST, will solve that problem for you.....you could alternate in Chocolate Cashmere Brown will do the trick for you.

    Boost is a Shampoo that is very dark brown in color it has professional color pigment in it so therefore it will do one of 2 things , deposits little bits of pigment when you leave it on the hair for 2-4 minutes or also it will help cancel any unwanted tones like Red....or Orange or You-Know-What-i -Mean Tones. Burst is darker and you can leave it on less time....then rinse and go...

    You may vary the timing once you do your first and second attempts which will give you your guidance for how long and how many times u should use it!

    GL
    KC

    ReplyDelete
  57. ACK I have never been so glad I don't need to color my hair! It would drive me out of my mind trying to figure this all out and screwing up my long beautiful hair with trial and error. All the same I enjoyed reading all of this and you are so nice to want to help people and answer their questions!

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  58. I have asian fine hair, I tried dying my virgin hair a lighter brown with boxed hair dye and it turned my hair slightly brassy orangish/reddish. I'm thinking of toning it to a more ashy brown with either Illumina 5/81 or Color Touch 5/1 with a 13vol developer for both (from your site). Which one do you think will work best, last the longest?

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  59. Never used boxed hair color nor any Kits of Kind, there is simply NO WAY the Level system of hair color will work on any persons hair when a black haired, brown hair blond hair and red hair person all walks in the store or goes to that lame madison reed or the other one ( can't think of the name)which are online.....and all of them purchase the same box of hair color......
    HOW IN THE WORLD COULD THAT TURN OUT CORRECTLY? ? ? ?
    BOXED hair color should be banned, I personally listen to thousands of you weekly who go through this and I will never stop answering this question because I want you all to get MAD ENOUGH to stop purchasing them and to call your congressman and tell them they should be banned from the shelves.
    They are like purchasing a bottle of dynamite. It works 1 out of 10 times, and it still damages the hair by the incorrect formula inside.

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  60. If you are going to use permanent color to touch up your roots but want to refresh the ends with demi-permanent (referring to red hair color, specifically, as it fades significantly between colorings).....do you recommend doing those in two separate processes. In other words, apply permanent color, process, rinse then apply demi-permanent all over, process, rinse? Or is it possible to apply the demi to the ends while the permanent is still on the roots? I am using Wella color touch.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Use Wella Koleston Perfect for your gray (be sure your formula is correct)and Wella Color Touch for your lengths that line is meant to be used in conjunction with each other. SO YEs....YES....YES...!

    ReplyDelete

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