Getting Comfortable with 'Developer' While Coloring your Hair

Wow, I just did a small Search on hair and hair chemistry and cannot believe the amount of other sites there are out there now. I'm surprised how many of you ask me to continue to write....and encourage me to "keep going" admittedly they are not like KIller Strands but there are other sources, for the longest time, I was it. You don't abandon me and I won't abandon YOU !!! Be very very careful who you listen to, I saw 2 companies who write "supposed Blogs" that are tied to poor quality products, its kind of funny....really.  You will figure it out.....bad products word-of-mouth spreads quickly.


You have to learn to love Developer (peroxide) and not be afraid of it, and please please don't be so headstrong about which developer you ''ONLY'' want to use.  There just needs to be more education before you decide that you want this certain Volume, yet can't explain why. If you can explain 'why' and it follows the rules of hair coloring.....then fine use it. But please, many of you are very set on the Volume of Developer you want without any education.....or the knowledge of why that is your choice -  it needs to be really thought about for a better result. Remember.....I am on YOUR SIDE here !  So many of you are just Hell bent on not using anything higher than 20 Volume ( I have at least 8 of you with this same issue right now, so please don't think its "YOU".....what it is....is so funny that I have so many of you at the same time with the same misguided direction about Developer. All of you want to be a beautiful Blond, BUT won't use anything higher than 20 Volume.....a couple of you splurged and tried 30 Volume which......... still......... DID  NOT   WORK!

                                   Hydrogen peroxide (developer) H2O2 is 
                    responsible for oxidation (NH3 or ammonia + H2O2 = oxidation)

It makes the color permanent and MUST be present for the color to lift and develop, and it makes the color oxidize. First, it reduces (or lifts) the natural pigments (melanin) to reach the desired Target Level.  H2O2 is actually (water) with an extra molecule of O - oxygen .... something I would tell my clients all the time, to calm them when talking about developers. If its only 1 molecule away from water, really............could it be that bad? Oxygen is what creates the lift and development of color in the hair. Oxygen ! Nothing bad like so many of you think ;) .

             The higher the percentage of oxygen in peroxide 
                      the more lift you can achieve... "o-x-y-g-e-n" !

Most Level System colors operate with a range of developers from 5-40 Volume- although lately you can pretty much purchase any # Volume of developer. 

• 5 to 13 Volume is for DEPOSIT ONLY
• 20 Volume for the same level or one Level of Lift
• 30 Volume for 2-3 Level s of Lift &
• 40 Volume for 3-4 Levels of Lift  !

Although Volumes vary among the different product lines, you will notice some of the smarter lines adding moisturizers/conditioners/vitamins....etc. to their formulations of Developer to help condition the hair the one and only time the hair strand is open and able to be helped from the inside ....OUT!

As oxidation occurs, lift begins, which is the removal of the natural pigment (melanin) in the hair. Deposit also begins (at the same time ---> impressive don't you think)....Deposit is a process in which the intermediary color molecules begin joining or locking together to form a NEW color pigment combinations in the hair. With the aid of the H2O2 these molecules attract one another and make such large combinations that they become too large to exit the hair strand/shaft and are actually  are trapped inside. The lift and the deposit occur simultaneously!

Even Stylists think it is the H2O2 that causes the cuticle to open. The H2O2 acts as a buffer for the ammonia in color.  Its pH is actually 2.5 to 4.5. Only when its released through oxidation....does it begin to eliminate pigment.

The Volume of the Developer, along with the amount of ammonia in the color is what determines the lifting action. When a Color product is mixed with Developer, the H2O2 achieves a Working Volume (WV). WV is the actual volume of the diluted formula. Most Color Lines use equal parts to formulate.

                                              For example:
                                                2- oz. Color
                                             + 2- oz H2O2

So if using 20 Volume H2O2, this formula would have a working volume of 10Volume. As the Volume of the developer increases, so does the WV. 

I have tried over and over to make this one sentence crystal Clear, but I have failed. Please remember this, because nothing is more true about Developer than this statement:

The Volume of a Developer does not determine how strong it is, but merely how long it will lift. Stabilized H2O2 is CONTROLLED lifting power: the higher the Volume , the more the 'lift'. (what does "lift' mean? removing, subtracting or lightening color from the hair.

Peroxide + ammonia = Lift & Development of Color

During coloring the H2O2 is converted to water and oxygen

• water drives the pigment into the hair
• oxygen develops pigments 

become friends with the developer needed to achieve the color you desire, especially you Blondes !

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.