Permanent Color Damages Hair And Yet 75% Of Us Keep Dyeing

Maybe you don't care about the science behind coloring your hair. But when you take a look at the damage that permanent dye can leave behind, well, it's smart to examine the chemistry that's involved.

If 75% of women color their locks, that's a huge number. And most of us, come away with some kind of damage, be it dry, dull tresses, split ends, brassy strands, hair loss, and so on.

We dye our hair with permanent color, because we are a victim of early graying, so we've been touching up our roots forever. And although we have what we call almost Kardashian-colored hair, we can STILL see damage on very dark hair.

Whether you color at-home or visit a professional salon, your mane will suffer the consequences, and yet, we all keep dyeing.

Let's look at permanent color:

1. Peroxide and ammonia are present in permanent color. Ammonia goes first, by allowing the cuticle of the hair shaft to open, to accept the dye. Peroxide acts as the oxidizing agent, removing the pre-existing color, and allowing the new color to bond to the hair cortex.

2. Conditioner is applied after rinsing out the dye, to close the cuticle, and seal in the new color.

3. Lightening. That's another chapter in the hair coloring process, and even more complicated. When you want to really lighten up several levels, you turn to bleaching. Hydrogen peroxide is usually involved as one of the most common lightening agents. Peroxide blended in an alkaline solution allows the hair shaft to open and then react with the melanin in the hair for the blonde shade one is trying to achieve.

Simply put, permanent coloring and bleaching do a number on the hair. The cuticle is roughed up. Strands are weaker. And locks are drier.

Your hair needs more TLC. That means frequent trimmings. Lots of conditioner. And less reliance on damaging hair tools like blow-dryers, flat-irons, hot rollers, etc.

If you can't afford a trip to the salon for frequent coloring or lightening, you can try a special at-home hair color kit by Robert Craig. Allure Magazine has named him, "one of the country’s top hair color artists."

It's called, Color by Robert Craig ($12, a box). And his PERMANENT dyes DO NOT change the internal structure of the hair like peroxide dyes do.

And it’s simple. Mix Color by Robert Craig with tap water. Shake. And you get a no-mess mousse, that is easy to apply. Zap your grays-- choose from 21 luscious shades---Golden Blonde, Medium Mahogany, Chocolate Brown, or Jet Black. These are just a few radiant shades offered by Color by Robert Craig. There are 21 inter-mixable shades available. His color will not lighten your hair, but he also sells an ‘Ultra Blonde Highlight Kit.’ It contains a very gentle approach to highlighting with ‘off-the-scalp’ blonding. It’s great for bleaching, highlighting, frosting, and streaking. What’s even more comforting, you can color, even if your hair is permed or chemically treated.

It's worth checking out. Details here.