How to Choose the Right Hair Color

Sometimes, the color we choose for our hair does not come out to be the same, as it appears in the swatch book of the product. It may be because of the 'underlying color pigment' of your hair that plays a key role in the final outcome of the hair color. To determine that you get the desired look, you need to identify the color of this pigment, melanin, in your hair. Melanin is generally of two types - Eumelanin, which is responsible of shades of brown and black in hair and Phaeomelanin, which brings yellowish blonde tones of hair to ginger and red colored hair.

White and gray hairs are the result of absence of melanin in hair. The tone of your hair color can be warm or cool. While red, orange and yellow are considered warm tones, shades of blue, green and violet fall under cooler tones. Hair can also be classified according to the level of color within each tone, on a scale of 1 to 10. As per this scale, 1 indicates black and 10 signify the lightest blonde hair. The intensity of hair color lightens, as you go down the scale. The level of hair color usually depends on the saturation of the hair pigment or the degree of concentration of melanin in the hair. The scale can be graded as follows:

1 - Black
2 - Very Dark Brown
3 - Dark Brown
4 - Brown
5 - Medium Brown
6 - Light Brown
7 - Dark Blonde
8 - Light Blonde
9 - Very Light Blonde
10 - Light Platinum Blonde

Types Of Hair Color

Temporary
This type of hair color generally lasts from one shampoo to the next, and is deposited on the outside of the hair shaft

Semi-Temporary
Semi temporary hair color usually lasts up to 4-6 times of shampooing and contains no ammonia. In this case, a developer is also not used.

Demi-Permanent
This type of hair color contains little or no ammonia and makes use of a low peroxide developer. The demi-permanent hair color lasts for about 6 weeks after which the color fades back to the normal shade.

Semi-Permanent
This type of hair color contains a small amount of ammonia and uses a developer of 10 to 20 vol. It lasts for about 3-4 months, depending upon the growth of your hair.

Permanent
This type of hair color uses a developer and an alkalizing ingredient as part of their ammonia or an ammonia substitute. The permanent hair color usually lasts for almost a year, depending upon the growth of your hair.