Family Encyclopedia >> Beauty & Style

Coloring:everything you need to know #4

Does permanent hair color wash out?

Oh yes ! The hair fiber undergoes a phenomenon of oxidation on a daily basis (in contact with the oxygen contained in the air or in the water) which opens the scales and sensitizes it. Result:the keratin chains that make it up break and the pigments that were fixed on them leave. To limit their leakage, only one thing to do:treat the fiber thoroughly with products for colored hair. On the other hand, it is useless to exceed the exposure time of the color hoping that it holds better and longer:if it is overloaded with pigments, the hair loses its transparency and appears dull until the surplus disgorges.

Some home and salon hair colors now include oil. What is the point ?

Oil colors are gentler on the hair, because they don't contain ammonia (yay, no more bad smells!). Combined with a mild alkaline agent that opens the scales less than ammonia, the oil drives the pigments into the fiber. It also deeply nourishes and protects the scalp (for those prone to tingling and/or redness). We obtain a more beautiful hair, because less sensitized and well nourished. Only downside, the coverage of white hair is not always guaranteed (if you use a home camp, you check on the box); for now, there are only permanent colors that guarantee it. That said, Frédéric Mennetrier assures him:“Oil formulas are the future of hair color. »

If I want to lighten my hair several shades, do I have to bleach it first?

Not necessarily. If you are blonde to brown and want a lightening of 3 to 4 tones, the lightening formulas are enough. Recently, thanks to oil formulas, it is even possible to lighten up to 5 tones (for natural or colored hair, and whatever the base color) without having to bleach the fiber (Inoa Ultra Blond service, in L'Oréal Professionnel salons, from €35). On the other hand, if you are brunette and want to be platinum blond, you have no choice, you have to go through the discoloration box.

Thanks to Frédéric Mennetrier, L'Oréal Professional color consultant and colorist at Atelier Blanc (6, rue Mayran, Paris 9th), and to Romain, creator of the Romain Colors XXVII salon (27, rue La Boétie, Paris 8th). ).