Hair Dye & Colour.

What the colour range covers

Four groups sit here. Permanent shades from Bigen, Schwarzkopf LIVE, Maxima and Dark and Lovely Fade Resist. Semi permanent and deposit only options including Schwarzkopf LIVE Pretty Pastels and the Crazy Color pastelizer. Grey coverage aimed at men, from Bigen EZ, Just For Men Touch of Gray and the Dexe wash in shampoos. Then salon supplies: L’Oreal Professionnel developers, Blond Studio lightening developers and Schwarzkopf LIVE powder bleach with its matching toner.

Small things matter as well. Silicone ear covers keep dye off the ears and are worth the couple of pounds if you colour at home over a sink.

Permanent, semi permanent or a wash in shampoo

Permanent colour opens the cuticle and deposits inside the strand, so it covers grey properly and stays until it grows out. Semi permanent sits closer to the surface, fades across roughly six to eight washes and will not lighten anything. If you want grey softened rather than erased, Schwarzkopf Live Men or a wash in shampoo such as Dexe gives a gentler line at the temples.

Anything lighter than your natural depth needs lift, which means bleach or a high volume developer. No permanent dye lightens dark hair on its own.

Colouring textured hair without losing the curl

Chemical colour raises the cuticle and draws moisture out, and curls feel that faster than straight hair does. Two habits carry most of the load. Colour on unwashed hair a day or two after your last wash, and follow with a protein and a moisture step rather than one or the other.

Strand test on hair from your brush before you commit, and patch test behind the ear 48 hours ahead every single time, including on a brand you have used for years. If you relax or bleach as well, leave several weeks between the two processes.

Developer volumes in plain terms

Volume describes how much lift the peroxide gives. 10 volume at 3% deposits with almost no lift and suits tone on tone work such as the L’Oreal Professionnel Dia activator. 20 volume covers grey and lifts a level. 30 volume at 9%, as in the Inoa developer, lifts two to three levels. Blond Studio developers pair with lightener for bigger jumps.

Mixing ratios are set by the colour line rather than the developer, so read the tube you are pairing it with.

Hard water, humidity and how long colour lasts

London and most of the south east run hard water. Calcium settles on the cuticle, dulls tone and makes reds and coppers look flat within a fortnight. A clarifying wash every few weeks followed by a deep conditioner holds shine longer than any leave in will.

Summer humidity in the UK sits between 75 and 90%, which swells coloured hair and speeds fade. Winter is the opposite problem, with indoor heating near 30% humidity leaving colour treated hair brittle. Rinse cool, keep heat styling down, and give colour 48 hours to settle before the first wash.