Comparatively Speaking: Good vs. Bad Hair Color

By: Anthony J. O'Lenick Jr., Siltech LLC, and Nick Morante, Nick Morante Cosmetic Consulting

Posted: July 24, 2012

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A violet-based color can cancel out yellow tones, and blue-based shades will cancel out copper orange hues. If the hair is lightened only a couple of shades with a permanent hair color, blue-toned shampoos have been formulated especially to combat this problem. This is the same principle that exists with skin color correctors where subtractive color is responsible for negating some visual color responses. If one adds a small amount of blue pigment to a cosmetic product, it will absorb some of the unwanted red wavelengths in the skin. Hues such as red, blue, green or violet are usually undesirable, unless these are the desired final colors. Light blond hair is notorious for having green highlights, and additional processing may be necessary to eliminate them.

Porosity

Porosity and the extent of previous damage to the hair from the dying process can also affect the final hair color shade. Usually porous hair absorbs the color more, resulting in darker than expected shades. This is especially true of coarse and damaged hair, which is the issue in a majority of cases.