Hair Coloring Principles: Underlying Pigment, Tone, and Chemical History

Underlying Pigment

  • Definition and Mechanism:

    • When hair undergoes the lightening process, the natural pigment underneath becomes exposed. This exposed pigment is formally termed underlying pigment.
    • The revelation of this natural pigment is the precise reason why hair characteristically warms or displays warm tones after lightening.

  • Progression of Exposed Warmth:

    • As hair becomes progressively lighter, the underlying warmth shifts across a distinct, predictable spectrum.
    • A simplified progression of exposed pigment, from darkest to lightest, consists of:
    • Red
    • Red-orange
    • Orange
    • Orange-yellow
    • Yellow
    • Pale yellow

  • Formulation and Planning:

    • Practitioners must evaluate both the starting level and the desired target level prior to service.
    • Analyzing these two factors allows one to predict exactly what underlying warmth will be exposed during lifting, ensuring proper corrective formulation or tone selection.

Tone and Reflect

  • Definition:

    • Tone (or reflect) describes the visible color quality or hue seen in the hair.

  • Common Descriptions and Categories:

    • Standard descriptors used for tone include:
    • Ash
    • Gold
    • Beige
    • Copper
    • Red
    • Violet
    • Neutral

  • Level Versus Tone:

    • Two individuals can possess hair at the exact same level of lightness or darkness, yet display completely distinct tones.
    • Example: Two level 7s can look very different from one another depending entirely on the warmth present and the specific color placed over the hair.

Natural Hair Versus Previously Colored Hair

  • Consultation Requirements:

    • During the consultation, practitioners must explicitly inquire whether the client's hair has been:
    • Colored
    • Lightened
    • Relaxed
    • Permed
    • Otherwise chemically treated
    • Any previous color application affects both the final color result and the overall physical condition of the hair.

  • Key Operating Principle:

    • Hair color generally cannot reliably lighten artificial color (color does not lift color).
    • Hair that has been previously colored and requires significant lightening cannot be lifted with standard hair color; it necessitates a different lightening approach or a dedicated corrective-color approach.