Blog by DorisMollerHairStyling.com | All about Hair Coloring and Hair Styling and all kinds of interesting information on hair

Whether or not to perm hair that has been colored

Over the years I have noticed that many hair stylists advise against perming hair that has been colored. My clients have confirmed my perception.

There are many unhappy women walking around with flat and straight hair because their hair stylists believe that colored hair (permanent hair color) should not have a permanent wave. There is no better remedy for flat hair than an expertly done permanent wave to give it body. Why do hair stylists take this position.

Well, many years ago when permanent hair color was first introduced, the chemical make up was very different from permanent hair color used today. In the early days, the hair colorist had to literally stand beside the client the entire time, watching closely as the color developed and became darker with every passing minute. If s/he did not wash off the color at the right time and left it on a minute too long, the color would be too dark. The client was stuck with a much darker hair color.

Thank goodness we no longer have to go through this difficult process. Today, a permanent hair color takes automatically 30 – 45 minutes to process, after which time the color will not change.

Years ago the chemical make-up of the permanent hair color did not support the type of perm that was used. You probably have seen pictures of women with little cables and clamps attached to perm rods heated up in order to activate the perm lotion for processing.

This explains why a permanent wave was not applied to colored hair. Hair stylists continue to hold on to what was true in the past but is not applicable today.

For many years, I have permed hair that has been colored with a permanent hair color. I also perm my own hair which has highlights.

Will perming hair that has been colored with a permanent hair color damage the hair? There is no doubt that it will dry out your hair – dry hair means that the cuticles are slightly raised – yet your hair is able to cope with this as demonstrated by all the women who perm and color their hair as long as both procedures are professionally done.

Hair is an incredibly strong fiber that can withstand all kinds of handling, chemical and otherwise. You see the proof all around you. And this is a good thing.

Is there a hair color for women with sensitive scalp?

Hair color manufacturers have yet to come up with a permanent hair color for a sensitive scalp.

People who feel that they have a sensitive scalp tend to color their hair with a permanent hair color. It is this type of hair color that can give people with a sensitive scalp a burning sensation. (Hair bleach can also cause a burning scalp).

Chances are that after reading this article you will be able to minimize or totally eliminate the discomfort of a sensitive scalp and continue to use permanent hair color. A sensitive scalp is not normally a symptom of an allergic reaction to hair color unless you have other symptoms such as redness of the scalp, forehead or the face, neck or behind the ears. You can also have swelling of the face and neck or severe itching in which case you should immediately wash off the color.

However allergies from permanent hair color are very rare. (You may have read otherwise). In my experience of coloring hair for more than thirty years, I have encountered two clients with a light allergy to permanent hair color.

If you are concerned that you might be allergic to permanent hair color, you can perform an allergy test. Mix a tiny bit of permanent hair color with a couple of drops of developer (peroxide) and apply it to the inside of your arm and covering it with a band aid. Leave it on for 24 hours. The hair color will leave a dark spot which will disappear after washing it a few times. If you have no reaction, you are not allergic.

You may think that a natural hair color like Henna is the ideal hair color for a sensitive scalp. The problem is that you can’t use Henna for just any hair color you want.

For example, if you want to cover white hair, then only a permanent type of hair color will do the job. Henna, like other types of hair color such as permanent hair color, semi-permanent, demi-permanent and temporary hair color has limitations. A major drawback is that it is not suited for covering white hair. It will turn your white hair into an unnatural kind of bright red or stain it in a gold tone, depending on the shade of Henna you use.

I have several clients who experienced a sensitive scalp when permanent hair color was applied but the discomfort subsided when I made the following changes:

1. I mix permanent hair color with 10 volume peroxide instead of 20 volume for coloring white/gray hair (most hair salons use 20 volume hydrogen peroxide) when using a formula to color white/gray hair.

2. I use a crème color. Permanent hair color also comes as a gel which has a slightly higher pH value and can sometimes cause greater irritation to the scalp than a crème hair color.

3. I tell my clients not to wash their hair for two days before coloring to prevent the scalp from becoming irritated from rubbing it during the shampoo.

4. I do not comb the hair through to the ends. I only apply permanent hair color on the re-growth for the entire processing time.

5. I never distribute the color through the hair by massaging it. I have seen hair stylists massage the hair color into the scalp in order to distribute the color to the ends or combing the color through to the ends. I think this is an absolute no-no. The comb scraping along the scalp or massaging the color into the scalp will inevitably irritate your scalp. (There are exceptions when you need to bring the color through to the ends during the last 10 minutes of the processing time but special care should be taken not to irritate the scalp).

6. I am careful not to massage the scalp when I rinse and shampoo the color off following processing. I gently apply conditioner afterwards.

If you have a sensitive scalp, following these suggestions will help make coloring your hair a painless experience.