We love getting our hair coloured or lightened. But not everyone knows what products are suitable for their hair or what these products do

In this article, we are going to look at the different types of hair dyes and how bleach works too!

Bleach/highlights contain chemicals that remove the colour from your hair by the process of oxidation. "Oxidation decolourises the pigment in your hair shaft, which is why bleach will turn your hair almost white if it's left on for too long. Very bleached hair often gains a yellow tint, because keratin (the protein your hair is made of)  is naturally a pale yellow.

It's not possible to make your hair a lighter shade without the help of a bleaching agent.  

Semi-permanent or temporary hair colour gives you more natural colour and is also easier to use. You can use semi-permanent dyes straight from the box as they don't have to be pre-mixed.

Temporary hair dyes last for about six weeks and tend to fade progressively. Because temporary colours don’t contain bleach, they can't lighten your natural shade. Temporary dyes fade with shampooing and exposure to air. Temporary colours are also available in spray formulations.

Permanent Hair dyes use the oxidation process. For example, an oxidiser (such as hydrogen peroxide) and ammonia are mixed with the colouring agent before application. The job of ammonia is to bust through the hair cuticle to deposit colour. This may damage the hair cuticle and degrade the hair's structural integrity, however, provides the best colour result.

Permanent dyes don't have to be applied as often as semi-permanent or temporary colours because of they last longer.

There is a broader range of permanent colour, and these colour shades are often more natural-looking.

Their formulation is complicated, and manufacturers go to great lengths to attain long-lasting colour that does minimal damage to the strength and elasticity of your hair. Smart Beauty colour formulation contains Nio-Active technology which deeply penetrates the hair during the colouring process to prevent damage, leaving the hair soft, smooth and shiny.

The chemicals used in permanent hair dyes are stronger and the mixture usually has to be left on for a more extended period.

Ammonia-free hair dyes are made up of monoethanolamine (MEA), an organic chemical compound that is a primary amine and primary alcohol. It is used as a replacement pH adjuster in hair colour -- used at lower percentages and coupled with emollient oils, making it less volatile and less damaging than ammonia. However, just like any other chemical, the more it is used, the higher the damage, and inferior colour performance.

Conclusion

It's simple, Maintain your hair. All chemical processes reduce the elasticity of your hair and increase their chances of breakage. Therefore, any hair that has been dyed or coloured is vulnerable to damage, this why Smart Beauty has developed Nio-Active technology which deeply penetrates the hair during the colouring process to prevent damage, leaving the hair soft, smooth and shiny.

We advise you to take measures to add the much-needed moisture back to your hair after dying your hair or highlighting/bleaching it. Smart Beauty recommends it’s intensive conditioning toners, which also reduce yellow tones or it’s 10 in 1 restore, protect and style product.