Safe Same Day of Relaxer Demi-Permanent Haircolor

Photo credit from Modern Salon magazine, August 2014 edition

Does anyone remember when Goldwell Colorance demi-permanent color had "Acid Lotion" written on developer liquid bottle?  Well, Goldwell has re-formulated their Colorance developers a few times over the last five years.  I do not think that they are as acidic as they used to be.

You may be wondering why is this "acidity" is important.  Well, human beings are acidic naturally.  Relaxers and permanent hair colors are typically alkaline.  So to have even a demi-permanent haircolor that is acidic in nature means a healthier option for coloring hair on the same day as the relaxer service for those who have resistant gray hair.

Well, guess what?  Beth Minardi's liquid demi-permanent color is acidic in nature.  You loving me right now?  I know you are!  It is music to a Black hairstylist's ears. I had been noticing the incredible health of the hair from using this haircolor each time that I have used it.  I had fallen in love with it and then after reading in the Modern Salon magazine that it is an acidic color, I finally understood why it was working so well.

Now, please do not confuse it with Beth Minardi's creme demi-permanent and creme permanent hair colors.  These two cream versions of her hair color are alkaline, and the permanent haircolor rules apply.  Two weeks wait for relaxer clients.  The liquid demi-permanent haircolor by Beth Minardi is the only one safe enough to deliver a beautiful light brown on the same day as a relaxer using 20 minutes of medium heat.

So remember - liquid Beth Minardi is safe.  Creme Beth Minardi is NOT safe on the same day as the relaxer. According to the Modern Salon article, the creme demi-permanent should be used with 30 minutes heat to ensure gray coverage as well.  From my experience with the creme demi-permanent, I would use caution if the hair is not healthy.  Without heat this creme color seems to take but it does not last past a week or two as far as fading is concerned.  I am still getting a feel for the cream haircolor. I will update everyone on the cream demi-permanent haircolor as I get more clients on it.

On a separate note, Clairol has liquid permanent haircolor.  Please do not confuse the "liquid" to mean that the color is acidic.  Beth Minardi's liquid haircolor is about the only one that seems to be acidic and safe.

Don't forget that the ICE line helps boost the gray coverage for the browns.  I have mentioned this in another article on this blog about Beth Minardi's line.

Liquid Demi-permanent Color by Beth Minardi

I just had two wonderful color success stories surrounding this liquid demi-permanent haircolor by Beth Minardi.

1) I achieved beautiful lowlights on relaxed and previous lightened hair, and the hair still looked shiny!  I performed the lowlights one week after the lightening, but simply beautiful final results.  I used the 6NB.

2) I had to tone the brassiness of a loc client after performing a corrective color service from an out of town colorist.  I used this liquid demi-permanent color with about 10 minutes of heat since the hair was wet when I applied the color. I achieved fantastic results with the 7ICE and layering of the 6NB.

Because this demi-permanent color uses the 5 volume developer, I still am uncomfortable using it on the same day as a relaxer, but I am excited about testing it on gray coverage for those whose hair is not strong enough for creme demi-permanent haircolor.

The Beth Minardi line does have a cream demi-permanent color as well as a permanent haircolor.  I like the permanent haircolor, but I have not tried the cream demi-permanent haircolor yet.  I was using Goldwell Colorance which is a cream demi-permanent haircolor, but I have not adjusted to their newest Colorance reformulation.

Honestly, the 1:1 ratio is a no brainer.  It is gentle and effective.  I am simply thrilled about this gentle liquid color.

Lifting the Color of Mid-Grade Hair Extensions

The wet and wavy sample weft in the picture above is a mid-grade hair. Definitely not remy hair, but it is human hair.  Typically, you would not lift this type of hair extension.  Only the high-end virgin, unprocessed, remy hair that comes in one color is supposed to be safe to lift.  However, with the mid-grade hair being marked down to really great pricing, it may be worth purchasing and altering the color as needed.

 So I chosed the Goldwell Silk Lift High Performance Lightener - regular with ammonia.

I pre-treated the hair with the White Sands "The Fix" Porosity spray first before applying the lightener.

 I used clear cellophane foil, and it took at least 45 minutes to really start to see a lift.  I even heated the cellophane sample with the blowdryer for a few minutes to get the lightener going a little faster.

Clarifying shampoo was a definite to make sure the dark color molecules got washed away.  I like the new subtle brown color.  Higher quality hair should take less time, but you will probably accidently skip pass this brown color phase of the lift process and end up with red or orange or blonde.  I was pleased with the final color.

All Semi-Permanent Haircolors are not equal!

Within an hour, the Goldwell Elumen High Performance Semi-permanent haircolor in "black" had destroyed the top gloss coating of my tint bowl.  Gray coverage on the hair worked well though.  My client's hair look great and has remained healthy through two or three Elumen applications!

 At another color session, the tint brush suffered damage to its glossy coat using the same Goldwell Elumen high performance semi-permanent haircolor.  The haircolor was sitting for hours before I rinsed the color off the brush to discover this discoloration.  That is why I did not leave the haircolor in the tint bowl past an hour the next usage, but I still got discoloration.  I will have to avoid using transparent glossy tint bowls and brushes in the future with any of the Elumen haircolors.

 This haircolor does not require any mixing with an activator type lotion.  It is used immediately from the bottle.  It has been providing excellent gray coverage in-between relaxer services.  I will not advise it on the same day as the relaxer because of its high performance action.

I see a Lactic Acid and sodium hydroxide in the ingredients list.  So I believe the cuticle is slightly swollen to make this semi-permanent haircolor high performance.  It also leaves a slight line of demarcation.

According to other online reviews, Elumen holds almost permanently to damaged hair.  People like Elumen red color(s) because they do not bleed out nor fade.  Damaged hair is considered any hair that has been chemically altered or mechanically roughed up.

Overall, the Elumen haircolor should be used with caution.  I would use a protective barrier around the hairline to avoid a hard line.  This protective barrier may not be an uncommon practice, but with Elumen darker colors, forgetting the protective barrier may be a battle that you do not want to fight at the end of the hair service.  Also, gloves are essential.  The Elumen haircolor seems to stain the hands instantly.

Product Review: Goldwell Elumen Hair color

Goldwell Elumen Hair color has been on my wish list for awhile.  It is a sem-permanent color.  There is no mixing with developer.  Just a direct dye.  I like it.  It seems to absorb better in the hair than the Sebastian Cellophanes.

There is some sodium hydroxide toward the end of the ingredient list.  So if you or a client has a soft curl or thio based chemical, then I would not recommend the Elumen color because it may not be compatible.

I used this color on a client with relaxed hair to cover her gray in between relaxers, and it covered gray decently considering the last relaxer touch-up was a few weeks prior.

The consistency of the Elumen seems wet enough to cocktail with conditioner if a quick fix is ever needed.  So far, I have only tried the NA@2 color which is a natural black color, but I plan to add a few more color options at the salon.

Goldwell Colorance Hair color Update

Goldwell's Demi-Permanent line is called Colorance. They updated the Colorance line this year. The non-intensive lotion now is equivalent to the bottle with the "blue C." The color of the lotion is different. It is more whitish versus clear from the old formula. I have not gotten to use the new formula yet, but the intensive lotion now is white, thicker, and required to be mixed in the bowl instead of the bottle. The non-intensive lotion is still required to be mixed in the bottle.

I do not know how compatible the Colorance line is now for relaxed hair. I will keep you posted.

Getting ready to toss the Affirm MoisturColor!

I am tossing these partially used color tubes of Affirm Moisturcoclor. The material of the tube is either cheap or the color pigment itself is not stable. These tubes new and used just leak, leak, leak. I have been using the Wella Color Perfect line and the Goldwell Colorance lines. Neither of these brands give me any leakage problems and seem to work fine.

Color Service: Golden Brown Color Highlights

Hair by Benita Blocker 2012. This client wanted golden brown highlights. We wanted to completely avoid any reds. We did it! Pizzazz with a professional finish!

I used two different brands of lighteners. The Moisturcolor Lightener by Avlon has a blue undertone. The Wella Blondor lightener had a pastel voilet undertone color. It may be harder to see in this picture, but they were distinctly blue versus purple in color. I really prefer the Wella Blondor lightener over the Moisturcolor. I believe that I get less brassiness with the Wella "purple" lightener.

I had to use Goldwell mild demi-permanent color to tone. We ran out of time to perform a "clear" color bath, but we did roller set the hair. This client has a type 3 curl pattern. Color service by Benita Blocker 2012.

Goldwell Colorance Formula update 2012

Goldwell Colorance line used to have a regular lotion and an intensive lotion. The intensive lotion was to be treated as if it was a permanent color. The regular lotion used to be called "semi-permanent" because it was a mild lotion; however, because there is hydrogen peroxide in the lotion, it really has always been a demi-permanent color.

Now, the new formulas of the Goldwell Colorance line has "Intralipids" to assist in hair repair. They all have "Demi-permanent" listed on them. This cuts down on the confusion. Semi-permanent haircolor should not have any mixing at all.