Do many questions come to mind when hair coloring is mentioned? Why choose an ammonia-based hair dye rather than an ammonia-free one? Is ammonia really harmful to health? With a lot of gray hair, what should you choose? We will try to enlighten you on some important points that can help you choose.
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1. What is the purpose of ammonia in hair dye?
When you apply hair dye, ammonia helps to open the hair cuticles to allow pigments to penetrate deep into the hair fiber. This makes the color permanent, long-lasting, with a root effect. It also covers 100% of gray hair. With ammonia-based hair dye, the lightening power is generally 2 shades.
The processing time is 35 minutes, and the most commonly used developer is 20 Vol.
It is important to know that ammonia-based hair dye has negative aspects. For example, besides ammonia, it contains peroxide, PPD, and resorcinol. These 4 components are quite harmful to hair, and the risk of allergies is not ruled out.
However, there are ammonia-based hair dyes that are much less harmful than others. For example, the brand Edaïa offers an ammonia-based hair dye that is enriched with several plant active ingredients:
- Aloe vera which provides deep hydration.
- Shikakai, which strengthens hair and facilitates detangling.
- Passionflower which adds shine and softness to hair.
Thanks to this formula, Edaïa hair dye will last over time, both in terms of pigments and shine.
2. Why ammonia-free hair dye?
Ammonia-free hair dyes are increasingly used. Indeed, they are much less harmful to hair, and the risk of allergies is lower. We can take the example of the Edaïa ammonia-free hair dye, which contains precious oils:
- Argan, to strengthen hair and make it shinier.
- Macadamia, which helps to preserve color pigments.
- Avocado which will prolong hair radiance
- Cotton which will hydrate the hair fiber
- Jojoba which will restore vitality to the hair.
So with an ammonia-free hair dye like this, you will have much shinier and softer hair.
Generally, it is used with 10 Vol or a developer, and its processing time is 25 minutes.
3. Which one to choose between the two?
If you want a hair dye that lasts over time and covers 100% of gray hair, we recommend ammonia-based hair dye. If, on the contrary, the goal is to hide the first gray hairs, to boost your natural color, to add shine without a root effect, then we recommend ammonia-free hair dye.
Now that you know all about ammonia-based and ammonia-free hair dyes, you can try them out, but do you know how to successfully dye your hair ?
Always do a patch test to see if you are allergic to hair dye. To do this, apply a small amount of coloring cream to the crook of your elbow or behind your ear. If there is no reaction after 24 or 48 hours, then you can apply the color.
