Family Encyclopedia >> Beauty & Style

Coloring in questions #9

What are the biggest mistakes of women doing their hair color at home?

Our experts have agreed on three points:1/ they always see themselves as darker than they are and make mistakes when choosing the color shade; 2/ they find it difficult to understand the difference between coloring techniques, which can lead to disappointment (choosing an oxidation color, when you just want highlights…); 3/ they do not respect the exposure time:either they leave on too long, which leads to an overload of pigments, or they rinse out too quickly, and the result is not visible enough (especially for white hair).

All these chemical ingredients in colos... isn't it dangerous?

Of course not ! “The legislation surrounding coloring is extremely strict and does not allow the use of dangerous products, in the salon or at home,” assures Frédéric Mennetrier. The most criticized ingredient is ammonia. However, it is an element present in the body and which is not very allergenic. What are we accusing him of? To be irritating to the scalp and to smell very strong. Apart from the fact that it opens the scales, it does not damage the hair, provided you do not do colo too often and do not leave the formula on for too long. Mono-ethanol-amine (replacing ammonia) is milder, but it can be allergenic, just like color precursors. There, only one solution to avoid unpleasant surprises:test the formula on the skin 24 hours before the summer camp.

Thanks to Frédéric Mennetrier, colorist at Atelier Blanc and L’Oréal Professionnel expert, to Rodolphe Lombard, colorist at the Couleur par Rodolphe salon and to David Merveille, Schwarzkopf consultant hairdresser.