Have you ever wanted to get your hair colored? Do you already? Well I bet you don't know how the bleach and dye acutally work in your lovely locks. So read on to find out! Enjoy!

Hair coloring is extremely popualr today. Over 75% of women color theier hair and an increasing number of men do as well! The first safe haircolor was created in 1909 by French chemist Eugene Schuller. He used the chemical paraphenylenediamine. How does haircolor work? It's the result of a series of chemical reactions between the molecules in hair, pigments, peroxide and ammonia.

First off...what is hair? Hair is mostly keratin. Keratin is the same protein found in skin and fingernails. The natural color of hair depends on the ratio and quantities of two other proteins: eumelanin and phaeomelanin. Eumelanin is responsible for brown to black hair shades. And phaeomelanin is responsible for golden blond, ginger, and red colors. However, the lack of either type of melanin produces white/gray hair.

The outer layer of the hair shaft, its cuticle, must be opened before permanent color can be deposited into the hair. Once the cuticle is open, the dye reacts with the inner portion of the hair, the cortex, to deposit or remove the color. Most permanent hair colors use a two-step process (usually occurring simultaneously) which first removes the original color of the hair and then deposits a new color. It's essentially the same process as lightening, except a colorant is then bonded within the hair shaft. Ammonia is the alkaline chemical that opens the cuticle and allows the hair color to penetrate the cortex of the hair. It also acts as a catalyst when the permanent hair color comes together with the peroxide. Peroxide is used as the developer or oxidizing agent. The developer removes pre-existing color. Peroxide breaks chemical bonds in hair, releasing sulfur, which accounts for the characteristic odor of haircolor. As the melanin is decolorized, a new permanent color is bonded to the hair cortex. Various types of alcohols and conditioners may also be present in hair color. The conditioners close the cuticle after coloring to seal in and protect the new color.