In nature, there are countless shades. A person can distinguish about ten million tones. Therefore, modern coloristics (the so-called science of color) uses digital notation.
In the color rendering system, marking from 0 to 12 is accepted, where 0 is a transparent tone that has no color at all, 1 is the darkest and 12 is bright white. In accordance with this, mixed tones are denoted by two or even three digits. This is the meaning of all colors of hair dye.
Professional and household paints
If professional paints are labeled in accordance with strict definitions of color, then household paints may not have an accurate digital marker. The commercial side of the matter plays a large role in their definition and title. In the salon, the colorist will accurately determine the natural tone, degree of gray hair and areas of weakened hair. Based on these data, she will select the most suitable mix, taking into account the percentage of oxidant. Paints bought at the supermarket, in the vast majority of cases, attract women with their favorite photo on the box. At the same time, the color rendition on advertising completely depends on how conscientiously the printing houses reacted to this.
How sad it is to see girls with scorched hair in gray shades, to notice the border of regrown hair by the difference in tone and gray hair, which was never painted over by elegant ladies of age! To learn how to read digital notation, we turn to the palette of hair colors “Pallet” and “Garnier”. The first is the Schwarzkopf concern, which is known for the most beautiful blondes. This is not surprising - he creates mixes for Europeans, who often have thin brown hair, which are blond in childhood, and eventually darken to steel color. In Russia, this type of hair is also very common. The second is produced by the world-famous concern L'Oreal, specializing in giving natural beauty.
What are the colors of hair
All the colors of hair dye at the household level are divided into three types: blond, brown and brown. Red hair can be in all three groups. Moreover, black-haired can also have a reddish tint. Therefore, we will not talk about redheads yet. Let us dwell on the tone level. This is how much hair is light or dark. For example: everyone can determine this level in black and white. There will, of course, be some discrepancies - after all, the individual perception of all is different, but very small. In color, tones from 1 to 3 are considered the darkest, from 4 to 7 - average, and from 8 to 12 - light. This is in accordance with the scientific definition of brunettes, brown-haired and blond.
The names of the colors of hair dyes are given based on the same principle. But with the branching of the palette, the appearance of tinting colors and specially released cool-looking shades, it was not possible to maintain strict numbering. The paint index in color terms would have to be written on the tube as a recipe: so many percent of the main tone, so much additional, so much shade. And with a variety of tones, these numbers would differ quite a bit. It was decided to indicate the tone not only in numbers, but also to give it a clear name and supplement it with an advertising picture. Each box also has a test plate that indicates the initial hair color and the possible result.
How the palette is made
Hair responds differently to dyeing. Someone can use their paint every month, and someone from such actions will receive a tow on his head. At someone they are well painted, but just as quickly lose their paint. And gray hair may not be painted at all. This is because the hair has a complex structure. It has a core, a color layer (cortex) and a shell. For the casing to pass the pigment into the cortex, an oxidant of at least 6% is required. A light color tint can give it a 3% concentration, but it will also be washed quickly. To cope with vitreous gray hair, you need to take oxide of at least 12%.
The Palette of hair colors for hair takes these principles into account and is made in three lines. They are called resistance levels. The first level is tint balms. They help maintain the pigment constantly leaving the shell and do not penetrate deeper. The second level is semi-resistant Color & Gloss paints that can change the tone level to 2-3 units. And the third level is resistant paints that not only securely fix the color, but also get rid of gray hair. In this category, several series are produced that solve various color problems.
Garnier palette
Another manufacturer of household dyes is the French company Garnier, whose hair color was developed by a hairdresser. She was the first in this field. Concern L'Oreal bought this brand. Since 2003, when the “100% Color” series was released, the company has been developing innovative means for preserving pigment in dyed hair. Now four lines from this brand are helping to change the natural color. These are the following lines of this hair dye:
- "100% color." This is an innovation that contains a lot more artificial pigments than before.
- Color Naturals. A line that reflects the natural beauty of hair.
- Color Sensation. In this line, fashionable dyeing complements leaving, so the hair has an amazing mirror shine.
- Olia. It contains oil that protects against harmful effects.
- Color & Shine. Paint without ammonia, the healthiest of all.
They are designed for any situation in which you may need a change in hair color: from a simple refreshment of the tone to a radical change in image. All colors of hair dyes are digitally labeled, indicating a specific line, shade and resistance.
The most requested tones
Fashion for everything natural retains its position this year. And this means that the lines of beautiful natural shades are in demand. These are the following hair dyes:
- Brown and chocolate tones for brown-haired women and brunettes.
- Light colors - ash and beige-blond.
- Fashionable black tones.
Let us consider in detail all these shades and their numbering in the Palette system.
How to define a light shade
Light shades of hair dye in the color system take from 8 to 12 numbers. Professional products are easy to identify by these numbers. The Pallet brand is represented by the following persistent light shades of cream paint, which allows you to radically change the tone by several units and paint over gray hair well.
Light colors of hair dye, raising the initial level by several tones:
- E20 - Lightening This cream is used to brighten the natural tone of the hair at several levels. Some shades cannot be obtained without first applying this paint. Such a two-stage system is not new - American Matrix paints are also based on it. Usually bleached hair has a natural yellowish or pinkish tint and looks inanimate. Therefore, they need additional color.
- No. 12 - Cold Cold Blonde. Pigment has been added to this composition, which works in the last ten minutes and gives a natural shade to bleached hair. They look already natural, but this shade is not suitable for everyone. Such hair is very rare in nature. They occur in blond children at an early age.
- C12 - "Arctic Blond." Similar to the previous shade, which is even colder.
Numbers of hair dye ash color of the lightest tones
Ash color is characterized by the presence of blue pigment. It neutralizes the yellow tint on the hair, and therefore is in demand as a corrector. In all the blondes, it is added in the amount of one or two centimeters of cream squeezed out of the tube. In paints that have the word “ashes” in the title, the manufacturer has already added an additional amount of it.
Among them, the following shades are distinguished:
- C10 - "Silver Blonde."
- A10 - "Pearl Blonde." Similar to the previous shade, casting pink.
- C9 - Ash Blonde Gives a very light natural hair silver color. It is slightly darker than C10. To get it on your hair a few tones darker, you have to apply the paint E20. Otherwise, you get unwanted yellowness.
- C8 - "Diamond Blond." The latest of blondes. After him already go brown. It is a rich, saturated ashen color.
How to determine the ashen color of brown hair
There is a type of hair that becomes ashen with age. In childhood, when there is still little pigment, their color is light, sometimes almost white. For many, it is wheat, very beautiful. During puberty, the hair begins to be densely saturated with pigment and darkens. The tone of the hair decreases by two to three units and acquires an ashy shade. It can be darker or lighter, for someone it is more to a steel shade.
With the appearance of gray hair, one has to resort to dyeing, and an interesting feature of this type of hair is found out: almost all paints leave a yellow tint. This is because there is very little red pigment in them. The base is a persistent yellow pigment, it neutralizes a small amount of blue. When exposed to hair dye, the destruction of natural pigment occurs. The first is destroyed blue, after - yellow. That is why when bleaching never produces an ashen color - there is no blue pigment. To correct the situation, artificial pigment is introduced.
The Pallett system has the tone C8 - "Diamond Blonde." It is a rich, saturated ashen color. It allows hair of this type to look perfect, since the border of the regrowth is not visible.
Hair dye beige and light brown
Natural light ash hair burns out very quickly in the sun, especially at the ends. Ombre coloring, fashionable now, imitates just this process. Suitable light hair dyes to make ombre or balayazh are as follows:
- No. 9 - "Blonde Blonde." Very delicate, almost pastel caramel color. They paint the tips, make highlights and accents.
- B9 - Beige Blonde. Light caramel color for the main hair sheet.
- H8 - "Honey Blonde." Beautiful caramel color, closer to the roots.
In this tone, pigments are so harmoniously combined that when stained, they do not have undesirable yellowness. When adding a blue corrector, you can achieve an ashy shade. On hair prone to redhead, this color will cast pink. Staining it always looks good.
Dark hair is dyed in this color, performing the technique of balayazh. Since the brown-haired woman always comes out with a reddish tint when lightening, this is used to create a palette in caramel tones. The anti-yellow corrector is not used in such cases.
Brown color for hair dyes
The brown color owes its name to the cinnamon spice, which is a cut and dried bark of tree branches of the laurel family. It varies from sixth to fourth tones, and in the Palette palette it is called chestnut. Interestingly, the “chestnut” in French is “brown” (châtain). This fruit has a wide variety of shades of brown. Therefore, many manufacturers of dyes do not use brown shades for the name of their products - they would not be enough, but chestnut. And, of course, the richest tones can be found in the French brand Garnier.
In her line of "Garnier Olia" - eleven chestnut flowers:
- 6.3 - "Golden Dark Brown." Very rich color resembling dark gold.
- 6.43 - The Golden Copper. This color is very close to the previous one, only copper was added to gold.
- 6.0 - "Dark Brown". The color of natural hair is the sixth tone.
- 6.35 - "Caramel dark blond." It resembles the color of chestnuts.
- 5.3 - The Golden Chestnut. The color of the chestnut in the sunbeam.
- 5.25 - "Mother of Pearl Chestnut". It looks like an ordinary color, but at a certain angle it shines with a pearly sheen. It gives the impression of healthy, well-groomed hair.
- 5.5 - "Mahogany". Indispensable for those who have an unhealthy complexion.
- 5.0 - "Bright Brown". It could be called chocolate. In general, brown hair dyes correspond to different varieties of chocolate. This color resembles cold chocolate.
- 4.15 - "Frosty Chocolate". The color of chocolate from the refrigerator - there is absolutely no warm shine.
- 4.0 - "Brown-haired". Warm chocolate color.
- 4.3 - "Golden dark chestnut." Spectacular natural color, very dark, cast in gold.
The Palette brand also has chocolate hair dye - this is W2 Dark Chocolate. It is similar to 4.15 in the Garnier palette, but with a pearly tint. The remaining brown shades are more decorative than natural.
Dark colors for hair dyes
According to statistics, the most common hair tones are black. After them, the second largest are brown. In terms of tone, these are numbers one through six. For the most part, dark tones of hair are called light brown or chestnut. It depends on which shade prevails. If there is a golden hue, it will most likely be a dark blond color. If they have a reddish glow, then dark chestnut.
The blue pigment, which gives an ashy shade, visually lowers the natural color by a tone. Therefore, paints with the words “cold”, “frosty” and the like in the title are better for women with reddish tint. This choice will allow you to pay off the excess red.
On the contrary, the warm color of the hair will fade, it will appear darker than in the advertising photo from the box. This happens when they are going to tint only the roots - they take paint in a supermarket, which demonstrates a seemingly suitable color. Apply to the roots, then stretch along the entire length, and the blue pigment neutralizes the warm color. Hair color is now called "deep graphite." Fortunately, this pigment is unstable. After two or three weeks, it will be washed, and then, after a month, it is better to use a paint with a name in which "gold" or "warm" appears.
How black is indexed
The hair dye of the darkest tone is not black. This color, like white, is not in nature. It is formed from a very saturated pigment. There are only three of them: red, blue and yellow. The shade depends on the proportions in which they are mixed. This is a low tide, clearly visible at a certain angle. It can be saturated wine, if red pigment prevails, blue or violet - if more than blue or it is cut in half with red.
This color is indexed in two digits: unit is the lowest tone, black. And the second number, meaning shade. In the Palette palette, there are two persistent shades:
- N1 - just black, no midtones.
- C1 - black with a blue tint.
The black colors of the Garnier hair dye are different:
- 3.0 - Dark chestnut. Black with a reddish tint.
- 2.0 - Black with a golden tint.
- 1.0 - Deep black - the color of anthracite.
Instead of a conclusion
All hair dye colors are represented by their numbers, by which they can be distinguished. Manufacturers are doing everything so that the buyer can understand the products. But mistakes do happen. To avoid them, you need to understand the laws of color and have a good idea of how a particular tube will change the color of your hair. Nevertheless, the most reliable way to get the color that is intended is to visit the salon. Having resorted to the services of an experienced master, you will certainly get the desired result.