Hair dyeing as a practice is very ancient. There are records of people dyeing their hair as far back as Ancient Greece. Those people were no pushover either, but a clan of warriors called the Celts. It just goes to show you, hair dyeing is for everyone.
In our days, hair dyeing is a cosmetic treatment to change the hair colour for a variety of reasons; these include:
- As a fashion statement to follow a certain aesthetic trend that is in vogue.
- To mask the signs of ageing that are grey hairs and white hairs in order to simulate youth.
- As a means of restoring hair to its previous colour following discolourations by hair treatments.
Many products allow you to dye your hair yourself, and professional stylists are always available in any city to help you out with it.
Regardless of who performs it, the process of hair dyeing, besides colouring, subjects your hair to possible damage. Knowing what really happens when you dye your hair will help you avoid the riskiest parts next time you are doing it.
What Happens During a Hair-Dyeing Process
Did you know that your hair actually has a protective barrier built around it to keep it safe? Its name is the cuticle, and it prevents anything damaging from reaching the actual surface of the hair shaft.
As it turns out, it would also prevent hair dye from actually dyeing your hair. And that is why the first thing the hair dyeing process does is to lift the cuticle up. By employing the chemical ammonia, hair dyes damage the lipid layer of the cuticle.
Reacting from this makes the cuticle lift up, no longer covering the hair shaft properly, opening it up for some changes. The now vulnerable hair shaft then receives a dose of hydrogen peroxide which will remove your hair’s natural colour.
The peroxide passes the now lifted cuticle and enters in contact with the hair shaft, reaching deep down into its cortex. In there, the peroxide starts stripping the protein molecules of their colour. The very same colour that gives your hair theirs.
The removal of its natural pigmentation is necessary, for it leaves it open to embracing the colour you have chosen to dye it with.
It is not all shining colours, however. Both ammonia and peroxide do damage your hair by drying it out considerably when lifting the cuticle and removing the colour.
Due to this, the hair often feels like straw after it. It can become further brittle and lead to breakage, effectivity causing hair loss by dyeing.
Repairing Hair Loss by Dyeing
To keep your hair from experiencing this, please remember to deep condition it regularly and leave the dye on only for the advised period of time. Hair masks are particularly effective for deep conditioning as are essential oils. Just apply it and leave it there for around 20 to 30 minutes two times a week max.
In the case that a person shedding hair from hair dyes suffers from androgenetic alopecia, the loss of hair possibly won’t grow again.
In such cases only an FUE hair transplant can place hair back in your head and restore your looks. Our surgeons deliver high-quality, natural-looking results that blend seamlessly. Contact us to have them restore your hair’s youthful looks.