Modern Myth: “Over-processing the Haircolor during a Make-over”

Most of us love a good make-over show. The everyday plain-Jane or overworked mommy gets swept away by a team of do-good professionals and is given a hip, new look. And in nearly every episode of many of these shows, the “victim” is taken from the salon with her hair in foils or a color cap to go shopping for her new outfit, but the host is concerned because they can’t be gone too long or the haircolor will “over-process”.

This makes for dramatic watching unless you know that haircolor mixtures that deposit color (even if they lighten the base color) only have an active lifespan of about 30 minutes before they stop working. They only work because of the chemical reaction between the ingredients. It’s like mixing baking soda and vinegar in a bowl. It’s going to react and bubble up, but eventually the chemical reaction will use up all the components that react to one another and will stop fizzing.

As the color mixture processes (the chemicals react to one another) the color of the product develops and the mix grows darker. The faster the stylist is at getting the color mixture applied once it’s mixed, the better the color results will be. So, you see, it’s actually MORE likely for a stylist to “under-process” the hair in a color service.

The only time you run the risk of really “over-processing” the color of the hair is in bleaching the hair to lighten it. And in a lightening process, you generally use heat to speed the lightening, and it has to be closely watched and monitored. You’d never let a client leave your salon with bleach on her hair. Most salons won’t even let a client go to the bathroom during a lightening process.

Related posts:
Modern Hair Myths
Modern Myth: “New Ultra Shampoo and Conditioner Repairs / Heals Damaged Hair”
Old Myth: “Men shouldn’t wear a hat all the time. Men who do will go bald.”
Old Myth: “Don’t go out in cold weather with a wet head. You’ll get sick.”
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