Learning the basics of coloristics or how to avoid failures in hair coloring

Although hair coloring can drastically change your appearance, it’s not always simple to get right. Even the most seasoned stylists can make mistakes if they don’t grasp the fundamentals of color theory. Unexpected shades and uneven results are just two examples of coloring mistakes that can arise from ignorance of color harmony.

Gaining an understanding of coloristics, or color theory, will help you steer clear of these typical pitfalls. You can always get gorgeous, consistent results by knowing the relationships between various colors and how they work with the natural pigment in your hair. The principles of color theory will be covered in this tutorial to help you color your hair with confidence and avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Hair structure

An extension of the skin is the hair. It lacks nerve endings, which makes it insensitive. Traditionally, it is split into two sections:

• visible (hair shaft);
• invisible (root).

Since hair coloring only involves the visible portion of the hair, let’s get right into studying it. The medulla (core), cortex (cortex), and cuticle (outer shell) make up the hair shaft.

The core of the hair shaft is called the medulla. It is composed of 2-4 layers of large cubic cells that are not keratinized. As a thermoregulator, the medulla guards against both hypothermia and overheating throughout the year. The medulla can occasionally be broken. It is not always continuous. In thin hair, this is seen as it is absent on one-third of the hair shaft.

The primary component of hair space is the cortex. Epithelial cells with a spindle shape are representative of the cortex. Elasticity, strength, and flexibility of the hair are qualitative markers of the cortex’s constituent parts. Direct oxidative processes take place in the cortex during the dyeing and lightening processes.

The color and texture of hair are also influenced by the cortex’s structure. This is because of its parts:

• keratin or keratinized cells connected by a membrane-cell complex. Such a "frame" gives the hair shaft shape, makes it elastic and flexible;
• Melanin, actually pigment particles;
• air. Air particles are a "solvent" of a natural pigment inside the hair rod. The less air, the more saturated the tone, and in the gray -haired thread it is the most.

Cuticle: The hair’s outermost layer, which is made up of eight to ten layers. The layers consist of flat, colorless keratin scales that are arranged in a checkerboard pattern resembling honeycombs or tiles. The membrane-cell complex also serves as a representation of the connection between the layers. Because of their close proximity to one another, the layers offer dependable defense against harmful environmental elements.

The way the hair looks indicates how well the cuticle is doing:

• Dull, porous hair – a sign of a damaged outer shell and open scales;
• Healthy shine indicates that the scales are tight enough, not damaged.

Anyone who wants to achieve the ideal hair color must learn the fundamentals of coloristics. This will help them to understand how various shades interact, how to select the appropriate tones for each person, and how to avoid common mistakes that can cause unintended consequences or damage to their hair.

What the color depends on what

Melanin, or natural pigment, is directly related to the color of the hair. Eumelanin and Pheomelanin are the two types of melanin.

Eumlanin: big, blue, age-shaped pigment particles. The depths of tone and color nuance reflect the quantity of granules. Brunettes have higher levels of eumlanin in their bodies. Conversely, the brighter the hair, the smaller it is.

An essential point! There is simultaneously an EU- and a feomelin in natural hair. The number of larger particles has an impact on the color reflection. Natural blondes have a higher eumlan content, and black hair has a higher eumlan content.

Feomalanin is a class of melanin molecules that are small and round in shape. They are yellow and red. Eliminating fetalin is a difficult task. It is dangerous and nearly impossible to remove, and it could ruin the hair rod.

The background of clarification is determined by phaomalanin particles. They have an impact on the stain’s final shade. Red, yellow, or red notes that become lighter in color are a striking example. Reddish-yellow granules are abundant in copper hair and scarce in black hair.

As people age, their melanin synthesis stops and their hair becomes lighter. The name refers to this phenomenon. Because aggressive chemical compositions destroy feomlanin, using them to paint hair results in hair loss.

Fundamentals of color theory

Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors are differentiated in terms of color. To accurately portray the hair color, this is sufficient.

Just three primary colors—yellow, blue, and red. These are fundamental and basic colors that cannot be obtained from other colors.

Primary colors can be combined to create secondary colors, or "secondary" colors. These include orange, which is red with yellow, green, which is blue with yellow, and purple, which is a mix of red and blue.

Tritary is the result of combining basic and secondary colors.

As seen in the above diagram, the conditional line that separates warm and cold shades passes through green and red. As a result, yellow and orange are warm tones, and purple and blue are cold. Red and green can be warm or cold.

Keep in mind that dying strands with color has unique requirements. Fundamental guidelines for mixing colors:

1. Colors that are opposite each other in the color wheel are of the same intensity and can neutralize each other.
2. Warm tones are used to neutralize cold tones, but not vice versa. Adding cold tones to warm tones will result in a dirty color.
3. If a client with dyed cold-toned locks wants to get a warm range, first neutralize the cold in the tone.
4. Warm tones that stand clockwise are compatible.
5. Cold tones that stand counterclockwise are incompatible.
6. It is not possible to combine warm and cold tones, they are incompatible.

Tone depth level

The natural hair color before coloring, without any additional shades, is known as the tone depth level. The amount of melanin in the hair shaft is the only factor influencing this indicator.

Colorists have defined and assigned numbers to ten distinct levels of tone depth for the sake of mutual understanding and convenience. These are basic tones; the lightest is represented by a digital number (1 being the darkest, and 10 being the lightest).

Natural color ranges consist of basic tones, which correspond to the first number in any dye number. Paint manufacturers adjust the color’s digital designation by adding or subtracting bits. There’s a second, third digit for this.

A visual inspection is sufficient to ascertain the tone’s depth. Take a strand nearer the roots on the back of the head, compact it like the palette example, and choose a sample that is close. Your hair’s tone depth is reflected in its number.

Background of lightening and its neutralization

The background of lightning is a crucial parameter for coloring strands (BL). This is the melanin’s color expression following oxidation, which is kept within the hair shaft.

The process of coloring involves using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to oxidize melanin. Atomic oxygen (O) is released by hydrogen peroxide, which also removes the blue pigment from natural hair. Consequently, red and yellow persist. The lightning background is evaluated using their combination.

The amount of peroxide molecules in the coloring composition determines how intense the oxidation will be. The reaction and lightening effect get stronger the higher it is.

Crucial point Every tone depth has a unique background of lightening.

Let’s examine the relationship between the tone depth and the lighting background:

• 1, 3, 4 tones correspond to a red lightening background: very dark red, dark red, red lightening background, respectively. Remember that to neutralize red, the opposite color in the color wheel is used. This is green. Therefore, we choose a green mixtone, corrector.
• 5, 6, 7 UGT have an orange lightening background. Blue is used to neutralize orange. 5 and 7 levels are mixed, have a double background of lightening, so the corrector will be difficult. The fifth tone corresponds to an orange-red background of lightening, therefore a blue-green corrector (mixton) is used. The seventh tone of hair has an orange-yellow FO, we select a blue-violet corrector.
• At the 8th, 9th, 10th levels of tone depth, only yellow FO appears: yellow, light yellow, very light yellow, respectively. With an increase in the depth of tone, yellow decreases, lightens. We neutralize the yellow background of lightening with a violet corrector.

Potential activities against the backdrop of lightning:

• neutralization – if the client wants to get a cold (natural) shade;
• additional lightening, increasing the depth of color – if the color obtained during bleaching is not light enough;
• enhancement of FO when it matches the selected dye. If the desired color is deep red, medium copper, light golden, then there is no need for neutralization, our FO will contribute to the manifestation of the desired color, make the result rich, deep.

Keep in mind the fundamental colorist’s rule: paint does not lighten paint! The original artificial pigment cannot be dissolved by artificial color.

Let’s look at an example from real life: the client selected a light-colored paint, but the hair is permanently dyed dark. It won’t lighten as intended if the chosen dye is applied over the prior one. In order to achieve the desired outcome, the artificial pigment must be extracted from the hair shaft (obtaining only the FO), and a light paint must then be applied.

Gaining the desired hair color can be greatly impacted by having a basic understanding of color theory. You can steer clear of common blunders by understanding how colors interact, the significance of undertones, and which shades go well together.

It takes time, patience, and a little bit of imagination. Whether coloring your hair at home or in a salon, gradually increasing your confidence and skill can be achieved by experimenting with small adjustments.

By learning these fundamental principles, you can approach hair coloring with more knowledge and less fear, leading to better results and greater satisfaction with your new look.

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