Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Can pigments color hair without peroxide?

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  • Can pigments color hair without peroxide?

    Posted by Syl on June 6, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    Overtone claims to color gray hair pink using the formulation below, it needs to stay on for 15 minutes to work. It is a basic conditioner with colorants, can hair absorb colorants without peroxide?

    Ingredients

    Water/Aqua/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Organic Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Oil, Amodimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Basic Blue 99, Basic Brown 16, Basic Red 76, Basic Yellow 57, Basic Red 46, Basic Violet 1, Basic Yellow 40, Basic Orange 2, Basic Blue 9, Basic Green 4, Basic Violet 2, Citric Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil

    Bill_Toge replied 1 year, 11 months ago 4 Members · 6 Replies
  • 6 Replies
  • OldPerry

    Member
    June 6, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    Did you ever see Kool Aide color your fingers? Yes, you can color hair (especially grey hair) with direct dyes. The problems are…
    1. Very few color options / shades
    2. Doesn’t cover colored hair
    3. Inconsistent staining.

    But yeah, it can work without peroxide.

  • Bill_Toge

    Member
    June 6, 2022 at 10:34 pm
    yes, hair can take up direct dyes, and basic dyes are particularly effective - they’re cationic, so they adhere strongly to the hair fibre, which is anionic
    direct dyes are best if you want sharp, bright temporary colours, but not so good for more natural, subtle or long-lasting colours, which is where oxidative dyes, i.e. the ones that need a peroxide developer, really excel
    also, I doubt it’s got every single one of those dyes in it, most likely it’s just Basic Red 76 and Basic Violet 1 (and personally, I’d use Basic Red 51 instead)
  • Stanley

    Member
    June 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    @Perry
    Kool aid powder is an “old-school” that was used with girls from the hood.  I use to watch my sisters and her friend use Kool-aid to “color” their hair.  I made a mess and stained everything in the process… :D

  • Stanley

    Member
    June 9, 2022 at 5:34 pm

    @Bill_Toge 
    Just to clarify.  The out side of the hair shaft is “coated” with the pigment.  The color would show but would it be “vibrant” or just blend in with the natural hair tone?

  • Syl

    Member
    June 9, 2022 at 7:40 pm

    Thank you! I bought some light pink Colorista from Clairol and it worked. It enhanced my brown hair to an auburn like color and colored unevenly my small amount of white/gray hair. I like it and will probably try to make my own. It also made a pink mess on my white towels. 

  • Bill_Toge

    Member
    June 9, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    Stanley said:

    @Bill_Toge 
    Just to clarify.  The out side of the hair shaft is “coated” with the pigment.  The color would show but would it be “vibrant” or just blend in with the natural hair tone?

    depends on how much dye you use; more dye results in a stronger colour
    it also depends on how vibrant the dye itself is - some of them (e.g. Basic Red 51) are single compounds, so they absorb light at sharp, well-defined frequencies, while others (e.g. Basic Blue 99) are a mixture of compounds, so they absorb light over a broader range of frequencies and appear more dull

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