The dilemma with dyeing

Women have been attracted to beautiful, bright hair colors since time began. According to a recent survey (link) over 70 percent of women regularly dye their hair. Hair color has become a modern accessory for women of all ages and is no longer used just to cover up the first grey hairs.

Experts giving classic image consultation nearly always recommend a new haircut and color. So far so good. However, colored hair need far more care and must be protected from UV rays, salt and chlorinated water. So the basic principle: a gentle coloring, protective UV filter and special conditioning products will preserve the pleasure of your favorite hair color!

Manufacturers come up with a myriad of methods of getting hair to take dye. Some recent color-treatments are dispensing with ammonia. This is used in hair dyes to open the cuticle layer so the color pigments can better penetrate deep into the hair. The negative side effect: the structure of the hair suffers long-term damage. Recent products are substituting ammonia with ethanolamine which is milder and smells better. The fact remains though, that an intensive color treatment only really succeeds using aggressive substances which penetrate into the hair structure. And the only guaranteed ways to avoid negative side effects are to either use natural colors, which do without synthetic substance, or to completely restrain from dyeing.

You can do a lot yourself to limit the long-term damage to your hair. Particularly in summer, when we spend a lot of time in the sun, at the beach or by the pool, our hair needs additional protection. On the one hand a UV filter is recommended to protect hair from the sun‘s damaging rays because chlorinated and salt water render hair especially sensitive. Normally hair is protected by its natural lipid layer which allows fresh water to roll off in droplets. Chlorine and salt particles dissolve this layer allowing water to penetrate into the hair causing it to swell and the protective cuticle layer to open. Now the aggressive UV rays can also penetrate into the hair, free-radicals are produced which destroy the color pigments and make the hair structure porous. The most effective remedy: coat hair with a water-proof conditioning spray with a UV filter or use special color-protecting shampoos, conditioners or styling products with respective protection factors. A tip from the experts which is heard often: cover hair generously with a rich conditioning treatment and bind hair together under a hat or cap. In the evening, after sunbathing or being by the sea or pool, simply rinse with fresh water and you’re ready for the evening’s program!

Unlike sun protection for the skin there are no special protection factors for hair. Some sprays do however combine protection filters for skin and hair, so that the scalp is protected from sunburn. Little salt crystals which sit on the hair act like a magnifying glass and amplify the effect of the sun. If possible after bathing in both sea water and damaging chlorinated water you should rinse hair under a fresh water shower. And a sun hat helps too, to protect hair from UV rays. It is recommended to avoid chlorinated or sea water for a few days after getting a fresh color in order to avoid an unsightly green tint.

A color treatment not only stresses the hair, it stresses the scalp as well. Often young girls can be seen scratching their heads. Their delight in experimenting with hair dyes can lead to chronic scalp irritation because the constant use of “chemical cudgels” causes the functions of the scalp to lose their equilibrium. RAUSCH has addressed this issue and developed an ideal care line using nature’s own active ingredients. The miracle plant in this case: avocado. The RAUSCH Avocado COLOR-PROTECTING LINE combines all the ingredients which make up a good color-treatment care plan giving hair elasticity, protection and shine.