What's the Deal with Semi Permanent Color Over Grey?

Most people don't understand the difference between Permanent Hair color versus Semi or Demi Permanent Hair Color. The word "Semi Permanent" is very misleading because it is absolutely NOT the same as "Temporary" color and it does not 'wash out' after however many washes. For my business, because I find it less confusing for clients, I call Semi Permanent color a "Color Gloss" on my list of service.

Here is a photo of several months of grow-out of a color gloss (semi permanent color) on a client who has a very small (less than 30% of the whole head) of grey hair:

I've lifted up a few of the grey strands and near the scalp you can see they are just regular grey/white hair but a few inches out, where the color gloss had been done on her last visit, the hair looks like a blondish highlight. At the time the gloss was first applied, it blended almost entirely with her dark hair but in the few months between visits the gloss (semi permanent color) faded to what you see.

Permanent hair color works as a "lift and deposit" system that swells the hair shaft open, removes some of your existing pigment and deposits new pigment. Semi Permanent Color (or a Color Gloss) does no lifting of color, it is a "deposit only" system. It can give very vibrant results but there is some fading with time and washing and it blends with your existing pigment so that the grow-out doesn't have the hard line of a permanent color. Interestingly, it can be more difficult to remove from the hair than Permanent Color but that's a story for another time.

Going grey is not typically a fun transition. Most of my clients want to prolong NOT having grey hair as long as possible (I know I do). As a client sees the first initial grey strands I always suggest a Color Gloss as the first step to cover it. It doesn't cover as fully as Permanent but what it doesn't cover ends up looking like a highlight or fades to look like a highlight as in the photo above. As the client gets more and more grey, I like to begin adding foils so that as the grow-out and fading happen they will blend in with the highlights eliminating the need for very frequent visits to the salon. I would say the time to begin adding highlights is when the percentage of grey on the head is at 20-25%. When the percentage of grey starts to get closer to 30% we could need to start a discussion of where the client wants to be in a few years - do they want to stay dark or would they rather move in a lighter direction? In general, going lighter is an easier option for someone who has a really high percentage of grey hair. If you are 50% grey (white) as your hair grows back in it's going to be less noticeable growing in to hair that is blonde than brown or black. But it's really a personal choice and that's why I like to start that conversation much earlier about what a person may be leaning toward.

I hope this information has been helpful and enlightening. If you'd like to get a conversation started about your own hair journey and dealing with grey hair or if you're thinking of trying a color gloss, book a consultation with me today! www.studiothreehairsalon.com