The ombré is still a salon favourite
The ombré is still a massive trend and who better to look at, than two of the best examples of the trend.
We offer a service in our salon called ‘The Trend’ this allows us to grasp every new trend and give you exactly what you want. If you want a bespoke tailored version of ‘The Trend’ just book a consultation and we can talk you through…
Anything is possible.
Ammonia free hair colour
This is a common conversation with clients in the salon,
is your colour ammonia free? If not, why not?
We at Paul Watts Hairdressing believe in bringing our clients the very best in a hair colouring service. Using Ammonia free colour is seen as the must have colour on your head at the moment, we would like to take you on a technicolor dream coat of information.
Ammonia free colours must have an alternative ingredient to help penetrate hair to be able to deposit colour into the cortex which is your permanent colour application. The ingredient is known as MEA is mono-ethanolamine (C2H7NO). It’s an alkaline (as opposed to acidic) reactive chemical compound that is produced by the reaction of ethylene oxide with ammonia. It exists in liquid form and has little oder. Comparing this to Ammonia (NH3) is an alkaline compound of hydrogen and oxygen that is both naturally occurring in nature and man made. It is water soluble, highly reactive, exists in both gas and liquid form, and has a strong oder. They are both similar in their properties, ammonia is just much more effective when it comes to depositing colour.
The size of the Molecules is what determines how deep the colour can penetrate into your hair. The MEA molecule has a molecular weight of 61, while the molecular weight of ammonia is 17. Therefore, MEA is 3.5 times larger than ammonia. When permanent hair colour and peroxide meet ammonia, it acts as a catalyst. This reaction is what removes natural pigment FROM the cortex and allows artificial color to deposit INSIDE the cortex. Because MEA’s reaction with peroxide is weaker and the molecule larger it is not as effective as ammonia/peroxide at lifting natural color out of the hair or depositing color into the cortex of the hair. Because of its large-sized molecule, when MEA is used in permanent hair colour products the color doesn’t lighten efficiently enough to produce exceptional light blondes and vibrant reds. Also, browns and other shades don’t cover gray well or have long lasting gray coverage.
What clients want to know, is Ammonia bad for your hair?
MEA is not fundamentally bad for the hair. The amount of MEA used in a particular hair colour is what creates potentially negative results. The amount of MEA in hair colour varies from shade to shade. With MEA, it is not uncommon to have 6% in darker shades to 10% in the lightest blonde shades. For ammonia, the amounts range from 1.5% in the dark shades to 3.5% in the high lift shades.
Ammonia in hair colour is not fundamentally bad for the hair. When both ammonia (catalyst) and peroxide (oxidation) are used with hair colour, tiny molecules carry dye all the way into the cortex, where they react to remove natural pigment and expand artificial pigment to a size that cannot be washed out, creating a permanent color.
MEA in hair colour products remain in hair even after the hair colour has been removed. In the 24 hours following the color service, the residual MEA can cause progressive darkening and dull the shade. Color companies that use MEA in permanent hair colour fight this by using a specially formulated shampoo that contains ammonia to remove residual MEA.
In addition to our hair colour being Ammonia based which produces a longer, more vibrant colour, we also use Unite shampoos which contain no MEA so we can insure vibrant colours that last.
55th Grammys
We are looking forward to catching how the A-listers are wearing their hair. Will Adele be there, will Justin Timberlake be as crisp as he was at the Brits.
The Brit Awards
So the day is here where British music is represented and the bands, artists and moguls are awarded for what they have done.
We are excited because of how they will be wearing their hair. Will ‘the Flack’ bring back the ombré? Will Rihanna be wearing red? And 1 Direction will certainly be having the crowd screaming, but will any be wearing a new Barnett!
We can wait. We will be posting what we think is on trend or needs to be on the mend.
Worldwide recognition
Paul Watts Hairdressing have been recognised worldwide for creating beautiful hair. The image was beautifully executed, the technique represented today’s fashion and has been inspiring over 79,000+ people throughout the world.
The competition was entered by 1000+ hairdressers and our image came out top.
We are absolutely astounded as we had no idea we are inspiring so many people throughout the world, and we will continue to do so every year.
Thank you everyone who voted
