Colouring and tinting grey hair

For some people this is already the case when they are very young, but others are lucky, and don’t have to deal with this for a long time. But at some point everybody has to deal with grey hair. Whereas initially only individual grey or white hairs appear, you will see more and more of them over time.

As your number of grey hairs increases, often so does your wish to continue to maintain your natural hair colour and thus your youthful appearance – no matter how. And there are numerous helpful possibilities here: Household remedies such as onion juice and coconut oil, a healthier diet and the avoidance of stress, shampoos and – what is probably the most popular way – colouring and tinting the hair.

The advantages of colouring and tinting the hair are obvious: grey hair is instantly covered up, and you can freely select your colour. Furthermore, it is possible, even when very old, to still have dark, red or blonde hair.

But this isn’t without problems because colouring, bleaching and tinting the hair also has some clear disadvantages. Find out here what the difference is with these methods, what disadvantages they have and what alternatives there are.

The difference between colouring and tinting the hair

Colouring and tinting the hair differ greatly in how the result is achieved. And the possibilities that the various approaches offer also differ. Here comes an overview of what it’s about when it comes to colouring, bleaching and tinting.

What is a tint?

Tinting the hair is not a permanent colour: after just 6 – 8 washes, the shade has washed out. This is because tints don’t penetrate the hair structure, but coat the hair like a film. That is why the dyes don’t adhere to the hair for a long time, and disappear after a short time. And that is also the reason why lightening such as bleaching is not possible: the darker pigments in the hair shimmer through the tinting film, and thus the hair doesn’t look lighter, but only appears to be a different shade, which is jointly defined by the tint and the actual hair colour of the hair structure.

Demi-permanent colours, on the other hand, slightly open the hair’s cuticle so that the pigments don’t wash out as fast. But here too the hair’s internal pigment structure doesn’t change.

How does hair-colouring work?

When colouring the hair, the cuticle, the external structure, is opened by chemical ingredients, and the hair swells so that the pigments of the hair colour penetrate the inside of the hair. They thus lastingly change the pigment composition of the hair as they no longer wash out, but grow out.

When colouring the hair, like a tint, you have to remember what colour the hair was before you coloured it as this influences the desired shade. If the target colour is supposed to be lighter than the initial colour, you will need to bleach the hair. The external structure is also chemically opened so that hydrogen peroxide can penetrate inside the hair. Hydrogen peroxide dissolves the melanin, the hair’s natural colour pigment, so that it is lightened.

As the coloured hair grows out as the hair grows, and grey hair and hairs with the original hair colour grow in, you can see visible roots. You have to touch up the roots to ensure an even hair colour.

Problems colouring and tinting the hair

As convenient and practical as it may be to turn your hair the colour of your choice at any time: this brings with it a whole range of problems. On the one hand, the methods are lasting, but not a sustainable solution. Because once the natural hair starts growing in, the colour is gone.

And the way the product works also contradicts the actual wish not to have any grey hairs. Because the ingredients not only severely attack the existing hair, but imbalance the scalp’s pH level, thus impairing the metabolism, and can also lead to irritations of the scalp. In addition, the use of hydrogen peroxide is extremely problematic as it already attacks the natural melanin in the hair roots. The result: grey hair. You only add fuel to the actual fire of the problem, and thus accelerate the continued greying of your hair.

The more sustainable alternative to colouring your hair

Whereas colouring the hair is a convenient way to get fast results, you are exposed to the aforementioned risks such as irritations, and your hair will turn grey faster. It is more sustainable to stay healthy with diet, exercise and stress prevention. This is how you support the scalp’s metabolism, which can break down the natural metabolite hydrogen peroxide, and thus lastingly maintains the natural hair colour.

Furthermore, Anti-Grey Elixir by La Biosthétique offers an excellent scalp care, and supplies it with all the nutrients that it needs. Thanks to an ideally functioning metabolism, during the hair’s growth process the melanocytes can deposit the natural melanin, which enables you to naturally and lastingly maintain your hair colour.