Dyeing your hair at home is a great way to save money. However, since you’re working with chemicals, it’s only natural to get concerned about each step of the process.
Read further to determine if you can use 10 volume developer with permanent dye to achieve the new gorgeous hair color of your choice.
Can I Use 10 Volume Developer With Permanent Dye?
The short answer is yes, you can use 10 volume developer with permanent hair dye. But, using permanent hair dye with 10 vol developer would result in minimal, if any, lightening of your natural hair color.
Developer is one of the required products in the hair coloring process. The oxidant cream is made with hydrogen peroxide.
The number on a bottle of developer reflects the hydrogen peroxide concentration in the formula. A 10-volume developer contains 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide opens the hair cuticle and “lifts” or lightens your natural hair color during the coloring process. The opened hair cuticle enables color pigments to penetrate the hair fiber rather than just coating the surface.
A better question to consider is if 10 volume is the appropriate developer volume for you. It is essential to consider the natural color of your hair and the desired new hair color before deciding if 10 volume developer is the right choice.
When 10 Volume Is the Right Choice
While most permanent boxed kits come with 20 volume developer, some hair dye kits contain a 10-volume developer. It’s best for permanent hair color that requires no lift (or lightening). If you have naturally blonde or light brown hair, this developer may work well to achieve the desired results.
For example, if you have naturally light hair and select a light permanent dye, such as an ashy blonde or golden blonde, a 10-Vol developer is the best choice.
When coloring naturally light hair with a darker hair dye such as chocolate cherry or auburn, a 10-volume developer is also a good choice.
This developer is also excellent for mixing with toners to tone your hair or for simply changing the tint.
When to Skip 10 Volume
If your hair is naturally dark or you have a lot of gray, 10-volume developer may not produce the best color results.
The amount of hydrogen peroxide is not strong enough to open the hair cuticle enough to remove natural dark hair pigment.
10 Vol developer is sometimes included with permanent color-boxed kits. However, it isn’t the most effective product to cover or lift gray hair.
If you have more than 25% natural gray, it may be necessary to use a higher level of developer to ensure that the result is not streaky, spotty, or patchy.
For those with naturally dark hair looking to go blonde, light brown, certain hues of red, or trendy shades such as lavender or pink, using 10 volume developer will most likely leave you disappointed with the results.
A 10-volume developer used with lighter permanent hair dyes on dark hair may not leave any noticeable color change at all.
A separate bleaching process is required to lift darker hair and prepare it for lighter or fashion colors. Even after bleaching, using a boxed color kit with 10 volume developer may result in unwanted orange, brassy, or muddy tones.
Does 10 Volume Developer Make Permanent Hair Color Darker?
Developer with a lower hydrogen peroxide volume is the least damaging to your hair and will not make permanent hair color darker.
A developer is used to activate the hair color or activate bleach and will not alter the color of the permanent hair dye.
10-volume developer is best used when dyeing hair within one color level to add warmth or depth or when toning.
Many think using less developer when mixing hair color will make the permanent hair dye darker. Using less developer will only result in a thicker mixture that is difficult to apply evenly, and you could end up with patchy hair color.
Summary
So, you can use 10 volume developer with permanent hair color. However, the hair dye must be the same depth as your natural color, or darker, for the intended color results to occur.
If you stay within one level of lift or coloring to get added depth, warmth, or added dimensions, a 10-volume developer is the right choice to use with permanent hair dye.
