By definition a hair color rinse is a temporary hair tint.
A rinse comes to your aid when you are looking for a milder, gentler and a natural color treatment for your locks.
Are you troubled with growing streaks of gray on your scalp?
Looking for ways to cover gray with a color devoid of harsh chemicals?
To stay looking and feeling young…!
Well then, look no further… Mother Nature is kind enough to bless you with a natural alternative to cover those grays, in the form of a hair color rinse.
There is a whole lot of confusion regarding exactly what it is! And I must clear it before proceeding any further.
To keep things simple and to know it once and forever, we need to dissect the term and take it word for word "color+rinse". Doing so you can now see that it's a color you can rinse off your hair and that is why it is defined as a temporary hair tint.
Once they know it's a temporary hair tint, many people tend to confuse it with the traditional temporary hair dyes or semi permanent hair dyes, which it's NOT! Why?
Simply because, were it a temporary or semi permanent hair dye, then there was no need to coin the term RINSE!
For the sake of its name as well as for the sake of its use it has different implications.
However… aside from this literary debate, we have no choice but to put the commercially prepared liquid coloring rinses into the category of temporary hair dyes.
Here are a few more common questions people have about color rinses. These questions and their answers also include many tips, tricks and techniques that will help you to get the best results when you are coloring your hair with a rinse.
Why Hair Color Rinse?
There are many options when you want to change your hair color, add depth or highlight your hair. Many people choose to do hair color at home to save money or to get it done quickly.
The trouble with coloring your hair at home is that you can really damage your hair if you don't know the proper techniques or if you make a mistake you should end up with a color that you don't like.
To make things easier and to get better results at home it helps to do some research about coloring your hair first.
As you look at your options and look into home hair coloring you may see that one of the best and safest options is a hair color rinse instead of a traditional hair color dye. Why?
Well… the simplest, first, foremost and logical reason is that it only lasts for 6-8 shampoos, if you mess up! (Continue reading for even better of the logics behind using a rinse for good.)
What is the difference between a Hair Color Rinse and Hair Dye?
Starting with the technical difference, a hair color rinse stains the outer layer of hair. A dye actually penetrates the hair shaft and deposits color into the hair shaft.
Here it is important to note that the differences between a rinse and the traditional hair dyes are also the potential advantages of the coloring rinse.
One caveat though, a rinse cannot lighten your hair, as it is devoid of peroxides. So you may consider it only if you want a color that is deeper than the one you already sport.
And, when you are going to a lighter shade a dye will actually strip color from your hair to get the lighter color.
What is the difference between a Hair Color Rinse and Demi Permanent Hair Dye?
Good question! From the narration of both you may feel like they are more or less the same thing… although, there are two major differences between them.
First, Demi permanent hair dye does contain chemicals like peroxide. A rinse is devoid of it and a more natural option (if you prepare it at home).
Second, Demi permanent dye lasts for about 22-24 shampoos while a rinse washes out in around 6-8 shampoos.
It fades over time instead of having to grow out like permanent hair color.
What is so natural about a Hair Color Rinse?
Well… Let me first ask you… Did you know about a natural way to color hair that is gentle on your hair? Yes, I am sure you do. And your answer is henna. Right!
But besides the customary henna, (which has its limitation of being a single color) there is another way to color your hair naturally. And the best news is that you don't even need to spend extra money in purchasing a coloring kit, to do so!
Your all natural hair color rinse can be prepared at home with the stuff you already do have in your kitchen i.e. coffee, green tea and sage. You can find some natural hair color recipes and ideas here.
Need more? Well… find here a lot more systematically arranged organic hair color rinses (lighteners, darkeners and reddeners)and also a few commercial products.
And… the good old coffee, green tea and sage recipe here!
If you want a dark color then you could use a strong brewed coffee as a rinse to get a nice deep brown. Just as coffee can stain teeth, it can stain your hair leaving behind the color. You can also do this with other food items to get almost any color you desire, from red to blond.
Does that mean there are no commercially prepared coloring rinses available?
There are a lot, if you want to color your hair at home but do not have the time or inclination to prepare one for yourself.
The market is full of commercially prepared rinses. Problem being, you need to do a bit of research to find out which one is suitable for you and which one does what!
How damaging is Hair Color Rinse to my hair?
Well… Damage is near zero with a rinse prepared at home with all the natural ingredients.
It is not as damaging as a hair dye because of it does not penetrate the hair shaft. A rinse simply stains hair, so it will alter hair color for a short period of time.
Hence the damage is nowhere comparable to the traditional color dyes, even with commercial ones.
There still is the chance of a bad color result with a rinse, though. The color result will really depend on your hair color and the condition of your hair.
How do I keep my color looking good?
Maintaining a hair color rinse will be a bit trickier than maintaining a dye job. This is due to how it works.
Since it is a superficial color stain it will gradually fade and disappear as you shampoo your hair. Ideally it must stand at least 6-7 washes.
To help keep your hair color looking good you will need to redo the rinse on a regular basis. You may also want to use the gentlest shampoo you can find and consider only shampooing every other day.
Well, Ready for a hair color rinse this time while trying to cover your grays… or otherwise? I wish you all the best and hope that it solves your dyeing dilemma for grays, forever.
Go here for more hair coloring tips and ideas with pictures. Voice your opinion or the story of your experiences with color rinses here.
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