Many individuals assume that they can use 10 volume developer together with permanent color, but is that true?
A hair developer is a product blended with dye to develop it and allow it to penetrate the cuticle of your hair. It has hydrogen peroxide, which can lift or deposit the pigment. To stimulate a hair developer, you need to combine it with a primary substance like hair dye or bleach.
The oxidizing ability of hair is referred to as its developer level. Most hair color formulas use several different volumes of developers with distinct functions.
Among these, the 10 volume developer is a standard oxidizing level intended to be used when adding a hue or shade to hair with the same brightness level.
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Can I Use 10 Volume Developer With Permanent Color?
With permanent dye, you can use a 10 volume developer. Unfortunately, the effects may not be as expected because it does not nicely lift the color.
Specifically, if you only want to add more depth, dye dark, or add shades to light hair, using a 10 volume developer with permanent color is fine. However, if you expect it to do other things, such as dyeing or toning, it will not work.
As a result, using a 10 volume developer with permanent dye will not give you an adequate grey cover. In addition, aside from not receiving adequate gray cover, there is also an increased risk of damage due to the need to repeat since you have to wait longer to obtain the desired results.
Yet, suppose you want to give your hair a modest amount of color depth. In that case, a 10 volume developer can be a decent alternative because it may open the hair cuticle just enough to enable the molecules to penetrate.
What May Occur If You Use 10 Volume Developer With Permanent Color?
As we have mentioned above, if you use a 10 volume developer with permanent color, the result may not be as good as you desire.
The reason is that a 10 volume developer has only 3% hydrogen peroxide, which is a negligible amount when compared to other developer strengths.
Meanwhile, hydrogen peroxide is a substance that works in the hair cortex, which is the innermost portion of your hair and contains the pigment giving hair its color.
In addition, the peroxide combines with ammonia or some other alkaline substance contained in the dye, such as ethanolamine or monoethanolamine, to liberate oxygen, which eventually causes the color of your hair strand to change.
Using a 10 volume developer, the hair cuticle will be more exposed for modest color molecule absorption. So although it may not penetrate as deep into the hair as other types of developers, you can use it with permanent color to deposit dye. Still, it will not provide lift or much assistance with gray hairs.
A tiny level shift that is lighter in base color and grey merging may occur for anyone with fine tresses.
Although 10 volume is the standard developer for several toners and glazes, remember that this developer strength may change the original base color.
Is A 10 Volume Developer Bad For Your Hair?
The answer is yes. The developer, whether in low or high concentration, is still a chemical. Therefore, if you do not use it carefully and properly, it can cause hair damage. Regarding the 10 volume developer, it may lift the hair cuticle so much that it can not be softened back down.
Despite that, do not be concerned because a 10 volume developer is considered weaker than others and does not harm your hair if you use it correctly.
In terms of application, the 10-volume developer is not suited for bleaching your hair. If you use it for a purpose, you may harm your hair by subjecting it to unnecessary wear. Instead, use it to brighten your hair slightly.
Second, regarding time, if you let the 10 volume developer stay on your hair for an extended time, you may wind up harming it, just as you would with a greater volume developer. Even though the 10-volume developer is gentler, it is still known as a chemical.
As a result, to reduce the risk, we highly suggest that you use a creme developer rather than a clear one. That is because, in addition to the basic components of a clear developer, creme one has additional ingredients.
It may contain pyrophosphate for improved penetration and glycerin for conditioning. Also, it has such buffers to be gentler on your hair.
Using a creme developer, you should leave it on your hair for no more than 40 minutes, evaluating the process every 10 minutes. In this way, the 10 volume developer will not damage your hair.
What Kinds Of Developer Should I With Permanent Color?
We recommend using a 20-30 volume developer with permanent color instead of a 10 volume developer for the best results.
20 volume developer
Once used with permanent hair color, 20 volume can provide 1-2 levels of lifting. It is the usual developer to get grey coverage, but you may require a heavier developer for more resistant hair types.
30 volume developer
Based on your hair’s structure and natural thickness, a 30 volume developer is excellent for lifting three levels of permanent hair dye. Likewise, you can use it to hide up grey hair on more resilient hair textures.
Whenever you need a stronger developer for brighter and deeper colors, you should consider a 30 volume developer. Also, anyone who prefers open-air processing would want to use this developer strength.
How Do I Select the Best Volume Developer?
Picking the suitable developer for your intended results is critical to achieving the color you wish. The developer concentration is reported as a percentage or in volume units.
Also, keep in mind that the greater the number, the stronger the developer and, as a result, the lighter the hair.
Color Type
- Temporary Colors. It would help if you blended with weaker developers like 10-20 volume or no developers at all regarding temporary colors, including semi and demi-permanent dye.
- Permanent Colors. Permanent colors should be used in conjunction with moderate developers. Ideally, the volume ranges from 20 to 30.
- Lighteners. Using the strongest developers like 30 or 40 volume to mix with bleaching powder or lotions is vital. However, we suggest you leave this to the experts because if you do not use 40 volume developer correctly, it may burn your head skin.
Hair Type
As different hair kinds respond differently to coloring, your type of hair might also affect the hue outcome.
- Fine hair. While dyeing fine hair to a deeper shade, it is possible to go a tone darker than necessary. You can select a lighter color for your hair and use a weaker volume of a developer than is advised. For this type of hair, a 10-20 volume peroxide is preferred.
- Normal hair. The color response on this hair type is typical. So you can utilize the developer’s suggested volume, which is popularly the 20 volume developer.
- Thick hair. Lightening and darkening this hair is more challenging. You may use a stronger developer than suggested. Mainly, gray and white hair is highly resilient. So, we suggest you try the 30 volume developer.
Hair Quality
Your hair’s quality can influence the dyeing procedure. Also, it is relatively normal for us to own hair of varying quality.
- Porous hair. This hair is easy to lighten and takes color nicely. However, the color also fades rapidly. Regarding lightening, you should use a weaker volume developer or a quicker dyeing process time. If you intend to darken your porous hair, use a higher volume strength to achieve better hue pigment absorption.
- Healthy hair. The dye can penetrate healthy hair nicely, so this type of hair responds well to peroxide at a concentration of 6% (20 volume).
Lightening Or Darkening Scale
The percentage of peroxide you use should be determined by how bright you wish your hair to be. In general, each 3% of hydrogen peroxide can reduce one grade of your hair.
- 10 volume developer. This developer may increase the hair’s darkness by one level. It may work when transitioning from a brighter to a darker color. Besides, it gives a shade or color to your hair at the same brightness range.
- 20 volume developer. Using this developer, you may change your hair color with one or two shades. It is commonly used with both temporary bleaching and permanent coloring. Moreover, it is sufficient for covering all white hair.
- 30 volume developer. It has the ability to brighten up to three levels, so people often use it for dyeing, brightening hair, and coloring grey hair. Also, It is frequently combined with permanent color and lightening cream or powder.
- 40 volume developer. It helps to lighten up to 8 levels and is a suitable ideal for achieving a very platinum blonde finish. You can apply it in conjunction with a whitening cream or powder. There is, however, a possibility of hair burning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What 10 Volume Developer Should I Buy?
Clairol Professional Pure White 10 Volume Creme Developer is perfect for retouching, highlighting, and low lighting. It readily blends into a creamier texture with any Clairol Professional hair color or lightener.
It should be used for the color deposit or gradual brightening of natural pigments. It is soft enough to apply to unhealthy, chemically treated, or even porous hair.
Our second for you is the Refectocil Oxidant 3% 10 Volume Cream Developer. This developer is designed with high chemicals that allow the pigment to last for a long time.
This product has refectories cream providing a perfect hue to your hair. Also, it has a creamy texture, which makes applying process more accessible and more convenient.
Is It Possible For A 10 Volume Developer To Go Bad?
When you use a cream base of a 10 volume developer, you should use or dispose of it within one year from the day you open the package.
To be confident, you must inspect the package for the duration after opening rating. Several goods have a two-year lifetime.
When a developer loses potency, the hair dye results will become less uniform. So, to get the most out of this product’s prolonged storage ability, you should remove the lid and store the product in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight.
Also, storing volume developer in a warm climate accelerates the deterioration process. Notably, you can not store the 10 volume developer when combined with bleach or dye.
Is It Safe To Use 10 Volume Developer On Unhealthy Hair?
When paired with something appropriate for your circumstances, you can apply a 10 volume developer. You can go up to a 30 volume without too much trouble when you are not applying anything else on your damaged hair.
It is necessary to keep in mind that every lightening technique causes harm; thus, conducting strand testing before attempting anything new is recommended.
If you are a newcomer to this topic, you should watch this video to have more information:
Final Thoughts
You can use 10 volume developer with permanent color. However, if you go that way, the final result may not be as good as expected. Instead, it would be best to consider using a 20 or 30 volume based on your situation.
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