Relaxing / Texturizing and Coloring Grey (rinse or Semi/Demi-permanent only)... Same Day or Not?

One of the most asked questions for persons with relaxed hair with grey roots is whether or not we believe it is better to color on the same day or wait a week or two???...

There are those who believe it is best to wait, but experiences prove otherwise and for more reasons than one. Actually, there are two different angles to consider - scientific and esthetics. 

Scientific... 

With respect to the scientific aspect, an analogy would be the best way to explain. Let’s take, for example, a person has an allergic reaction to a perfume. Now, this person is determined to wear the scent so decides to first apply a liberal amount of unscented lotion on the areas the perfume will be sprayed with the hope to have a buffer and not have direct contact with the spray. Unfortunately, that will not work. No matter what, at some point, the liquid will touch the skin causing an allergic reaction once again.

That said, the same goes for the belief that when you color a week or two after a relaxer, it will not damage your hair. Think about it, no matter how long you wait after a relaxer, it is still another chemical reaction on hair that is already relaxed. Remember, a relaxer is a permanent process. By the way, please understand we are ONLY referring to a rinse or semi/demi-permanent color. Permanent Colors and Bleach should NEVER be applied on the same day as a relaxer. Even though All colors wreak havoc on relaxed hair, permanents and bleach are stronger, more potent and definitely more damaging.

Esthetics...

Where esthetics (how the color looks) is concerned, the retention level is better on the day of relaxer when coloring grays...

The reason is that the chemical reaction of the relaxer or texturizer on the strand is alkaline, which opens the cuticles more and allows for better acceptance of the color. If you wait until the next wash, it is unable to receive the color as well as the cuticles are no longer as open. The downfall of that is a high possibility person will want to color more often due to the fact it didn’t “take” as well. Remember, a semi or demi-permanent will fade after a while. If the initial deposit was not thorough, and the areas are colored more often, a then higher degree of damage. Not good!

So, for all you ladies coloring your grays, less is more. Don’t color so often and buy yourself a color stick to dab on your grays for the new growth.

Until Next Week,

The OXX Family