Gauhar goes gray…I am 34. My hair is about 80% gray. I am in a very conservative profession. I know that going all gray will negatively affect my career. I am having troubles with hair dye sticking to my hair. Is there any affordable, easy, simple do-it-yourself hair color, which is much better for gray hair coverage?
The Right Brain replies:
Hair color technology has been around a long time and there have been very few earth-shaking breakthroughs in the category. But now Clairol says they have a new Advanced Gray Solution technology that is gentler and provides better gray coverage. They claim that it covers gray by combining the best of demi and semi permanent hair coloring technology. While this technology is being marketed primarily to African Americans, you might find that it applies to your hair type as well.
Does Clairol Advanced Gray Solution really work?
The information on Clairol’s website was intriguing but it didn’t provide enough information for us to make a balanced assessment. So we asked for Clairol for more information. We submitted the following five key questions which they were nice enough to answer. Here are our questions along with their answers.
Q1. How does it combine the benefits from both semi and demi-permanent color?
A1. Beautiful Collection Advanced Gray Solution combines the gentleness of a semi-permanent color with the coverage capabilities of a near demi-permanent color. Typical semi-permanent colors often wash out quickly and provide only limited gray coverage. This is because semi-permanent color is a one-step process that delivers dye molecules that sit just under the hair cuticle, causing the color to wash out quickly. Alternatively, demi-permanent hair colors are used with a developer that contains peroxide. The developer, in conjunction with an oxidative dye, forms a molecule that is able to penetrate the hair shaft to provide longer-lasting results. Unfortunately, peroxide is not beneficial to African-American hair because it weakens it, making it even more susceptible to chemical damage. Advanced Gray Solution’s SynAIRgy technology creates a whole new kind of dye system – one with direct acting dyes that wrap the outside of the hair, and oxidative dyes that react with oxygen in the AIR (instead of a developer) to form a larger molecule able to penetrate more deeply into the hair shaft. With no ammonia and no peroxide, it’s gentle enough to use immediately after a relaxer service.
Q2. What are the ingredients in the product?
A2. Advanced Gray Solution’s enriched formula contains oleic acid and fatty alcohols to leave hair feeling moisturized and full of shine. The entire ingredient list includes:
* Water * Oleic Acid * Toluene-2 * Ascorbic Acid * Undeceth-3 * Cetearyl Alcohol * 5-Diamine Sulfate * 2-Methylresorcinol * Alcohol Denat. * Glycol Distearate * Fragrance * 2-Amino-6-Chloro-4-Nitrophenol * Ethanolamine * Cocamidopropyl Betaine * Resorcinol * Disodium Edta * Hydroxyethyl-2-Nitro-P-Touidine * Basic Blue 99 * HC Red No. 3 * M-Aminophenol
Q3. How does Advanced Gray Solutions react with oxygen in the air instead of a developer?
A3. Advanced Gray Solution’s breakthrough SynAIRgy technology contains an oxidative dye that uses oxygen in the air as a color developer to form a large dye molecule, eliminating the need to use a product with hydrogen peroxide for longer-lasting coverage.
Q4. How does it form a “larger molecule able to penetrate more deeply into the hair shaft” when generally speaking, smaller molecules penetrate better?
A4. The word ‘larger’ is a relative term. A molecule that is larger than the direct dye molecules will stay under the hair cuticle and begin to wedge itself into the cortex. Smaller dye molecules like the ones in direct dyes will simply sit under cuticle and rinse out within 4-6 weeks.
Q5. Are there any details on the testing that was done to establish that Advanced Gray Solution provides up to 50% gray coverage vs. up to 25% for most other semi-permanent colors?
A5. The secret to Advanced Gray Solution’s greater gray coverage is the formula’s new-to-the-world SynAIRgy technology. With this breakthrough technology we are able to have two dye systems: direct acting dyes that sit just under the hair cuticle, and oxidative dyes that penetrate more deeply into the hair shaft. Since gray hair lacks melanin, we found that this two dye systems works significantly better than other semi-permanent colors to provide longer-lasting gray coverage.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Without first hand information of their formulations or access to their test results, it’s difficult for us to determine if this technology provide differentiated benefits that are consumer perceptible or not. But Clairol was kind enough to provide relatively specific answers to our questions, even if they may be lacking in some detail. Nonetheless, we thank them for that information. In our experience, very few brands are willing to submit their products to this kind of scrutiny; so we give them high marks for their openness. Having said that, its up to you to decide if you think the information they provided was helpful in making your decision to try their product. I’m sure they’d appreciate hearing your feedback.
What do YOU think? Did Clairol’s answers to our questions convince you that their product lives up to their claims? Here’s your chance to have your voice heard by a major beauty products manufacture. Leave a comment!
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Um, I think I would appreciate the answer more if it wasn’t obviously answered by the marketing department.
“will begin to wedge itself under the cortex” indeed.
wow, I woke up to read the blog in the morning and was surprised to see my name!
It sounds too vague and it doesn’t really explain anything. We already know (thanks to the Beauty Brains) how it supposed to work. It doesn’t mean it will work exactly like this.
Since I posted my question about the gray hair, I found only one product that really helps the permanent (!!!!) dye to stick to my gray hair – Gray Magic by Ardell. It’s a color additive, you put 10 drops of it for every ounce of color. and it sticks!
The ingredients: Water (Aqua), Isopropyl Alcohol, Propylene glycol, Polysorbate 80, Ammonium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, 2-Nitro-p-Phenylenediamine, Yellow 6, Blue 1.
I will buy the new Clairol product and see how it works. If only I could find natural and organic hair dye that is good for the environment and really sticks to my hair, sigh.
Thank you so much for helping me
!
I tried Advanced Gray. I am Caucasian with about 50% gray, very resistant to semi-permanent hair color. On the positive side, Advanced Gray did just what it claimed–covered all of the gray and really lasted. On the negative side, even the lightest color was way too dark for me. If Clairol could make this product in lighter shades, it would be fantastic!
These answers sound a little sketchy, but it’s pretty rare indeed to find a company that will answer all of your questions (even though they avoided the testing question by repeating an answer from above).
Has anyone considered using herb, fruit and vegetable dyes? These are great alternatives to the chemical colorings.
Of course, herb, fruit and vegetable dyes are also chemicals.
Re: haircolor marketed as more natural–I’ve used Herbatint for several years and really liked it, but have developed some sensitivity to it recently. Just ordered EcoColors to try that.
Hair dyes contain toxic chemicals which seep into your system through the hair. Yes, this does happen! I think you’re asking the wrong question here. The questions shouldn’t be: does this hair dye cover more gray? The question should be: should you risk your health to cover your gray hair? As an alternative, you can use organic hair dyes which are chemical free for the same results. I go to a salon to get ammonia free hair color. I didn’t have to give up my highlights just because I went green and you don’t have to either!
And your proof that the toxic chemicals seep into your system is what? Is this merely your opinion or do you have some scientific data to back it up?
A good example that demonstrates natural isn’t always better.
I finally tried Advanced Gray Solution. it is fabulous, well, at least now the first week after dying. The color is a little bit darker, but I like it too. it looks very dramatic against my skin color. I am yet to see how long it will last.
The first step was to put an extra something chemically on my hair before I mix the hair color. That chemical is supposed to work my hair for full coverage. I had a similar thing done in the salon. So it worked. I will be using this product from now on!
This is very interesting. I am not totally convinced for sure. First of all, the verbage that they used isnt really correct . I am not sure why box dye companies don’t use the same words that most professsionals do. Semi-permanent hair color has large molecules, no ammonia, and coats the hair shaft. Demi-permanate has slightly smaller molecules (not a direct dye, unlike semi), no ammonia, a more “stains” the cuticle and sometimes sits right underneath it. However, PERMANENT hair color is indirect dye (small molecules), has ammonia to open the cuticle to allow the hair molecules in, and developer to activate the ammonia and lift some of the natural hair color.
So anyway, that was a rant. I am glad this product is working for people but it still seems a little “off” to me.
First, I have no idea how you would go about mixing a demi-permanent and permanent into one product. So I will give them the benefit of the doubt there.
But a large molecule “wedging under” the cuticle? What does it have arms or something? If there is no ammonia to “open the cuticle” then how can any color get in there unless your hair happens to be porous?
As far as the air activating the color. Ok, not sure how that works but once again, maybe…However, why don’t any other color lines use this technology. It seems like it would be less damaging than hydrogen peroxide (developer) so why hasn’t anyone else jumped on this train??
Ok, so this might work, I could just be wrong. But it sounds like to me they are just selling a semi-permanent color that has twice the amount of pigment in it to help cover gray.
Which most “covering gray” color lines do. Use double the pigment to assure coverage…which is why it probably comes out a little dark too.
Ok. That was a novel. Sorry.
More on hair color categories…I kind of rushed my explanation.
http://killerstrands.blogspot.com/2009/07/crib-colorists-consider-crazy-hair.html
I am a licensed cosmetologist. Everyone’s responses seem very kind. It’s nice that everyone is trying to reach out to people with trouble covering grey, but you all lack the actual scientific information and training to even begin to evaluate these questions.
Hair color does not “stick” to the hair.
The reason grey is hard to cover is because it is extremely resistant. What happens is, as you get older and your hair starts turning, the cuticle (outside most layer of hair) begins to shrink-releasing all the melatonin in the hair shaft. This is why hair loses it’s color, and why color is so hard to put back in. Essentially-there’s no room. This is also why your grey hair feels drier/wirey/ or starts to change texture. Think of it like this: when you have a plastic ziploc bag full of water and sealed tight, it’s plump and big. If you were to take that bag and squeeze as hard as you can and drain all the water, you are left with an empty, skinny, raggedy, prune-looking bag. That is your grey hair.
What you need to know is that grey hair is resistant bottom line-but not all grey hairs are the same. You could be all grey, color all your hair evenly, and you still might have some grey that proudly stand out when it’s done processing. The only only only thing you can do is re-color it.
Essentially, to be able to fix this problem, you would need to use a product that can penetrate through all layers of the hair to insert the color molecules into the cortex where it will not escape. One method that I think actually works better than just putting color over grey, is lightening it first. Yes, the more you lighten your hair, the more it is damaged-but-if you use appropriate products and protein enriched (because that is mostly all your hair is, protein, specifically keratin) conditioners and never ever lighten over an already lightened area, you will be ok-but lightener interestingly enough expands the cuticle. It swells the hair shaft, opening up the outer layer to accept more of anything that wants to go into the hair.
Word of caution: since the lightener expands the cuticle, this means anything ANYTHING can enter-including pollution in the air. Also, since grey hair is loss of pigmentation, it’s not a sure thing of the effects of afterlightening. Although, since you are not concerned about the color of your hair after you lighten because you will be covering it with whatever color you want, this is ok.
And as I just stated, once you lighten, you redeposit color into the hair shaft with whatever color you want. This allows more color to set in the hair. One thing to keep in mind though, is since the lightener opened the cuticle, more color that you deposit afterwards CAN seep back out of the hair when you rinse it. So it is best to use something called a filler. Basically all this is is mixing extra developer/water/or color in so more of it will stay when rinsed.
I do not by any means expect you all to go out and by these things and use them at home. I do expect you do go to a salon. If you try these things at home, you will inevitably ruin your hair and HAVE to then go to a salon to fix it which is more expensive than just going in the first place-not to mention very hard on your hair and time consuming and with unsure results. I do not want to be held liable if women try these things at home.
Another thing to keep in mind that most people do not understand or realize is that boxed hair color from the store is not effective for everyone. Depending on how light or dark your hair is and how light or dark you need to go, yields what strength developer you should use. With that in mind…boxed hair color doesn’t give you multiple bottles of developer to cater to your specific hair type, do they? NO. So do you really think that someone with blonde hair level 9 and someone with browner hair level 6 are going to get the same results from the same box? NO. This is why you need to go to a salon. I’m sorry, I know the economy is bad and it can be expensive, but it’s the best thing, that’s why we go to school for it. You wouldn’t perform your own medical surgeries at home to save money (I know hair color is not as important as health…but it can be very detrimental to your health if you do it wrong at home). Bottomline, whatever you choose to do, now you UNDERSTAND the cause, effect, and methods to fix your very common problem. So if you have someone else do your hair, you will understand what they are doing (because many stylists don’t explain which leaves me completely beside myself) and you can ask more intelligent questions and have more of a say in the consultation process.
GOOD LUCK LADIES!
I am saddened by the fact that the color of your hair has so much impact on your profession. I am currently unemployed, 50 and a bit gray and I was advised to color my hair to look younger and get a job. No way, take me as I am, my gray hair and all.
Clairol–are you listening? I’ve been wanting to comment on Advanced Grey Solutions, but it seems the Clairol website doesn’t have an email comment form, and I was too lazy to write a letter. But I wanted to ask Clairol to add more shades of AGS–specifically, a light ash or neutral brown. I’m caucasian, with long, dense, curly/frizzy, fine-strand hair, medium brown, about 40% grey at the roots, and all grey at the temples. My hair gets damaged easily by peroxide, even low amounts of it, so I was very interested in trying AGS. Though it’s marketed for African-American women, I think curly/frizzy hair in general is usually more fragile than straight hair, so I pay attention to news about how to care for African American hair.
Here’s more about my experience with AGS:
I’ve tried Advanced Grey Solutions a few times. The shade called Rich Dark Brown is lovely and natural-looking, but too dark for me. The shade called Light Golden Brown is also lovely, but it’s really a brilliant copper color (at least on my hair), and that’s not what I’m looking for. I had to dye over it. I’m afraid to mix the Rich Dark Brown and the Light Golden Brown to get a lighter brown, because I think the Light Golden Brown would add too much red. I have medium-light skin with a lot of yellow in it, and blue eyes, and I look horrible with red and orange shades of hair, but good with ash or neutral shades. I used the Rich Dark Brown a few times even though it’s too dark, because it covers my grey well and leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth. But I don’t like having unnaturally dark hair, so I’ve gone back to trying the regular Beautiful Collection from the beauty supply store, and also Clairol’s Loving Care from the drugstore. I like these dyes because they’re non-damaging and easy to use. But I have to use them every 2-3 weeks to keep the grey covered, and they never really stick to the part closest to my scalp.
AGS did cover my grey better and for a longer time that regular Beautiful Collection, and better than other no-peroxide dyes. It also seemed to damage my hair less than demi-permanents+developer. After not using AGS for a few months, I can feel that the AGS did damage, or at least change, my hair. The newer hair (that has only been dyed with direct dyes such as regular Beautiful Collection) feels really strong and smooth, while the hair dyed with AGS feels rougher. But the hair at the ends that I dyed with peroxide feels much rougher and more fragile than the hair dyed with AGS.
The part that I dyed with AGS never went back to grey, though the grey strands changed from dark brown to a yellowish-blond tint. The hair previously dyed with AGS takes up semi-permanent color better than my new hair does, so that’s a plus. It seems like the “SynAIRgy” technology acts sort of like a very weak peroxide developer, as far as how much it damages hair. It really is a lot less damaging than any semi+developer dye that I’ve ever tried, but not quite as gentle as direct dyes. I think AGS is definitely a new kind of hair color.
After I used AGS for a few months, my hair took on a reddish/orange cast. This happens after using any dye for a few months, I think because the red dye just lasts longer than the other colors, so it builds up in the hair. I decided to try to remove the old dye and start over. I used UnColor to remove the direct dyes, and Color Oops to remove the oxidative dyes. It didn’t get all the old dye out (I’d probably have to use two boxes of Color Oops and/or do it two times), but it did remove the red shades and make my hair very shiny, springy and healthy-feeling. Removing the old dye also left my hair a funny color–ash brown with all kinds of strange highlights. When I went out into the sun, the part dyed with AGS had bright primary colored sparkles–red and yellow. This made me wonder if maybe AGS gets its intense, longer-lasting color by depositing brilliant colors deeper in the cortex, and more natural colors on the outside. (That idea is 100% conjecture, since I am not a cosmetic scientist, just a curious consumer.) Anyway, I didn’t leave my hair in that color state for very long. I redyed it with regular Beautiful Collection in the Light Ash Brown color. I’ve also since tried Loving Care in the Light Brown color. Both shades look natural and good on me, and both seem to condition my hair for a week or so. I’ll probably just keep on dyeing my hair every 3 weeks, try not to wash it too much so the dye will last longer, and every couple of months I’ll remove the direct dye buildup with UnColor. That’s the best plan I can come up with so far to keep my hair really healthy and less frizzy, avoid peroxide, cover most of the grey, and avoid an orange/red cast.
It will be great when somebody comes up with a completely non-damaging grey-covering dye that lasts forever! Or–a much easier to use direct dye so that using it every 3 weeks or even more often wouldn’t be such a pain. One idea I have for dye delivery would be as a mousse that goes through thick, curly hair easily. If it could be applied in the morning as a styling aid and left on all day, then rinsed out at night, that would also make it less of a pain. Or if it could be applied to dry hair, left on for up to an hour, then rinsed out, that would also make it easier.
OK Clairol, if you’re still listening to this long rambling post, thanks for making AGS, and keep up the good work for us grey-haired ladies.
Toluene is the second ingredient, and a known carcinogen.
I have tried it and while it covered up the grays pretty well it unfortunately was too dark for my personal tastes and also the hair looked rather dull.
Wow..I’m in for who know’s what in about 20 minutes…I mixed rich dark brown…(that color was an accident meant to get light brown) with Mahogany Red Brown. One bottle says to heat–t the other says not to heat and then one of them says not to mix them. The lady at Sally’s said they could be mixed. I asked before I bought them. From the comments I have read, I’m going to most likely have some really dark hair. Is this product for African American hair type? I’m fair skinned and white. I’m afraid to see what I’m going to look like when I rinse this out!
I’ve tried just about every hair color and Gray Magic, too. It took many years to find the best way to cover my over 50% + gray. This may sound tricky, but it’s even easier than drugstore haircolor with pro results!
First you have to know your color level:
Level 1: Black
Level 2: Very Dark Brown
Level 3: Dark Brown
Level 4: Medium Brown
Level 5: Light Brown
Level 6: Dark Blonde
Level 7: Medium Blonde
Level 8: Light Blonde
Level 9: Very Light Blonde
Level 10: Lightest Blonde
Now choose 2 shades lighter than your original natural hair color. For instance, I’m naturally medium brown, so I use Level 6 Dark Blonde shades. Here’s my custom recipe: 1 oz. Suede 6N and 1/2 oz Brandy 6NW Redken Color Gels mixed with 1 1/2 oz. 20 volume peroxide. Shake it up in a plastic color bottle with small tip to aim the color right at the roots for more precise application than the dumb brush they give you with drugstore color. This bottle is what they use in salons. I order everything easily on line. The very first time you color you will be coloring all your hair. Thereafter, you color just the roots. The reason you choose 2 shades lighter is because color always deposits 2 shades darker. Some pros don’t even know this, duh! My 50 year old gray hair comes out medium warm brown with fantastic blonde highlights. Highlights happen because hair is usually grayer in the back and whiter in the front, so the white hairs turn blonde and the gray hair turns brown. It’s actually prettier than my original natural hair color. Be careful trying to turn 75% gray hair blonde. Two good examples of this hair color disaster is Barbara Walters and Donald Trump, whose hair looks washed out and drab, and they have expensive pros doing their hair! If you want blonde hair I suggest going to a high end salon rather than doing it yourself. But if you want red, brown or black shades definitely use professional color at home, save a ton of money, and conveniently touch up roots every 2 weeks. I recommend everyone doing deep conditioning and deep protein treatments. Alternate using no sulfate shampoos and conditioning cleansers like Wen and Hair One from Sallys. To save money wash your hair with cheap conditioner every other time you wash, or mix conditioner with your shampoo. The way you shampoo and condition is important so you don’t strip the color.
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