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difference between bleach, hair dye and toner

What’s the Difference Between Bleach, Hair Dye, and Toner?

Yes, we get tired of our dark roots every now and then. We want to freshen up or look special for different occasions by trying on new colors. If you are the same as us, then you’ve most probably heard of bleach, hair dyes (semi-permanent / permanent), and toners.

So what exactly are the differences between these and what do they do?

Bleach
Very simply, it is a potent chemical that removes our natural or artificial hair pigment (in contrast to dyeing). The lesser the pigment you have, the lighter your hair will be. To bleach the hair, you mix a powder bleach with cream peroxide (also known as developer) together. Depending on the peroxide volume, each application of bleach can lift the hair color from 1-2 levels to 3-4 levels.

While bleach is a very powerful and effective product, it does affect the hair and dry it out. We recommend customers to exercise care when using these products as you may fry your hair if not used correctly. Try doing a simple treatment with Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector before bleaching, as it protects your hair and minimizes the damage. Aftercare should include the use of special shampoo and conditioner, and the application of hair mask at least once every week.

Permanent Hair Dyes

Something that almost all of us are familiar with yet unsure of what happens during the dyeing process – When the hair is dyed, the cuticle is opened and color pigments penetrate our hair. Dyeing our hair with these dyes are permanent, which means that they do not wash out but grow out over time. The greater the difference between your natural hair color and the dye tone, the more visible the regrowth. Permanent hair dyes are also the common options to cover gray hair.

Temporary Hair Colors

True to its name, these products rarely last past your next shampoo. They usually come in different forms from color mousses, hair mascara, spray-on colors, and colored-tinted shampoos.

Semi-Permanent and Demi-Permanent Hair Colors

Both semi-permanent and demi-permanent work quite similarly but they are different in their formulation. Semi-permanent hair colors do not require the mixing of developers, and deposit colors onto the hair with no lightening effect. As these colors do not penetrate into the cortex of the hair, they typically last from six to eight weeks and gradually wash out with each shampoo.

While demi-permanent hair colors also deposit colors onto the hair with no lightening effect, the color molecules are smaller and they penetrate into the cortex of the hair. Demi-permanent colors require the mixing of low-volume developers, and the colors tend to last longer than semi-permanent ones. However, the shades fade when the smaller color molecules come back through the cuticles after each shampoo.

Toner

It deposits the color on your hair without opening the hair cuticle. It simply coats the exterior of your hair with the shade without penetrating the hair structure. A toner does not achieve a drastic change in color, it is mostly used to tone brassy blondes. We usually recommend customers to tone the hair after bleaching to rid the undesirable brassy shades.

We hope this post provides a better understanding of the products. If you are still unsure whether the shades suit your natural or existing hair color, simply write to us at hello@wunderkult.com

XOXO,
The Wunders

Top Ten Hair Commandments

Top Hair Commandments To Follow

1. Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturize Just Like Our Skin!

Cleanse: Professionals and experts alike have stressed that daily cleansing will strip the natural oil from our hair cuticle, leaving it weak and dull (this is especially so for colored and chemically-treated hair). While it may be a little tough in our humid weather, try washing your hair on alternate days or once every 2 days.

Tone: More applicable for colored hair, our Shimmer Lights Conditioner helps to maintain the beautiful shades as much as possible while protecting your hair from damage.

Moisturize: Apart from your routine conditioning, treat your hair to an intensive treatment at least once a week.

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2. Loosen Up with a Hair Mask

As mentioned in point #1, treating your hair to an intense and
hydrating treatment at least once a week will give it the
nourishment it needs. Sit back, relax and take some time off
every week with a treatment of your preference.

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3. Use a Serum

Is your hair difficult to work with? Or is it lacking of shine?
Need instant repair? Apply serum from mid lengths
(avoiding the roots) through the ends.

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4. Regular Trim

To prevent split-ends that cause further damage to our hair,
it is healthy to have a trim every 8 weeks.

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5. Using Spiral Hair Ties

Opt for traceless hair ties which stretch and expand
as necessary to prevent both breakage and headaches.

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6. Rinse the Hair with Cool Water

It never hurts to take an old wives’ tale seriously – warm water
opens up our hair shaft, leaving it rough and coarse. On the other
hand, cool water closes our hair cuticle while locking in moisture,
making our hair softer and smoother.

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7. Investing in a Quality Hair Brush

Not only will a good brush detangle your hair without breaking it,
it stimulates your scalp for further growth and prevents hair loss.

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8. Never Brush with Wet Hair

Unless you are using a wet brush, never ever brush
with your hair wet as this may break your hair.

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9. Heat with Caution

The heat from our daily much-used electrical appliances
(for blowdrying, straightening or curling) can penetrate
our hair cuticle, leaving it dry, dull, and damaged.
Try with a lower temperature or use a thermal protector.

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10. Sun Protection

Just like our skin, UV rays are harmful to our hair as well!
Invest in a product with UV protection to protect your hair
from the sun and other environmental elements.

We hope these quick tips help, and let’s enjoy the process
of maintaining our beautiful mane!

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XOXO,
The Wunders

Hair Serum tips and tricks

Hair Serums – Tips and Tricks

Having a bad hair day? Desperately need an immediate remedy for your frizzy locks?
Hair serums are here to help!

What is a Hair Serum?

It is a hair care product that comes in thick liquid form, formulated with different chemical ingredients. When hair serum is applied to the hair, it usually makes the hair smooth and frizz-free instantly. Other than adding shine to the hair, hair serum helps to protect the hair from harmful environmental factors such as UV rays and pollutants.

Advantages of Using Hair Serums

To reap all the benefits of using hair serums, it is important to use quality ones from reputed brands. It is also critical to find a hair serum that suits your hair type and needs.

  1. Hair serums soothe frizz and transform the look of your hair almost instantly.
  2. They make hair stronger and less prone to breakage.
  3. Hair serums lock in moisture, and prevent breakage due to dryness.
  4. They keep the hair protected from harmful UV rays, heat, and external pollutants.
  5. Keeps hair manageable and makes hair styling much easier.
  6. If you use hair styling tools with heat or hair dryer, apply serum beforehand gives better results and keeps your hair protected from the heat.
  7. Hair serums do wonders for dry, frizzy and curly hair as they make the hair look soft and lustrous in minutes.
  8. For oily hair, the right hair serum might just be the solution to keep the oiliness at bay.

How to Use Hair Serum

  1. Using on towel-dried hair: After washing your hair, take a few drops of the serum in your palms and rub between your palms. Apply to your hair.
  2. Using on wet hair: After washing your hair, apply directly on your wet hair. This helps to lock in moisture and keeps your hair soft and smooth.
  3. Using on styled hair: Apply to completely styled hair to add shine and luster to your locks.

Tips on Using Hair Serum

  1. Do not apply any hair serum on your scalp / roots.
  2. Always start applying hair serum at the tip, and apply more at the ends where dryness and split ends are.
  3. Only apply minimal amount in a single application – its a less is more rule for hair serums.
  4. Since hair serums are chemical-based products, avoid using daily for a long period of time. Instead, use it approx. 2-3 times per week.

 

XOXO,
The Wunders

Get Your Unicorn Hair

Wanna take the plunge? Decided to go grey, pink or purple? This blog post will serve as a guide for anyone who is keen in achieving fancy hair color.

Before we proceed, here are some points to bring across for those who have never tried fancy hair colors:

  1. Yes, to achieve ash grey or any fancy hair colors (e.g. red, blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, orange… etc.) bleaching is definitely required.
  2. No, the colors will NOT turn out on our naturally black/dark roots or dark-colored hair.
  3. This is especially so for ash grey hair. It requires the hair to be bleached till it is extremely light blonde (almost white). That said, the hair will be more damaged during the process for our black/dark brown roots.
  4. Ash grey and fancy hair colors are considered high maintenance. You’ll need to take extra care before, during and after coloring your hair (e.g. pre-color treatment to minimize damage, and post-color maintenance to keep the colors as much as possible).
  5. These high maintenance colors start fading the moment you wash your hair, and they continue fading on every wash. It is recommended to use color shampoo, silver shampoo, purple shampoo.. etc after dyeing.

At this stage, you’ve absorbed the points above and is ready to have your hair bleached and dyed. Check these points below to prepare yourself (or rather, your hair):

  1. Prior to the bleaching, stop any chemical treatment such as straightening, perming, or other dyeing as long as possible. It is always healthy to give your hair a break in between to minimize damage as much as possible.
  2. Do a deep conditioning treatment a week before bleaching your hair.
  3. We recommend customers to use OlaPlex No.3 Hair Perfector two days before the bleaching. Thereafter, do not wash your hair till the day of bleaching (the natural oils in our hair actually helps protect our scalp against damage from the bleaching process).

Next, achieving that desired color of your choice:

Step 1: Bleaching. If you are aiming for ash grey, you probably need a lot of staggered bleaching over a course of few weeks to months till your hair is almost white.

We have a few bleach kits available for you to choose from – La Riche Directions Bleach Kit Volume 30 & 40, and Sparks Volume 20 Bleach Kit Set.

 

Step 2: Toner. Depending on the tone of your hair after bleaching, it is necessary to apply toner to rid the yellow brassy tones. Otherwise, the colors might not turn out as ideally (e.g. a blue shade will turn greenish while yellow will turn into green).

Here, you can try our La Riche Directions White Toner and Wella Color Charm Toners.

 

Step 3: Dyeing, the final step to getting your desired hair color. Choose from our full range of color palettes available from La Riche Directions, Sparks, Anthocyanin, and Persona Intercell.

At this point, the good news is you’ve probably achieved your much-desired hair color (saving the bucks $$$ from visiting a hair salon). But, things doesn’t end right here and we are about to move on to caring for your freshly colored hair:

  1. Bleached > toned > colored hair are very sensitive, dry, and prone to breakage. Though its a little tough in our humid weather, try not washing your hair until 2-3 days later (again, the natural oils buildup will protect your scalp while keeping the fresh color a little longer).
  2. Before your first post-color wash, apply the OlaPlex No. 3 Hair Perfector treatment again.
  3. Alternate between post-color shampoos such as Matrix So Silver Shampoo and Matrix ColorLast Shampoo.
  4. Try not washing your hair as often, probably just once every 2-3 days. This will keep the colors vibrant as long as possible.
  5. Styling heat and high heat from hair dryer will cause further damage to your hair. Try letting your hair air dry or use low heat with the hair dryer or other styling tools.

We hope this post helps! Feel free to write to us at hello@wunderkult.com if you need any help.
Have fun dyeing your hair!

XOXO,
The Wunders

Daily Care For Oily Hair and Scalp

Like our skin, our hair and scalp need as much meticulous care, and yet they are very frequently neglected. In this blog post, we share more about the daily care for oily hair and scalp to prevent possible hair loss issues.

It is common knowledge that the basic need for our hair and scalp is cleansing. However, most do not know that alternating between shampoos is a step towards healthier (less oily) hair and scalp.

 

For instance, one typically uses an anti-dandruff shampoo for dandruff control. Once an improvement is seen after a few washes, alternating between a different shampoo helps maintain the condition (e.g. between award-winning Matrix Biolage ScalpSync Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and the ever-popular Matrix Biolage ScalpSync Cooling Mint Shampoo).

Matrix Biolage Range

As anti-dandruff shampoo deep-cleanses the scalp, prolonged usage might turn the condition for worse. Over-cleansing leads to increased production of sebum, making our hair and scalp even oilier than usual.

The same goes for colored and chemically-treated hair types with dry and damaged ends. Avoid using only color or hydrating shampoo for prolonged period (it is otherwise healthier to alternate between both).

If you are already facing thinning hair and and hair loss condition due to oily hair and scalp, try our Nioxin System Cleanser range available:

Nioxin Range

It is also very important to do hair mask (at home) at least once a week, as well as visit your regular salon for a scalp exfoliating treatment once a month.

Loreal Hair Spa Range

There are 2 uses for L’oreal Creambath – one as daily hair conditioner after shampoo, the other as hair mask (2-3 times per week, simply leave on for 5-10 minutes before rinsing off).

Apart from the products that we use, our external environment, the humidity, our diet, hormonal changes, and stress all play a part in causing oily scalp and hair loss.

That said, eating well, playing hard, and staying healthy is also the way to have healthier hair.

XOXO,
The Wunders

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