Mix 1 part Color with 2 parts 10 Volume Developer and apply with bowl and brush or bottle.
Do not use a permanent color with 10 or 20 volume developer. That will lighten your natural color, damage your hair more and give you obvious roots that need a frequent retouch. The same color will not stick as much if you lower the volume of peroxide. You can blend the gray without covering it completely.
When coloring level-on-level or darker, you can use 10 or 20 Vol developer. Once again, the mix should always be respected: 1 part color to 1 part developer.
Hair dye volumes refer to the strength of the developer, which impacts the level of color lift. A 10 Volume developer provides minimal lift, perfect for depositing color. A 20 Volume developer lifts hair by 1-2 levels, while a 30 Volume developer lifts by 2-3 levels.
What happens if you put too much developer in hair dye? Too much developer added to a hair color formula will dilute the artificial dye molecules, and add too much oxygen to the formula. This will typically display a sheer end result that does not have the depth you may have anticipated.
10 Volume (3%) Developer
When your current hair color is close to your desired hair color, a Volume 10 developer is used to mix with bleach. Depending on your hair texture and history, it provides a gentle lightening of 1-2 levels.
The standard developer for gray coverage is 20 Volume; however, 30 Volume and 40 Volume can also be used if the percentage of gray is low and additional lift is needed to achieve the desired result.
If your hair is brown, you may need to bleach it more than once before you apply the grey dye. It's important you get your hair as light as possible before you attempt to turn it grey – this will help ensure a more even tone and vibrant, all-over colour.
10 volume Wella® colorcharm Developer in a non-metal bowl or bottle. Apply color mixture starting at the roots, thoroughly distributing through lengths and ends. Let the color develop for 20 minutes without heat. Rinse the color out of the hair until water runs clear, shampoo and condition.
The typical ratio is 1 part hair color to 1.5 or 2 parts developer for effective gray coverage.
10 volume developers contain 3% hydrogen peroxide. These developers are also called no lift developers because they only provide moderate lift to your cuticles, i.e., lift by 1 level. This developer is perfect for when you are going to color your hair a darker color than the natural shade.
If you're using a permanent hair color, you'll need a developer with a higher volume. This is usually between 20 and 30 Vol. And if you're looking to really lighten your hair, you'll need a developer with an even higher volume, between 30 and 40 Vol.
10 Volume (3%): Used for depositing colour without lifting the natural hair colour. This volume is suitable for toning or darkening. 20 Volume (6%): Provides moderate lift and is commonly used for covering grey hair or lightening natural hair colour by one to two shades.
A: Yes. This is what I use with wella toner. I use 1 part toner and 2 parts of this 10 volume developer. I shake them up in a bottle with a skinny long nozzle and use it to apply as needed (I'm normally doing my roots), then use a brush or gloved fingers to distribute on my hair.
Pigment loss occurs naturally in hair as we age. Along with the changes in pigmentation, grey hairs can also undergo structural changes Grey hair is often also coarser. The outer cuticle layer of greys can be more tightly packed and layered, making them resistant to colour absorption.
Is it better to go lighter or darker to cover grey hair? As for your permanent colour kit choice, for the best grey coverage, Josh recommends choosing a shade close to your natural root colour (that's the colour between the greys.) "Make sure to never stray more than two shades away from this,” says Josh.
The developer found in box color ranges between 20 and 40 volume because that is what is needed to cover gray or to change a very dark shade. Frequently coating the hair shaft with a high volume developer will cause damage, particularly if the starting condition is weakened or fragile.
Refer to our guide below. Use 10 Volume if you are applying permanent, no-lift hair color. If the desired result is keeping color at the same color level by simply adding a tone or a tint, this is exactly what you should mix with.
Typically, Kenra Color recommends 20 Volume Developer for gray coverage. We do not recommend 10 Volume Developer for covering grays as 20vol has a higher concentration of H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) to open the cuticle more for lift and deposit.
From a strand test, you should also get a better sense of how many sessions you'll need to make the full transition. For example, going from dark brown to light blonde hair may require three to four sessions.
Dryness and Damage: As mentioned earlier, higher volumes of developers can cause severe damage and dryness. If you use too much hair colour and developer, the excess peroxide can strip your hair of its natural oils, leaving it brittle and prone to breakage.
Bowl. Bowls are another useful tool for measuring hair dye and developer. While you can use them in tandem with cups and scales – and many professionals do – some bowls come with their own markings for measurements. Use plastic instead of metallic bowls to avoid a chemical reaction with your dyes.