Can You Mix Semi-Permanent Hair Dye With A Developer?

Semi-permanent hair dye is the simplest to deal with, but it does not last as long as permanent and demi-permanent dyes.

For this reason, many people have tried combining their semi-permanent dye with a developer to improve their effects and extend the color’s longevity. However, does it work?

If you want to find out, keep reading! In this post, we’ll look at whether or not semi-permanent hair dyes can be used with a developer.

But before that, it is crucial to understand the working principles of both!

Can You Mix Semi-Permanent Hair Dye With A Developer?

Combining semi-permanent hair dye and hair developer is not advisable, and you should never do that. It is because they have opposite goals.

So combining these two would be similar to attempting to walk backward and forward at the same time but failing.

To have a clearer understanding of how permanent hair dye and developer work differently, read on!

How Does A Developer Work?

Hair developer is a creamy solution that contains hydrogen peroxide. It works by opening up your hair cuticles, enabling hair color or bleach to enter the hair shaft and then become permanent.

The hair developer does not function on its own; instead, it must be used with bleach, hair dye, or toner to be effective. The amount of hydrogen peroxide in the formula determines the oxidation level of the hair developer.

Most bleach and hair color solutions contain developers in concentrations of 10, 20, 30, or 40. Based on the developer’s intensity, it can also slightly lift the hair color level.

How Does Semi-Permanent Hair Dye Work?

Generally, semi-permanent dyes work by applying color directly to the surface of your hair without affecting the color of your natural hair.

Semi-permanent hair colors coat the outer hair shaft, whereas permanent hair pigments enter the hair and settle deep within its core. 

Permanent hair dye uses ammonia or bleach to open the hair cuticle to allow the color pigment to penetrate the hair of the permanent hair dye. 

Opposed, semi-permanent hair dye does not contain these two substances, so it only covers the outside of the hair and does not change the natural hair color.

In fact, most semi-permanent colors will fade after six to eight shampoos, depending on the hair’s porosity. 

This allows you lots of flexibility to try out new, trendy hues and figure out what works best for you without having to be concerned about the long-term impacts of permanent coloring.

Why You Should Not Mix Semi-Permanent Hair Dye With A Developer?

If you mix developer with semi-permanent color, the results will most likely be disappointing due to the following reasons:

To start, you may want to combine these two to increase the life of the hair hues. However, choosing semi-permanent hair dye means that you want to try out the shade and don’t want it to last too long. 

For this reason, this blend will fall short of expectations. If you wish to dye your hair permanently, you can choose a semi-permanent hair dye with good durability.

Second, a developer is a product containing hydrogen peroxide. So, why mix semi-permanent hair dye with the developer if you pick this hair dye to avoid peroxide in permanent hair color? 

Following that, peroxide is an antioxidant that keeps semi-permanent color from adhering to the hair surface. Since the developer will break the structure when combining these two types, the semi-permanent will eventually disappear.

Last but not least, you may want to mix these two to lighten your hair. But doing so will not result in a good result. 

The combination of developer and semi will only make the hair patchy and uneven. Instead, choose a lighter semi-permanent hair dye color.

How To Make Semi-Permanent Hair Color Last Longer?

Wait to shampoo after dying

You had better not shampoo your hair just after coloring it. Instead, wait a few days for the color to settle. 

The cuticles require time to fully close after coloring, and shampooing too early can wash away the colors trapped in the scales. So, you should wait at least three days before wetting your hair for the best result. 

If your hair appears greasy, use a gentle dry shampoo to refresh it. Powder shampoos are also an excellent choice for your hair and the environment.

Avoid shampooing too frequently

Semi-permanent color dyes rinse out gradually after each shampoo because they only adhere to the outside of the hair. It implies that the color will disappear soon if you wash your hair every day.

For this reason, you will need to reduce shampooing frequency and protect the hair from water in the shower to slow down the fading process.

Shampoo just when necessary and no more than twice a week. When you do, concentrate on your scalp rather than your hair.

Also, it is advisable to shampoo your hair using water that is as cold as you can stand it to keep the hair cuticles closed and thus, prevent the color from fading too quickly.

Use color-safe shampoos

The shampoo you choose will have a significant impact on the color of the hair. Shampoos containing sulfates, clarifying shampoos, and some anti-dandruff shampoos might hasten the color-fading process. 

To avoid this, use sulfate-free shampoos formulated for color-treated hair. These products are often pH balanced or slightly acidic, sealing the cuticles and keeping trapped color particles from leaving.

Your rinse-out conditioner should also be designed for colored hair. Similarly, the pH of color-friendly conditioners is regulated to keep the cuticles healthy and your locks shiny.

Protect your hair from the sun

Like bleach, too much sunlight is likely to remove your hair color, causing it to fade.

Therefore, limit direct sun exposure to your new hair color as much as possible. If you are on vacation, try to stay in shade to maintain the hair color vibrant and bright.

If you are in the sun, you can also lessen the fading impact and prevent UV damage by using a sun protection spray.

Avoid using heat

Do not use hot straightening or curling irons or blow dry your hair. Heat can open the cuticles of the hair, causing the color to fade more quickly. Heat is also bad for your hair.

To reduce the harmful effects, set your styling tools to a lower temperature and use them sparingly. Use a high-quality heat protection spray to build a protective barrier around your hair as well.

Notably, regular curlers or braiding damp hair may assist you in achieving curls and waves without heat. 

If you must use a crimper, curling iron, or other styling tools to get your distinctive style, use a heat-protectant spray first.

Consider a vinegar wash

It may be paradoxical to apply vinegar to your hair to keep color. However, vinegar helps keep your color from fading by reducing the pH and sealing the cuticles. 

To try this treatment, simply combine equal parts vinegar and water, apply the mixture to your hair, and comb it through before washing well with cool water.

Avoid swimming

Like direct sunlight, the chlorine in a swimming pool does not mix well with semi-permanent hair dye. 

Swimming pool chlorine seems to adhere to hair, so swimming may fade your color. 

To reduce these adverse effects, bathe your hair in clean water before swimming and rinse your hair with clean water immediately after leaving the pool.

You can cover your hair with a swimming cap to better protect your hair.

Another tip is to apply a conditioner to moist strands for added protection. The less salt and chlorine your hair absorbs, the more saturated it is.

How To Make Semi-Permanent Dye More Vibrant?

In addition to making hair dye last longer, you are probably considering using a developer with your semi-permanent hair dye for a more bright color.

Even though you should never mix developer with semi-permanent color, there are some steps you can take to intensify your hue. 

Apply your semi-permanent dye on damp hair

Though semi-permanent can be applied to dry strands, moist hair absorbs more pigment. Because semi-permanent colors lack cuticle-lifting chemicals like ammonia or peroxide, open your hair’s cuticle using water instead.

Moist, towel-dried hair will absorb more dye than soaking wet or dry strands, resulting in a more equal color outcome.

Leave the dye in your hair for a longer period 

The longer you leave the dye to sit, the stronger your color will be. Since semi-permanent dyes are mild, some people leave them on their hair overnight.

We don’t encourage doing so, yet, leaving the dye on for longer than allowed may result in a higher color yield. 

If you want, you can allow the color to sit in your hair for up to 45 minutes for more vivid colors.

Pick more pigmented brands

Certain semi-permanent hair dye brands include more pigment than others. If you need your dye to last for a long time and be more vibrant, go with a highly pigmented dye.

Because semi-permanent hair dye fades with washing, each brand has a different duration. 

Most semi-permanent colors last eight washes, but several other semi-permanent hair dyes stay longer. They are:

• Punky Color: up to 12 washes
• Got2b Creative: up to 15 washes
• Manic Panic: up to 16 washes
• Clairol Natural Instincts: up to 28 washes
• Splat: up to 30 washes

Make use of heat

If you want long-lasting hair dye, stay away from heat. However, if you want to intensify the color, utilize heat while you wait for the dye to stain your strands.

Heat will open the hair’s cuticles, allowing the color to adhere better to your hair and even enter a little deeper. 

You can wear a shower cap or sit under a hooded dryer for up to 30 minutes to trap body heat.

Make use of color-depositing products

Color-depositing shampoos and conditioners, like semi-permanent dyes, deposit pigments onto the outside of your strands to provide a brighter color result.

A color depositing solution will help maintain your hue intensity for 5 to 15 washes and slow down fading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you mix semi-permanent hair dye with conditioner?

In contrast to developers, combining semi-permanent hair coloring with conditioner is a fantastic idea. 

Conditioners, in addition to hydrating your strands, may lighten your color and give it a softer shade. 

Just keep in mind that the more conditioner you add to your dye, the more pastel it becomes.

For further information about mixing hair dye and conditioner, we highly recommend you watch this video:

Can you mix semi-permanent hair dye with bleach?

To tell the truth, mixing these two is not recommended. If you’re seeking solutions to brighten semi-permanent hair color, bleach is not the way to go.

Bleach can only be used in conjunction with a developer, which, as you may know, triggers a chemical reaction that breaks the bonds and causes the color to appear. 

If you want to keep the color of your dye, avoid using bleach right away. Instead, apply them individually and look into other options for lightening your semi-permanent dye.

Can you mix semi-permanent and permanent hair dye?

Mixing these two hair dyes will not bring you any good because semi-permanent and permanent hair dyes have very distinct formulas and work best in different ways.

Semi-permanent hair color coats the outside layer of the hair and severely stains it, whereas permanent hair dye must penetrate deeply into the hair, beyond its initial layer to function.

This indicates that permanent dyes require a developer in order to prime the hair and open the cuticles. 

Yet, since the hydrogen peroxide will still break down all of the pigment in your semi-permanent mix-in, it will be completely ineffective in this mixture.

For this reason, you should keep these two dyes as far apart as possible when combining hair coloring solutions.

Bottom Line

“Can you mix semi-permanent hair dye with a developer?” You should avoid chemical developments that contain hydrogen peroxide since it is detrimental to semi-permanent colors. We hope this post has helped illustrate why mixing semi-permanent hair color with a developer can be devastating.  Although you should never mix the two, there are additional steps you may take to increase the intensity and longevity of your semi-permanent color.