The two most common types of Hair Colour: Semi Permanent and Permanent. We obviously prefer and recommend Permanent Hair Colour, but can appreciate there is room for both in this big wide world.

So is there a huge difference between the two Colour types? Yes indeed.

Semi Permanent Colours are as the name mentions, semi permanent that are generally vibrant, artificial Colours that will wash out in typically 4-8 weeks / how ever long the box says. A Permanent Hair Colour is too as the name suggests, permanent, and needs to grow out, bleached out or Colour Removed out of the Hair.

This difference is all because of how the Colour reacts to the Hair.

A Semi sits on the outside of the Hair shaft coating it, serving as a gloss over the top the Hair that is unable to cling to anything for too long so it washes out. A Permanent Colour enters the Hair shaft and alters your Hair’s Colour pigment permanently and stays there.

A Semi is a one part solution that is not mixed with a Developer so, therefore, cannot Lighten the Hair. A Permanent Colour consists of 2 parts: Colour and Developer that are mixed together to either Lighten or Darken your Hair. It’s the Developer that opens the Hair shaft to allow the Colour to get in and work its magic and change the Hair Colour.

You can put a Semi over any Hair Colour, with inconsistent results. Permanent Colours require a different set of Colouring rules. For example, you cannot Lighten your already Coloured Hair, you must first remove it before starting the Lightening process.

Permanent Hair Colours offer a longer lasting, Natural or vibrant Colour shades and 100% grey coverage. They can also be mixed together to create a Hair Colour with the reflects and tones of your choice.

So basically, with a Semi Colour you are constrained to smaller Colouring range compared to using a Permanent Hair Colour that offers you far more variation where you can adjust the Lightness, Darkness, Warmth, Vibrancy, Tone or Coolness etc etc of your Colour.

Which Colour is next on your list?