Temporary color: is one that is water-based and is removed with the next shampoo (or one rainstorm!). Examples are hair mascara's, rinses and colored hairsprays. A temporary color is not designed to stain the hair permanently, but a temporary color can stain damaged or lightened hair.

Demi-permanent color: lasts longer than a Semi-permanent color but is not a permanent coloring product. It can darken the haircolor, blend gray or change the tone... but it can only slightly lighten the natural haircolor (under some circumstances). These can last up to about 16 shampoo's, but it depends on the porosity of your hair and the products you use.

Permanent color: permanently alters the natural hair color by removing naturally occurring pigment and/or adding artificial pigment. It can cover gray, lighten, darken and/or change the tone. Even though we call it a permanent color... no color is completely permanent... all coloring products will fade over time. The key to keeping consistent, long-lasting coloring results is to take good care of your hair by using good quality products...and to regularly visit your stylist to keep the color looking it's best. See the Tips Section for more helpful hints.

Semi-permanent color: isn't mixed with anything and usually lasts up to 6-8 shampoo's, depending on the porosity of your hair and the type of products you use. (The manufacturer's used to say that this type of product would last 6-8 weeks, but that was way back when washing only once a week was standard practice). A semi-permanent haircolor stains the outside layer of the hair (the cuticle), and slowly fades with each shampoo.

Level: refers to the lightness or darkness of your hair... as in: light blonde, medium blonde, dark blonde, light brown, medium brown, dark brown, etc.

Tone: refers to the tone of the haircolor, such as "golden, strawberry, copper,caramel, auburn, ash, natural, neutral, etc.

Thickness: refers the the abundance of hair... or... how many hairs is on the head. You can have some areas that are thick, and some areas that are thin. Thickness has to do with the number of hairs.

Porosity:is the hairs ability to accept and hold moisture. The more damaged the hair is, the more porous it is. As a Professional Colorist, when I think of the hairs porosity, I am actually thinking about the structural integrity of the hair. The structural integrity of the hair can vary along the hair shaft. The area next to the scalp (where the hair grows from) is called the "newgrowth" and this area is healthier than the ends of the hair which have been exposed to the environment, cleansing and conditioning products, products used to alter the color and/or texture of the hair (such as lightening/color/permanent waves), and styling aids (such as blow-dryers and curling/straightening irons)... and different styling aids (such as gels and hairsprays). The texture and porosity of your hair affects the finished color results. It is my job to carefully examine the entire hair shaft to determine how I should formulate my products for each section of the hair, and which techniques will accomplish the desired effect.

Texture: refers to the diameter of the hair strands. It is described as fine, medium or coarse. The texture has nothing to do with how thick or thin the hair is. You can have thick, fine hair... or thick, coarse hair... or thin, fine hair... or thin, coarse hair.
Some people have different textures of hair on their head, but most people are able to determine a general, over-all texture.

Filler: When the haircolor is lightened, natural pigments are removed and/or altered. A "filler" replaces those pigments which are needed at the different levels to produce long-lasting, natural-looking results. Once the filler is applied, then the chosen desired level/tone is applied on top of the filler. (It's sort of like painting a wall with a primer and then putting your desired color on top of it... except that a filler is what's needed to be a part of the color... not just a layer under the final color). A filler insures that the hair will hold it's color and be natural-looking. Very porous or extremely damaged hair accepts ash and rejects warmth, because of its porosity. This means that the formula (s) and procedure (s) to reach your desired haircolor results... must be mixed in the right proportions which will achieve the desired results, taking into consideration all the different aspects of the situation, including the condition of the hair, its porosity, the areas where it's more porous and what is needed to reach the desired results for an over-all pleasant finished result. The ends of the hair are always more porous than the area next to the scalp and any formula and application technique must take this into consideration.