The Science of Hair Dye

Ashley Jordan, Physical Science I

What does hair dye have
to do with science?
Everyday materials?
★ It might not be evident, but
hair dye has a lot to do with
science. It’s mostly because of
its chemical process, mixtures
and how it reacts to other
components. It’s an everyday
material that often gets
overlooked in the science
realm.
How does hair dye work?

★Depending on the type of

hair dye that is being used, it
will work differently.
Permanent hair dye is
deposited straight into the
hair shaft, but semi-
permanent dye is only
coated onto the hair. Both of
these processes include a
bonding process, leading to
a lasting color on hair.
 Mixtures & Hair
Dye
★ In this course we learned
about mixtures. Hair dye is a
mixture. The average hair dye
mixture is a compound because
it has many different
ingredients, including
dyes/pigments, ammonia,
hydrogen peroxide, ceteral
alcohol, etc.
 The Effect of
Temperature
★ Another fact about hair dye is
that temperature is a big factor
when it comes to the lasting effects
of it. When washing your hair with
it dyed, you will need to use cold
water to keep the hair cuticle
locked so that your color doesn’t
fade. Increasing the temperature
when washing it will open your
hair cuticle, allowing for color to
wash out.
 Viscosity and
Newtonian Elements

★ Lastly, hair dye is similar to

the viscosity of toothpaste, but
not watery at all. This is so it
can be spread easily onto the
hair. Hair dye is also a
Newtonian fluid, meaning its
viscosity is fixed & doesn’t
change when applied with more
or less force.