What's the Difference Between Glaze and Permanent Color?

The difference, in a word, is penetration. Oh, calm down – we’re talking about penetration of the hair follicle! Glaze coats the outside of your hair leaving a tinted coating & extra shine behind. Permanent color uses oxidation to permanently alter the pigment within the hair follicle.

The more you know, right?

Wanna Get Glazed?

If you want a more subtle color change, or just an enhancement, with little to no damage, getting glazed is a great option. There’s no long-term commitment, and no root or gray touch-ups as the color will fade away gradually over a few weeks. If your hair is damaged from years of lightening, using a glaze is a great way to get color while giving your hair a rest.

You can add a glaze treatment to your haircut appointment even if you don’t want a whole new color. We can use a colored glaze that will just enhance your color, or a clear coat. Either way you’ll have the benefit of extra silkiness and shine for a few weeks. Glazes can be great for extending the life of your color on hair that is either not lightened or barely lightened. (If your natural color is more than a shade or two darker than your color-treated hair, we still recommend keeping maintenance appointments 4-6 weeks apart to avoid banding that would require color correction.)

Is Permanent Your Preference?

If your color goal is a lighter shade than your current base, permanent color is the way to go. Your base color is usually, but not always, your natural color. If you’re like us, you barely remember what that looks like! (Use the inch closest to your scalp for reference – or just ask your stylist). If you were to grow your natural color out, the overall shade would likely look lighter because of environmental lightening aka sun-bleaching.

If you have never had a permanent hair color treatment before it’s important that you understand that it truly is a permanent change to the pigment of your hair follicles. If you want to return to your natural hair you will have to wait for it to grow out while periodically cutting off the treated length. It’s also a lot of fun! If you have healthy hair and continue to use high-quality products to care for your hair, the concern about damage is minimal.

If you’re ready to jump in the deep end with a permanent color or just dip your toes into color treatment with a glaze let us know! We’re excited to make your hair goals reality.