Innosense Hair Color

 

Innosense hair color, by Wella, is new color product designed to be less irritating to the scalp than traditional permanent hair color products. Being ‘ingredient conscious’ is a growing movement among men and women of all ages. I get a lot of questions about “organic” options. I haven’t found one that performs well enough to recommend, nor do I believe they are necessarily better or safer for the client. I truly believe that hair color is safe for the vast majority of people, and I’ve been in contact with it on most days for the last thirty years.

Reactions to hair color products can vary from none to extremely severe. Bad reactions are unusual, and I’ve been fortunate to witness very few of them during my career as a colorist. There are however a lot of clients who experience mild irritation from permanent color products, and sometimes they worsen over time. This is usually a mid burning or itching sensation, which sometimes will even persist after the color service.

It’s important to understand that an irritation is not an allergy. There are two kinds of reactions; that of an allergic reaction, or simply an irritation, called contact irritant dermatitis. Most people don’t have much problem with hair color, but some develop more sensitivity to it over time. When our skin comes in contact with a chemical like hair color, T-Cells check it potential danger. When T-Cell receptors fit with a potentially dangerous substance, they activate the body’s immune system called “the induction of an immune response”. But sometimes T-Cells get it wrong. A substance fits, is recognized as dangerous and activates an immune response, even if it was harmless. This is what happens when allergies develop in previously non-allergic people.

For a long time, the industry has been trying to develop new molecules that would reduce he risk of developing allergy while maintaining excellent performance. Wella has created a new hair color molecule called ME+. ME+ is a new hair dye molecule that combines reduced risk of developing allergy while delivering equal color performance to Koleston Perfect, their flagship permanent color product. ME+ still contains the molecule part responsible for color vibrancy, durability and coverage, but to has a modified shape to not fit the T-Cells receptors. This reduces the risk of developing allergy. Innoscence can be a good way  to avoid getting to the point where coloring your hair is not an option.

Koleston Perfect Innosence is a high quality permanent color made with this new color molecule.

ME+replaces PPD (para-phenyleneadiamine) and PTD (para-toluenediamine) which are the ingredients that are usually to blame for hair dye reactions. Koleston Perfect Innosense shades are designed to fit Koleston Perfect base tones perfectly, so you can achieve the same color results with innoscence that you can with Koleston.

Innoscence has been the:

• 1st hair color molecule accredited by the Skin Health Alliance
• Winner of the US Allure Beauty Breakthrough Award (2014)
• Winner of the Vogue Spain Best Hair Color Award (2014)
• Accredited by ECARF (European Center for Allergy Research Foundation)

It’s color selection is a bit limited, with 27 color choices, but I find it works beautifully, and some of my guests find it more comfortable on the scalp than regular permanent color products.

*Please be aware that although ME+ reduces the risk of developing allergy, there remains a risk of allergic reaction when coloring hair that can be severe.  If you have ever experienced an allergic reaction to any hair color ingredient, such as pTD or pPD, you should not color as you cannot exclude being allergic to ME+.  Although it does not contain PPD/PTD, there remains a risk of allergic reaction that can be severe.

The short version is: If you are allergic to hair color, you still are. DO NOT GET YOUR HAIR COLORED. When in doubt, a patch test is an excellent way to see if you have a sensitivity to hair coloring products.