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Hair Color Levels and Developer in Detroit

Boxes of hair color are labeled with numbers that mean something specific, and understanding them is the difference between the shade on the box and the shade you get. Our Detroit store off Gratiot near 7 Mile stocks professional color, developer and bleach alongside the ready-made box kits.

The level system

Color is described on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is black and 10 is the palest blonde. Your starting level, not the picture on the box, determines what is achievable. Permanent color can darken any amount, but it can only lift a level or two on its own. Anything more requires bleach, which is a separate process with different risks.

Developer volumes

Developer is sold in volumes: 10, 20, 30 and 40. Ten deposits color without lifting, useful for going darker or refreshing tone. Twenty is the general-purpose choice, lifting one to two levels and giving good gray coverage. Thirty lifts more and is harsher. Forty is for professional use, and at home it is where damage happens. Higher volume is not a shortcut; it's a trade against the condition of your hair.

Tone and why color goes brassy

Underneath every dark hair is warm pigment, and lifting exposes it. That's why lightened dark hair turns orange or yellow rather than ash. Toners and colors with ash or blue-violet bases counteract it. Understanding this before you start explains most disappointing results and saves buying a second product to fix the first.

Test first, every time

A patch test on skin 48 hours ahead checks for reaction, and it matters regardless of how many times you've colored before. A strand test on hair from an unseen section shows the actual result and timing on your hair. Both take minutes and are the only reliable way to avoid a result you can't undo.

Our Detroit store

Our Detroit store is at 15221 Houston Whittier St, just off Gratiot near 7 Mile on the east side, and it's the one that handles every online pickup order. It opens at 8:45 AM every day but Sunday, with the latest closing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:15 PM. Coming from downtown or Midtown, Gratiot runs straight there; from the west side, 7 Mile or Davison to Conner is the quickest way over.