What happens if you put too much developer in hair dye?

What do you do when you want to dye your hair from the comfort of your home? Choose developer carefully with the right oxidant. When using a permanent hair dye then using a developer becomes essential.

Hair developer and hair dyes aren’t just for covering grey but also for adding appealing colors to your natural hair color. But there are few mistakes you might commit when using a developer.

How much developer should be used in hair color dye?

Sometimes we don’t know the amount of developer that we should be adding for a full-head application or part application. It also depends on the type of developer you use, whether it is liquid-based or cream-based.

When your dye is wet and runny in nature, then you have added more amount of developer and if you have a dry kind of dye then it is less. Not adding the right amount of developer can result in your hair being flat or extra light in color.

Type of hair dye	Amount of developer
For no lift color and when you want to add a tint of color to the same lightness of hair color	10 vol developer
Hair color lifter by 1 or 2 levels	20 vol developer
Hair color lifter by 3 or 4 levels (for deeper and lighter colors)	30 vol developer
High lift colors like shades of blonde	40 vol developer

Recommended Hair Color Developers

What happens if you put too much developer in hair dye?

If you have gone too far with preparing your mix and you have put the wrong amount of developer (more of it) in the mix then the best option is to toss it in the dustbin and prepare a new one. More developer in the mix results in a different kind of color than you want.

The importance of having the right and exact amount of developer is that the right amount of peroxide opens up the hair cuticles for the hair color pigment to settle in.

By adding too much developer in your hair dye mix, you will end up having an opaque and dull kind of hair color over your hair. Do not try adding more dye to the mix if you have added more developer as it will only saturate the hair color.

What happens if you don’t put enough developer in hair dye?

Less amount of developer means less amount of hydrogen peroxide and that means that the hair cuticles will not open up properly and then the hair color will just deposit on the hair strands thus reducing the effect of the color.

By adding less amount of developer, you will make your hair appear extra shiny which will fall flat after two days when it starts getting deposited on the scalp and strands.

What happens if you use hair dye without developer?

It is true that not all dyes are made to be used by developers. When you are using a dye without a developer then you will not get the same permanent effect dye that you get when using a dye with the right amount of developer.

Temporary or semi-permanent dyes are designed to get deposited on your hair directly thus not needing any hair developer.

These colors are generally rainbow colors and generally aren’t a permanent solution to cover the grays and just manage to color them.

Dyes that have been made to be used with developers when used without them, will just be a waste of dye and money.

What happens if you put too much developer in hair bleach?

When you decide to bleach your hair and accidentally put more amount of developer then you will end up lightening your hair without depositing the right amount of color on your hair. Thus, the desired hair color will refuse to come out.

The recommended ratio of bleach to the developer is 1:2

Best Hair Color Developers from Popular Brands

Final Words:

The major thing to keep in mind when mixing the developer with the hair dye is to pay attention to the ratio. When the ratio is correct, the hair dye will come beautifully on your hair as the pigments will go inside the pores very nicely.

Permanent hair dyes use developers and semi-permanent ones don’t. the basic rule to mix developers with toners, no hair lifters and high color lifters have to be kept in mind and you would be fine. May the amount of developer be with you when you are dying your hair!