The number before the decimal point denotes the colour level, i.e. the degree of lightness or darkness ranging from level 1 to level 10. Levels are classified in ascending order, from the darkest to the lightest: 1 black; 3 dark brown; 4 brown; 5 light brown; 6 dark blonde; 7 blonde; 8 light blonde; 9 very light blonde; 10 platinum blonde.

On the other hand, the numbers after the decimal point denote the colour tone, i.e. the different colour hues (yellow, orange, red, blue, violet, etc.). In Lucens Color shades, tones are coded as follows:

0 Natural (natural tone, with no cosmetic tones added); 1 Ash (cool grey/green tone, suitable for neutralising unwanted red/orange tones); 2 Violet (cool violet tone); 3 Gold (warm honey/golden tone); 4 Copper (warm orange tone); 5 Mahogany (cool red/violet tone); 6 Red (intense red tone); 7 Sand (warm brown tone).

Examples

• 5.65 stands for light brown (5) with a red primary tone (.6) and a mahogany secondary tone (.65).
• 7.4 stands for blonde (7) with a coppery tone (.4).
• 8.17 stands for light blonde (8) with an ash primary tone (.1) and a sand secondary tone (.17).

The lightening power of oxidative hair colours depends on the developer strength, that is to say on the percentage of hydrogen peroxide in the cream developer. Lucens Color comes with a 20-volume (6%) developer, which can lighten natural hair 1 to 2 levels.

Then, the final lightening result will depend on the combination of many factors, including the existing and target colour level as well as the hair type and condition. It can be said that 20-volume developer always ensures 1 level of lightening, while 2 levels can be achieved where a series of favourable technical conditions are met.

No oxidative hair colour can lighten previously coloured hair (colour does not lift colour). To do so, a hair colour removal service is needed, which requires professional products and skills.

It is indeed possible. If you have had your hair coloured by a hairdresser or you have coloured it yourself with any DIY oxidative hair dye, you can easily use Lucens Color and select a shade that suits your needs following our tips for choosing the right colour shade.

Henna typically forms a sort of protective sheath around the hair surface that may hinder pigment penetration into the hair structure and affect the end result due to many variables (i.e. hair type, kind of henna used and for how long). Therefore, it is recommended to wait for henna to naturally fade wash after wash, so that this protective sheath disappears from the hair. Meanwhile, you can start colouring the regrowth using a shade that matches (or is darker than) the natural hair colour level and is suited to the tone on the mid-shafts (red, mahogany or warm brown).

First of all, you need to determine your current hair colour. This is because your base colour significantly affects the end result you will get. If in doubt, you can compare your current natural and/or cosmetic hair colour with the colour swatches of our colour swatch ring.

After identifying your base colour, you can choose your desired shade according to the following general criteria:

a) if your hair is virgin, then you can choose a shade that is either the same level as your natural colour, darker or 1 level lighter. For example, if your base colour is a natural level 5, you can choose either a shade level 5 (same level), 6 (lighter) or darker (levels 4,3,1);

b) if your hair is colour treated, then you need to select a shade that is either the same level as your cosmetic colour or darker. For example, if your base colour is an artificial level 5, you can choose either a shade level 5 (same level) or darker (levels 4,3,1).

The best way to identify your base colour is to compare it with the colour swatches available at our points of sale. Hold the natural series swatches (.0) close to your base (root area) and select the shade that best matches your natural hair colour and any cosmetic colour present on the mid-shafts and ends.

All Lucens Color shades provide direct grey/white coverage and true-to-tone results with no need for mixing with the Naturals. On the other hand, choosing the most suitable shade requires the different concentrations of grey/white hair to be considered with respect to the rest of the hair.

• If you have less than 30% grey/white hair, you can choose a shade that is either the same level as your natural colour, darker or up to 2 levels lighter.
• If you have between 30 and 80% grey/white hair, you can select a shade that is either the same level as your natural colour or darker.
• If you have more than 80% grey/white hair and your hair is virgin, you can choose any shade. On the contrary, if you have colour-treated mid-shafts and ends, you will need to select a shade that is the same level as your cosmetic colour or darker.
• If you have very colour-resistant hair, we recommend choosing a shade that is one level darker than the desired result.

The final colour result is always a combination in which different factors add up, that is the cosmetic colour applied + the base colour + possible variables (i.e. hair type and condition, processing time, environmental elements, etc.). Therefore, it may indeed happen that a colour result looks darker than expected.

If you are afraid of choosing a shade that might be too dark for you, there are two possible solutions:

a) if you are in doubt between two levels, choose the lighter one (e.g. between a level 5 and 6, choose 6). You can always use a darker shade the next time you colour your hair, while doing the opposite would not be possible;

b) starting from the second application, apply the colour only on the roots or pull it through the mid-shafts just for the last 5 to 10 minutes of processing.

There are many, often conflicting, opinions as to whether or not hair should be coloured during pregnancy, with a number of aspects that do not fall under our competence. Therefore, we recommend seeking and following specialist or medical advice in this respect.

Lucens Color is a permanent hair colour that is usually very well tolerated thanks to the presence of emollient and soothing organic plant extracts in its formulation. However, pregnancy is a condition that requires special attention because the whole body goes through a phase of change, and the skin becomes more sensitive to certain ingredients. As a result, the risk of sensitisation incidents or allergies may increase even in women who have never experienced any reaction after colouring their hair.

Due to this particular condition and as an absolute precautionary measure to protect the unborn child, we advise not to use any hair colour in the first trimester of pregnancy. Concerning subsequent months and the breastfeeding period, we recommend seeking medical or specialist advice.

It is extremely important to use the supplied developer and to strictly respect the mixing ratio with the colour cream, as this is key to ensuring product tolerability and achieving the target colour result. Using a developer that is not suitable for a given hair colour could lead to unexpected and/or undesirable results.

This is due to pigment build-up occurring on repeatedly coloured hair, which appears darker than the new growth, coloured only once. This problem can be easily solved by performing a root touch-up, which makes it possible to colour the regrowth avoiding any pigment build-up along the mid-shafts. This is why, when the same shade is used and the previous colour does not look lighter or faded, it is recommended NOT to apply the product on the mid-shafts or to do so only in the last 5 to 10 minutes of processing in order to achieve an even tone. Hence, a uniform colour effect and greater shine will be achieved along the whole hair length.

To colour your roots only and avoid any unsightly colour build-up on the mid-shafts, you can differentiate how long you need to let the colour process.

• Apply the colour on the roots and leave it in place for the first 20 to 25 minutes.
• Apply the rest of the mixture on the mid-shafts, massaging it in section by section, and complete processing until reaching 30 to 35 minutes in total.
• Emulsify and rinse thoroughly.

If the kit components remain separate, tightly closed and away from light or heat sources, you can store them for subsequent use. On the contrary, the colour cream-developer mixture must be applied immediately after preparation and cannot be stored.

When reducing by half the doses to be mixed and applied, it is essential to preserve the 1:1.5 mixing ratio of the two kit components. Hence, for half-dose application (any further reduction is not recommended because the lower the amount, the higher the risk of weighing inaccuracies), you will need home digital scales with Tare function and 1-gram scanning, a plastic or glass bowl and a tinting brush. Then, proceed as follows:

1. Weigh 37.5 g of Oxy Emulsion in the bowl and close the bottle tightly.
2. Add 25 g of colour cream in the bowl and close the tube tightly.
3. Stir the mixture with the brush until creamy smooth.
4. Proceed to apply using the brush.

Lucens Color should be applied on dry, unwashed hair for better scalp protection and for maintaining the product’s efficacy levels.

The use of hair styling and setting products, i.e. hair sprays, foams or styling creams, is generally not a problem, provided they have not built up on your hair and are not particularly greasy. Nevertheless, you should always brush your hair carefully to remove any dry or powdery residue. In the presence of very greasy residue (from oils and waxes), however, we recommend you lightly shampoo and dry your hair before applying the colour.

It is definitely recommended to use specific post-colour products, because they help seal the cuticle scales down, thus locking the colour in for longer-lasting shine and intensity. This is why we have formulated Lucens Protective Shampoo and Conditioner for Colour-Treated Hair whose samples are included in the kit. We strongly recommend using these two products and the hair glazing masks in our Lucens Color Mask range also to maintain the colour result in between colour treatments.

The cream developer, named Lucens Oxy Emulsion, contains hydrogen peroxide at 20-volumes, which correspond to an oxygen concentration of 6%. Such a concentration allows the colour treatment to be extremely gentle on the scalp and hair while ensuring perfect grey/white coverage.

The role of ammonia in oxidative hair colours is to make the product alkaline so as to allow swelling of the cuticle scales and subsequent penetration of the pigments into the cortex.
This is key to the mechanism of oxidative technology and if ammonia is not used, then it must be replaced by an ingredient ensuring that the process takes place correctly. In Lucens Color, ammonia is replaced by monoethanolamine or MEA (INCI name: ETHANOLAMINE), which plays the same role but with the advantage of not releasing the typical pungent odour of ammonia. This avoids the discomfort related to ammonia inhalation during colour application and processing, thereby adding to the gentleness of the colour treatment and to the comfort of the service.

All Lucens Color shades are free of the hair dyeing agent named para-phenylenediamine (PPD). Instead, they contain the following hair dyeing substances (oxidative intermediates):

• p-Toluenediamine (PTD, INCI name: TOULENE-2,5-DIAMINE SULFATE)
• m-Aminophenol
• p-Aminophenol

Consequently, Lucens Color may be well tolerated by people with contact allergies to para-phenylenediamine (PPD) as long as they are not allergic to para-toluenediamine (PTD, which belongs to the Phenylenediamines chemical group), and provided they have assessed their skin tolerance to the product by performing the patch test described in the package leaflet. In light of the above, it is essential not to use the product in the event of allergy to these and any other substances mentioned in the list of ingredients.

Lucens Color is nickel tested (Ni < 0.0001%). This means that every single batch of the products included in the hair colour kit is subjected to specific analyses and considered to be compliant only if it contains a percentage of nickel lower than 0.0001%.

It is not possible, however, to exclude the presence of possible traces lower than the percentage declared on the product label. The regulations in force allow the presence of nickel only in traces that are technically unavoidable. Nickel is not a cosmetic ingredient but a substance that is present either as an impurity resulting from some raw materials (e.g. colour pigments) or as a processing residue due to product contact with metal surfaces during the production cycle.

With the technologies currently in use it is virtually impossible to make completely nickel-free cosmetic products. What is possible, however, is to pay special attention to raw material selection and final product inspection in order to minimise nickel traces as much as possible. Unfortunately, this does not rule out the possibility of even residual traces causing allergic or sensitisation reactions in susceptible individuals.

Therefore, it is recommended to always perform a preliminary sensitivity test 48 hours before applying the product (as described in the package leaflet) and to repeat it before every future use.

To assess your individual skin tolerance to the product, it is necessary to perform a preliminary sensitivity test (patch test) 48 hours before every application even if you have used hair colouring products before.

We recommend performing the sensitivity test at least 48 hours before every application according to the following directions, also mentioned in the package leaflet:

• Thoroughly clean a small area of the skin behind the ear or in the hollow of the elbow (1 square cm) with alcohol.
• Mix 5 g of LUCENS Color cream with 5 g of cream developer, i.e. LUCENS Oxy Emulsion.
• Apply the mixture to the prepared area with a cotton wad or with a small plastic or wooden spatula.
• Re-apply 2 or 3 times, allowing the mixture to dry in between each time.
• Leave in place for 48 hours without washing, then rinse gently.
• Do not apply the product if any irritation, inflammation or itching occurs during this period.

Lucens Color does not contain ammonia or PPD and all the formulations are VEGAN certified by the ICEA (Ethical and Environmental Certification Institute). The ICEA VEGAN certification follows a voluntary control scheme aimed at ascertaining the requirements expected by animal- and environment-conscious vegetarian and vegan consumers, who choose ICEA VEGAN-certified products because no raw material, process aid or auxiliary agent of animal or GMO origin is used either in the formulations or throughout the entire production cycle, ensuring traceability of the lot number and raw material producer.