Temporary hair color spray vs. Hair makeup : Key differences

The new inventions that come with modern hair care is mind-blowing. Who would have known there would be ways to change your hair color, talkless changing it for only a day. Temporary hair color is a blessing!

There are temporary hair chalks, colored hair wax, temporary hair color spray, hair makeup, the mascara wand, colored rinsers, etc.

Which should you get?

All these methods of temporary hair coloring are blessings, but as the saying goes,

" whats good for you, might be poison to another"

The best type of temporary hair color vary depending on your hair type and intentions. 

In this blog guide, we will be stating the facts of using temporary hair color spray versus using hair makeup, to help you make that decision. Lets go!

What is temporary color hair spray?

Colored hair spray AKA Hair paint spray, is a class of temporary hair color in the form of a spray. The spray bottle is designed to spread the color in "microdroplets" over a large surface of your hair at a time. This is why it's known to be the fastest way to add color to your hair. Just like every temporary hair color, the temporary hair color spray formula coats the outer layer of your hair strands, rather than penetrating through it like semi-permanent hair dye. This explains the absence of bleach and the ability to wash it off after one shampoo. 

Yes, colored hair paint sprays are super fast, but are they safe? Most hair sprays don't contain common toxic hair dye ingredients like ammonia and peroxide, since the color doesn't need to be developed. But they do contain denatured alcohol (mostly in the form of SD Alcohol 40-B) and benzophenones, which strip your hair and scalp of its moisture and react with your skin to cause allergies respectively. So, your hair might feel dry and sticky after using hair spray. And when under the sun, you might feel a prickly sensation on your scalp. 

What is hair makeup?

In a bottle of Curlfit hair makeup, lies rich valuable ingredients that strengthen, soften and hydrate your hair, whilst giving your hair a pop of the color of your choice. It's designed to coat the outer layer of your strands and so don't need bleach or any harmful ingredients like ammonia and peroxide. This means your hair is color damage free. 

Some of the rich ingredients in the Curlfit formula include argan oil, popularly known as "liquid gold"  and almond oil, which both work at a cellular level to ensure all parts of your hair experience its effects. It also contains silk protein and cetyl alcohol, which make your hair soft, and silky and eases the detangling process. All these rich ingredients come together to make the lightweight creamy consistency of Curlfit hair makeup. Its lightweight feature makes it curl pattern friendly since it doesn't weigh down on your curls. Here is a close up picture of Curlfit purple hair makeup.

Hair makeup vs. Colored hair spray

Let's compare these two types of hair colors feature by feature!

Application process

Temporary hair color spray may look easy to use but it requires some level of skill to get an even and clean finish. Most people end up calling on a friend to help blend out the blotches. So it isnt DIY-friendly. To use temporary hair color spray, you would have to brush the sprayed area quickly to blend it into your texture. But because of the alcohol present, the product dries up super fast and ends up looking unnatural. This is especially difficult for kinky hair because brushing through our tight curls is not a breeze. 

Finish result of purple hair color spray on curly hair

Hair makeup is 100% DIY- friendly. The coverage is outstanding and the process is as easy as ABC. Infact, the hydrating ingredients present in Curlfit hair makeup reduce the friction between your strands to let your fingers slide through your hair easily. It does not dry as fast as color hair spray, so you can spread it freely.

Plus, it defines your curls! 

Curlfit purple hair makeup defining type 4 hair

Color pay off

Both types of temporary hair colors have an array of colors to choose from and the color payoff is great! But you would need a lot of hair paint spray to cover dark and thick hair. Usually, colored hair spray is used for highlights or a subtle glimmer of color on dark hair for this exact reason. Apart from that, the color deposited on your hair sits on top like cement. This makes your style look unnatural. Unlike hair makeup, that blends in properly with your style and is super pigmented. Lets compare burgundy hair makeup and temporary hair color spray on a slick bun for a visual representation.

Maroon Burgundy temporary hair color spray

From the results above we can see that the color payoff is a bright maroon burgundy shade, but the color gives her style no lustre, shine or dimension. It sits on top of her hair in a single color. This makes the result look unnatural and tacky. You can also notice the blotches of color on her edges.

Brown burgundy hair makeup

With every turn of her head, you can see the lustre and dimension the color gave her style. It blends naturally with her hair strands to make the color look natural and clean. Her edges arent exempted from this clean finish as well!

Every drop of Curlfit hair makeup is super pigmented and will color jet black hair with the bare minimum. A 100ml bottle of this mature burgundy shade would last long hair 2-3 uses.

Texture payoff: is it suitable for all hair types?

Like we previously mentioned, hair sprays are not really curly or kinky hair friendly. With the dimensions and shapes of kinky and curly hair, a cream would do better to ensure your curls are coated evenly. The ingredients present in color hair spray also pose a risk to the delicate nature of kinky hair.

The nozzles of hair sprays are designed to break the product into tiny droplets that spread across a wide area. To blend the color in, you would have to comb it till it evens out. Combing curly hair is the first step to frizz and no curly enthusiast would want that. To give your curly hair an even finish you need to be able to rake the color intricately through your hair with your fingers. At the rate temporary hair color spray dries, it would be impossible to do that properly, therefore resulting to an unnatural and blotchy finish.

Side effects and Wash out process: how long does colored hair spray last?

Temporary hair colors are meant to leave no trace after 1 shampoo. Both hair color methods do justice to this feature but because of the Acrylates present in most colored hair spray formulas, the product may build up to make your hair feel sticky even after washing the color off. It also leaves your hair dry because of the harmful alcohols. 

Curlfit hair makeup, on the other hand, washes off completely after 1 shampoo. A lot of customers even say it left their hair softer than it was before. With the rich ingredients present in the formula, the health of your hair is maintained and even improved after use.

Summary

From this guide, we can see that hair makeup is a safer alternative for curly or kinky hair. This is because the ingredients in colored hair spray are drying and the application process is not friendly to curls and coils. We recommend using temporary hair color spray to add highlights or subtle undertones, and hair makeup to color your entire crown.