Many people get these confused for what they are and what they do. While permanent hair color is, well, permanent. Demi is a little different. Additionally, while they both deposit color, they do so different as well.

To begin, permanent hair color is recommended for gray coverage or on virgin hair that needs to be lifted just a couple levels. Nothing too drastic though. It will have a uniform color where most people’s natural high and low lights won’t show through. Even though it says permanent, the tone in most people’s color will fade in about 6-10 weeks. The color will still be in the hair, it just won’t look as nice as the day it was done. It is also the hardest to get out of the hair if one wants to go lighter or do some kind of color correction.

Demi-permanent color is recommended for those wishing to deposit color and their hair, maybe go a little darker, or adjust the tone of the hair without having to deal with the strength of a permanent color. Most toners are considered demi. This is not recommended for gray coverage as it only deposits color and will show through the natural highlights. This means that if you have black hair and color with a golden tone demi, your grays will look gold. This is not always a desirable result. Demi typically lasts only 4-13 weeks and needs regular refreshing. The bonus of this is that if you want to switch it up, you easily can!