What can affect the decolorization process?

• A. The Brand of Hair Dye
• B. The Length of Hair
• C. The Time of Day
• D. The Amount of Natural Pigment

Answer: (D)

The amount of natural pigment in the hair determines how far decolorization can lift the color. Decolorizers work by oxidizing melanin in the cortex, so the more melanin there is to begin with, the more pigment the product has to break down. That means darker, more pigmented hair typically requires more processing time or a stronger developer to achieve a lighter lift, and sometimes cannot reach very light shades without longer or repeated treatments.

The other factors listed aren’t the primary drivers of how much decolorization occurs: the brand of hair dye doesn’t change the chemical reaction happening in the hair, the time of day doesn’t affect the chemistry, and the length of the hair doesn’t alter the amount of pigment to be lifted—though length can influence how evenly a treatment processes in practice, it isn’t what drives the amount of lightening.