Arkansas Cosmetology Practice Exam

The main ingredient in most permanent hair color products is ammonia. Ammonia serves a critical purpose in the hair coloring process: it acts as an alkaline agent that opens up the hair cuticle, allowing the dye to penetrate the hair shaft effectively. This penetration is essential for achieving long-lasting color, as permanent hair dyes need to deposit color deep within the hair to provide durability and vibrancy.

In conjunction with ammonia, hydrogen peroxide is often used in these formulations as an oxidizing agent to develop the color, but without ammonia's role in opening the cuticles, the dye would not be able to effectively alter the hair's color. Other ingredients like alcohol and sodium hydroxide are not typically primary components in permanent hair dyes; alcohol may be present as a solvent, while sodium hydroxide is more commonly found in relaxers and other chemical hair treatments rather than color products. Therefore, the crucial role of ammonia in facilitating the color change in hair identifies it as the main ingredient in permanent hair color formulations.