Mrs. Houston
COS 116
1 February 2011
History of Haircoloring
The first major break through in hair coloring history came in 1863, when chemist
Dr. August Wilhelm Von Hofmann reported the dye properties of paraphenylenediamine.
His discovery led to the birth of the synthetic hair dye industry, and PPD still
Dominates the field today. Hofmann was also known for his studies of organic
derivatives of ammonia and for discovering the first unsaturated alcohol and
several organic dyes.
On the heels of Hofmann’s discovery, in 1867 London chemist E. H. Thullay and Parisian hairdresser Leon Hugot demonstrated the advantages of hydrogen peroxide as best chemical way to lighten hair then alkaline solutions. After the mid 1920’s oxidation dyes were greatly improved and the fashionable use of haircoloring boomed. …show more content…
Clairol’s founder, Lawrence M. Gelb, introduced hair color to salons more than 70 years ago. When Clairol launched its first salon colors in 1931, millions of women began using them. Instant Clairol Oil Shampoo Tint soon changed the look of Americans. In 1950, Clairol introduced Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath, the first real breakthrough that lightened hair without the harshness and complicated handling of bleach. For the first time, hair could be lightened, tinted, conditioned and shampooed in only one step instead of five, in only 20