The Unseen has just unveiled a new kind of hair dye that is nothing short of magical! It changes between two completely different colors depending on temperature variations. The UK firm released their creation during London Fashion Week. The colors variations as of now are black to red, black to white, silver to blue, blue to white, and black to yellow. This formula is temporary and will wash our after several showers. It is also designed to not damage the hair, which is a major feat for any hair product company.
The Magic
Thermochromic ink is used on materials like aluminum for cans to change the color of text using temperature variations.
The problem with thermochomic ink is that it is toxic. With a significant amount of reformulation and testing, chemists were able to replace the toxic elements with less toxic ones, making it fit for human use. The dye is made up of complex carbon-based molecules. Each molecule undergoes a reversible reaction with itself during temperature changes. Lauren Bowker, founder of The Unseen, explained to IFLScience that, "Above a certain temperature, one of the molecule‘s forms is more stable than the other, and so a reaction takes place producing a molecule with a slightly different absorption of light, and thus a different colour.” The blue to white hair dye activates at 59ºF (15ºC) as an imitation of winter, and the red to black hair dye activates at 88ºF (31ºC).
The future of hair dye
The Unseen is planning to release the new color-changing hair dye to the public. There is a lot of secrecy as of now for obvious commercialization reasons. Bowler did say that they are planning to release a permanent dye as well in an array of colors. They are looking to make even more advancements with their product, such as blue hair indoors that changes to blonde outside.
There could even be a hair product that can change with the emotions of the person. Perhaps blushing would be enough to change one's hair color from black to red. These are the kinds of advancements in technology that propel young scientists to create even more nifty inventions.
