Developer choice is one of those things you stop thinking about once you've been colouring hair for a few years — until you train a new colourist, or troubleshoot why a result didn't land where you expected. This guide is a no-nonsense reference for the four volumes you'll use most, what they actually do chemically, and when to pick which.
What "developer volume" actually measures
Developer is hydrogen peroxide, diluted in a cream or liquid base. The "volume" number refers to the volume of oxygen gas (in litres) that one litre of the product can release as it breaks down — a holdover from how peroxide strength was originally measured. The shorthand most pros remember:
- 10 volume = roughly 3% peroxide
- 20 volume = roughly 6% peroxide
- 30 volume = roughly 9% peroxide
- 40 volume = roughly 12% peroxide
Higher peroxide content means more oxidation power: more lift, more cuticle opening, more dye-molecule activation. It also means more potential damage to the hair and more scalp sensitivity. The job of choosing the right volume is balancing lift against integrity.
10 volume — deposit only
10 vol is your low-impact developer. It doesn't lift natural pigment in any meaningful way; it's used when you want to deposit colour without changing the underlying level. Typical uses:
- Toning previously-lifted hair (e.g. after a bleach service)
- Refreshing faded colour mid-length and ends
- Going darker by one level or less
- Gloss and shine services on already-coloured hair
- Demi-permanent applications
10 vol is the most forgiving developer to work with, with the lowest risk of over-processing. If a client's hair is fragile, porous or recently chemically serviced, dropping to 10 vol is often the right move even if you'd normally reach for 20.
20 volume — the workhorse
20 vol does two things at once: it deposits dye fully and lifts the natural pigment by one to two levels. This is why it's the default for most permanent colour applications — most clients want a colour shift of one or two levels, not more.
Use 20 vol for:
- Standard permanent colour on virgin or previously-coloured hair
- 100% grey coverage on resistant grey hair
- Root touch-ups with permanent colour
- Lifting natural hair by one to two levels
If you're working with a permanent colour system like Life Color Plus, 20 vol is what the manufacturer balances most shades around. Going higher gives you more lift but also shifts the tone of the final result, which is why high-lift formulations are formulated specifically for higher volumes.
30 volume — when you need more lift
30 vol gets you two to three levels of lift on natural hair, which is the sweet spot for:
- High-lift blonde colour series on dark natural bases
- Going lighter without full bleach
- Some balayage techniques where you want lift without the aggressiveness of bleach
- Resistant grey on coarse hair, where 20 vol struggles to break through
Two warnings with 30 vol. First, scalp irritation goes up — a sensitive client who's fine with 20 may complain about itch or burn on 30. Second, it pushes hair integrity faster than 20 does; pair with bond care on processed hair.
40 volume — high lift, high risk
40 vol is the maximum strength most lines produce. It gives three-plus levels of lift and is used with high-lift blonde colour formulations and certain bleach mixes. It's not a "more is better" developer — many manufacturers explicitly discourage using 40 vol on the scalp because of irritation risk.
Use 40 vol selectively:
- High-lift blonde series on dark, virgin hair where you're trying to reach a level 9 or 10
- Off-scalp bleach applications (foil work) where you need maximum lift in a single process
- Resistant, coarse, virgin hair that simply doesn't move with lower volumes
If you find yourself reaching for 40 vol regularly on coloured hair, you're probably overdue to switch to a proper bleach with a lower-vol developer instead. The damage profile is significantly better.
Cream vs liquid developer
Cream developers are easier to mix, hold their position on hair better, and give a more controlled application. Liquid developers process slightly faster and are sometimes preferred for high-lift work, but they're messier and harder for a junior colourist to handle. Most North American salons run cream developers across the board now.
FarmaVita's cream developer oxidant for Life Color Plus is a 1000ml back bar size — a single bottle covers a large number of services, which makes the per-application cost low compared to retail-size developers.
Practical mixing tips
- Always mix colour and developer in non-metallic bowls. Metal can react with peroxide.
- Mix immediately before application — once peroxide is activated, the clock starts.
- Use the manufacturer-specified ratio. For most permanent lines including Life Color Plus, that's 1:1.5 colour-to-developer for standard application, 1:2 for high-lift.
- Don't try to "stretch" higher volumes by mixing them with lower ones. The result is unpredictable.
Quick reference card
If you want a one-line takeaway:
- Depositing or toning: 10 vol
- Standard colour, 1–2 level lift: 20 vol
- 2–3 level lift or resistant grey: 30 vol
- High-lift blonde or off-scalp bleach: 40 vol
Beauty Canada stocks cream developers, bleaching powders and the full Life Color Plus permanent colour range, available wholesale to licensed salon professionals across Canada.
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