ARTX or NATURE: Which Hair Color System to Choose
ARTX and NATURE are two professional Nirvel systems designed for different salon coloring scenarios. ARTX is an ammonia-based permanent system; NATURE is ammonia-free. The choice should not be based on which one is “gentler” in general, but on the starting base, the color goal, the required degree of change, gray-hair work and the technical protocol for the formula.
ARTX and NATURE cannot be compared correctly by looking only at the word “ammonia.” Both are professional color systems, and the choice begins with diagnosis: what must change in the starting color, how large the change is, whether gray hair is present, and which processing mode is specified for the chosen shade.
What ARTX Is
Nirvel ARTX is a professional ammonia-based permanent hair color system. Ammonia acts as an alkaline agent, helping create the conditions for the oxidative system to work inside the hair. The color itself is not formed “from ammonia”; it develops through reactions between dye precursors and couplers in the presence of an oxidizing agent.
What NATURE Is
Nirvel NATURE is a professional ammonia-free hair color system. The absence of ammonia does not turn it into a direct dye and does not mean that no chemical color reaction takes place. In ammonia-free systems, other formulation components create the alkalinity and conditions needed for color development, so the stylist still follows the technical protocol of the line.
Why “Ammonia-Free” Does Not Mean “Always Better”
Ammonia is only one element of the system. The result and the impact of the service also depend on the dye formulation, oxidizer concentration and type, mixing ratio, processing time, product amount, starting porosity and chemical history. The choice should therefore be technical, not marketing-driven.
How to Choose Between ARTX and NATURE
- You need a classic permanent-color approach. Consider ARTX and choose the shade and oxidizer according to the technical goal.
- You need an ammonia-free system. Consider NATURE, but do not automatically apply the rules of direct or acidic color systems to it.
- Gray hair is present. First define the goal: dense coverage, softer blending of gray and pigmented hair, or camouflage. The system choice depends on that goal.
- Only the tone or nuance needs to change. Check whether a permanent system is really necessary; sometimes toning or a direct pigment is better suited to the task.
The Main Selection Mistake
Choosing a color system from a single word on the package — “ammonia,” “ammonia-free,” or “acidic.” These properties matter, but they do not describe the whole technology. It is more accurate to define the target color and the required change to the starting base first, then choose the system technically capable of doing that job.
Nirvel ARTX
Shades and technical products of the ammonia-based permanent system.
Open ARTX →02Nirvel NATURE
Shades and technical products of the ammonia-free system.
Open NATURE →Sources and Scientific Basis
- A Review of Aspects of Oxidative Hair Dye Chemistry — review of oxidative hair-color chemistry and color formation from precursors and couplers.
- The debate on carcinogenicity of permanent hair dyes: new insights — description of the basic chemical scheme of permanent oxidative hair dyes.