Stylists covering gray, refreshing overall color, or lifting a client one to two levels while depositing tone in the same service - this is the everyday workhorse strength for LumiShine Permanent Crème Color.

It's not built for heavy lightening or balayage-style lift; those services call for 30 or 40 volume instead.

20 volume earns its place as the default developer because it does two jobs at once - lifting a level or two and depositing saturated, even color - which covers the majority of gray-coverage and single-process color services a salon sees in a day. Reaching for 10 volume on resistant gray, or reaching for 30 when a level or two of lift is all that's needed, either under- or over-processes the hair; 20 volume is calibrated for the service that comes up most often.

Mix 1 part Joico LumiShine Cream Peroxide 20 Volume with 1 part LumiShine Permanent Crème Color (or Demi-Permanent Liquid Color) in a bowl or applicator bottle until the formula is smooth and fully blended.

Apply to clean, sectioned hair, working through the root area, mid-lengths, or ends as the service calls for, saturating evenly for consistent development.

Process for approximately 30-45 minutes, checking strands periodically since porosity, existing color, and percentage of gray all affect timing. Rinse well, then shampoo and condition with a pH-balanced formula.

Patch test and strand test before every new client, and confirm current formulation guidance in Joico's professional color guide.

Pros:

• Versatile middle-strength developer that covers most everyday gray-coverage and color-change services in one bottle
• Enough peroxide to lift a level or two while still depositing rich, even tone
• 1:1 ratio and crème consistency make it easy to control on the head

Cons:

• Not strong enough for significant lightening, balayage, or correcting much darker-than-target hair
• More cuticle-opening than 10 volume, so it carries slightly more risk of dryness on fragile or previously colored hair
• Still needs a patch test and standard oxidizer precautions like any peroxide developer