Calling all hairdressers

[Mags One]

when I got my hairlighted recently I was sat under a sort of heat lamp but it was not like an electric fire type of heat  but sort of electric blue type light.  What type of light was this - somone told me it might be UV  , is this right  - its obviously used to speed up the process but how does it work?

[Bliggin]

It is important to note that you cannot see ultra-violet light. The light that was used, if it was ultra-violet would make your hair lighter if exposed long enough. When it naturally occurs it is known as sun bleaching. Basically what happens is the light is at such a short wavelength (which means it has more energy) that it can hits the natural pigments in your hair causing the molecules to break down and therefore not be seen with the same intensity. Whether or not the light used on you was UV is beyond me. I am not privy to the latest in hairdressing techniques.