Igora Royal 12-: Why the High-Lift Series Isn't Mixed 1:1

Ever grabbed the high-lift tube from your brand’s line and mixed it 1:1 out of habit, the same way you mix everything else, only to end up with less lift than you expected?

If you work with Igora Royal, that’s not bad luck. The 12- series is the one line in the brand that doesn’t follow the house ratio. And if you mix the 10- the same way “because it’s a high-lift too,” you’ll miss again — each series has its own rule, and one breaks the other’s exception.

Here’s the exact ratio the manufacturer publishes for Igora Royal’s two Highlifts series, the starting level each one is built for, how much lift you get per developer strength, and how the processing time is actually split.

What ratio does Igora Royal’s high-lift series use?

Igora Royal mixes at the standard 1:1 ratio (color:developer), with 30 to 45 minutes of development time. Its high-lift series, 12-, is the exception: it mixes at 1:2. The 10- series, despite belonging to the same Highlifts family, goes back to the standard 1:1 ratio.

The manufacturer publishes it this way on its mixing and timing chart: “IGORA ROYAL · 1:1 · Development time 30-45 minutes”, and in the line’s technical manual, for the 12- series within Highlifts: “Mixing ratio 1:2,” against “Mixing ratio 1:1” for the 10- series (Schwarzkopf Igora Royal technical manual).

That’s not a small detail. As explained in mixing ratios for hair dyes, the color:developer ratio sets both the final pH of the mix and how much developer is actually available per gram of cream. Mix the 12- at 1:1 instead of 1:2 and you’re giving it half the developer the technical sheet calls for to activate the lightening powder correctly — the result comes up short on level, even though the tube says the same family name as the rest of the line.

What starting level is each series built for?

Neither high-lift series is meant to be used on any starting level. The manufacturer specifies a natural base range for each one, and that range changes between the 12- and the 10-.

Series	Ratio	Natural base	Maximum lift
12-	1:2	6 and lighter	up to 5 levels
10-	1:1	7	up to 4 levels

Source: Schwarzkopf Igora Royal technical manual.

The 12- series can start on a slightly darker base (down to level 6), but it needs double the developer per gram of cream to reach that 5-level lift. The 10- series starts at base 7 and, at the standard ratio, tops out a level below what the 12- reaches — the trade-off of being mixed more concentrated.

How is the processing time actually split when lifting?

30 to 45 minutes is the general development time across the Igora Royal line, but when you’re lifting with these series, the manufacturer doesn’t treat it as one clock running start to finish. It’s split into two stages: development on the rest of the head for up to 15 minutes first, then the root application goes on and another full 30 minutes is timed from there.

The manual describes it this way in its application guidance for lifting: “Leave to develop on the rest of the head for up to 15 minutes, then continue with the application to the root area then develop for another 30 minutes” (Schwarzkopf Igora Royal technical manual).

Applying everything at once and timing a single clock from the start isn’t the protocol the brand actually publishes for this kind of work — which is why two services with the same mix can come out at different lift levels depending on when each section went on.

The mistake of mixing it out of habit

Anyone who’s spent years working this brand at 1:1 has that ratio on autopilot. Reach for the 12- high-lift, and the hand repeats the same motion without thinking: same bowl, same scale, same amount of developer as any other shade in the line.

The result isn’t just a thicker mix than the sheet calls for. It’s half the developer available per gram of cream that the manufacturer calculated for the 12-’s lightening powder to work at full strength. Less developer available means less lift — and less total mix to spread through the length, since a thicker cream doesn’t go as far as expected. The formula comes up short exactly in the service where more lift was the point.

That’s the difference between the two swatches: one level up or down, decided by the developer ratio in the mix — not by processing time, not by the brand of the product.

What if your brand isn’t Igora Royal?

A 1:2 ratio is common for high-lift colour across the industry, and developer pairing is covered more generally in developer volumes for professionals. What changes from brand to brand — and sometimes from one line to another within the same house, as it does here between Igora Royal’s 12- and 10- — is the starting level each one is rated for and the exact lift each developer strength promises.

Before applying this article’s ratio to another brand, confirm your own line’s technical sheet. If you work across several brands, the color chart converter helps you avoid mixing one house’s rules with another’s numbers.

Frequently asked questions

Does the 1:2 ratio apply to every high-lift on the market?

No, it isn’t universal — it’s the ratio Schwarzkopf publishes for Igora Royal’s 12- Highlifts series. Other brands and other high-lift lines can call for different ratios. Check your own product’s technical sheet before applying this one to it.

Can I use the 12- series on a base darker than level 6?

The manufacturer specifies natural base 6 and lighter. Below that, the published lift figure — up to 5 levels — stops being the expected outcome, because the technical sheet doesn’t cover that starting point.

What happens if I mix the 10- series the same way as the 12-, at 1:2?

You end up with a mix more diluted than the 10- needs. This series doesn’t share its neighbor’s exception — it goes back to the standard 1:1 ratio used across the rest of the Igora Royal line.

Why does the 12- series lift more than the 10- with the same developer?

Because they’re formulated to work with different amounts of developer per gram of cream: the 12- carries double the available developer in its mix (1:2) compared to the 10- (1:1). That difference in active peroxide concentration is what accounts for the extra level of lift published for the 12- over the 10- at the same volume.

Key takeaways

• Igora Royal mixes at 1:1 in general. The 12- series is the exception: 1:2. The 10- series goes back to 1:1.
• Starting level: 6 and lighter for the 12-, base 7 for the 10-.
• Lift: the 12- reaches up to 4 levels at 9% and up to 5 at 12%; the 10- reaches up to 3 at 9% and up to 4 at 12%.
• When lifting, development time is split in two stages: up to 15 minutes on the rest of the head, then the root with another 30 minutes.
• Mixing a high-lift the same way as the rest of the line, out of habit, cuts the available developer in half and leaves the result short.

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