Professional Salon Hair Color Versus at Home Box Color

One way we express who we are is through our hair, whether it’s a haircut, style or particularly the color.Why do people prefer to use box color at home? Is it the inexpensive box color at the retail or grocery store that seems so appealing?  Does the internet or TV ads make the at home box color look easy, inexpensive and portray your hair to be beautiful? Do you relate with the models or celebrities in the ads?

Of course the model or celebrity may have used the box color on their hair for the ad, but their professional stylist/colorist performed the service for them.Why do people prefer to have a professional stylist/colorist? Is it beautiful great hair with shine and condition of their hair? What about proper care of your hair? Is it the blend of the color for a shade just right for you? Is it the expression of our self with the blending of color with cut and style?

Beautiful great hair color comes first from proper care and condition of the hair. This is one difference of salon color versus box color. The professional hair stylist/colorist provides you with services to balance the needs of protein and moisture in the hair which affects the results of your hair color. A strand of hair approximately consists of 85% to 97% protein (keratin) and moisture. Only 1% is natural color pigment.

Secondly, if considering coloring your hair yourself, instead of professionally, think again and take time to consider if your hair is damaged, has unbalanced moisture and protein, if you’re wanting to lighten your hair several shades, or you’re a brunette and want to be blonde. Even if your hair doesn’t appear to have any red tones in it, all dark hair contains red pigment. Therefore, when lightening your hair, it may likely turn your hair an unattractive shade of orange.

Or, maybe you already colored your hair and messed up and you need it fixed. Attempting to correct your mistake will only make it worse and more expensive to have it professionally corrected.Having limitations, the box color you buy at the store is exactly that. It is generic and for anyone; in addition the ingredients tend to be more damaging to the hair. It’s formulated to work on almost any hair type, uses higher concentrations of color and developer, using only one color pigment giving a flat color.

The same results that professional hair color can provide, cannot be achieved with non-professional hair color, as the professional hair colorist blends colors to produce the shade of the desired hair color. The colorist may use several shades during application for a unique color. And the professional colorist uses many different techniques and applications to produce an array of end results, all of which can not be produced at home with box color.

There is, in fact, a science to professional hair color. The professional aside from taking basic beauty classes, has learned chemistry and color principles. The professional in the salon analyzes your hair and makes decisions to achieve the desired color result. Considering the condition of the hair, the natural level and undertones of the hair, the professional creates the formula and can adjust the formula based on the condition of the hair.

Then during application, one also needs to take into consideration, the differences of applying color to hair in great condition, which is different than applying color to hair that is damaged or very porous. Over time professional color will have the hair feeling healthy vs. in home box color leaving the hair dry and dull. Professional hair color is an investment, but worth it, to achieve the desired result and express who we are!

Written by Vicki Schell of The Sanctuary Salon and Spa in Barrington