BOX COLOUR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

So, we hear that you’re looking to save a little cash by doing your own color at home. Naturally we’re a little surprised, maybe even a little hurt, but want to ask you this: do you honestly believe that using box colour is the same as what we can do for you in the salon? If so, then we seriously need to talk!

Let’s think this through, shall we?

With box colour, it’s not always super clear which shade you should be using. It comes in every colour imaginable, which makes choosing a hue for the desired result a little difficult. Besides, most people misinterpret their natural colour anyway. They end up choosing a shade that’s not necessarily right for them or doesn’t give them the results they were expecting. And, because the colour representation on the box has been through the printing process, it’s not likely to be very accurate anyway. Most people don’t think about that part.

Box colour is not all that easy to apply to yourself. It tends to drip and can make a mess, even stain your clothes, towels, bathroom walls, counters, flooring, and shower. And those baggy gloves they give you…forget about it!

In some cases, box colour can cause bands of uneven color while with darker shades, the ends can grab the color and turn out darker than the rest of your hair. And with the latest balayage or ombré trends, it’s hard to know where exactly to place the colour. It really does take an expert to customize the colour and the application based on your features, face and head shape, and even your body structure. It truly is an art!

If you’re not careful, box color can actually harm your hair. Badly damaged hair can become so brittle that it literally breaks off with the slightest amount of tension, and produces what we in the industry call a chemical haircut. This can happen for several reasons including user error or because the formula may have been too harsh for your specific hair. There’s no way a box of colour can take your hair texture, type or condition into consideration, so the manufacturer opts to formulate for a “most-likely” scenario. For some people, it’s fine but for others the results can be devastating.

Also, there’s not a pro monitoring everything to be sure that the integrity of your hair stays intact during the process. Only we can do that, altering the formulation, adding a pre or post colour treatment or modifying the processing to ensure the best possible results.

The main downside with box colour is that you don’t get an expert’s advice like you would in the salon. We have spent a fair amount of time earning our license, becoming certified with various hair colour companies, doing advanced training, and gaining years of experience with colour correction, colour matching, and applying the latest techniques to all hair types and conditions. Do you really think the one-size-fits-all instructions on box colour really compare to our years of expertise?

So, when you come crying to us because of how your box colour turned out, please don’t be surprised how long it may take to do your correction, or that you may get that chemical haircut after all. And the price? Brace yourself, as it will likely be two or three times more than if we had simply done your colour to begin with. So, our advice to you? Step away from the box colour…..It can be more expensive than you’d think!