Box Color Blues

We have all been there. We get antsy. Our hair seems to be dragging us down into depression and we need a change NOW. Maybe it's 9:00 at night and all that's open is Walgreens. Maybe you're a poor college student who barely has enough money for Raman Noodles. Or maybe you're a mom with a herd of little people and a million things to do and what you don't have time for is sitting down doing nothing for a few hours three weeks from now while your friend watches your kids so that you can trade her to watch her hellions at a later date.

Let's face it. There are many reasons to try coloring your hair at home. Time, money, convenience, prior history, sheer laziness even. And is it really the devil's handiwork that stylists declare it to be?

Today I will break it all down for you. Now charge that brain up mama because we are going back to basic chemistry for this. Very basic. (If you have already colored your hair yourself and don't want to hear the "why" of what is wrong and just the "what to do now?!" go ahead and skip past the bold sections to the bottom)

Box Color                                    Professional Color

1. One Size Doesn't Fit All 

There is a reason a $10 pair of jeggings online and a tailored pair of designer jeans have a $150 price difference. These companies are not out to suck your blood, but they ARE trying to market a product to a vastly diverse market. Can you honestly believe that if you took Blake Lively and Kim Kardashian and put the same box color on their hair, you would achieve an identical result? 

Well of course not, you say. 

Okay. Well, that is exactly the story that box color is selling and you are buying. It's the equivalent of someone selling a "one size fits all" garment. Sure someone will have it work for them perfectly. BUT it will not work for everyone and it definitely won't work the same for anyone.

2. Chemical Components

The chemical ingredients used to create at-home color are often far different from the products used in professional salons. Box colors and even natural dyes such as henna, often contain metallic salts. Those salts, can produce a chemical reaction when paired with heat- as happens when foils insulate color at a salon, or when perm solution is applied onto a client's hair. That chemical reaction causes smoke and burning. I am not kidding when I say that you are running the risk of your hair literally smoking and burning your scalp when you color at home. There are other ingredients as well like phenylenediamine, or PPD, that many people are extremely allergic to. This is an allergy that can develop over time so even if you have used home color in the past, it can show up later in life the more you do it.

3. PH Balance and Hair Structure

Okay. Your hair strand basically lays like scales on a fish. When you change the color, you are opening up those scales and either stripping color out (bleach) or packing new color molecules in and then closing those scales back down. However, no matter how much we try, those scales never completely close back down. Improperly mixing your formula or using an "over-the-counter" color could result in far more damage to the hair shaft than can be fixed without having to cut your hair. 

4. Color Theory
There are ten levels of light and dark for hair and there are underlying pigments at each level that contribute to the color you end up with. There are ALSO different levels of developer- the product that is mixed with the tube of color to create the look you desire. These levels correspond to how light or dark you will be able to get in one session. For example, if your hair is naturally a level 5 and you use a 20 Volume Developer, you can move up to 2 levels of color away from your natural color. You can either go down to a 3, or up to a 7. With professional color, there is developer ranging from 10 through 40 volume depending on your needs. Box color generally has one level of developer they are advertising to cover every head. While this gives you the basics, this barely scratches the surface. There are underlying pigments, tones, resistant hair, grey coverage formulation and a host of other variables that are taken into consideration by your stylist to get you from the color you have, to the color you want.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE COLORED YOUR HAIR AT HOME:
Alright. You did it. You couldn't wait and you just did it yourself and now you hate it. Now what?

First and foremost- BE HONEST. This is crucial and I cannot stress that enough. There are a lot of chemical processes that cannot be done if you have self-color on your hair because they will MELT your hair, burn your scalp, or turn your hair GREEN! This happened to me in beauty school and I will tell you it was not pretty. So don't be shy and don't be embarrassed. Be honest.

Box Color                             Professional Color

Second- be patient and realistic. If you just dyed your hair black with box color, let me tell you sweetheart, you can't have blonde hair tomorrow. If you try it, you'll have NO hair tomorrow.

Third- Trust your stylist. Your stylist spent a lot more time and money going to school for this than that $10 box of color cost you. TRUST your person to take care of you. If they say it is going to take a few more hours and a little more money than you anticipated, you are going to have to swallow that. They know what they are doing. And believe me, they are probably dreading the unknowns just as much as you so be ready to invest some time and money into yourself.

Last- Next time, just come see me before you do anything drastic.

So much love for you guys! I did a quick 5 minute IGTV episode of this topic on Instagram and posted my client's before and after shots on my page so head there for more info and as always, leave a question in the comments here or on my IGTV episode or Instagram feed and I will answer!
IG: @kristidbennett