By Jessica Polly
As a professional licensed cosmetologist I would like to help answer and give advice to people looking to get their hair done and are not sure what to do or say to a potential hairdresser.
Firstly, do NOT do your own hair. I know it is so very tempting to just grab that box color off the shelf of your local convenience store, I mean let's face it, for us hairdressers it is hard to compete with that easy fix $5 box that you'll do in the comfort of your own home but there are a few things you need to understand.
Box color is NOT good for your hair. Sure you are thinking I am just here to bash box color in order to scare you into the salon but I am only here to offer unbiased advice so you can make your own informed decision. Box hair color does not contain anything that is good for your hair and it does not have the ability to discern if your hair is porous (dry), if you're blonde, brunette, have ethnic hair, if your hair has color in it already or if you have 'virgin' hair, these are all questions that must be answered before doing anything to your hair.
Licensed cosmetologists have spent hours and hours and hours before passing a state board exam, learning how to deal with all different types of hair and they use their best judgment to do the right thing for your specific hair type. Box color is a one size fits all fix, which is not what you need.
If a blonde and a brunette grab the same exact brand and color of the box variety, their hair will not turn out the same. If a beautiful blonde has dark roots growing out and decides she is tired of maintaining the blonde and decides to go to the store and grab a chestnut brown so she can just go back to her natural hair color, she will throw that brown on her hair and can you guess what will happen? As I mentioned, she is a non-natural blonde, which means her hair is porous (dry, as previously mentioned), her hair will soak up that box color like a person dying of thirst in the desert. What the average person does not know is that not only does box color contain 20 percent more ammonia than professional color but it also comes with a standard volume developer which is not right for everyone either.
In this blonde woman's case, she needs the lowest volume developer because she is darkening her hair, and most developers are for lightening the hair, including the one in that box. So back to our blonde, have you figured out what will happen to her? Not only will those beautiful blonde locks now be a mucky greenish or reddish brown, her hair will also now be significantly more damaged than it was before and she is more than likely highly upset and calling her local salon to fix the damage she has accidentally done.
Now let's pick a natural 'virgin hair' brunette. She has decided brown is boring and wants to be a beautiful blonde. She goes to the local store and picks a gorgeous blonde color according to the box. She throws the color onto her hair excited to be a blonde, and can you guess what will happen?
When someone with dark hair wants to go lighter, they need a higher volume developer, most likely higher than what is in that box. If that developer is not strong enough to do the job that beautiful brown hair is going to turn orange. And yes, that is most likely why you see people walking around with orange hair, because they tried to lighten their own hair.
Now, last example, let us pick someone who has been coloring their own hair black for ages and decides they need a change, perhaps they want to go back to a nice warm medium brown. They grab their box color; throw it on and do you know what will happen? This is easy to answer, absolutely NOTHING. Another thing the average person does not know is that color does not lift color. Brown does not have the power to lift up previously colored black hair, just as blonde does not have the power to lift up previously colored brown hair.
Now if these people had gone to the salon, the professional stylist would've been able to deal with the porosity of the blonde, the 'virgin' hair of the brunette, and had the proper products to lighten up that black to achieve that medium brown.
On a second note, when you do go into the salon please use FULL DISCLOSURE of what has been going on with your hair. Do not be ashamed or embarrassed to admit that you have been cutting or coloring your own hair and if your hairdresser makes you feel either ashamed or embarrassed, then they are not right for you anyway. A real hairdresser can handle any situation without judgment but we do need your help to insure your hair turns out exactly as you want it.
If you have box colored your hair brown and then come into the salon and say that the brown on your hair is completely your own and your hair is 'virgin' hair, then we are going to assume your hair is virgin hair. If you want to be blonde, let's say, you will come out orange most likely but if the hairdresser had known it was that stubborn box color he/she would've been able to use their best judgment and products to get you to that beautiful blonde.
Also, I know the fear of chemicals is growing and people are starting to lean towards more natural products, this is completely fine but please know that if you use a plant based hair color (i.e. henna color), if you try to use a lightener over the henna dye, your hair will snap, crackle, pop and fall off at wherever that color ends, leaving you with a couple inches of hair. The same goes for that ever so convenient 15-minute color. They work quickly, yes, but they also contain alkaloid salts which will cause your hair to have the same results as the henna dilemma.
Always remember, you get what you pay for. If you really want to use box color, expect $5 results. And always ALWAYS be completely honest with your hairdresser. We do not care if you've been cutting and coloring your own hair, but we need to know so we can do the best thing for YOU because you deserve the best.
Sincerely,
Every stylist
0 Comment "The Do's and Dont's of Hair Care"
Posting Komentar