Box color or salon?
OK ladies. I have been coloring my hair for years . Every time I go to the salon I pay a fortune. Are Home box colors REALLY that bad for your hair? Opinions please!!
De No they are not bad at all...however you would be better off going to Sally's at the ITC in Mt Olive/Flanders and buying professional products. It costs me under $10 to color my hair using Clariol products and I am able to color my hair quickly and cheaply every 4/5 weeks. When coloring your own hair you should only color the roots not the entire head each time. Color will build up on the ends and look heavy and unnatural. I also mix 2 colors ( I had professional advice) and it gives my hair a very natural look. So many people out there color their own hair and it looks horrendous. I wish I could afford a salon every 4 weeks but it's not in the budget. Get some professional advice and have someone help you the first few times.
Firefly I absolutely swear by Root Touchup by Clairol. It's 5.99-7.99 depending on where you shop--I usually get it at Wal-Mart.
I put it on the roots for about 30-60 minutes, even though the directions say all you need is ten. The more stubborn the greys, the longer I let the dye penetrate.
The whole process usually lasts me about 5-6 weeks, which is what the salon experience would last, only that cost me about $60 vs. 6.00!
Plus, I must say I'm getting pretty good at it :-)
Good luck.
ess Herbatint is the safest hair color. You can buy it in health food stores. It is also economical as you get several colorings out of one box --- mix enough for your hair length. I absolutely love it.
happiest girlI am a hairstylist and hair color educator and "box" color may work for some initially but WILL eventually fry your hair or screw your color up so bad that it will cost you hundreds to fix it. Please don't think that Jennifer Lopez really uses box color on her hair like she claims in those commercials or Eva Longoria is coloring her hair in her bathroom with supermarket bought box color. Hair color is NOT one size fits all there are several factors that go into formulating a color for someone's hair. Even salon colored hair formulas can change from visit to visit due to grey hair, sun, environmental factors etc....so you can't just pick a box and think your color will look like the model/actors hair on the box. Also lots of those colors process for 15-20 min for permanent hair color which will only work because they are loaded with extremely high levels of unnecessary chemicals in order to penetrate into the hair in a short period of time. Permanent color needs to process 30-45 min. depending on grey coverage. Hope this helps a little and PLEASE be careful. And I'm sure there is some other unnecessary expense you could eliminate in order to make it possible to have your hair colored at a salon after all aren't you worth it? Remember, look good feel good!
concerned stylist Herbatint is a safe permanent hair color that takes 40 minutes to process.
I have been using it for about 15 years and it has not damaged my hair and always gives great results.
You can look it up online and see for yourself how good it is.
I used box ONCE. Lets just say that Iggy had a double! It cost me a mint to get it fixed and I have short hair. With that said I only get highlights and do it 3 times a year. Christmas, Birthday and Mothers day. Thanks to my children! LOL!
Christine PLEASE listen to concerned stylist! I am also in the business. And I say NOOOOO to box color. Also you should be using color safe shampoo/conditioner. Preferably from a salon because the store brands you buy that claim to be real are counterfeit.
Wild Angel Think about it. Look at the posters warning you of dire consequences - they are in the business and want you to pay them instead of doing it yourself. Use common sense and follow directions. You will be fine.
kind of agree with voice of reason......use common sense, read directions.
Happiest girl, I never heard of Herbatint.....will check it out. Thanks!
Hastings You're welcome Hastings!
Look at herbatintusa.com for information ---- look at the FAQ so you know what the letters mean after the numbers of the hair color (for instance, the 'N' is for the greatest grey coverage)
There is also a number to call (I think her name is Marie) if you have any questions.
Doing your own hair coloring at home is not rocket science !!!!!
First two times I had hair colored at salon by my stylist I went for haircut in ages. Then I colored myself using boxed color. I experimented with a couple of brands and color palette, picked the one that covered my grey the best and the color that is best on me. Now I am getting quite a few compliments about my hair color, even my new hairstylist (old one moved out of stte) says that color I chose is great on me and that it looks very nicely done. Coloring hair is not hard at all, you just need to practice and adjust time according to your hair thickness.
Chemicals and professionalism.... Well, my daughter and my friend had their hair not even colored and fried very badly at salons a few times, even super-duper salon conditioners didn't help to restore them. And it happened in different salons with very good reputation. My daughter even returned for re-coloring, still wasn't right.
Lena 
Htborder I order mine at the Sussex Food Co-op in Newton. (they don't keep it in stock but you can special order it) I have seen it at The Health Shoppe in Chester but I haven't been there in years. Try calling health food stores if you don't want to go to Newton. If you want to get it from the Co-op, you can phone in your order and they will call you when it is in.
I choose not to go to a hair salon because besides getting great results (from Herbatint) I know I am using one of the safest products available.
http://www.organiccolorsystems.com/top-6-myths-and-facts-about-professional-salon-products-and-cosmetics
I have been using box color for years. Never a problem. Don't be fooled by the salon hype.
Really? I agree too. Benn doing it for 30 yrs. just say to yourself. When u have a coke at home n a coke in the restaurant is it still a coke? When u have a chicken parm at home and a chicken parm at a restaurant is it still food? Yes i may tast a little dif but its still food and drink. If hair salon color is SOOOOOOO much better why doesnt someone above tell us where their salon buys it. Is it sime secret formula only available to hair salons? Doubt it. In this day and age i am sure you can uy anything.
Lvmom3 If anyone is interested in ordering the Herbatint, it is available on Vitacost.com. I've ordered from this site often and it's great.
Everyone is going have a horror story on either side. Do what works best for you and where your comfort zone is. Personally, I color my own hair and have no problems and had a few stylist compliment my natural color...
ladeevee 
tpc Pauley Perrette landed in the hospital from her black hair dye. Terrible reaction with head / facial swelling. She said she will either use wigs from now on, or turn to a natural dye.
maja Commenting is no longer available.