Let’s start with good news first.
Here are some Pros to color in a box.
- It’s cheaper. A $5 color job sounds great!
- No appointment needed.
- You are a very last minute type of person?
- You do things on the fly?
This does sound like the perfect option for you.
Unfortunately here is a heavy list of cons:
- A mistake with your cheap box of color could cost you $$$. You could have created such a hair blunder that it takes several visits to the salons to fix it. This mess is one of the more challenging tasks for a colorist. Hope your stylist doesn’t give you he stink eye!
- You want a new image and want your hair to reflect it? If you are looking to make a drastic color change to your hair, do not use color in a box. Going from Brunette to pale blonde or blonde to red is a process and a professional is well trained for this. Even before a colorist starts this project, your hair gets assessed for the right strategy.
- Highlights done from a box on the shelf of your local store can also come out messy. They can come out orange in tone, stripey, and can bleed. Not only is your colorist there to knock out the orange or yellow tones but the professional can blend highlights with lowlights, making dimension through your hair. You can have a more natural look created in a salon.
- Blonde upkeep can be frustrating. Roots could become a mess, not turning up the same color as the ends. There will be an uneven tone throughout the hair. Your tresses need lots of conditioning and routine trims.
- Scary to think that ammonia is used on hair. That is one big reason to worry about color bought in a store. This color is formulated with a one size fits all mentality. These companies use the highest ammonia content possible to crack open the hardest hair strand’s shaft to deposit pigment. Wonder why many companies include a conditioner packet in their box? You will need it! Ammonia is very drying to hair. Not only hair but skin too which can cause rashes. The ammonia free color is just using another harsh chemical in it’s place. Same problem, different chemical.
- This box does not offer a cape to guard against stains. Your home, clothes and skin are at risk.