We’ve written about this ghastly trend before… using box dye instead of getting your hair professionally colored. It’s a topic that has been touched on over and over again. But unfortunately, some of us still aren’t convinced. I get it. I really do. I spent years browsing the aisles at CVS and Target with my friends trying to pick out my new hair color. It’s so cheap! It’s so easy! But it’s terrible. Got that? Terrible. In case you need another reminder to skip the box color aisle, here are four major reasons.
It’s Okay To Lie To Your Hairstylist About Your Past Box Dye Experiences: Wrong.
You don’t want them to judge you, right? I get it. But why tell them? Your hair is a delicate addition to your body. It needs to be treated with care. Using box dyes over and over again can destroy the porosity of your hair causing it to grab on to different colors randomly.
Hairstylist Mindy Stegall advises, “…be very honest with your colorist about what you have been doing at home. She needs this information to formulate your color and if you aren’t up front things could go wrong. It’s like going to the doctor and not telling them you take a certain medicine when they are trying to prescribe you another one. The two could have an interaction that would cause you to have adverse effects.”
What does this mean? It means that you might end up with hair that is 3 different colors. And then you’ll want to fix it. And it may take more than one appointment. And then your hair will cry because it is so tired and damaged. Hairstylists take time and energy to determine the exact amount of color formula they need for your hair. If they don’t know about your box habits, the formula won’t work how it is supposed to. Save yourself time and money by being honest.
That Box Dye Will Give You Eva Longoria’s Hair: Let’s be really honest with ourselves for a second… does Eva really use box dye? My money is on NO. Lightening or darkening your hair to truly match undertones and make it look the way you want it to look is a process. A process that licensed hairstylists are trained to do.
All Hair Color Is Equal: The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems that we have boxes of hair dye for EVERY SINGLE WOMAN in the United States that feels like dying her hair. How can these hair color concoctions treat us all equally? They can’t. Just like each of us is unique and wonderful in our own way, so is our hair. And it should be treated as such.
Your Stylist Will Fix Your Mistakes: Not always true. There’s only so much a stylist can do if your hair is lacking some serious porosity and you lied about your box usage. Although I truly believe that my hairstylist is a miracle worker, many box color mistakes can’t be fixed in a single appointment. Or two appointments…. or even several.
Hair coloring is a lot like trust. It takes one mistake to set you back for a long time. When you get color that you’re crazy about, it’s important to keep it looking fresh and healthy as long as possible. Talk with your stylist about your hair type and what products you need to help maintain your color. A few of my favorites are listed below in “Shop the Story.”
I learned my lesson a long time ago… now, have you?
