Hair Color at Home Advice: Hair Police’s Latest Violation

Hair Color at Home Advice: Hair Police’s Latest Violation

Hair color at home was the topic du jour, for the entire weekend actually. The subject rears its ugly head every so often, because I think my friends like to see me get wound up over the issue, note the loving sarcasm. But, as it is Monday and time for the Hair Police to strike again, it is only fitting that I offer, once again, advice for hair color at home.

Happy Monday beautiful people! Welcome to Ask the Pro Stylist’s Hair Police column, dedicated to Mondays because I usually find the worst beauty violations in church on Sunday. I was going to post today’s rant on Wednesday for my Q&A, but as the topic of hair color at home was broached more than 3 times to me this past weekend, I felt compelled to offer advice, which is to STOP!

The subject of at-home hair color arose as I was attempting to lighten a darker, violet-based redhead to a dark-blonde auburn shade. The young lady had a lot of color happening on her head at once…bleached ombre ends, red roots and brown in the middle. The ombre I had done was gone over, and made lighter, at home, which caused breakage. But all along, I thought the darker pieces were my doing from a semi we put on to even out the color, but alas, they were, but made impenetrable from hair color at home.

The college student is away at school and put a box on her regrowth. I knew of this, but not the extent until I attempted to pull the brown for an even base to make her all one color light auburn. However, while everything else pulled, the darker brown didn’t, and as I know the formulas I use, I was perplexed, until the at-home hair color confession that went a little something like this, “It didn’t lighten on me either. The box said to leave it on longer to lighten, but it never did.”

Well, light bulbs flashed in my head. I explained color doesn’t remove color; that is only on virgin hair, and your hair has color in it. I applied bleach and the brown eventually lifted, somewhat.

The next query came when my crazy best friend texted me about coloring her hair (with a box) and then highlighting over it (with another box). She knows this turns my innards, but I told her it could be done on the same day, although it shouldn’t be done at home at all. She then made me laugh with pics and videos of the application. And although I desperately needed the funnies, the color was mushed on the entire head, where all she needed was the roots.

Finally, another friend in need of a distraction asked me a question about eSalon, which is similar to the concept of Madison Reed, salon-quality at-home hair color. It has the same premise as eSalon, a decent formula, affordable, someone helps you choose the shade, and promises to be cheaper than a salon. But it isn’t really, which I will explain after I shout about my biggest reasons for not doing your own hair color at home.

YOU WILL NOT JUST APPLY THE COLOR TO THE REGROWTH. YOU WILL MUSH IT IN THE WHOLE HEAD, WHICH IS UNNECESSARY AND DAMAGING. YOU WILL LEAVE IT ON ALREADY DYED HAIR AND THEN WONDER WHY IT ISN’T GETTING LIGHTER, WHY IT LOOKS MUDDY, OR FEELS LIKE SANDPAPER.

You can easily find salons that would love to just touchup your regrowth and not do a cut or blow at an affordable price. They would rather have you come in and save the integrity of your hair, then take an incredible amount of time to fix your mishaps, which is very costly to correct, not to mention damaging.

I don’t care what the box or brand promises, the most important aspect of hair color at home, in a salon or anywhere is that it gets applied properly and by a pro. PERIOD! I am a professional and miss spots in the back of my head because I am not possessed and my damn neck doesn’t turn like Regan’s in The Exorcist. Although at this moment I must sound it, but trust me, this is something I am very passionate about.

So, the next time you have a brilliant idea to grab a box of color, or try eSalon, DON’T. Remember my advice for hair color at home, or email me at DeirdreAHaggerty@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to tell you all about it again!