"Today Show" segment on doing your own hair color

So I was a little disappointed this morning when I woke up and saw a segment on the Today Show about doing your own hair color at home. I, like most of the people I know, are concerned about our economy, and am carefully budgeting my own money and cutting back on what I can, but I also know what's better left to the professionals. There are some rare occasions when a gal comes into the salon for a cut, tells me she does her own color at home, and it looks pretty decent, but more often than not, that's not the case.

The segment featured a professional colorist who gave tips on doing your color at home, and encouraged women to feel empowered to do so. She colored three models hair with at home color, to "show how easy it is".

What the gal didn't explain were quite a few things. Like first, she is already a professional. It is easy for her to identify if something is off in the color, she knows how to professionally formulate, and she knows what not to put on certain hair types.

Here is what you SHOULD know about at home color:

!) It is not made of the same chemicals we use in the salon. These are "metal dyes", which buildup on the hair and progressively get darker each time you color it. Metal dyes are often not compatible with other professional services you may want done later on. They also do NOT come out...we have to bleach them out (and this is extremely damaging to your hair) when you decide you don't want that color any more.

2) We rarely use the same color on your roots as on the rest of your hair in the salon. The hair near your scalp is different than your "older" hair, and it takes color differently. That's why you sometimes see women who have brighter roots than ends when they dye their hair at home. These are called "hot roots" and it's a no no in the color world.

3) Sometimes what you see on the box cover isn't what's inside of the box. More often nowadays, we are seeing women who come into the salon in a panic, because they did at home color, and it was a completely different color than they expected. At home color goes through MANY hands before it ends up in yours...including young kids who work at your favorite pharmacy or grocery store, and they sometimes like to play the old "switcheroo".

The bottom line is, if we have to fix an at home color mistake, it is much more expensive than if you had it done professionally in the first place...and your hair goes through a lot more. If your budget doesn't allow for a lot of professional hair care, talk to your stylist about a lower maintenance color plan, so you get the most "bang for your buck". All of us are willing to work with our regulars to make their lives easier for them. :)