To be stuck at home is challenging, even for the ultimate home lover. Now that we are in a lockdown situation, constrained to stay in, albeit for our safety, it can make us feel very self-critical. Catching those pesky greys in our reflection in the morning can be so frustrating and might even lead those of us who have never attempted box dye, to think the unthinkable!
We asked Senior colourist Tom Cruickshank to give us some insight as to what could go wrong and to explain the processes you will need to reverse the damage:
What most colourists are not telling you is, for those of you who have only ever had your hair professionally coloured, you will be appalled by the results of box dye. Firstly, the application process is messy, and it will most likely not end well for you, your bank balance or the condition of your hair…
The first likely scenario is that you select a colour that is too dark for your complexion. Not only will this affect your morale more than the greys did, but you will need a colour correction appointment as soon as the salon reopens. What you need to appreciate is that unlike professional colour, home colour products are extremely challenging to remove. Firstly, to remove the colour requires a large quantity of bleach before re-colouring to the desired shade. What is more, your hair will be extremely sensitive, meaning you will likely, over the next year, spend a fortune to stop it from fading and turning a brassy shade of orange.
The second scenario is for those attempting to do a home lightener. Whilst daffodils are a great indicator of spring, yellow hair isn’t the solution! You will most likely end up with a colour you hate or a chemical hair cut (i.e. broken hair). Either of these outcomes will make it near impossible for us to correct, without asking you to invest heavily on long-term treatments and that’s before we even discuss sorting out the colour. Remember trained colourists can do marvellous things with your disasters, but ultimately, you have to remember it is a colouring brush, not a magic wand.
In the end the choice is yours, would you rather spend your summer crying over a short haircut you didn’t want or covering your roots, badly, to go nowhere and see no one?
