What's the deal with Box Color anyway?

   Box Color, or Boxed Hair Color, is hair color that anyone can purchase. It is NON professional color that can be bought from numerous places. Some of these places being the drugstore, supermarket, dollar store, and gas station. I've even seen them being sold at flea markets! YIKES!

  We've all used it. Even I'm guilty of using it before my days of being a licensed Cosmetologist. And no, I do not get mad when my clients decide to give it a try on their own. (Usually it doesn't work out so well for them though.) Some people use it on their roots between appointments. I understand money is tight for most people right now. But don't try to fool your stylist. SHE KNOWS when you have strayed. ;) 


 A few words of advice on using box color. 


1) Many box colors are not compatible with professional hair color and can give us unpredictable results when lifting. (I once saw someone's hair turn GREEN and get really hot! Not my client thankfully!) This is due to the fact that some of these box colors are made with Metallic or Vegetable dyes. (NOT what professional color is made of.) This can have an adverse reaction when used with other types of hair color. Always be honest with your stylist if you have recently or with-in that past year (depending on the length of your hair) used box color. 

2) Box color is "One Size Fits All" color. By this I mean it is formulated one way, so the color on the front of the box isn't necessarily what you are going to get. This is especially true if you have very dark, or grey hair. When you get your color done by a professional, you are getting CUSTOM COLOR that is formulated just for you. You stylist will take into consideration many things including but not limited to; natural level, amount of grey, desired level/tone, hair porosity, previous chemical services, etc. Your box is not going to do this for you.

3) This is the number one rule of hair coloring, Color Will Not Lift Color! Meaning, if you colored your hair chocolate brown 4 months ago and decide to pick up a box of blonde color today, you will get blonde (more likely orange/yellow) roots and the mid-shaft to ends where the chocolate was will most likely be a deep red-ish color. COLOR WON'T LIFT COLOR. Please don't try it! 

4) For this reason if you MUST use box color, do try to stay within 2 levels of your natural color. This will make the least trouble for yourself and your stylist, not to mention it will look the most natural with your skin tone.

                         ~Your best bet will always ALWAYS ALWAYS be to visit your   
                                                 Hairstylist for color services.~