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I’m in love with all things hair, makeup, fashion and beauty. On this blog you can find anything from reviews on lipstick to supplements, as well as recipes alongside tips to protect your hair this summer! I’m your average girl. I get break outs, I have dry skin, and I like looking and feeling good. I hope I can help you by sharing what I love! If you have any questions let me know by filling out the form on the right hand side of the page!

Why Can’t You Give me Advice on How to do my Own Hair at Home?

I get emails DAILY asking me questions like “What’s the best bleach I can get at Sally’s to make my hair platinum?” or “do you prefer the Garnier or the Clariol hair color at Walmart?”. I have a canned answer that I copy and paste as a response to every email I recieve like that, which says:

Thank you so much for reaching out to me! I am honored
that you would entrust me with your hair questions! That 
being said I can not recommend any ta home chemical 
products or services. As a professional I know how important 
it is to go to a salon for all chemical services, and if you feel 
that is not in your budget you may want to check out a local 
hair school, which will probably yield better results than doing 
it yourself. I am apologize that my answer is likely not what you 
wanted to hear, but it is the truth. Thank you for reaching out to 
me and feel free to ask me any other questions you may have! 
-Angela WW

I have received a lot of responses to that message, most of which are pretty rude. I generally ignore them and continue on my day.  A majority of these responses include the writer conveying frustration because they don’t understand why I won’t recommend color. Most wrongfully assume that I assume I am better than them, or that I am greedy or just want their money. A few have expressed the sentiment that they get that I am just trying to support my industry. Let me set the record straight right here. I do not recommend at home chemical services or treatments, and it has nothing to do with wanting money, being greedy, being superior or because I am trying to support my own industry. I have actually recommended products on this blog that are low end walmart products, as well as direct sales items (that doesn’t support my industry) and I have even expressed my dislike of multiple high end salon brands. My industry does not control me.

So then WHY won’t I just tell you which box color you should use? 
Because what DOES control me is my knowledge and understanding of hair, color, science, and chemical processes. I can not give you advice to do something that is bad for you hair just because you want me to. Let me go over why I don’t recommend box color. 
Rachel was going for platinum when she lightened her hair and to her surprise the ends (which had box color on them) turned orange and her roots barely moved, and her hair was severely damaged! After two appointments I got her to platinum.
When a client sits in my chair and they want a color service, I begin a verbal consultation. While asking them what they want, how they want it to look and more I am assessing their scalp and hair. I am looking for porosity, density, texture, elasticity, condition, irritation, redness, current level, variations in tone or color and more. I will verbally ask you and take into consideration your hair’s history, your needs, your lifestyle and more. A box can’t do that. 
If I have three women come in that have the exact same current hair color, (but one has their natural color, one has previously colored their hair this shade at home, while the last has had it professionally done) and they all want the same outcome, I will likely do completely different steps and formulas for each of these women to get the same results. My goal is to get you where you want to be while doing as little damage to your hair as possible. A box can’t do that. 
Then while the color is on your hair I will watch it to check for signs of over processing, damage, and breakage, while also checking for even processing, color saturation and effectiveness. I may have you wait a little longer or wash you out early based on these things. A box can’t do that. 
In Hair School I faced this color correction from a cut red head
who had used Color oops to remove black box color. She was
left with patchy black spots, neon orange and red hair, and
a lot of breakage and damage. After one appointment we got
her back to a natural looking ginger tone. 
What a box can and does do is use the harshest chemicals and ingredients to achieve the most consistent results they can. They provide little to no education or warning about what hair types they are not meant for, and they tell you to leave it on for the maximum processing time. It’s true that you may get a result from a box color that you like, but at what cost? As a professional I see at home color mishaps all the time that I have to correct and fix. The damage done to some of these women’s hair is heartbreaking. And the correction always costs more than the service would have been.
Then we get into even crazier territory, at home perms and relaxers. These chemical services are harsh on the hair and are very temperamental even in the salon. To do them at home poses and even greater risk. Lightener is also a harsher chemical process than your typical color application. It’s such a high risk, and going to a hair school or researching to find a local affordable salon is worth it. Trust me. 
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