You may be eager to try a fresh new hair color this summer, but you’re confused about whether to go the DIY hair color route. And yes, you are not alone!
As the flowers bloom and color once again fills our landscape, many of us want to brighten up everything from our wardrobe to our hair.
If you want to try a New hair color Or just refresh an existing one, you might be torn between them Book an appointment at the hairdresser Or do it yourself in the comfort of your own home. After all, both options have advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of DIY hair color treatments. After weighing all of the information below, you can make an informed decision whether to color your hair yourself or schedule an appointment with your stylist.
The following table can help detail the pros and cons of coloring your hair at home.
| The benefits of DIY hair color | Disadvantages of DIY hair color |
|---|---|
| You save money: DIY hair color kits are usually cheaper than a professional salon color. | You can mess up your hair: Without professional training, you could end up with uneven application, the wrong shade or unintended color. |
| Convenience: You don’t have to leave your home. Apply the hair color whenever you want without the need to make an appointment. | Damage potential: Improper application can cause hair damage, especially if you use bleach or high lift dyes. |
| Experiment: You have the freedom to experiment with different colors, techniques and styles. | Time consuming: Depending on the method and the length/thickness of your hair, this can be a time consuming process. |
| Learning Opportunity: This is an opportunity to learn a new skill and understand more about your hair type and its reactions to different treatments. | Lack of professional advice: A professional hairdresser can provide personalized advice based on your hair type, color and condition. |
| Privacy: If the result is not what you expected, you can handle it privately without embarrassment. | Skin and health risks: There is potential for skin irritation or allergies, and improper handling can lead to splashing in the eyes or ingestion of harmful chemicals. |
| You are in control: You have control over the depth and shade of your color and you can adjust it to your preference. | You need to clean up the mess: The process can be messy and paint can end up staining your skin, clothes and bathroom surfaces. |
| Quick Touchups: It’s easier and faster to do a root touchup at home when you notice regrowth. | Health concerns: The fumes from the hair dye may cause respiratory discomfort for some people. |
| Repeatable: If you like the result, you can easily duplicate it. | Hidden costs: While the initial cost may seem cheaper, if something goes wrong, professional repair can be expensive. |
| Self-expression: DIY hair coloring allows for creativity and personal expression. | Limited options: DIY kits can’t offer the range of color options that a professional hairdresser can. |
| Less pampering: Part of the salon experience is relaxation and pampering, which you miss out on with a do-it-yourself approach. |
The benefits of DIY hair color
Even as a hairstylist, I understand that there are advantages to styling your hair at home. I actually dye my hair, and it works great for me! Here are some positive aspects of your own hair color:
You save money
In this economy, inflation has hit us all hard. Even shopping for necessities can be stressful, so purchasing an expensive color service at a salon may not even be an option.
Getting your hair dyed at the salon can be expensive Anywhere from $50 to $200, or even more, depending on the service. Not to mention, it’s easy to get caught up in add-on services and retail products that can cost just as much as the paint service itself.
Going to the salon can be like going to Target. You plan to get just a few things, and you leave with an entire cart full of items and an empty wallet.
On the contrary, according to salontoday.com, the average wholesale price of a color service is usually less than $10.
However, if you only have to pay for the ingredients to color your hair, even if you pay retail price for the color products themselves, you’ll save quite a bit of your hard-earned money.
You don’t have to leave your house
There’s something to be said for not even having to leave your house to get a fresh new hair color.
If you’re a busy professional, work from home, or stay-at-home mom with jitters running around, leaving the house for an extended period of time may not be something you can fit into your schedule.
We all got another taste of it during the pandemic when we were quarantined in our homes.
Luckily, I was already prepared with my hair dye supplies, but I was one of the few. Almost all of them left their homes after a few months with roots growing out and hair color fading.
And of course, there are those who are still unable to leave their homes due to health concerns or other circumstances. In such a case, the ability to dye your hair at home is a must.
Whether you are confined to your home due to health issues, or you simply prefer to watch Netflix and drink a glass of wine while coloring your hair, a DIY color process can be a wonderful option for you.
You are in control
Going to the hairdresser can seem like a gamble, especially if you don’t already have an established relationship with a skilled hairstylist. This is probably the biggest reason why I choose to color my hair at home.
When you do your own color, you control the results! (Of course, this implies you know what you’re doing.)
When you do your own hair color, you can choose the exact color, formula and processing time for your color. If you know what result you want and how to achieve it, doing your own hair is not easy.
In addition to choosing the color, formula and processing time, you also get to choose the products you use. Every hairdresser and even every stylist will use lines and products in different colors and many times they won’t tell you exactly what they use unless you ask specifically.
So if you want to use a particular color line or product, your hair color gives you that freedom.
The disadvantages of DIY hair color
Although coloring your hair can be more convenient and cost-effective, there are also some disadvantages. After all, there’s a reason why so many people go to the salon to color their hair! Here are some negative aspects of coloring your own hair:
You may have to use lower quality products
Hairstylists have access to an abundance of salon-quality products and color lines sold only to professionals. Because of this, those who are not licensed cosmetologists may find it more difficult to get their hands on a quality hair color that will provide the same results as a salon color service.
Although you may see many professional products for sale on Amazon and other online platforms, the bottle itself will indicate that the quality cannot be guaranteed unless it is bought from a salon or a professional wholesale beauty supply store.
And let’s face it, the color you get at Sally’s just isn’t the same as Paul Mitchell or Pravana. That’s the bottom line.
Sometimes you can get around this by shopping for your color at Ulta, or buying online directly from the supplier. But, it may take a little more effort to locate the salon’s quality products and the places that will sell them to you.
The truth is that coloring your hair at home may sacrifice the quality of the products you can use.
You can mess up your hair
This is a big one! There’s a reason hair stylists go through years of extensive training and testing. When you color your hair at a salon, you’re not only paying for quality products but also for the skills your stylist has spent years developing.
If you decide to dye your hair, you better make sure you know what you’re doing! Otherwise, your color process can have disastrous results that land you back in your stylist’s chair for a hideously expensive color touch-up service.
It is also possible to seriously damage your hair b color process, depends on what exactly you are doing. This can be especially the case if you lightening or whitening your hair. It’s no secret that Bleach has the ability to destroy hairThat’s why hairdressers are especially attentive to the health of the hair while bleaching it.
The truth is, if you’re not sure if you have the skill to dye your hair at home, you probably don’t. If you are not completely prepared to dye your hair, the results can be disastrous!
You have to clean up the mess
Dying your hair can leave a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up by none other than you. In the barbershop, everything is organized so that cleaning is easy and efficient. At home, you may find that after dying your hair, your bathroom looks like a color bomb went off.
Depending on the materials of your counter, sink, floors, and shower, you may even find that the hair color you applied has stained not only your hair but everything else as well. That’s why sometimes it’s just not worth making your own paint at home.
I think of it this way: technically, I can wash my dog at home in the shower. But then, I have to clean the whole shower and turn off all the water left in the toilet (and usually the rest of the house too).
So, instead, I choose to pay to take her to the hairdresser, and I sacrifice some money for the convenience of not having to clean up an hour after I wash her.
It’s the same with dyeing your hair at home. The mess can take as long, or longer, to clean up as the paint process itself. So, if you’re considering dying your own hair, make sure you’re prepared to clean up afterwards.
In conclusion
Color your hair at home can be a great and convenient way to save money, relax in your own home and put yourself in total control of your hair, or it can lead to disastrous results and a complete mess.
Hopefully, this article has helped you weigh the pros and cons of a DIY hair color treatment so you can be rocking your gorgeous new hair color in no time!