To Box Or Not To Box

With so many quality home hair coloring kits now available at the local drugstore, colorist Rick Wellman is often asked what the difference is between these box formulas and the professional brands he and his colleagues use in the salon. The answer to that question has as much to do with the color as it does the colorist who’s using it. “I have created and seen beautiful hair colors delivered from a box and the salon,” says Rick, “but by their very nature, box formulas are always only as good as the person who’s applying them.”

For one thing, working with box color can be limiting. Because the FDA only approves a certain amount of pigments for over-the-counter use, box color simply cannot offer the same number of dye stock options found in professional color. And at-home coloring not only offers fewer tinting options but also is limited in how it can be adjusted for strength of use. By contrast, the hair color spectrum in a salon permits a professional to custom-blend and create an endless possibility of unique matte or translucent shades in semi, demi or permanent form.

In addition to more shades and blends, salon color is also going to be more technologically advanced than any DIY kit—which is the very reason why a professional colorist has to be licensed to practice his or her craft. “A professional colorist has to know their stuff,” says Rick. “A working knowledge of the chemicals and ingredients found in any hair color is just not something you’re going to learn from reading the directions on the side of a box.” For truly beautiful, healthy looking hair, there is one key ingredient a professional color offers that a box formula doesn’t: the professional.