We’ve all done it. You’re walking through the supermarket, with a trolley full of your favourite Cadbury block fresh fruit and you spot the personal care aisle.

Taking a sharp turn down, you pass the toothpaste, deodorant, tampons and finally reach the section that sends every hairdresser into a state of fright…

The Box Colour Shelf.

Sure, seems easy right? Dozens of boxes of home colour kits right there, with their model on the front staring right back at you. Even she looks ecstatic to have broken up with her colourist for the convenience of dying her hair herself at home for under $20. But what do we really know about box colour?

Don’t worry gang, we have you covered in our detailed explanation to save you from making one of life’s biggest mistakes…

1. IF BOX COLOUR WAS GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR, HAIRDRESSERS WOULD SELL IT

Let’s face it folks, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the colour that salon owner’s buy to stock their salons for their client’s colour needs!

If box colour got a great, healthy result, why wouldn’t salons stock it? We pay huge amounts for our professional colour tubes, and for a good reason. Cheap ingredients = cheap results!

2. DAMAGE TO THE HAIR

If you are fluent in hairdressing language, you will know the 12% developers are reserved for basin balayage only.

In non-hairdressing terms? When making our colour potions, we mix our colours with developers. This allows our colour to open the hair follicle and penetrate the hair, creating that long lasting colour you guys froth over.

We have 4 levels of developers, depending on how much we need to lighten the hair / cover the greys natural highlights. The higher the developer, the more risk of compromising the integrity of the hair. Most hair salons use 3%, 6% and 9%, rarely colouring with 12%.

12% has the highest risk of breaking, splitting and drying out the hair, which is why, when using 12%, technicians put it on the hair for up to 10 minutes only.

All box dyes are 12% and above. With 30-40 minute processing time.

Yeah. Ouch.

3. COLOUR CORRECTIONS

We study for 3 years to get this shit down pat. Science, mixtures, tone tests, trials, colour scales. You name it, we know it. We are one step away from being as qualified as Van Gogh in the salon.

When you come to us with 5 years of black box packet dye and want to go Khloe Kardashian blonde in one session, let’s face it, it just won’t happen.

This is what we call a colour correction.
As the quality of the hair is our biggest priority, this MUST be done over time, sometimes a lot of time. It will cost you a pretty penny, and require lots of patience and work from your talented colourist.
Box colour can take MONTHS to remove, over several sessions.

That $20 box colour doesn’t seem that seem that affordable after the $300 colour correction 2 days later…

4. MOST OF THE TIME, IT JUST WON’T LOOK GOOD

The outcome of box colour is usually one that most hairdressers will tell you: it’s unwanted.

Box colours are designed to be applied to virgin hair, which lets face it, who has hair that’s never been coloured?

When you choose to apply box colour to previously coloured hair: expect major colour issues. Think back to all the hair colours you may have done.

Yep, even the bright pink you did for Future Music Festival in 2012…

Just because you selected the L’Oreal Frosty Brown, doesn’t mean your previous colours won’t still be lingering around like the seedy guy on the dance floor when the lights come on at closing time.

Your hair is so unique that you could be sitting next to your sister, your identical twin sister, and you could get totally different results with the same mix of box dye.

Hate to tell you, but you probably won’t look like the gorgeous gal on the pack.

We couldn’t tell you how many ‘just tried to box colour my hair to save money and oh my effing god, it’s green’ phone calls we have had over the years.

5. THE HAIRDRESSER EXPERIENCE

My favourite point by far. The experience. We spend our lives creating a beautiful, relaxing atmosphere for our incredible clients.
Sure, the salon experience might cost more than your packet dye, but we are a place for you to come in, relax, whinge about your boyfriend, get free advice, have a glass of wine, have time away from those annoying kids you had, have someone else wash your hair, get a massage, scroll aimlessly through Facebook with no judgment, eating sweets while getting off your chest how much of a dickhead your boss is.

The hairdressing salon is the only place you can do all of that, and get a hug at the end.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I rest my case.