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Is it ever okay to dye your hair at home?

A lot goes in to the colouring process, more than simply throwing on a box dye over your bath!

When colouring your own hair at home there is a lot at stake including prepping the hair, the process and god awful mess, and keeping the integrity of your hair in good shape! Plus, the hope and prayers that your hair does actually come out the same as it is advertised on the box. Box dyeing is one thing, bleaching, well, we would recommend you never go there on your own!

Look, we know that sometimes money and time can factor in to colouring your hair, and so it can be so easy to grab a box dye and do it yourself at home. But before taking the plunge down this route, read on for everything you need to know on home hair colouring.

Professionals know best!

In the words of Forest Gump, when it comes to box dye, "You never know what your gonna get"! When colouring your hair at home, you risk not knowing what you will end up with. Hair colour can be affected by many things, such as previous built-up dye, chemical processes and medication. A professional will know the best way around these obstacles helping you to achieve your desired result. Plus, that beautiful blonde you see smiling at you from the box, well, she's had her hair coloured and styled by a professional in order to pose for that image!

You can make it so much worse!

When applying colour, you need to be aware that there is always the possibility that you could do more harm than good. You could cause severe damage to your hair resulting in bad breakage and hair loss. Poor colouring can cause dry, brittle and damaged hair that will need to be cut off. Worst case scenario is that the colour goes so wrong that you end up at a professional salon in order to have it corrected - resulting in a costly salon bill!

Do not try this at home!!

Lifting your hair with bleach should absolutely be done by professionals and never attempted yourself at home. When lifting out colour, your hair becomes more porous reducing its ability to retain moisture. When the hair is not properly lifted, the hair becomes limp, dry and severely damaged - often snapping clean off in your fingers. Bleach is a powerful substance that can be dangerous when not used properly and can even cause burns to the skin, so leave it to the pros!

Big mistake!

Home dyes don't always give you an even result from roots to tips, and can even cause 'hot roots', which is where the roots turn a warm red/orange colour due to poor application. When adding colour to the hair, people often don't think about their natural hair colour at the roots and the colour built-up areas on the lengths, thus giving them a two-tone effect.

If you're gonna do it anyway!

Okay, so you have read our warnings but you still wanna dye at home. If this is the case then choosing a gentle semi-permanent colour is best. And make sure you follow the rules exactly as they are given, including carrying out a skin test before applying the colour.