Home Kit - Q/A

Home kit hair dye is a risky business.  

Lets just get a few things clear.

You hair is your biggest fashion accessory. 

You would not buy a coat or pair of shoes for £5.00 and wear them every day.

You would probably not attempt to make your own shoes at home from a Jimmy Choo flatpack.

You would always trust your dentist to work on your teeth and not give yourself a filling in your kitchen. 

You would not self prescribe contact lenses and then fit them at home. 

So why do people still think it is a good idea to colour their hair at home? 

Listen to what this girl has to say...

Read what I have to say...

There are many different hair types and conditions. A home kit is a cover all bases approach that is simply not right for many people.



I trained for years, both in a salon and at a college. I studied the biology of the hair and skin, the chemical and molecular structure of hair. I have also used an extensive variety of hair colours in both my professional and private life. I can categorically say that home kit colours are a big mistake.

It is the detailed education and experience that enables a good quality stylist to select the right colour for you. Not just in terms of shade and tone but also chemical strength and molecular content.

When I choose a hair colour, first we decide what colour a client would like to be. We get the magazines and style files out and talk about the different options. Clients choose the colour they would like and then the brain power and hard work starts.

As a hairdresser I have to assess the colour of the hair and how to change it to the desired tone. First I check to see if we are colouring roots and ends. If the root tone is different to the ends then they require different treatment. Sounds obvious, really but so many people buy a box of hair colour when their roots show and put it all over their head. This is always going to cause differing shades and inconsistent colouring.

I have to decide which colours to use in order to change the hair. It is not as simple as picking out the same colour as the desired finish. If you let clients view the colour book they will often pick out their favoured colour and expect you to put a tube of that on their head and voilà! This is not how it works.
It is a lot like mixing paint. If you mix red and blue you get purple. If you mix yellow and blue you get green. If you mix them all in the sink at the end it goes brown. So I have to take the clients hair as a start point and mix in the relevant colours to achieve the desired result. This is why selecting colours from magazines and style files is better than the shade chart. I can achieve anything, not just the set menu of colours on the chart. If a client selects from the chart then they expect the exact match to the chart. Often their own hair tone and depth will affect the blend. This makes exact matching to the chart with one application of colour an unrealistic target. As I said, people often think, 'if I want this colour, use this colour,' - this is not the case! In fact, as your hair is not a blank canvas, you are pretty certain you will get anything except the chosen colour. I often joke that hair colour can be an 'inexact science.' With home kits it is more like an 'uneducated guess.'


It is also worth noting that whilst the paint on canvas analogy is useful, hair is different to canvas and tint works differently to paint. Hair is formed through a biological process and the understanding of this process is essential to artificially colouring the hair.

We have to know how your hair reacts to the chemical process in order to select the right products for you.

The best example of this in relation to home kit dye is when the ends are over processed. The outer surface of the hair is broken open by strong dye and then the colour molecules settle into the cortex, or 'inside.' When hair is over processed the outer surface has been damaged so much the colour cannot be retained. The hair will really take the colour in well and possibly go darker than expected. However, the colour will wash out very quickly too. At home the bits that fade get coloured most and end up most faded and out of condition. In salon we use different application techniques and different strength tint blends to provide you with even, long lasting colour. The result of professional colouring with care is healthy, shiny hair.

I must thank Schwartzkopf for providing me with the tools of my trade. I use their Igora Royal colourists creme permanent tints and the Igora Vibrance ammonia free demi permanent range. I also use the Colour Gloss true semi permanent colours. Whilst i believe they are one of the most expensive colour ranges, they are, in my opinion, the best.
If you start with top quality ingredients you can achieve a top quality result. You still need the skill of the 'chef' though, lol.

In salon we have a range of techniques we use to achieve fantastic hair. From incredibly natural looking woven lowlights to block colouring and fashion placement. At home you have to apply your colour yourself or at best have a friend do the back. I can assure you, the skills and training that a modern hairdresser has will mean the technical work put in at the salon will be worth all the extra effort.

Your hair is also an ever changing thing. It grows and changes over the seasons and years. The fashion constantly moves forward. The techniques we use and the tools are always improving.
Your style and your hair should evolve gently over time as well. A good stylist understands this and will help you to always feel fresh and at your best.



So, you shouldn't be messing with your hair at home because you don't know the science and you don't have a tool kit of chemicals, plus you cant do the back and your 'foils' look like scrunched up kit-kat wrappers.

I don't care if you have just added packet 'a' to tube 'b.' Put down the bottle and pick up the old towels from the floor. Click on our price guide or contact details above. Better yet just click 'where;' find us and come in for a free consultation and a coffee.

We do the hair, you just relax and have a good time.

Scott. x