You Should Never Dye Your Own Hair. This Hair Stylist Reveals Why

So many of us have opted to dye our hair out of a box at least once in our lives. Whether you opted for a vivid pink, pastel ends, or simply one shade lighter or darker than your natural color, growing up, it's almost a rite of passage. But if you've been box dying your hair ever since (or for most of your life), it might be time to reconsider. According to George Nikollaj, hair stylist and co-owner of 6 Salon, "There are many reasons not to dye your hair at home." 

Despite the fun of being able to choose your new hair color straight off the shelf at your local drug store, it turns out that it pays to get a professional treatment instead. Like so many things in life, it's a case of quality over price. 

"Box color and color mixed at the salon are completely different," Nikollaj tells The List. "When you use box color from a store, it's not able to be blended with any other. When getting color at a salon, each client's color is customized to what they have at the time they come into the salon." 

In other words, when you use box color from your local drug store, it's likely the result will be a block color rather than a color that's been adapted to your hair, making it look more natural, with the dimension you really want. "Generally, we never use one tube of color, we mix a couple of tubes or a couple of shades to achieve the best results," Nikollaj explains. 

Moreover, when using box dye, there is little you can do to correct it. "Lifting it out of the hair is almost impossible," warns Nikollaj. But at the salon, if a "client's color needs to be lightened for instance, the color will come out of the hair a lot easier." It sounds like an easy decision — coloring your hair at home simply isn't worth the risk when professional help is available.