When coloring your hair, you initially face two options: doing it at home or in a color bar. The former seems cheaper but doesn’t guarantee the perfect outcome; the latter requires you to plan a visit and may cost a bit more, but in the end, you’re in the hands of a professional. So, which option is better? Let’s take a closer look together!
The Pros and Cons of a Color Bar
We will begin by looking at professional hair coloring. A color bar is definitely better in terms of quality, but do its advantages overcome the downsides? Let’s see:
Color Bar Pros:
- Hair dye is mixed on the spot based on your current color, hair condition, and expected outcome.
- Professional advice: from choosing the right color to hair care.
- Very low chance for a disappointing outcome.
- The color lasts longer and doesn’t shade as much as after at-home coloring.
Color Bar Cons:
- More expensive than a box dye.
- You need to get to the location.
- You need to schedule earlier on.
At first glance, it truly seems that the benefits of professional hair coloring outweigh its disadvantages. Yet, to get the full overview, let’s also take a look at box dyes.
The Pros and Cons of Coloring Your Hair at Home
Box dyes are a widely used alternative to visiting a hair color bar since they are simple, easy to use, and accessible in any beauty supply store. But, are they in fact better? Let’s see their advantages and disadvantages to get a deeper insight.
Box Dye Pros:
- You can buy them at most supermarkets and in any beauty supply store.
- Available on the go – you don’t need to schedule anything.
- Cheaper than a visit to a hair color bar.
Box Dye Cons:
- You need to evaluate whether the color will end in your desired outcome yourself.
- They often fade more quickly.
- Might contain harsh ingredients such as ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, or parabens.
- You have to apply them yourself, so some hairstyles, such as gemini hair, are much more difficult to achieve.
As you can see, although they are quick and easily accessible, box hair dyes have many downsides. Some could argue that the advantages still outweigh them, but is it so?
Color Bar vs. Box Dye: Which Is Better?
So, at first glance, it seems that a visit to a color bar might be a slightly better choice unless you have extensive experience with hair coloring. But, if you think about it more, the difference becomes even more apparent.
Although professional hair coloring might seem more expensive, it is often the cheaper option. Why? Well, if anything goes wrong with your box dye, you need to get another one to repair the damage. This way, the costs slowly go up and may reach a level much higher, with the price of all the dyes combined being larger than of a visit to a color bar. So, in our opinion: get your hair done professionally and have a guarantee of your desired outcome.
