Stylist applies hair color to a woman’s grey hair

The Safest Way to Color Your Hair? At Home or in the Salon?

August 28, 2023 BY JAY SMALL, HAIRSTYLIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF AREY

Here’s What Your Stylist Wants You to Know About Box Dyes

Do you color your hair at home or do you have your salon colorist on speed dial? Either way, you are part of a growing beauty trend that started with the ancient Romans.¹

One study of 2,000 women aged between 42 and 57 showed that nearly half dye their hair. One-third can’t even remember what their original color is anymore.

You certainly have a lot of color options to choose from. From permanent hair dye to temporary tints, box dyes, and salon color, it can be hard to choose what’s right for you.

In my 20 years as a stylist doing hair color, I have seen all kinds of coloring trends. I have also seen a growing awareness of the side effects of certain chemicals used in hair color – particularly permanent home hair color.

My clients often ask my advice about hair color safety. Here’s what I’ve learned about the safest ways to color your hair at home or in the salon.

What’s the Difference Between Salon Color and Box Color?

There are 3 main differences between coloring at home and at the salon.

1. Box Dyes Can Contain Harsh Ingredients

Many permanent box dye formulas contain ammonia. Ammonia opens up the protective exterior layer of your hair (the cuticle) so the dye can penetrate your strands. This process is damaging to your hair, leaving it dry and brittle.

Professional hair color formulas are often made without ammonia to reduce damage to your hair. Even if your professional colorist uses a formula made with ammonia, they have the training necessary to reduce any potential damage.

2. At Home Hair Dye Increases Your Chemical Exposure

The major risk of at-home hair color, especially permanent color, is that you are applying color directly to your scalp. Have you ever had an itchy scalp or felt a stinging sensation when coloring at home? That’s the chemicals affecting your sensitive scalp skin.

The good news is, that when you go to a salon, there are ways to use hair color more safely. Your hairstylist has techniques that can reduce your exposure to harsh chemicals such as using foils to keep the color off your scalp or using semi or demi-permanent color.

3. Hair Dye Developer Levels in Box Dyes vs Salon Color

In an at-home color kit, you usually mix the color with another bottle – that’s the developer. Developer activates your hair color and allows it to penetrate your hair shaft.

Permanent box color needs to work on even the coarsest, most resistant greys so it needs to use a strong developer. If you have finer hair, you’re being exposed to way more developer than you need. The result – dry, overprocessed hair. It can also increase brassy tones in red or brown shades.

A professional stylist is not limited to one developer level. They can choose from levels ranging from 5% to 12% depending on your hair type and texture. They can also customize formulas with semi- and demi-permanent options to further reduce your risk of hair

If you’re committed to coloring your hair, especially covering your grey hair, you are probably using hair dye every 4-6 weeks. That’s about 10 times a year. The good news is there are many ways to make your color experience safer. You can also help your color last longer so you can stretch out the time between salon visits.

Three Box Dye Ingredients to Avoid if You Color Your Hair at Home

I know that coloring your own hair is sometimes your best option. If you’re using box hair dyes then you can still protect your health and your hair by avoiding certain ingredients.

woman checks for harmful ingredients on a hair color box

Avoid permanent dyes and look for plant-based or natural color products. Always do an allergy patch test on your wrist 24 hours before using any at-home hair color.

There are up to 400 compounds commonly used in hair dyes that are harmful.² Here are three you should definitely avoid:

1. P-Phenylenediamine:

Also known as Para-phenylenediamine (PPD), this is one of the most common ingredients in permanent, dark-shade hair dyes. When PPD penetrates scalp skin it can cause severe allergic reactions along your hairline including blistering.³

Because you can become sensitized to PPD over time, it’s important to do a patch test at least 48 hours before each use of a box dye.

2. Resorcinol:

Used in permanent dyes, resorcinol helps bind color to your hair.⁴ In Japan, it is restricted for use in cosmetics, and Europe requires warning labels on products containing resorcinol. The US restricts its use in manufacturing but not in salons.

Resorcinol is toxic in high doses and is believed to disrupt your central nervous system. It has also been shown to affect your hormone levels.⁵

3. Ethanolamine:

Many box dyes advertise themselves as “ammonia-free” but that doesn’t always mean safer. All permanent hair colors must contain a chemical like ammonia to allow the dye to enter your hair strands. The replacement for ammonia is often a chemical called ethanolamine.

Worryingly, the Environmental Working Group⁶ rates ethanolamine as worse than ammonia in its toxicity rating. It is considered unsafe for use in products left on the skin and listed as toxic or harmful on the Environment Canada Domestic Substance List. Other studies have linked ethanolamine as a cause of skin irritation (dermatitis) and hair loss.⁷

hand holding three pill bottles

How to Keep Your Hair Strands Healthy When You Color

Chemical processing can be stressful on your hair and scalp. If you color your hair, it’s important to keep your strands strong and healthy. The stronger your hair strand is, the better it will look after coloring. Weak hair is more vulnerable to damage from chemicals in hair

woman using Arey Scrub scalp exfoliation product in shower

You can easily boost your hair and scalp health by:

Taking a hair growth supplement: Arey’s Not Today, Grey supplement is designed to boost hair growth and thickness, combat thinning, and slow grey hair growth.
Regularly detoxing your scalp: Arey’s Scrub is designed for use on all types of colored hair. It gently exfoliates and moisturizes your scalp to reduce buildup and prevent dryness. A healthy scalp is less vulnerable to irritation from hair color.
Using a scalp serum: boost your hair health for thicker, stronger hair with our topical serum To The Root. To The Root delivers peptides to your hair follicles which stimulate collagen, elastin, and keratin production – the building blocks of healthy hair.

Good haircare habits and the right supplement keep your colored hair healthy from the inside out.

woman using Arey To The Root scalp serum

How to Reduce Color Fading Between Appointments

Red shades are the hardest hair colors to maintain. They tend to fade quickly after coloring. If you’re going for blonde or brunette, your main issue will be brassiness. Brassy hair is when you get unwanted warm orange and red tones in brown or blonde hair.

Here are the best ways to stop fading and brassy tones in your colored hair:

✅ Wash your colored hair with cool water: hot water, like heat-styling tools, will quickly fade your color. Heat opens the hair cuticle so the color washes out.

✅ Use a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo: our signature treatment shampoo Wash is free of harsh cleansers so it won’t fade your color. Combined with our lightweight conditioner Smooth, it softens and repairs dry and damaged hair.

✅ Use a toning shampoo: toners deposit color only on the outside of the hair shaft for a temporary color correction. Using a toning shampoo every 2 weeks keeps your brassy tones in check.

✅ Protect your hair color from the sun: the sun acts like bleach to fade your color fast. Using a combination conditioner and sunscreen for your hair like Live In Mist, helps keep your hair color vibrant.

✅ Use a heat protectant: hot tools dry out your colored hair and leave it faded and dull. A leave-in conditioner and heat protectant like Mend protects your dyed hair from heat damage and styling stress up to 450°.

With the right color and haircare choices, you can enjoy great hair and less time at the salon. I have clients that now only come for a touch-up every 3-4 months instead of every 3-5 weeks.

woman applying Arey Live In Mist sunscreen for your hair

When I co-founded Arey with my client Allison Conrad, we wanted to make products that deliver clean, balanced hair care. That means using only clean, safe, science-backed ingredients that really work.

At Arey, We Make Balanced, Clean, Color-Safe Products

Colored hair needs gentle, balanced care. That’s why Arey’s products are all color safe and free from harmful ingredients that can weaken your colored hair. All our products are vegan, cruelty-free, and free from gluten, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde and artificial colors or fragrances.

We want you to have great hair when you are using hair color. That’s why we developed our haircare system of a supplement and topical products that delivers stronger, thicker hair from the inside out. Our goal is to make it easy for you to have your best hair.

Your hair health is important to us so we offer 25% off on all subscriptions to help keep you on track with your hair health goals. Because we know that science + consistency = results.

We are Arey.

We want you to feel happy and confident with your hair. Have questions? Take a look at our FAQ page or send us an email at hey@areygrey.com.

Jay Small, Stylist and co-founder of Arey, cuts a client’s hair

AuthorJay SmallJay Small is a sought-after hair stylist in Los Angeles with over 20 years of experience. His clients consist of high-profile business and creative leaders. He trained as an apprentice to the owner of Paul Mitchell and worked in education and product development for Paul Mitchell Systems. Jay is incredibly passionate about the creative process both in terms of styling hair and developing effective products.

REFERENCES:

Your Gut Microbiome is the Secret to Healthier, Thicker Hair

How Boosting Melanin Production Can Slow and Reverse Grey Hair

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