Confession time: I get confused when I go looking down the hair colour aisle in Boots! So many boxes; so many pretty pictures and strange names.

Choosing the right one is a complete minefield.

And yet nearly half of all women who get their hair coloured choose to do it at home. If you’re one of those people who use a box colour – or are a sometimes user of at home hair dye – please hear me out as I share the 8 reasons you’d look (and feel) so much better if you had your hair coloured in a salon.

1. You’ll choose a hair colour that really suits you
   Hairdressers and hair colourists train hard. We learn about the science of hair and hair colour and we also learn about shades choices and what depths work with different skin tones, so we can help find your perfect shade. Good colourists will talk to you about the look you want to wear and then choose the right colours to make that happen.
2. And you’ll actually get that shade
   That pretty picture on the box might be just the hue you have in mind, but without knowing what the model’s base colour was, or what condition her hair was in you can’t know whether you’re going to get the same shade. Put simply, it’s a hair colour lottery.
3. You’re less likely to suffer from an allergic reaction
   It’s an age of allergies and we’ve all seen the scary pics of someone who’s reacted badly to colour (usually at-home-colour). Your colourist should do a skin test before your first colour application (if they don’t, please choose a different colourist!) so your risk of a reaction will be spotted before the worst happens. They might even have an alternative colour range that will work for you.
4. You’ll get a head massage and some ‘me’ time
   Need I say more…
5. You’ll get multi-tonal colour; not flat colour
   Now here’s the truth: I don’t colour my own hair at home. I wouldn’t even try! Multi-tonal colour is all about placement. You need good lighting to see where the pieces should sit at the front and you need another pair of hands (and eyes!) to see where to put any highlights at the back. Do not try guess-work at home folks. You will regret it.
6. You’ll get subtle colour blends; not tell-tale lines
   That box might say it’s for balayage or ombre, but those looks are all about the technique and the application. It takes lots of PRACTICE to get that right. Balayage shouldn’t have any definite lines, but that’s hard to achieve. In my experience DIY balayage has an unfortunate habit of looking like regrowth.
7. You won’t get any nasty surprises
   We all know someone who’s ended up a delicious shade of pumpkin or with frazzled ends or nasty bands of colour after an at home dye job. And when that happens you either have to go for the chop, invest in colour correction (now that really can be a costly route to go down) or walk around feeling rather self-conscious until it grows out.
8. You’ll learn how to get the best out of your look
   Do you know what shampoos, conditioners and styling products you should  be using to make your colour (and your style for that matter) look as good as it could? As hairdressers we’re really not trying to give you a hard sell, we’re giving you our professional advice to help you look as good as possible – and it really does make a difference.

The bonus one: You don’t have to tidy up after you.
Do you really want to be emptying out bowls and tubes, cleaning the bathroom and washing towels when you don’t have to?

I genuinely believe that when you find a good colourist you’ll wonder why you even considered colouring your hair at home. Here’s to a stylish new you…