Leave it to the PROS

I am a girl that is all for a good DIY!

However, when it comes to certain things I think it is better to leave it to the pros. 

I gathered my top 5 beauty services 

that should be done by a professional, not in the comfort of your own home. 

As a professional myself, I can promise you there is a reason I Spent almost 20K & 1800 hours to receive an education in cosmetology. I know what I am talking about, I know what looks best, works best and is right for my clients. As a stylist it is my job to educate you on how to style your hair at home and what products to use to recreate the looks I give you in the salon. It is also my duty to inform you of when you are wrong and pull the I'm the professional card. 

You wouldn't go to your doctor's, expecting him/her to tell you what is wrong with you just for you to turn around and say " No actually, my old doctor told me this." or "Well that's not what I read online."

So below are the things I feel you should release the reigns and let your stylist take control of!

1.All over color

2.Highlights

3.Waxing

4.Haircutting,

 Yes this includes Bang Trims!

5.Extended wear Mani's

1 & 2 

I am going to combine into one as I inform you on the effects of box color. 

Box Color 101: 

When using any brand of box color you are using harsh levels of ammonia on your hair. 

Box color doesn't come with different level options for the developer that activates the color. 

Box color is a one size fits all, and lets be honest 9 out of 10 times that is never the case!

Once ammonia is applied to the hair it actually blast the hair follicle wide open and changes the hairs pH level. 

I know most of you don't take into consideration or even care about your hairs pH level. But you should! When your hairs pH is too high, it leaves the cuticle wide opening allowing and even increasing the possibility of damage. When the cuticle is left open, it has the same affect of leaving a door wide open in your house. anything can come in, and go out whenever it pleases.

So all of that color you just applied has nothing locking in it. It will fade faster, and dry out quicker. You want your hair cuticle to be closed in order to keep all moisture and luster inside. That is what creates a healthy shiny look!

There are professional shampoos you can buy to bring your hair back to its natural pH level that should always remain at the 6-8 level on the pH scale keeping your hair in the middle of the acidic/alkaline diagram. 

Buying a $10 box color seems like the easy way out, but $300 later for a color correction in a salon once you have messed up your hair could have all been avoided for just an $80 color to start with!

All Over Color:

Another possible ingredient in box color is metallic salts. metallic salts actually acquire a build up on the hair strand each time you use the dye, and it allows the hair to grab darker on the ends each time. This is something you may have noticed before when using box dye.

 There is no guarantee you will have even results. Roots are virgin hair, your mid shaft to ends are chemically treated from the previous times you have dyed your hair. There is no logical way to think they would both turn out the same, even if the box says jet black, it will not be the same shade of black. 

When all over color is applied in the salon, often times two different formulations are created for the roots and ends and applied separately!

Box color is also only ONE color. In the salon I, 9 times out of 10 mix 2 to 3 colors per formulation to customize the color to match my clients skin tone, desired look, and bring out their eyes perfectly. 

Highlights:

I am a blonde. Therefore Highlights (when foils are applied to the head) are used when coloring my hair. I can not do this myself. Neither should you. There is no way you can see the top of your head to get as close to the root as your stylist is going to be able to. Even if you have a friend doing, maybe they are even a professional.. 

If you are still using box color and not the professional stuff it is not going to turn out as good. Whatever the products is, is going to be too strong for the job you are trying to do. 

When using blonde box color to lift, they put the highest developers in the box to ensure no matter what color the consumer starts with that the color will lift! 

As stylist, we take into consideration what your existing hair looks like, feels like and what texture it is so that we choose the correct developer level to pair with the lightener so that it gets the job done right, while mainting the integrity of your hair. 

Quick Tip:

Heavy duty dye jobs are not a one stop shop! When it comes to highlights, and going lighter I always tell my clients "blonding is a journey not a destination." I have been every color under the sun but I always resort back to my natural and most favorite, BLONDE! 

Here is a little walk down memory lane of my different looks!

3. Waxing:

I have touched on this in my brow 101 post, but waxing should be left to the pros!

Yes they sell waxing kits at Sally's, but that does not mean you need to buy one and go all DIy on me!

I myself don't even try to wax my own brows. I let the pros do their job. They are skilled at shaping, filling and making them frame my face perfectly. Its an art! Then in between my visits, I just follow their lines and fill them in myself! 

To see a "how to" on filling in your brows click here. 

Not only brows, but all other waxing imaginable should be left to the pros! You are not trained, you do not know what to look for before waxing and what signs to look for that show you when to avoid waxing period.

You do not want to create skin care issues by trying to save money!

4. Haircutting/Bang Trims

I don't think anyone should ever cut their own hair. Yes people do it. Some professionals even claim to cut their own hair. I personally do not see how, I do not have eyes in the back of my head. I can not see what is going on back there, let alone get the correct hand positioning to ensure an accurate cut. 

Even if you have long hair and can see what you are cutting, don't do it!

It will not be even.

If you are not a professional you probably don't understand all the laws of cutting and what goes into it.  That is why you should leave it to the pros!

I have plenty of clients that come in, sit in my chair and always start with

"Don't kill me but I trimmed my own bangs, I couldn't take it anymore"

I have been there, and cut that! 

My own mother is one of these clients. 

As a pro I can tell when she got a little scissor happy, but she feels the need to explain every time. 

She started out using rusty kitchen scissors like she was in a Miranda Lambert video or something!

I finally broke down and got her a pair of actual shears from Sally's, and taught her the proper way to trim her bangs since I knew she would keep doing it anyways!

For all you girls out there that got "banged" just call your salon, and make a bang trim appointment!

Yes they exist and usually only cost a couple bucks. Most likely you don't even need an actual appointment! They take a few seconds and will save you the embarrassment of a jagged, zig zag wanna be swoop bang!

5. Extended wear Mani's

I LOVEEEEEE GEL manicures! 

Gel, shellac, whatever you use is amazing!

I am so happy this was ever invented. 

As a stylist my hands are in and out of water a 100 times a day. They dry out and regular polish will chip, stain and come off in no time!

Extended wear Mani's are the only kind I get now. 

I am not an acrylic girl. I am all about natural nails. 

So this is the best solution and mixture of both!

An extended wear Mani will last anywhere from 1-2 weeks.

Lately the stores have been selling "at home kits" That come with a base, top and few polish colors as well as the light that is used to cure the polish to the nail. 

I myself don't even own one of these. 

Unless you have been trained on how to apply it, it will not last. 

It has to be done correctly to ensure that it will not lift. The pros know how & could probably do it in their sleep for as popular as this service has become! 

You can get an "at home kit" from anywhere to $40-$80 bucks. 

When you receive an extended wear Mani in the salon it can cost you anywhere from $20-35. 

Yes it seems like the better deal to buy the kit and just DIY. 

But Like I mentioned unless you are trained it will not last. 

If you get the tinest bit of the base, color or top coat on your finger it will lift and end up peeling off the entire nail that was polished. 

There for when you DIY, it's not so extended wear. 

I have done it myself, and have had this issue. 

I polsihed them using the light, not even 20 mins 2, 3, 4, 5, nails later had all popped off!

so when it doubt, ask your stylist about it!

xoxo,
molly