DIY Hair vs. The Salon: An Honest Chat About Your Hair and Your Wallet

Some hair tasks are safe to handle at home while others require professional expertise to protect your hair's health and get the result you want. The difference comes down to chemistry and technique.

At Bokaos Aveda in Old Town Pasadena, about forty percent of our color correction clients come to us after a DIY attempt went wrong. After more than thirty years in this industry, I've found that clients who invest in professional services for chemical work and cutting save money in the long run and keep their hair healthier.

I'm Hasblady Guzman, and I'll be honest with you. Early in my career, I told a client she could touch up her roots at home between appointments to save money. She used a box dye that reacted badly with her existing color, and I spent three sessions correcting the damage.

I felt terrible for giving that advice. Now at Bokaos Aveda, I always tell clients the truth about what's safe to DIY and what needs professional hands. Trust me on this. That honest conversation upfront saves everyone time, money, and heartache.

A Client Who Learned the Hard Way

A client named Carmen L. from Altadena came in last month near tears. "I tried to save money with box color and now my hair is orange with dark ends," she said. "I was trying to go brunette and it turned into a disaster."

During her consultation at Bokaos Aveda, we assessed the damage and created a correction plan. The box dye had deposited unevenly on her porous ends while her roots lifted to a brassy orange. Two sessions later, she had the rich brunette she originally wanted.

"I spent more fixing the box dye than I would have spent just coming here first," she told me. "Lesson learned."

She's since referred her daughter who was about to make the same mistake. Honestly, I hear some version of Carmen's story every week. The ten dollar box never stays ten dollars.

What You Can Safely Do at Home

Think of your hair care like cooking. Some things are simple, like making a great salad at home. Other things, like a perfect beef wellington, are best left to a chef who understands the science behind it.

At Bokaos Aveda, we tell our clients there are plenty of things they can handle themselves between visits:

• Washing and Conditioning: Using high-quality, professional products makes a huge difference, but the actual washing is all you. At Bokaos Aveda, we recommend Aveda products to extend your results between appointments.
• Deep Conditioning Treatments: A weekly hair mask is a fantastic way to maintain moisture, especially with our sunny Pasadena weather. About seventy percent of our clients do weekly treatments at home.
• Heat Styling: With a good heat protectant spray, you can flat iron, curl, and blow dry your hair. Just be mindful of the temperature and don't exceed 380 degrees.
• Using Purple Shampoo: If you're a blonde, purple shampoo is your best friend for keeping brassiness away between toning appointments at Bokaos Aveda.
• A Tiny Bang Trim: I say this with caution. If you have steady hands and only want to snip a few millimeters off your existing bangs, you can probably manage. But please, use real hair shears.

When to Step Away and Call the Salon

This is where the science and artistry come in. At Bokaos Aveda, we see what happens when these services go wrong, and the corrections are always more expensive than doing it right the first time:

• Any Chemical Service: This is non-negotiable. Hair color, bleach, keratin treatments, and perms all change the chemical structure of your hair. One wrong move can cause breakage that takes years to grow out. At Bokaos Aveda, a professional understands formulation, timing, and application to prevent that.
• A Real Haircut: Cutting hair isn't just about making it shorter. We look at your hair's growth patterns, texture, and density to create a shape that falls beautifully. That's why a salon cut grows out so much better than a home trim.
• Layers or Texturizing: This is advanced geometry for hair. Creating movement and removing bulk without leaving holes requires training. At Bokaos Aveda, our stylists spend years mastering these techniques.
• Color Correction: If your color went wrong, please don't try to fix it with another box. Color correction is complex chemistry, and a stylist needs to assess the situation to create a safe plan. We see this often from clients in San Marino and La Cañada who tried a quick fix that made things worse.

The Truth About That Ten Dollar Box of Hair Color

The biggest temptation for DIY is hair color. It looks so easy on the box, and the price is hard to beat. But that "one-size-fits-all" color is precisely the problem.

Your hair is completely unique. A box dye has no idea if your hair is fine or coarse, porous from the sun, or has old color on the ends. It uses a standard developer, often much stronger than necessary, which can cause unnecessary damage.

These dyes are also loaded with harsh chemicals and metallic salts that coat the hair strand. This can create a dull finish and react unpredictably with professional color later on. At Bokaos Aveda, about thirty percent of our new color clients have residual box dye we need to work around.

Ever seen someone with bright orange roots and dark, muddy ends? That's box dye. The porous ends soaked up too much color while the healthy roots lifted to a brassy shade.

At Bokaos Aveda, we use Aveda's naturally-derived hair color. Before we even mix anything, we talk to you. We analyze your hair and create a custom formula just for you, giving you beautiful, dimensional color that actually improves the condition of your hair.

Let's Talk Numbers: The Real Cost of a DIY Mistake

I know what you're thinking. A professional color service costs more upfront. But at Bokaos Aveda, we see what happens when a "bargain" goes wrong, and the math never works in favor of DIY.

The Box Dye Disaster: You spend ten dollars on a box of color. Your hair turns a strange shade of orange. A color correction service at Bokaos Aveda to fix it costs $250 or more. The harsh chemicals have left your hair damaged, so you need bond-building treatments adding another $150. Your ten dollar experiment just turned into a $410 problem.

The Home Highlighting Fail: You spend twenty dollars on a highlighting kit. You end up with patchy, bleach-spotted "cheetah spots." Fixing this at Bokaos Aveda requires multiple sessions and can run between $300 and $500. Bleach damage is serious, so repair treatments add $200 or more. That twenty dollar kit could cost you up to $720 to fix. A professional balayage would have been around $250.

The "I'll Just Trim It" Mistake: You spend nothing to cut your own hair. The layers are uneven, and you took off way more than you meant to. A stylist now has to reshape everything, which often means going shorter than you wanted. This correction cut can be $100 or more. A professional haircut at Bokaos Aveda starts at $75.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hair Care

How do I know if my hair needs professional color correction?

At Bokaos Aveda, we tell clients to come in if their color is uneven, brassy, too dark, or if they've used box dye and want to go lighter. About forty percent of our correction clients tried to fix it themselves first and made it worse. A consultation takes about fifteen minutes and costs nothing.

Can I use box dye if I've had professional color before?

At Bokaos Aveda, we strongly advise against it. Box dye contains metallic salts that can react unpredictably with professional color. If you've had highlights, balayage, or any lightening service, box dye can cause severe damage or unwanted color results.

How much does a color correction cost?

At Bokaos Aveda, color correction typically ranges from $250 to $500 depending on the severity. Some corrections require multiple sessions. We always assess your hair first and give you an honest quote before we begin.

What if I'm not sure whether something is safe to do at home?

At Bokaos Aveda, we offer free consultations for exactly this reason. Come in, show us what you're thinking about doing, and we'll give you honest advice. About half the people who come in for consultations learn they can safely do what they wanted at home.

Still Not Sure? Let's Chat

Your hair is something you wear every single day. Investing in it is investing in your confidence. If you're standing in the hair care aisle wondering if you should try something at home, pause.

A consultation at Bokaos Aveda takes about fifteen minutes. We assess your hair's current condition, discuss what you're hoping to achieve, and give you honest advice. It costs you nothing and can save you hundreds.

Come see us at Bokaos Aveda at 52 Hugus Alley in Pasadena, CA 91103. You can reach us at (626) 304-0007 or book a free consultation online. We'd love to help you make the best decision for your hair.