Your hair is one of the first things that people notice about your appearance. Taking care of your hair so that it always looks great requires frequent maintenance and styling. While you can perform many of the tasks necessary to keep your hair healthy, some things you should leave to a licensed cosmetologist at a salon. The following guide provides you with a list of hair-care treatments that you should not try to perform on your own.

Hair Coloring

Coloring your hair at home with a box kit from a drug store can be risky business. If you are not experienced in dying hair and using a cheap store-bought kit, you may end up with damaged hair in a color that you do not want. Furthermore, if your hair has been chemically treated, and you color it at home, you can end up with a severely irritated scalp due to harsh chemicals such as ammonia in the dye.

Common problems that result from store-bought hair coloring kits include:

• Extremely dry scalp

• Dry, brittle hair

• Excessive hair breakage

• Unwanted color banding

A salon professional analyzes your hair before applying color. In addition, they have access to professional-use products that are not as harsh as store kits. In addition, they will formulate a custom color specifically for your hair. After you hair is colored, a licensed professional will also treat your hair with a shampoo and deep conditioner formulated for color-treated hair.

Cuts

You can find a plethora of videos online to teach you how to cut your own hair. You need a steady hand, a good mirror, and shears made specifically for cutting hair. The problem is that even after you have studied tons of videos, things could still go horribly wrong.

It can be hard to get the right angle to cut your hair properly when you are using mirrors. Plus, trimming the back of your head is a challenge. What if you make a mistake? You will end up going to a salon to fix those mistakes.

A salon is a better option for a cut in the first place because you are getting a service performed by someone with years of experience who spends their entire workday cutting and styling hair.

Relaxers and Perms

Relaxers that straighten hair and perms that are used to give curls contain strong chemicals that can lead to baldness if not handled properly. In fact, improperly applied home relaxers have been linked to a whole host of hair problems, from alopecia to scalp sores. Relaxers and perms that contain lye can also burn your scalp and leave permanent scarring and ulcerations.

While getting a low-price box kit for a relaxer or perm can be enticing, you are putting the health of your hair at risk when you apply those chemical products to your hair. When it comes to these treatments, stick with going to a salon. You will avoid overprocessing your hair and receive sound advice on how to take care of your chemically treated hair so that it remains healthy.

In addition, a cosmetologist has access to an array of chemical treatments of varying strengths from mild to strong. They can tailor the application to your hair type, porosity, and density.