by Mellisa Brownawell

Created on: June 18, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

As a licensed Cosmetology Teacher in PA, I have seen many cases of the "OTC" (over the counter) color. When working in various salons I would see women, well mostly teenagers, come in crying and at their wit's end with their hair, courtesy of a box color. I've seen them gray, green, blue, purple and oh so many more colors. My best advice is to go to a professional, especially when going from a dark color to a blond or any light color. The OTC colors have what are called metallic salts in them which can actually melt your hair, among many other things. Upon demonstrating for my freshman class a few years ago I witnessed a piece of hair disappear right before my eyes during a strand test. Basically what happened is that the chemicals on the hair from OTC colors had a reaction with the ammonia in the professional line of color and melted the hair into thin air. Mind you, this can also happen if your stylist doesn't know what he or she is doing. It comes from over-processed hair. The hair just gets really gummy and brittle. Beware all of the box colors. And if you must, consult a professional first as to which ones are less harmful to your hair.

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