Why professional is the only choice for hair colour

There's nothing quite like a professional touch to make a job really stand out. Whether it's painting a room, taking a photograph or cooking a meal- there's a reason why we pay for a professional to work their magic.

And hair colour is no different - a professional colourist will have the knowledge and experience to understand what will work and what won't work when it comes to colour.

They'll know the techniques that will give you the celebrity look, and the techniques that will give you the 'chav' look, the latest trends that are being filtered down from the catwalks and most importantly, their experience will enable them to know what suits you.

A tailored consultation

Anya Dellicompagni, hairdressing director for Midlands salon chain Francesco Group, says that the benefits of visiting a salon for your hair colour is about much more than just being pampered for a couple of hours.

"A colourist understands what colour is best for your skin type, hair type and the haircut you are carrying," she says.

"Colour can make your hair look amazing and really complement your haircut. You're paying for the in-depth consultation, involving skin tone analysis that is impossible to do yourself."

The right result every time

However it's not just the professional consultation that makes a visit to your colourist money well spent, award winning colourist Mark Leeson points out that the history of your hair colour is vital to achieving the final result that you're dreaming of.

"The colour history of your hair will be recorded, therefore each salon visit ensures your colourist knows what your hair has been through and how to get the most out of it," he explains.

It's a good point - most women who have a go at achieving their own colour don't have a clue what it is they've used once the box is in the bin.

While this may not be an issue all the time you are happy with your colour, if it goes wrong or isn't quite what you expected it can make colour correction or a complete colour makeover into a really tough task. 

Have the best techniques

One of the most popular colour services that is showing no sign of declining is highlights. This classic look is still one of the most requested services in any high street salon, and any highlight addict will tell you, the thickness of the streaks and their closeness to the route, not to mention the positioning of each foil, is absolutely crucial in getting the right look.

"Highlights are impossible to do yourself correctly. We can get them in the hair speedily and accurately and have all the colours available so we can add multiple shades," agrees London colourist and highlight guru Karine Jackson.

Enjoy a 'time out'

If the thought of having a colour expert working on your hair isn't enough to tempt you to head to the salon for some 'me time', then just give a thought to the amount of people who actually see your hair every single day.

As Lisa Shepherd, resident hair colour expert on Channel 4's 10 Years Younger, puts it, "unless you really like hats, your hair is seen by everyone every day. Bad hair colour has the ability to make us feel bad, look bad and age us beyond belief."

"Never changing your hair colour is the most ageing thing you can do! As you age, your skin changes tone and so should your hair - it might be subtle, but by keeping up with new techniques, trends and innovations you will keep your hair looking 'younger'," she adds.