Emerson Salon – Capitol Hill Seattle

If you are coloring and straightening your own hair at home and it is breaking, stop!

• The home coloring and straightening kits on the market use very harsh chemicals, unlike professional-grade hair colors and straighteners.
• Both hair color and straighteners chemically alter the composition of hair. They both change the bonds that hair is made up of.

Here is an example of straightened, color treated hair—>

Coarser hair textures can take a bit more chemical alteration because the strands of the hairs themselves are stronger.

<----Here is an example of broken colored and straightened hair

If your hair is breaking from having two chemical processes on your hair, and is not breaking because you are putting it into a ponytail or wearing clips in it, then there are some things you can do!

Make an appointment with a hair professional for a consultation.

A good hair professional will recommend a salon reconditioning treatment first off, to restore some of your hair’s elasticity, moisture and protein balance, and overall hair health.

• It is advisable to pick one process over another in the event that your hair cannot handle two chemical processes. Which is more important? Covering gray or having a funky color? Or taming unruly curls?
• There are alternate methods to wearing one’s hair straighter that don’t involve a chemical process, Yes, they take more time but we all have choices to make regarding our health.
• Straight, sleek gray hair or natural hair can look great when taken care of, and colorful curly hair that is shiny and tamed looks amazing as well!
• If you have tried everything and are committed to having straight and color treated hair, then wait at least two weeks between coloring and straightening your hair. After a week has passed after the first service, get a conditioning treatment done in the salon, to help strengthen and prepare your hair for the next chemical service.

Here is an example of hair colored and straightened in a salon—>

In the salon, we have more resources available, color-wise, that will not damage your hair. Depending on your desired color result and the strength of the straightener used on your hair (we can usually tell from looking at your natural color and assessing your hair’s level of porosity), we will customize a hair color formulation for you that will be less damaging to your hair.