The Deal

• $27.50 for a root touchup and blow-dry ($60 value)

Professional Hair Color: Custom Chemicals, Personal Results

Use this deal to transform your look with a splash of professional color. Learn why your hair will thank you for thinking outside the box with Groupon’s study of salon-quality hair color.

Though $10 may buy you a whole new look in a box, hair color is one thing worth investing in. Not only are salon stylists trained in applying hair color evenly to avoid zebra-like highlights and Rorschach bleach patterns, they also know how to top each head with its ideal shade. And when it comes to drugstore-grade color, what you see may not be what you get. It’s not only your hair’s color that will impact how dye responds, but its thickness and texture as well. Different types of hair absorb color differently, and someone with previously processed hair may not need to use products as strong as someone whose strands have never been altered. All this means that a theoretically one-size-fits-all boxed color may have unexpectedly quirky results.

When professional stylists mix pigment with developer to create a custom color, they use a ratio that takes into account the state of the client’s hair, allowing them to use chemicals that are no stronger than absolutely necessary. They’ll also be able to respond to another facet of human hair: it’s rarely all the same hue to begin with, and fresh growth will have a different look than the previously processed length that’s already there. To produce a subtle, natural look, professional stylists will typically mix at least two different shades. And with their nearly limitless palette, salon stylists are able to turn coifs into works of art using complex techniques such as ombre highlights or lowlights that dim naturally neon locks.