Coronavirus Doesn’t Mean You Need to Cut Your Own Hair or be Your Own Stylist — Custom Consultations Available Online

You’ve seen the memes. The ones encouraging you to slowly step away from the boxed hair dye and the scissors, just in case you’re looking to do a two-for-one bang-up hair job.

As social distancing end dates extend right along with your roots, it’s tempting to take matters into your own hands, but now is not the time to play stay-at-home hairstylist. Instead, heed the advice of the professionals and head to the Internet for color consultations and customized hair color.

Houstonian Karen Anne Jacks first conceived of her Della Ricca hair color line back in 2008, when the recession took a bite out of her clients’ beauty budgets. Jacks knew a solution lay beyond the grocery store shelves, and not just because the liquid formulas found in stores, while good for shelf life, are not so great for the hair.

“It can’t be one size fits all,” Jacks says.

Her Della Ricca organic cream-based hair color is made in Italy and allows clients to color their hair at home — under the guidance of a Della Ricca Hair Hero. Clients fill out a questionnaire, along with selfies to get the process rolling. Jacks partners with hairdressers in salons to consult with clients, ensuring the right personalized mix for each client. Once a client receives their hair color, they can either get to applying, or they can reach out to their Hair Hero to walk them through the color application process on FaceTime.

The customized hair color is $39 and takes two days for Houston delivery and up to five days for locations across the United States. Jacks is busy fielding a surge of requests from not only clients, but from hairdressers across the country who yearn for a premium color experience.

“It’s like drinking boxed wine versus premium Italian wine, and Della Ricca is your sommelier. You have a choice,” Jacks says.

Tease Color & Style Bar owners Roi Alan and Travis Player are also connecting with clients through an online system they developed the week before the stay-at-home order was put in effect for Harris County. They created a process for clients (both current and prospective) to receive a customized hair-color kit, complete with the mixed color in a syringe, developer, mixing bowl, brush and gloves.

Clients fill out a form on the Tease Instagram page and have the option to add treatments such as a color-lock, which protects the fresh hue, adding shine, or a moisturizer. For those who aren’t salon clients, a master colorist will connect for a virtual consultation.

“We’ve had a pretty good reaction since we started it. We’re excited about it,” Alan says. “We’ve had clients reaching out about it, but not only about their roots. It’s about the salon. It’s nice to feel that kind of support when times are different.”

If the thought of covering roots is a little too intimidating, David Bamford and Luis Perez, owners of Therapy Hair Studio, suggest a less permanent approach.

“We really like using root sprays.,” Bamford says. “Kevin Murphy root sprays won’t budge, but they still have natural look it them. Shake it well, pick where you want to get rid of the roots, and then gently and lightly spray it away from your face.”

Bamford is posting on Therapy Hair Studio’s Facebook multiple times a week with tutorials that are educational and encouraging. He’s covering everything from braiding basics to product deep-dives, all served with his signature wit. For those who need product refreshes or are interested in something he features in a video, clients can contact the salon, and Bamford and Perez will leave their products just outside the door of their new salon on Saint Street. 

“We set up a time and are at the salon when they pickup, but we want everyone to stay safe,” Bamford says. “We’re trying to tell people to ride it out and wait for us.”

And, if the temptation to cut those bangs is too much to resist, Bamford says to cut the hair dry. “A little bit goes a long way,” he cautions.

Hairstylists will also remind you of another meme floating around the Internet. The one about color corrections starting at $300. Now, where is that root spray again?