Stylist Rob Replogle of Silver Scissors Styling Salon, 159 S. Garner St., has been playing doctor to home-hair-dye disaster victims for 11 years.

"Ninety percent of this business starts with the drug stores," he said.

Replogle has learned to treat a full range of symptoms: breakage, scalp abrasion, muddy and mushy ends, even little red dots peppering the scalp.

And worst of all -- the infamous big bald spot.

Quick, I need 20 units of toner. Stat.

Of course, most emergencies stylists remedy are more aesthetic.

"The most dreaded disaster is usually orange," said manager Sheila Breon of Sheila Breon Beauty Salon, 1535 N. Atherton St. "Students get orange, and they panic. They hit that deep red, and they start buying all kinds of crazy colors to try and get it out."

Ordinarily, Wise (junior-speech communication) goes to the salon for foil treatment -- in which hair is separated into sections and dyed -- about once every other month. But in a recent attempt to save money, she picked up a bottle of Clairol Ultra-Blue and set out to tackle her roots alone.

The results did not quite match the golden locks displayed on the package.

"Banana orange. We're talking bright banana orange," Wise said.

Unfortunately, Wise's trip around the color wheel didn't end there. A visit to the salon gave her experience with another somewhat unusual shade -- blue.

The hairdresser was forced to apply a blue remedy to counteract the orange. But by that time, Wise's hair was so porous that the color stuck until the stylist was able to tone it down.

A big concern when choosing a dye is base color -- that of the hair and that of the dye. The key is a happy marriage. You play the matchmaker.

"It's all a matter of complimentary colors," Replogle said. "That's how you tell."

You might want to pull out your color wheel for this. Follow along:

Red hair prefers a dye with a green base. Blondes, you're hunting violet. Brunettes, seek blue.

"Of course you've got the chart on the side of the box with the different squares that say, 'If your hair is this color, it's gonna turn out this color, and if your hair is this color, it's gonna end up that color,' " Replogle said. "A lot of them should come straight out and say, 'If your hair is this color, it's gonna be shit.' "

Another keystone to the process is understanding the standard levels of hair color.

Level one signifies pitch black, while the absolute lightest blondes come in at level 11. Everyone else's locks file in accordingly, in varying tones.

So, step one -- determine your natural level.

Step two -- select the level and tone you want.

Step three -- get there. That's the hard one that can take a wrong turn at banana orange.

This process is made possible through a transit system of volumes, each providing a particular amount of lift and deposit.

Imagine the scale of hair color levels in a certain tone as a ladder with those 11 steps. The bottom rung is the darkest tint possible in that tone, while the lightest tint is situated at the top.

Each level of lift is like a single step up.

Each level of deposit is both a step down and sidestep onto the ladder of a different tone.

Go down as far as you please by adding darker deposit, and climb by using the appropriate volume. It's like chutes and ladders for college students.

Volume five provides semi-permanent color. Instead of locking color into the cuticle as more advanced colorants do, volume five simply lays color onto the hair shaft, allowing it to be washed out within four to eight weeks. This type is a wise idea for long or damaged hair.

Volume 10 provides one level of pure deposit. Hair will be darker -- nothing fancier than that.

Volume 20 provides one level of lift and one level of deposit. It lightens, then colors. Anticipate moderate difference.

Volume 30 provides two levels of lift and one level of deposit. Expect drastic change.

Volume 40 provides three levels of lift and one level of deposit. Prepare to stop traffic.

Drugstore varieties are generally 20-volume across the board, Replogle said.

Sadly, if 40-volume provides the only route to the color of your dreams, store brands won't do an ounce of good. While blondes may have more fun, most folks will never know without the help of a licensed professional.

Jessica Haas (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) is one such case.

"I've given up on doing it myself. I'm going to get it done when I'm home," Haas said of her aspirations to become the blondest blonde on the market.

But even those who achieved their desired colors in the past should beware when returning.

"We've got girls coming in here who say they've been using the same color all the time, and when it turns green, they're asking themselves, 'Why? What happened?' " Replogle said. "The problem is that they've got a year's worth of color on the ends, a year's worth of green deposit."

Color cannot be lifted with color. Dye only works effectively on virgin hair.

For this reason, Replogle dyes only roots. The alternative should be avoided at all cost, he said.

Unfortunately, most store brands don't offer a just-the-roots option.

"There's talk of a new beauty supplier out toward the mall," Replogle said, referring to Sally's Beauty Supplies at Nittany Commons Plaza on East College Avenue.

"Most hair care suppliers require state licenses, but this one doesn't. So it's like opening a drug warehouse.

"We're worried that girls are going to start playing salon in their dorm rooms. They'll throw some color on. And then they're going to come crying to me.

"She'll sit and cry and look at her hair and tell me, 'I have no money to fix it.' And I'm going to give her a Kleenex."

But the manager at Sally's maintains that its products provide no cause for alarm.

"Our hair dyes are pro quality, but you can get the same kind of product at Wal-Mart," she said. "Color is color. Ours are just a little bit stronger."

The store restricts roughly one-eighth of its inventory -- mostly perms, bleaches and chemical strippers -- to licensed professionals. But the general public has access to its hair dyes without I.D.

Despite his trepidation, Replogle offered some simple advice to the drugstore shopper.

"After shampooing, it's a good idea to rinse with cold water," he said. "The hair will contract, locking color in tighter."

He also advocated crème-based peroxides -- not liquid -- because they're more conditioning.

Then cross your fingers and hope for the best.

"You can get away with (drugstore brands). A lot of people do it," said hair designer Margo Zubler of Naomi & Company, 1341 S. Atherton St.

"The biggest problem is that people think color will wash out. You just got to know what you're dealing with."

Most students consider this assessment more than reasonable.

"I would definitely recommend (store brands), especially if you don't have crazy money to spend," said Sarah Austin (senior-journalism), who said she gives her hair an auburn-blackish touchup about once a year.

"You can pay close to $100 for foils in a salon. Dyes in the store go for 5 bucks."

But before such drugstore diehards choose a dye, Replogle recommends one last check on the color wheel.

"You need to educate yourself," he said. "That color guide in the store alone ain't gonna cut it."