Blonde me up…

Do you take the plunge?

There are many things to think about when changing hair colour and I am going to attempt to talk you through the process and all that it might entail.

The main things to consider are: time, cost, suitability and perhaps the most important – achievability!

During the full consultation, it will need to be decided roughly how long the process might take. Depending on the client’s current colour, what colour she/he wants to be and whether it is virgin hair or if it has already got home or professional colour on it.

Sometimes, the colour cannot be achieved on the same day and will be more of a work in progress. As professionals, we need to be realistic and honest and upfront with our clients about cost and achievability. What a client may want, cannot be done in one session and on occasion, not ever.

If a client presents a dark brown base colour – especially over processed and with colour build up, it may need 2 applications of lightener. Blondme bleach by Schwarzkopf can perform miracles and with Fibreplex already added to the powder, helps to retain healthy hair. It mends broken sulphur bonds and helps to make more which is a recipe for good condition. However, lightening hair is still the most extreme form of colouring as it strips the hair of any pigment.

Obviously, the more products you use, the more it will reflect on the price of the service. We have recently introduced a cap on our highest price for a colour change. This is good for clients with long hair who will need more than one application of colour and/or toner. It is peace of mind for the client to know it will not cost more than that price. The price starts low for a basic balayage, or colour change, rising to a maximum cost. Most clients will fall somewhere between the 2 prices.

The other problem that lightening entails is lifting out gold/copper tones. These are the tones that are the last to be stripped and should never be rushed. It was always thought that bleaching hair was better done faster with a high volume peroxide to speed it up further. Things have advanced considerably and now you get much better results by lifting the colour slowly and with a much lower volume oxidant.

During the consultation, we will find out what colour you have on your hair and from that, we can determine if professional colour will be compatible. Sometimes, we may need to carry out some testing such as compatibility or elasticity. Please note, we always do a patch test up to 48 hours before any colour procedures if you are a new client to us, or if you are changing colour. We regularly test long-standing clients too, as although rarely, you can still be allergic to colour even if you have been colouring your hair for years.

Once the desired lift has been achieved, we then need to talk and reassess the situation to then apply the correct tone. Rarely do we ever see the perfect blonde just by the lightening process.

If you are thinking of taking the plunge and going blonde, come in and have a chat and we can talk you through the process and tell you the most likely cost and the likelihood of getting the correct colour.