What is a colour correction and why is it so expensive?
We're hairdressers but we're also human. We understand that sometimes it can be so alluring to take hair colouring into your own hands - literally. There are the times when you have to wait for an appointment with your favourite stylist, are considering budgets or want an impulsive change. But, before you reach for that bottle of home colour we want to give you the facts. Overwhelmingly the most complex, challenging and expensive services at our salon are the result of colour correcting home hair colouring gone wrong. Here’s why:
The problem with lightening hair at home
When it comes to bleach, what you see on the box and the result you get are often very different. Lightening hair is a complex process and one which has to be tailored to the individual hair colour, type and condition. In the salon we’ll use different recipes, applications and timings depending on what we are starting with - there really isn’t one colour, or process that fits all. It’s the same for the placement of colour, techniques such as balayage and foils require a full 360 degree tailored application - it can be very hard to get the placement right on the back of your own head!
More often than not, clients who have bleached their hair at home come to us with a colour that’s somewhere between orange and yellow, when they wanted a cool, clean blonde. In the salon our colour experts are able to guide bleach through it’s lifting stages, ensuring it develops for long enough to go past orange tones and removing it before it over processes. We can also tone in the salon, which is crucial in refining the colour. Home bleaching can be very harsh, resulting in breakage which can’t be fixed - our sophisticated salon colours are designed to effectively lighten whilst protecting the integrity of the hair, which we can also boost with treatments such as Olaplex.
How do we colour correct?
We always start with a consultation and take a test strand to try colour solutions before we start any work. Home hair bleaching can be traumatic on the hair and our first job in any colour correction is to work on the condition of the hair. Colour correcting isn’t effective on damaged hair, and we’ll need to make sure it’s healthy enough to take further colour. For hair that hasn’t lightened enough or has an uneven application, once healthier, we can look at adding in foils and toning to achieve a more desirable colour and more even result. Hair that’s over processed (too light) will usually need to start with a good cut and then to add depth back in, the hair will need to be “filled” with a warmer colour first before another colour is then applied. After the first application, hair can fade quite quickly so it’s likely to take a few sessions to get things back on track.
The solution
Colour correcting home bleaching is always more expensive than getting your hair done in the salon in the first place. If budget is an issue, speak to your stylist about babylights - these fine, lighter pieces can be placed in a way to frame your face, which can make you feel lighter without the commitment of a full head of foils.
The problem with colouring hair at home
A beautiful, natural brunette works with your skin tone and hair type, something we carefully consider in our consultation. When we mix colour in the salon we rarely use one colour but create a personalised recipe with a balance of depth and tones to suit our client. What’s more, we may add in foils or work with other techniques to create a truly multidimensional colour.
Out of the box colour is one colour, which can appear muddy and flat, and unnatural against the skin tone. It can be unpredictable too, most colour corrections we see in the salon are because a colour has gone awry, or much darker than anticipated. If hair has been coloured previously this can be a lot worse, colour on top of lightened hair can go a greenish tone (we always “fill” colour with a warm pigment in the salon first if going darker) and if hair is already dark, doing your regrowth only at home can be difficult - which means you’ll likely apply colour on top of colour and create too much depth.
How do we colour correct?
Correcting hair that has gone too dark or an undesired tone is a big undertaking for stylist and client. Time and washing hair can help lighten it, but in many instances this will need to be done with a lightening product in the salon. It’s a gradual process that will likely run across several different appointments and is expensive, due to the time, amount of colour used and treatments which are crucial to looking after the hair.
The solution
To avoid a dull, unnatural looking brunette, it always pays to leave it to the professional. Talk to us - there are budget solutions such as using Afterpay, we have different price structures for our stylists based on their experience and MANE Salon Training is another great option to consider. If you haven’t rebooked and can’t wait to get an appointment with your favourite stylist, ask to be put on their cancellation list, and remember when it comes to hair, good things come to those who wait...to get their done in the salon!
How do I know if I’m a colour correction?
If you answer yes to any of these statements, you’re likely to be a colour correction:
- I’ve coloured my hair at home and the results aren’t what I wanted
- I’ve coloured my hair at home more than 3 times and want to go lighter
- I’m blonde and want to go darker
- I have a creative, bright or pastel colour in my hair and want to change it
- My hair is too warm, or greenish in tone and I want it to be more ash
BOOK NOW for a complimentary consultation with one of our stylists, so we can talk through your options and work out a beautiful colour plan.
