Consultation Tips

Here are some things to consider when making a change in color and/or service provider.

(Check back for updates. The craft of hair coloring is changing all the time.  I'll be posting new questions and scenarios on my blog based on questions from my clients and my experience with many years of coloring hair, and then updating this list with that information.)

Prepare Yourself
Let's face it, our hair can be a source of emotional joy or.... not so much joy.  Bad hair can really ruin our day, or month...  Do some research, soul searching or visualization to discover what is truly your heart's desire for your hair.  By all means, bring pictures to the salon (see my blog on creating about a Look Book) or anything that you think would help you express your wishes for your hair.

Mostly importantly, be honest with yourself and your colorist. But (and, this is a big but) be realistic. Know your hair, what it can and can't do--your heart's desire may be no more than a fantasy, but it's good place to start.  You can't come to a colorist with naturally brunette hair and say,  "I want to look like a natural pale, cool, blonde, but don't damage my hair, and I want low maintenance"

How Much Change?

Would you like to see seasonal change in tone or hue?  Or are you headed in a new direction.  I find the best changes start small. We can do a big number for impact, but good questions to ask yourself is:  1) Can the condition of my hair take it?  And just as importantly, 2) is the rest of my life, e.g., wardrobe, makeup and is my man (if that matters), ready for the new me?


Base Color

Base or not to base? - Do you want to enhance your natural tone, completely cover or just blend gray or do you want to change it altogether.  The trend is to do at least a little something to the base color.  Ashy and drab are out.

Lighter or darker? - A safe guideline is to take your base no more than 2 levels lighter or one level darker than your natural base level.

What shade?  Blonde, Red or Brunette?

What Tonal Family, Warm, cool or neutral?  Warm buttery blonde or cool icy blonde?  Warm coppery red or cool merlot red?  Warm caramel brunette or cool sable? Or neutral, something in-between?

What Level? On a scale from 1-10, how light or dark should your color be?   Think of a grayscale with 10 levels, black being Level 1 and 10 being almost the lightest.  Most natural hair color at the root is somewhere between level 2, darkest brown and Level 8, light blonde.

Color Placement

Image - Do you want to make a statement with your hair color, or do you want it to simply accent your beauty?

Movement - Do you want one even tone through your locks as we’ve recently seen on Megan Fox? That works fine on deep brown and blacks, but these days, most clients want to see at least some dimension in their color.

Contrast - strong or soft?  Something to ponder is that there can be contrast between tones as well as contrast between light and dark.  Contrast in tone might mean putting cool-tone lowlights next to warm-tone highlights to create contrast and movement without having to lighten the overall appearance.  Try subtle slices of both merlot (cool red) and copper (warm red) highlights on a rich coffee base for a very sultry fiery brunette. Or tone down the summer blond; play with a subtle lowlight in light sandy blond (cool) next to a sweet butter or pale caramel blond to maintain vibrancy while overall creating hushed winter blond.

Effect - strong or soft?  Bold and chunky, or soft, fine and truly natural.

Density - light or heavy?  Accent or a statement?  Do you what to see more of the highlight color or more of the base?

Trendy - Do you want an in-the-now look?  Try strong trendy internal panels that show through your layers when your hair moves (sans the fat stripes at your parting-so 90’s), a la Beyonce or Sarah J.?  Or do you want a timeless classic beautifully worn by Gwyneth and Jennifer?

Cost & Maintenance – don’t forget these old standards.  How much do you want to spend and how often?  Also factor in extras such as home care products--you want to protect your investment; treatment technology has come a long way in hair care and treatments really do make a difference in the longevity of your color and its condition; and glazing—it’s all about layering for vibrancy and stability of the color.  I’ll devote more attention to this topic in another segment.

Lots to think about.  But as they say, a picture paints a thousand words.  A look book can be very handy.