10 Things the Color Crew Wants You to Know

10 Things Hair Colorists Want You to Know

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Before you color, check in with yourself.
What’s your change threshold? Are you the type of person who likes to play it safe, or does nothing faze you? Knowing your limits (or lack thereof) can help you find a hair color you feel fantastic about. Maybe you’ve daydreamed about becoming a vibrant redhead, but worry it won’t feel “you” enough. The right hair color for you is the one that makes you feel like your best self—period.
See what looks good out there.
Flip through a magazine, do an image search, go ahead and check out your friends. If you’re debating between, say, honey blonde and ash blonde, it can be enormously helpful to track down some real-life examples of the two shades out in the wild/on the street/on the head of a celebrity lookalike. It can be difficult to decide from a swatch, but as seen on a real person, you might instantly prefer one to the other.
But keep an open mind.
By all means, come prepared with ideas, but please be open to our advice, too. If you email us a photo, we might have some suggestions based on your skin tone, face shape, or current shade. The choice is always yours. But, we do know a thing or two about hair, and we LOVE to help.
Be patient. Be realistic.
Sometimes change takes time. And there are limits to what at-home hair color can do, especially if you want your hair to remain as healthy as possible. The color of your dreams is achievable, but sometimes you have to get there gradually.
Going lighter is more complicated than going darker.
A lot of work, time, and love will go into turning your dark locks lighter. Our Radiant Cream Color lifts virgin hair up to two levels lighter.
And correcting a color misstep takes time.
If you’re looking to be rescued from a hairy color job from the salon or another brand, well, we’re the heroes you need. But it typically requires a little more time—and a lot more detailed instructions. Start by emailing a photo (don’t be embarrassed, as hair colorists, we have truly seen it all), then tell us what happened. Deep breath. Help is on the way.
You have nothing to hide.
Providing a brief hair history is so helpful. Maybe you’ve only ever gotten you hair colored at the salon until now, are a Brazilian blowout fanatic, or have been coloring your hair at home since your teens. The better we know you and your hair, the more specific our advice. Remember, we’re a 100% judgment-free space. You won’t hear any lectures from us, we promise.
If you’re not in love with your color, tell us.
We want to give you nothing less than the can’t-stop-looking-in-the-mirror-and-every-reflective-surface-you-walk-by experience. If you’re getting bored with your color, or feel as if it was never quite the right fit for you, please let us know. We’re absolutely passionate about you LOVING your hair.
The right hair care makes a huge difference.
Taking care of your new shade starts with sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner that won’t strip your hair of color. Be mindful of styling products, too. If something isn’t specifically formulated for color-treated hair, it can have an overly harsh or even dulling effect. Product buildup can also make colored hair look dull over time. Use a clarifying shampoo once weekly to remove buildup—or try our new Prime for Perfection hair color primer, which we created to remove excess buildup that causes color to look dull or too dark.
Call us.
Seriously–call us. Or send us an email, or hop on live chat. If you have any questions whatsoever about your hair color or care, we can help. If you’re torn between two shade options, we can help. If you don’t really need any help, you just want to say hi? That’s (866) 817-0814. Oh, hi.