How to Prepare For and What to Expect for Your Color Appointment

 Color appointment coming up? Let's get you ready for it!

We're going to try to cover everything here from how to be ready for your appointment, what to bring to your appointment, how to care for your color, and more! Oh, and always remember - shit happens. We're dealing with chemicals and a ton of unknown factors that could affect your hair. Sometimes the unexpected happens, or what you're wanting just might not happen on the first (or second, etc. time).

How to Prepare

• Please have a list of products you use, home routine, and color history ready. Feel free to write this down on my First Time Client Form found on my Sociatap link. If you lie to your stylist about any of these things, please know your color may come out horrifically wrong. 
• Things that can drastically affect hair color process - Overtone, henna, minoxidil, medications, hardwater buildup, box dye, etc.
• To wash, or not to wash - Please don't come in for a color appointment with greasy, dirty, hair. All that buildup on the hair makes it harder for the color or lightener to do their job. Come in with it cleaned and lightly conditioned, just don't actively scrub your scalp. We don't want your scalp roughed up, so that it doesn't feel irritated easily from the chemical process happening on your scalp.
• Be prepared to be sitting for a few hours (how long depends on exactly what you're getting done). You know yourself. Will you need a snack or a meal during that time? Phone charger? Books, homework, or work work? We do have a little library if you get bored. It's got a wide variety of picture books, zines, cook books, some coloring books and crossword puzzles.
• If you have a time constraint, please let us know upon arrival - not in the middle of your appointment. If it's not feasible, we may need to alter or reschedule your appointment. Rushing a service means a poorly done service.
• You're going to want to make sure you have the right products to care for your hair when your hair is done, so either make sure you have purchased them ahead of time, or have the funds to get day of. You're spending money on this service, you won't maintain it or keep it looking and feeling great if you're using something from the drugstore.
• Please have 1-3 pictures of what your hair inspiration is! More than that can become a little overwhelming; none and we're not really sure if we're picturing the same thing or not.
• Please don't wear a hoodie you can't take off, turtle necks, scarves, anything you wouldn't want to put at risk of getting color on it/will be difficult to get the cape around.
• If you use products like Rogaine for hair loss and are getting bleaching services, please let us know, and also make sure to clarify your hair the night before or morning of. Don't use the product that day. It can affect the way the hair reacts.
• If you're getting a darker color on the roots/scalp, moisturizing the skin around the hairline more than usual. The more you fill the skin, the less likely you will be to stain. You can also go over the moisturizer with an oil, just try to avoid getting it on the hair.

What can fade and/or affect my hair color (including it coming out right)?

Hot water, long endured sunlight, hot tools like curling irons and flat irons, getting a smoothing treatment AFTER your color service, sulfates, clarifying shampoos, products with charcoal or a lot of acid in them, apple cider vinegar rinses, not conditioning your hair, swimming, over washing your hair, facewash around the hairline, dandruff or prescription shampoos, cheap shampoos, harsh tap water, topical and oral medications, etc.

What can help to protect my hair color?

Rinsing with cool water, shower caps for when you're not washing your hair, swim caps, professional/color safe/sulfate free shampoos, color retention leave ins, bond building treatments, low heat on tools, heat protectants, going longer in between washing, hats or SPF hair sprays, tinted shampoos and conditioners, a filtered shower head, etc.

What Should I Expect During My Appointment

• Be ready to show your inspiration pictures and have a quick, follow up consultation to make sure wer'e still on the same page, and have the same vision.
• Expect to be sitting a lot. You're absolutely free to stand up and stretch while your hair color is processing, but yeah, prepare to be sitting awhile.
• You're going to have your hair washed (and depending on your service, possibly other things going on) at the shampoo bowl. Get as comfortable as possible, while also in a position that enables us to do our job properly. Please allow us to lift your head for you instead of lifting it when you think we want you to. If we don't know you're going to lift your head, it's very likely we'll soak you. Just try to relax your neck and head.
• Sometimes unexpected things happen, for a number of reasons, and that means extra steps might have to happen. Roll with it, sometimes unforeseen circumstances affect things. We're going to do everything we can to get it right. This is also why it's important to be honest about hair history, medications etc.
• If you're feeling chatty or quiet, that's fine. Don't feel like you need to talk if you don't want to. Feel free to look at your phone, read, whatever.
• Don't take suggestions for your home routine personally! We give recommendations because we want you to have thee healthiest and happiest scalp and hair that you can. Oh, and we want your color to LAST.
• Tingling on the scalp is totally normal during a color appointment; burning however is not! Be honest with your artist! Take allergy medicine beforehand if you know you're often sensitive too things.
• If you can get easily overstimulated, while our salon is a pretty calm, and chill environment, sometimes it can get a little loud. Feel free to bring earplugs or earbuds if it'll help! Stim toys are more than welcome too.
• We prefer you come alone to your appointment, unless it's a circumstance like you're a child, have a disability, or need a translator. If this is the case, make sure your guest isn't looming over us, staring the whole time, being disruptive, etc. It can be really nerve wracking; just think how you would feel if you were having someone eyeball you during your job.

I'll probably add to this as I think up more things, but I hope this was a helpful start!