You want to be a unicorn….
Dear clients, we love you…but it’s time for us to talk about fashion colors. Before giving you a unicorn-worthy transformation, it’s important to educate you on what it really takes to achieve and maintain colorful hair. Here are the five MAJOR things you should know about fashion colors.
1. It’s going to take time—aka hours OR even multiple appointments.
- Before we take you to great, colorful heights—it’s going to take some work to get you light enough for that unicorn color! If your hair is virgin, naturally dark or has EVER been colored darker, it’s going to take longer to achieve the color you’re dreaming of.
- Already blonde? It will still take a couple of processes to prepare your hair for a trendy pastel.
- What does it take to achieve a fashion color? Extracting previous color, lightening once (or twice!), applying color, cutting and drying—basically, expect to be here for awhile.
- Between every step, you’ll need a blow dry and possibly treatments to keep your hair happy and healthy.
- Expect to be in the salon 3-8 hours per visit!
2. It’s on the expensive side.
- Lots of steps = $$$. When you’re working toward a fashion color, you’ll get what you pay for, and a major transformation costs your stylist lots of time and money.
- Talk to your stylist about how much you are willing to spend, so you can set a plan and a set of expectations that are realistic.
3. You MUST use cold water and specific products
If showering with cold water in January sounds like torture then fashion tones may not be for you. Hot water makes fashion tones fade faster than you can blink and shampoo that is not pH balanced will strip it from your hair like polish remover to nails. This is non-negotiable and cannot be stressed enough.
4. Fashion colors are high maintenance and fade quickly.
- Fashion colors are direct dyes for TEMPORARY color, so even with proper care, they will last 4-8 weeks.
- Pastels have a shorter lifespan because they are sheer and light, typically lasting from 1-2 weeks.
- Purples, blues, and greens tend to drastically stain the hair and even with the best salon products can be difficult to remove even after fading has occured.
- You can maintain color more easily with aftercare products recommended by your stylist.
5. No swimming, no hot tubs, and minimal products containing alcohol.
Salt water, chlorine, and alcohol will all pull your color out so if you have a big vacation coming up you may want to wait until after your trip to start this project. And styling products that are high in alcohol (hairspray queens – we’re talking to you) will also fade your fashion tones.
If after reading through all of this you’re willing to commit to the rules of fashion tones, book that appointment!
Please note that fashion color appointments cannot be made online. You need to book a consultation first then we will book your appointment at the salon after we know what you’re looking for and how long we expect it to take.
