Salon Service & Aftercare Guide
Everything you need to know before, during and after a visit — what each service involves, roughly what it costs, how long it takes, when to come back, and how to keep the result looking good at home. This is a reference document; there is nothing to fill in or send back. Prices are indicative ranges and are confirmed at consultation.
Longer, thicker or previously coloured hair sits at the upper end of each range and may take longer than the time shown.
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Root retouch (single process) | | |
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Highlights — half / full head | | |
Balayage / freehand lightening | | |
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| Quoted after consultation | 4 – 8 hours, often over two visits |
Keratin / smoothing treatment | | |
Bond-building / deep conditioning treatment | | 20 – 30 minutes, added to another service |
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Section 2 — What Each Colour Service Involves
Root retouch. Colour is applied only to the new growth at the scalp, matched to the existing lengths. Nothing is put through the ends unless they need refreshing, which protects them from repeated processing.
Full head colour. A single shade applied root to tip. Used to change base colour, cover grey evenly across the head, or bring badly mismatched lengths back to one tone.
Highlights. Sections are lightened in foils for a defined, uniform lift. A half head covers the top and sides you actually see; a full head includes the under-sections for movement when the hair is worn up.
Balayage. Lightener is painted on by hand for a soft, sun-lit gradient with no hard regrowth line. It grows out gently, which is why it needs less frequent maintenance than foils.
Toner and gloss. A short, gentle service that cancels brass, adjusts warmth or coolness and adds shine. It sits on top of your existing colour and fades gradually rather than growing out.
Colour correction. Repairing box colour, banding, uneven lift or an unwanted tone. It is bespoke work, always quoted after an in-person consultation and often staged over two or more visits to keep the hair intact.
Keratin / smoothing. A treatment sealed into the hair with heat to reduce frizz and shorten drying time. Results typically last three to five months and soften gradually rather than stopping abruptly.
Section 3 — Recommended Maintenance Intervals
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Root retouch / grey coverage | |
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| 6 – 10 weeks, sooner for short shapes and fringes |
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Section 4 — Patch Testing
- A patch test is required at least 48 hours before any service involving oxidative colour, including a first-time gloss.
- It takes about five minutes: a small amount of product is placed behind the ear or inside the elbow and left to develop.
- A test is valid for six months. After that, or after any gap of more than six months between colour services, it must be repeated.
- A fresh test is also needed after pregnancy, a course of medication, a tattoo or henna, or any reaction to a cosmetic product — all of these can change how you respond.
- Without a valid test we cannot carry out the colour service. This is a safety rule, not a formality, and we cannot make exceptions on the day.
Section 5 — Booking, Late Arrival & Cancellation
- Book by phone, online or in the salon. For any colour service please tell us at the time what you have in mind so we can allow enough chair time.
- We send a reminder 48 hours ahead. Replying to confirm helps us release the slot early if plans have changed.
- Please give at least 24 hours notice to cancel or move an appointment. Inside 24 hours we may charge 50% of the booked service.
- A no-show — not arriving and not telling us — is charged at 100% of the booked service, and future bookings may require a deposit.
- If you arrive more than 15 minutes late we may need to shorten or simplify the service to protect the guests booked after you. The full price still applies.
- If we ever have to move your appointment, you get the first available slot with your stylist and a complimentary treatment at that visit.
Section 6 — Deposits for Long Chemical Services
- A deposit is taken for any booking of three hours or more — balayage, full highlights, colour correction, keratin and extension fittings.
- The deposit is typically 30% of the estimated service price, or a flat amount agreed at consultation for correction work.
- It comes straight off your bill on the day — it is not an extra charge.
- Deposits are fully transferable if you move the appointment with at least 24 hours notice, and non-refundable inside that window or on a no-show.
- Where correction work is staged over more than one visit, the deposit is held against the final visit.
Section 7 — Making Your Colour Last
- Wait 48 hours before the first wash. The cuticle is still closing and an early shampoo takes tone straight back out.
- Wash less often. Every second or third day is plenty for most people; dry shampoo covers the gap.
- Turn the water down. Lukewarm rinses keep the cuticle flat and hold pigment far better than hot water.
- Rinse hair with clean water before swimming and wear a cap where you can — chlorine and salt strip tone quickly, and chlorine can turn lightened blonde green.
- Protect from the sun. UV fades colour the same way it fades fabric; a hat or a UV-protective spray on holiday makes a visible difference.
- Book a gloss halfway between colour appointments. It costs a fraction of a full service and resets the tone completely.
Section 8 — Heat Styling at Home
- Always use a heat protectant, on damp hair before drying and again on dry hair before irons.
- Keep irons at or below 180°C for fine or lightened hair, and 200°C for coarse or virgin hair. Higher settings do not work faster, they just do more damage.
- One slow pass beats three fast ones. Repeated passes over the same section are what causes breakage.
- Never straighten or curl wet or damp hair — the water inside the strand boils and the cuticle blisters.
- Finish a blow-dry with the cool shot. Setting the shape cold makes it hold far longer.
Section 9 — Shampoo & Product Guidance
- Use a sulphate-free, colour-safe shampoo. Harsh detergents are the single biggest cause of colour fading between visits.
- Shampoo the scalp, condition the ends. The lengths rarely need detergent and the roots rarely need conditioner.
- Purple or blue toning shampoo once a week keeps brass out of blonde and lightened brunette. Twice a week or left on too long can go dull or lilac.
- A weekly bond-building or protein-balanced mask keeps lightened hair strong. Alternate with a moisture mask if the hair starts to feel stiff.
- Clarify roughly once a month to lift product build-up and hard-water minerals, then follow immediately with a mask.
- After a keratin treatment, use only sulphate-free and sodium-chloride-free products — salt dissolves the treatment early.
Prices, timings and intervals in this guide are general and are confirmed for your hair at consultation. If anything here is unclear, or your hair is not behaving the way you expected between visits, get in touch — we would much rather hear from you early.