5 Reasons Why a Color Consultation Could Make or Break Your Hair (Literally)

So you’ve made your appointment at the Don Roberts School of Hair Design student salon. Hooray! We are so excited to see you! To make sure you have the best experience possible, there’s just a few things you need to know before coming to your appointment.

Feel Confident in a Don Roberts Color Appointment

Before we tell you what could happen when hair history is not honestly discussed, we first want to assure you that our number one goal as stylists is always to protect the hair. As long as you let your stylist know about previous color or chemical services that you’ve had done, you can go into your appointment with confidence.

Our student stylists are trained to understand what could happen when certain chemicals mix, like those found in hair colors, lighteners, perm solutions, or relaxers. Spoiler alert: It’s not always good!

Students are also always supervised by licensed instructors, who train students to perform strand tests in uncertain situations. These tests may take a little extra time, but trust us, they are worth it to keep your hair safe!

We know you may not have had this important training yourself, so keep reading to understand why having a thorough, honest color consultation with your stylist could (literally) make or break your hair.

1. Blondes are Forever, Even if They’re Not

Even if your hair is no longer blonde, it’s still important to disclose to your stylist if it ever was in the past. Lightener permanently alters the structure of your hair, so unless you’ve cut the previously lightened hair off, it’s still there. This is important because previously lightened hair can be susceptible to breakage, or color fading too quickly, if the hair is porous enough.

Be sure to let your stylist know of any past blonding services to help them anticipate these possibilities and make an informed plan of attack for your new color. If the color you ask for is too risky or not a good fit, our stylists or instructors will let you know!

Bottom Line: Blondes are forever. Even if the color is faded or dyed over, it is still there, and your stylist still needs to know.

2. Your Past Color May Hold a Grudge

Imagine your colored hair like a canvas. Permanent, demi-permanent, direct, and other hair dyes are like paints. There are no erasers in painting. Sure, you can “paint” over a color you want to change, but the previous color is still there. Yes, even if it looks completely faded, the old color is still there underneath.

Color can usually be removed with professional products. However, some dyes are more resistant, or harder to remove from the hair. If you have previous color that doesn’t want to lift from the hair, your desired result may not be possible in just one appointment, or at all. Fighting stubborn color that won’t budge can lead to unnecessary damage. You may need to manage your expectations of what color is actually possible.

Bottom Line: Previous color may be difficult or impossible to remove from the hair, and plans may need to shift for you to get a color you’ll love while keeping your hair healthy!

3. Perms, Relaxers, and Blondes Don’t Always Mix

Most relaxers contain a chemical called sodium hydroxide. This chemical does NOT play well with lighteners! Be sure to let your stylist know if you’ve relaxed your hair in the past, because mixing these services could lead to melted hair.

Likewise, perms and blondes don’t always mix well either. Some perm solutions are specifically formulated to be safe on highlighted or partially lightened hair. Some, however, are not. Mixing lightener with the wrong perm solution could lead to gummy, stretchy hair.

Be sure to let your stylist know if you have ever permed, relaxed, or lightened your hair in the past. If you aren’t sure, or if the situation is otherwise “iffy,” our student stylists or instructors may decide to perform a strand test to make sure your hair remains healthy and happy.

Bottom Line: Have you ever permed, relaxed, or lightened your hair? Let your stylist know so you can avoid gummy hair!

4. Henna is Like a Box of Chocolates

You never know what you’re going to get. By itself, henna only dyes hair red. Often, it contains metallic salts to make other colors possible. These metallic dyes can be harmful to the hair when mixed with other dyes, so it’s important to let your stylist know if you’ve had henna before.

When improperly mixed with lightener, permanent hair color, or perm solutions, metallic dyes in henna can lead to hair turning greenish, hair boiling (seriously), or even disintegration of the hair.

Some hennas do not contain metallic dyes, and may be safe for coloring, but this is definitely one you don’t want to take lightly! If you aren’t sure, our stylists or instructors will likely perform a strand test, or let you know if your color plans need to be adjusted.

Bottom Line: If you’ve ever dyed your hair with henna, your hairdresser needs to know to keep your hair safe!

5. Direct Dyes Could Lead to Surprises

Direct dyes are typically fashion colors, like bright pinks, blues, or greens. If you’ve used these dyes in the past, it’s important to let your stylist know, even if your previous color looks faded, or has been dyed over. Past color molecules can re-oxidize when introduced to peroxide from a new color service, meaning your old blue hair can come back with a green vengeance!

If your hair unexpectedly turns green during a service, that’s not necessarily a bad thing! It may mean you’ve reached the final layers of an old direct dye, and that it’s close to being completely removed (green is often the base of direct dye formulations).

Our stylists or instructors will let you know if it’s safe to proceed in trying to remove a stubborn direct dye, or if it’s best to go with a different plan for your hair.

Bottom Line: Some direct dyes are impossible to remove, some may re-oxidize and turn your hair green (not necessarily bad!), and you may need to adjust your color plans with your stylist.

Choose Don Roberts for All Your Color Needs

We can’t wait to see you! Thank you for making a color appointment at Don Roberts School of Hair Design. Having the opportunity to learn this craft hands-on is so important, and we love having guests like you who make this possible. We are so excited to meet you and help you with all your hair dreams! If you love your experience, be sure to book your next appointment with us by calling (219) 864-1600.