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What to Expect When You’re Correcting

Published on June 13, 2018 | Stuff we think is awesome

What to Expect When You’re Correcting

Total Hours: 20+

Total # of Appointments: 4+

Total Cost: $1000+

First things first… CONSULTATION!

So you’re ready for a change?! Come on in and join me for a consultation! It’s completely complimentary, but also completely necessary. It serves as a great opportunity for me to gently and most importantly, honestly, shatter any preconceived notions or thoughts you may have had about this transformation. My guess is, you were hoping for a one shot new and improved you! (insert laughter of your favorite super villain here). But seriously, this is your opportunity to show me all your Pinterest hair dreams and tell me all about the colour from Sally’s your oh-so-talented friend Susan put on your hair last month. I need to know EVERYTHING. The interrogation goes both ways as it’s your chance to ask me anything about the process to come.

Next…BOOKING.

Once we’ve determined what our course of action is and we throw all the unrealistic expectations out the window we can set a date and begin the colour correction process. This WILL take several appointments and consist of a lot of tender love and care. We generally recommend waiting 4-6 weeks between appointments. Each of which could be between 3-6 hours. That’s right, HOURS. So we’re going to get to know each other real well. If patience isn’t your thing, bring a book, practice some breathing exercises, or indulge in a few too many coffees, I know I will!

THE PROCESS

Alright, so this is the fun part. This is where the transformation begins. Every colour transformation is different, but for the sake of this post (and because I have some really great photos for reference) I’m going to walk you through the majour colour change all of us hair stylists are very familiar with, BLONDE! I’ve included photos of a red to blonde that I just finished up.

So, you’ve been ruby red for years and suddenly you find yourself itching for a taste of the blonde life. That’s great! I can help you with that! If you want to have a brief glimpse into the long, hard road to blonde, keep reading!

Here’s our before shot…                                           

Appointment #1, 3-6 hours:

In this appointment our target is to neutralize and set up a beautiful…wait for it…BROWN canvas we can highlight the bejesus out of in future sessions. I know that sounds boring, but trust me, I’ll keep you entertained with all the tricks and stunts I’ll pull in order to tackle the red. Expect me to use a colour remover, potentially lightening your hair just a tad, and get it looking all sorts of orange. After that I I’ll cover that oh so lovely orange with the lamest brown you’ve ever laid your eyes on. But hey, at least it’s not red any more right?! This is where you have to be REALLY patient. You’ll have to live with this colour for about 4 weeks before coming back to the salon so we can begin to work some real magic.

 AFTER!

Appointment #2, 3-5 hours

Alright, so you’ve persevered and lived through the first session and suffered with the most boring hair of your life so far. Gold star! I’m proud of you! Now, prepare yourself for a foiling extravaganza. This is the part where I highlight your hair to the heavens. Prepare to have 100+ foils in your hair. It will feel heavy, it will take a long time, you may pick up radio signals (eye roll for every time hair stylists have heard that joke)…but at least the aliens won’t hear your thoughts. Then, we let those babies lighten. Next, tone! I’ll choose a toner that best suits the results of today’s lightening session. This is another one of those moments, where you might look at the end result and just not be in love with it, but often we are able to embrace the warmth in the orange and yellow undertones (layman’s terms:brassy) left behind and end up with some pretty rose gold locks! Also, expect to receive a lil trimma trimma at this time.

Not looking so bad so far! This colour was actually super beautiful, but we must press on for the #blondelife

Appointment #3, 3-5 hours:

Basically, the same process as appointment 2 minus the boring brown part and a step or two lighter and closer to the blonde life. 100+ foils and another trim later and here we have it. Still needs a little fine tuning but hey, we’re getting there. By now, ya’ll know the drill…wait 4 weeks, blah, blah blah.

 We’re soooooo close here in this photo, just a bit more tweeking and we’re there!

Repeat these steps for appointment 4, 5, 6++. Everyone is different and it all depends on where you started and exactly where you are going. Depending on your hair goals this could be as simple as a few highlights to target stubborn areas, or 100+ foils to continue down the road to light and bright (if you’re still in brassy/orange/yellow territory). By now you’re probably almost done reading that book you brought to appointment 1 and you’ve likely heard all of my bad tinder stories…awkward…but seriously, we’ve spent a lot of time together! Thanks for sticking with me, trusting the process and living throughout the boring brown stage, the rosy stage and everything in between, you blonde bombshell you!

Boom! This photo shows the final result, finished off with some amazing tape in extensions from Philocaly Hair!

So, now that you’re walking #hairgoals and ready to take on the world, there is just one more thing! We’ve still got to talk home care. After all, I’ve done all this work and you just sat there. You’ve got to do your homework in between each session. I’m not just making small talk throughout this entire process when I make product recommendations. If you don’t do your part in between at home, I can’t do mine! Hair masks and treatments, the proper damage care/protein restructuring shampoo and conditioner, and purple shampoos/conditioners will be absolutely crucial to maintaining your new look. Its really a team effort here to keep your blonde looking fabulous, until fall rolls around and you want to hop on the crimson train again *eye twitches*. But hey, the world is your oyster (or something like that) and I am your hair gremlin.

Xo Brittany

Follow me on Instagram: @thehairgremlin