About Salon Hair Color Services

How to prepare for your next hair color service

Maybe you’re simply heading to the salon for your regular root touch-up or perhaps you’re diving into the hair color world for the very first time. Regardless, here’s advice from the pros at Matrix to ensure you leave with the best hair color imaginable.


Show and Tell. Not only is it a good idea to have a specific hair color shade in mind, it’s also smart to provide your stylist with pictures of your ideal hair color. After all, your definition of “toasted coconut blonde” might be very different from your stylist’s vision. Matrix offers dozens of hair color inspiration images from the palest blonde to the richest brunette--along with every other color of the rainbow!


Try it On. It’s not always easy to know if the spicy cinnamon hue of your dreams will look as good on you as it does on your bestie. Your stylist can certainly advise you, but with the Matrix 3D Virtual Hair Color Try On feature, you can take your new hair color for a test run before you commit.


Learn the Language. Like any area of science, hair color follows specific language and terminology. You don’t have to become fluent, but it will help your communication efforts with your stylist if you can pick up a few key words and phrases from the Matrix hair color glossary.


Understand your color formulas. Depending upon your desired result and original hair color, your stylist may use one or more formulas to get the job done. This quick guide to each type of hair color—including lightener, permanent, semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair color—will help you understand what to expect.


Commit to Full Disclosure. Your previous color services can have a huge impact on subsequent hair color, so don’t hold back. Nobody will fault you for that henna experiment last year, but knowing it happened will really help your stylist formulate the best color moving forward.


Trust Your Stylist. Pros perform dozens of hair color services each day, so they understand the dos and don’ts for every type of hair. If they tell you they don’t recommend a particular color because it may not be flattering, it requires too much upkeep for your budget or your hair isn’t healthy enough, listen to what they have to say. That goes for the post-color care products and treatments recommended, too. Following professional advice prevents hair color heartache, guaranteed!