Questions to ask your hairstylist before getting your hair coloured for the first time

With wedding and travel season approaching, this is the best time to have some fun with your hair and introduce it to its forever frenemy—colour. We can all agree that hair colour can be quite transformative. Especially when indulging for the first time. However, the thing to remember is that it is an undertaking. Coloured hair requires constant upkeep and ten times more TLC than you are used to giving your hair. This is why it’s crucial to do your homework before signing up. To help you, we’ve listed down a few questions you need to ask your hairstylist beforehand.

What colours will suit me?

You’ve spent months scrolling through Pintrest, sharing references with your girl gang and considering every possible colour (even electric blue!). However, at the end of the day the deciding factor is your skin tone. Start with figuring out whether you have a cool undertone or a warm one. Once you do that, you can proceed with the colour selection.

If you have warm undertones, opt for colours like honey caramel (in the brown and chocolate family, basically), and if you have a cool undertone, something from the mahogany or burgundy palette will brighten up your whole look. 

What does colour maintenance entail?

Discussing this with your hairstylist before getting your hair in foils will help you prepare for the changes that are about to occur in your hair care regime. Coloured hair needs extra maintenance and TLC not only to increase the longevity of the colour but also to keep your hair from turning into a desert.

Your hair routine, if you want your hair to remain salon-soft, should then include frequent oiling, masks, colour-safe shampoo and treatments.

How does colour affect the hair?

While the hair-colour industry is in a state of constant evolution, it is still a chemical procedure with extremely potent products that should come with a danger sign on them. Okay, not really, but hair colours do have the power to damage the hair shaft and lead to excessive dryness, hair fall or hair thinning. This is why it’s important to ask your hairstylist what damages you will be looking at and if any of them are long-term threats.

But don’t fret, with the right product and application technique your hair will be safe. 

What type of colour is being used?

One of the first questions you should be asking is what type of colour is being used—semi-permanent or permanent. Semi-permanent hair colour requires less time to apply and less effort to maintain, but it fades off in about three weeks. On the other hand, permanent hair colour is for everyone looking to make a drastic change. These types of colours contain ammonia and hydrogen peroxide and they work on your hair’s melanin and keratin to change the colour and texture. Permanent colours last for four to six weeks on average and then, of course, touch-ups are a must.

What are the pros and cons of getting your hair coloured?

If you pick the right colour and it’s done using the right techniques, hair colour can bring out your best features. It can brighten up your whole look, add some definition and give you the kind of change you’ve been craving for a long time. However, the thing to keep in mind is that all colour will damage your hair to a certain extent. There may be some dryness, frizziness and hair fall. It’s imperative to have an iron-clad hair care routine in place, one that supplies your locks will all the moisture it needs and more.

Lead image courtesy: Instagram/DeepikaPadukone