Color correction can seem like salvation. The at-home box dye was more purple than lavender; a few highlight attempts left you with brassy orange tones; the ombre your last stylist did is more like a patchwork quilt. However color correction can save you from a hair catastrophe, understanding how the process works before you schedule an appointment is essential, since it’s a technical service, not just your standard color application.
Houston weather can make hair more vulnerable, thanks to humidity, sunshine, and washing too much. All of these things can fade or shift your color.
What Is Color Correction?
Color correction is what you do when your color didn’t go the way you planned. Whether that means stripping out artificial color, neutralizing tones you hate, adding body to flat color, fixing uneven patches, or improving the shine of damaged hair, it’s a specialized process.
You might want color correction because you have:
- Unwanted color tones, including orange, yellow, green, brown
- Color that’s too dark or too light
- Patchy highlights and bleach spots
- Harsh root bands
- Color that’s faded and dull
- Damage from overprocessing or too many dyes
uneven brassy hair before color correction
Your correction will be different depending on where your hair’s come from, how it’s performing now, and what you want to make of it. Even similar-looking hair might need a completely different plan to correct it.
Color Correction in Houston Is All About Patience
Weather conditions like Houston’s can influence both the look and durability of your color. Hair that’s been chemically treated or bleached might become more frizzy in humidity. Your color could also fade faster in the sun. Frequent washing or swimming in chlorinated water from Houston’s hot summer weather could alter your shade faster, too.
You can still have beautiful color, you just need to find the right colorist to work with Houston’s climate (right here). When you work with a trusted Houston colorist, they’ll be able to plan a course for your hair that considers your lifestyle and hair type, as well as how much upkeep you are able to give the look.
“Great hair color is the result of understanding your hair’s history and building from there. Successful Houston color correction, in particular, is less about how long it will take you to get to your target shade, and more about how to get there without damaging the hair more,” says Elena Ramirez, a professional colorist in Houston. “It’s often better to have a slow and steady course to the end result than to try and rush through the process and compromise the health of your hair.”
The Consultation Sets The Plan
A proper consultation should be the first step in the coloring process, before you start dyeing your hair. During this consultation, a colorist will take a look at your hair and ask about any previous color and lightening services, chemical hair straightening and smoothing treatments, box color, or heat styling habits that you’ve done.
This includes things that happened to your hair six months ago as well as last week. Even color you used in the past can impact your final result if it’s not taken into account during the consultation.
During this meeting, a reputable colorist might look at:
- The condition of your hair under natural sunlight.
- The strength or elasticity of your hair.
- A discussion of realistic outcomes for your current hair state.
- If more than one appointment will be needed for the result.
- Any maintenance or aftercare required.
These questions can help prevent further damage or disappointment with what happens during your color correction.
Why You Might Need More than One Appointment
While color correction can take care of a single issue with your color at one time, like a little toning or blending, sometimes it requires more than one session to get your hair to where you want it to be. It’s not unusual for your stylist to need to take color in small steps when it comes to lifting darker artificial color.
For instance, when lifting dark color from the hair that was dyed darker, to get to a light color, like a soft blonde, the hair will pass through stages such as red, orange, and gold tones when bleached. Pushing through those stages too quickly might end up with uneven and potentially damaged hair.
More appointments give your colorist a better chance to gradually achieve the color you want. It might just give you a better end result, smoother, more vibrant color with less chance for breakage or uneven tones.
Maintaining Your Color After Correction
color safe shampoo and conditioner for corrected hair
You might need a bit of extra help for your color after color correction. A gentle color-safe shampoo, limiting the use of heat (as you can see at www.aad.org/public), regular conditioning and deep conditioning treatments will help your color hold longer and stay shiny. A conditioner and shampoo that helps retain color as well as hydrate will help preserve the tone and moisture in your hair.
Your Color, Done Right
Color correction is a process that takes a bit of patience. Getting great color comes down to setting realistic goals and having a solid hair history. When done correctly, color correction helps you get back to hair you feel comfortable wearing, and makes sure it is balanced and looks great, whether you’re fixing brassiness, unevenness in color, or a total dye disaster.
Before You Book Color Correction in Houston
