SPRING INTO ACTION 

Here are some tips from colourists for your first few months in the salon and the key colour trends to watch

  “While lockdown has been a great time for rest and recuperation, getting our energy levels back up to speed as we set to enter a very busy few months is going to be paramount,” says James Taylor, owner of Moose House of Hair and international master educator for Balmain Hair Couture. “Hydration and exercise are going to be key for us to get used to being on our feet for long periods of time. Start getting into a new routine sooner rather than later. Otherwise you could burn out,” he advises.

  “Prepare your column with extra time for some corrective work” says Matrix artist, Michael Convey. “Don’t be afraid to charge for this time and the additional services you may have to add to achieve the result. Have a plan of action – the first four to six weeks are going to be busy,” he says. “Are you going to get your highest value clients in within the first week? Are you going to not offer certain services until you have worked through the bulk of your guests? Don’t forget to communicate with your team and clients and it will be a lot easier.” Georgia Bell, Society by Georgia Bell salon owner and Denman ambassador is offering video consultations prior to appointments.

“This enables us to connect with our customers and reassure them that we can solve their colour issues. Plus, we can make sure we have all the right products in stock from the wholesaler ready for when we reopen. We will also schedule them all in for five-minute time slots for sensitivity tests as soon as we reopen.”

Creating a checklist can help you feel prepared for reopening, says the Vanity Doll salon team, which is a La Riche salon.

• Make sure you fully research the latest UK Government guidelines and put them into practice

• Organise a staff meeting so you can all sit down and discuss the guidelines and any questions staff members may have

• Make sure you have all the correct PPE equipment

• Do a full stock check and ensure you are fully stocked with all of the products and tools you will need

• Make sure the salon and all stations are clean and organised ready for use

• Try to get back into the salon as soon as you can to familiarise yourself with your workspace, colour chart and products

• Go through your client records and ensure you have contacted your regular clientele for appointments

• Get in touch with regular clients to discuss reopening and ensure they all feel welcomed back, at ease and safe about going into your salon

• Keep in mind colour services may take longer due to people using box dyes during lockdown and also root regrowth will be particularly long.

“After lockdown last year we used so much more colour per client as we were coping with regrowth and home colour adventures,” says Karine Jackson, owner of Karine Jackson Salon, London. “It will be no different this time, so factor in additional colour costs or risk losing profit at a time you can ill-afford it. We use the
Vish Colour Management system to show us exactly how much extra we’ve used and price it for us. The cost is added at the front desk.”

“We are often programmed into thinking every piece of hair has to be coloured or every section has to be balayaged within an inch of its life. Post-lockdown is the perfect time to play with sectioning patterns or offer a different type of toner to let your client express themselves,” says Gareth Cook, UK & international technical educator at FFØR. “It’s never detrimental to ask and work with team members to help you see your client with a different pair of eyes. Clients are going to be after the extra mile of service so making them feel valued is paramount.”

“Reopening the salon this time is different from the previous lockdowns. We have been closed for 16 weeks, so we will be patch testing all our clients before they return for their colour service.

We need to check our insurance and our colour manufacturer to make sure we are within their guidelines,” advises Goldwell ambassador Martin Crean. “We will be stock taking as we will be using a lot more when we go back. Clients will have bigger roots so we will be using more than we usually do. We will be dealing with lots of grown-out colour so we will be doing more full heads than before. Make sure you have plenty of product in your cupboard – the last thing you want is to run out when you’re busy!”

  “As we prepare ourselves for salons reopening, one important thing to keep in mind is that we will be busier than ever. We will have a lot more colours to refresh. We will need to be more aware of the time in-between clients, and  increased sanitisation of space and equipment,” says Lucy Trevorrow, brand ambassador for Celeb Luxury. “Even the simplest colour services usually take up to 45 minutes to perform and develop, such as toning dull blondes, a balayage refresh, or post-lockdown root touch-ups. Celeb Luxury’s Flawless Diamond & Silvery Diamond conditioners take away development time, giving results in just 10 minutes at the backwash, which hands you back 35 minutes.”

  “Make contact with your clients right now,” says Adele Clarke, owner of Spectrum Hair Company and OSMO IKON brand ambassador. “Start small with a text message to reconnect and just say hello. This can build up to ‘lives’ on your social media pages, going through any new protocols you may have in place,” she says.

“This will save you time and avoid you having the same conversation numerous times. Alternatively, send a friendly email as it will have the same effect if you are a little camera shy.”

With summer around the corner, Claire Chell, global creative director at Francesco Group for L’Oréal Professionnel Paris shares her trend predictions…

Pretty in peach
Inspired by The Queen’s Gambit leading lady Anya Taylor-Joy, this trend embraces all warm skin tones and illuminates your clients’ skin and eye colour to the max. It’s a shade that was once thought of as high maintenance which has now been reborn. It’s now delicate, soft and hugely admired. The perfect peach of today has more of a natural and neutral hue to it, rather than a burnt orange undertone.

The face frame
Face framing is here to stay at least through to autumn. This is a great cost-effective change up to any style and it’s ideal for accentuating the eyes and the cheekbones. Celebrities such as Ferne McCann, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé have been supporting this iconic trend since day one. A purplebased shampoo, such as L’Oréal Professionnel Paris Silver Shampoo is always a must-have to keep this frame looking pure and elegant between appointments.

Smoky hair
Smoky hair is making a huge come back for summer as clients have got used to seeing their coloured locks looking undone throughout lockdown. Simple light pockets hidden throughout the hair and toned all over with a smoky hue will soften the look of fresh bright hair and keep it current. Think smoky grey shades, soft lavenders, blue denims and smoked rose golds. These are the perfect combinations to create a unique head-turning colour.