You don’t need to know the difference between balayage and foils. You don’t need to know which toner you need. And you don’t need to walk into the salon already knowing exactly what to ask for.
That’s what the consultation is for! And we’re very friendly!
A good colour consultation is a conversation about much more than the colour you like in an inspiration photo. It’s where your stylist gets to understand your hair, what it’s been through, what you’d like to achieve and what will realistically work for your hair condition, lifestyle, budget and maintenance preferences.
At Blonde Poetry, consultations are an important part of how we approach colour because the best result isn’t simply about choosing a beautiful shade from Pinterest. It’s about creating a plan that’s right for you.
What should you bring to a colour consultation?
Inspiration photos are genuinely helpful.
Save images of hair you love, and don’t worry too much about whether you can explain why you like them. Your stylist can help work that out with you.
It can be useful to bring several images. We might notice that although the colours are slightly different, everything you’ve saved has softness around the root, brightness around the face or lots of dimension through the lengths, which gives us a much better understanding of what you’re drawn to.
Your inspiration photos are a starting point, though, rather than a prescription. Your natural colour, previous colour, hair condition, texture and density all influence how a particular result might translate to your own hair.
Please also be mindful about AI photos - they are everywhere on Pinterest and Insta and are sometimes misleading as to what is possible or realistic.
Be honest about your hair history, there’s no judgement.
This is one of the most important parts of a colour consultation. Tell your stylist about previous salon colour, box dye, bleach, henna, colour removers, keratin treatments and anything else your hair has been through, even if it was quite a while ago.
And please don’t worry about being judged for it!
We’re asking because your colour history can affect what is safely achievable now. The more your colourist knows, the better we can plan your service and protect the condition of your hair.
Tell us how you live with your hair
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How often do you style it?
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How much time do you want to spend on it in the morning?
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How frequently do you realistically want to visit the salon?
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Are you happy with regular maintenance, or would you rather come three or four times a year?
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What’s your budget for maintaining your colour?
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These aren’t awkward things to tell your stylist. They’re some of the most helpful things you can tell us.
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If you don’t have time or prefer not to style your hair, we need to know.
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If you don’t want to be in the salon every six weeks, we need to know that too.
What is your colourist looking at?
Before we decide on a colour plan, there’s quite a lot for your stylist to consider.
We’ll look at your natural base, existing colour, regrowth, condition, texture, density and the overall integrity of your hair. We’ll also consider your colour history and how your hair is likely to respond to the service you’re considering.
Sometimes that means the original plan changes.
You might arrive wanting a major transformation and find that your stylist recommends getting there gradually. Or there may be another technique that can give you the feeling of the inspiration you’ve brought in while being better suited to your hair. It isn’t your stylist trying to talk you out of what you want, it’s part of looking after your hair and for our team at Blonde Poetry, the condition of your hair matters just as much as the colour we’re creating.
What questions should you ask?
A consultation works both ways, so this is also your opportunity to ask questions and understand what your colour will involve.
You might want to ask:
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How many appointments could it take to achieve this result?
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How often will I need to come back?
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What will the grow-out look like?
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What will I need to do at home?
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Is this realistic for my current hair?
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Is there another option that would give me a similar result with less maintenance?
What should I budget for the initial service and ongoing maintenance?
You don’t need to arrive with a checklist. But you should leave your consultation understanding the plan and feeling comfortable with what comes next.
What if you don’t know what you want?
That’s completely fine, sometimes “I don’t know exactly what I want, but I know I don’t like this” is a very good place to start. Tell us what’s bothering you about your current hair. Tell us how you’d like it to feel. Show us a few things you’ve saved. Tell us what you’re prepared to maintain. Then we can help you work through the rest.
A consultation shouldn’t feel like a sales pitch
A thorough consultation isn’t about finding the biggest service we can book you in for, sometimes the right recommendation is more colour. Sometimes it’s less. Sometimes it means changing the technique, adjusting the goal, recommending a treatment to help care for compromised hair or creating a longer-term plan rather than trying to achieve everything in one appointment. And sometimes we’ll tell you that what you’re asking for isn’t something we’d recommend for your hair right now.
We’d rather have an honest conversation before we begin than compromise the condition of your hair to chase a result that isn’t realistic - we’ll never make you happy that way!
Start with a conversation
If you’re considering a new colour, a significant change or simply aren’t sure what you should book, you don’t have to work it all out before you come in.
Blonde Poetry offers consultations so you can sit down with one of our stylists, talk through your hair, your ideas and your maintenance preferences, and understand your options before committing to your colour service.
With Blonde Poetry salons in Curtin and Bungendore, our team can help you create a plan that considers not only where you’d like your hair to go, but where it’s starting from.
Book your consultation online https://bookings.gettimely.com/blondepoetry/book
