How to Prepare for Your First Hair Colour Appointment
First colour appointment nerves are extremely normal, and they're usually made up of the same three worries. Will I like it? Are they going to judge my hair? Am I about to sit in a chair for four hours with no idea what's happening?
Good news. Whether a first colour appointment goes brilliantly or awkwardly comes down mostly to things you can sort out before you even walk in. Twenty minutes of prep makes a real difference.
Here's your checklist. If you want the bigger picture first, start with our guide to everything worth knowing before you colour your hair. This one's the practical sidekick to it.
Before you book
Book a consultation, not just a service
This is the step everyone skips, and it's the one that matters most. Booking straight into "full head foils" when you've never coloured before means you and your stylist are locked into a plan neither of you has actually talked about.
A consultation means someone gets to look at your hair in proper daylight, ask about your history, turn your inspo photo into a real service, and quote you properly. At Tyco. Creative a standard consultation is $50, and it comes off your service cost in full when you go ahead. So if you book in, it costs you nothing.
Mention if you need a patch test
Never had permanent colour? Coming back after years away? Ever reacted to a temporary tattoo or a hair dye? You'll need a patch test 48 hours beforehand. Just say so when you book. It's a two minute visit, and it means nobody has to reschedule your colour on the day.
Don't book it the day before something huge
Please. Not the day before the wedding, the graduation, the flight or the job interview.
Colour usually goes beautifully. But if it needs a tweak, or you want to live with it for a day and then adjust the tone, you want a bit of breathing room. Book two to three weeks out from any big event. That's also when colour looks its best anyway, once the initial intensity has settled.
The 48 hours before
Have a think about your hair history
Write it down if that helps. Your stylist needs to know:
Any box dye, ever. Yes, including "only on my roots"
Henna or any plant based colour. This one really matters, because henna can react with professional lightener
Previous bleach or highlights, even ancient ones sitting down your lengths
Keratin or smoothing treatments, and roughly when
Any medication or health change that's affected your hair lately
Nobody's judging the box dye. We've all made a 9pm decision. But finding out about it halfway through a lightening service is a genuinely unpleasant surprise for everyone involved.
Don't wash your hair that morning
Sounds backwards, but trust us. Come in with day old hair.
Your scalp's natural oils act as a mild buffer, which makes colour and lightener much more comfortable, especially at the root. Squeaky clean hair means a more sensitive scalp for the whole appointment.
Two things to avoid though. Skip the heavy oils, masks and leave in products for 48 hours beforehand. And if you're a daily dry shampoo person, ease off, because build up sits on your hair like a barrier and can cause genuinely patchy colour. If your hair's carrying serious product build up, a clarifying wash the night before (not the morning of) is the move.
Get your photos sorted
Three or four images of what you want, plus at least one of what you really don't.
Try to find photos of people whose starting colour looks a bit like yours. A platinum result on someone naturally quite light tells us almost nothing about what's achievable on very dark hair. And where you can, screenshot photos taken in daylight rather than heavily filtered ones, so we can actually read the tone.
Know your real budget and your real upkeep appetite
Two numbers to settle on before you walk in:
What you're comfy spending on the day
How often you'll genuinely come back
Be honest about number two especially. "Every six weeks" and "twice a year" lead to completely different recommendations, and both answers are absolutely fine. What's not fine is picking a high maintenance colour and then not maintaining it, because that's how you end up with a harsh regrowth line and a colour you've started to resent. Our guide to how often you can safely dye your hair will help you figure out where you sit.
On the day
Wear something you're not precious about
Salons use gowns and towels, and colourists are careful people. Bleach is still bleach. Wear something dark, nothing you love, and pick a neckline that isn't going to fight with the gown.
Eat something first
A full head of foils or a blonding service can run three to five hours. That's a long time in a chair. Have a proper meal beforehand, bring a water bottle, and if you're someone who gets lightheaded, tell us. Nobody minds a break.
Bring something to do
Podcast, laptop, book, whatever gets you through. Loads of our clients work through their appointment and the salon's set up for exactly that. Just maybe not something that needs both hands while we're applying.
Turn up on time, and allow more than you think
Colour is time blocked. Rocking up fifteen minutes late can mean a rushed toner or a service that has to be trimmed back. Ask how long yours will take when you book, so you're not the one anxiously checking your watch mid processing.
What actually happens in the chair
Knowing the running order takes most of the nerves out of it:
Consultation. Hair history, photos, plan, price confirmed
Application. The longest bit. Foils, painting or an all over application depending on your service
Processing. Colour or lightener develops. Anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes
Wash and toner. Where the tone gets refined, and honestly where a lot of the magic happens. Curious about this step? We've explained when a toner is actually necessary
Treatment. A bond builder or moisture treatment to close the cuticle and bring the condition back
Blow dry and finish. The fun part
Aftercare chat. Home products and when to come back
Say something during, not after
Honestly, the most useful thing you can do in that chair: if something looks off to you in the mirror, say it then. Tweaking tone at the basin is easy. Tweaking it three days later means another appointment.
Your stylist really does want to know. "It's a bit warmer than I pictured" is helpful information, not a complaint.
Once you leave
Wait 48 to 72 hours before your first wash. The cuticle is still settling and the colour is still locking in
Switch to a sulphate free, colour safe shampoo. Biggest bang for your buck, every time
Turn the shower temperature down. Hot water opens the cuticle and pigment escapes
Book your next appointment before you go. Colour clients get busy, and that six week slot you want will vanish
If your colour starts fading quicker than you expected, it's almost always one of a handful of usual suspects. We've listed the lot in our guide to why hair colour fades so fast.
FAQs
Should I wash my hair before a colour appointment? Not on the day. Day old hair is ideal, because your natural scalp oils make the whole thing more comfortable. Avoid heavy products and heavy dry shampoo in the 48 hours before.
How long will my first colour appointment take? A root touch up is around 90 minutes. Full foils usually run three to four hours. A big blonde transformation can take three to five. Confirm your estimate when you book.
Do I need a patch test? Yes if it's your first time with permanent or demi permanent colour, if it's been years, or if you've ever reacted to hair dye or temporary tattoos. It needs to happen 48 hours beforehand.
Can I bring a photo from Instagram? Please do. Just bring a few, and know that lighting and filters change everything. Photos of people with a similar natural base to yours are the most useful ones.
What if I don't like the result? Tell your stylist while you're still in the chair. Tone adjustments are simple at the basin and much harder later. Any good colourist would far rather fix it on the spot than have you leave unhappy.
How much should I budget? Depends on the service and your hair length. Our full price list is on the services and pricing page, and we've broken down what drives the cost in our Brisbane hair colour cost guide.
Book your first colour with confidence
Tyco. Creative is a Paddington salon that takes the consultation seriously, because your first colour appointment should feel exciting rather than uncertain. Our team looks after clients across Paddington, Bardon, Rosalie and Toowong, from first time gloss and foils through to full colour transformations.
Book online or call (07) 3180 3311. We're at 9 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington.
