What is artificial colour build-up, and how does it affect the desired colour I am trying to achieve?

Colour build-up refers to any type of colour that has been applied to your hair at any stage. Unless your hair is 100% grown out, you will most likely have old colour remaining on your hair – even if the last colour was applied some time ago.

Colour build-up and the past colour history of your hair will affect the type of result that you would like to achieve now. In some instances, we have found that colour build-up can lead to overlapping, banding, patchiness and colour that is near impossible to remove.

Many clients who have had past colour work done & colour build-up ask us if they can achieve blonde or certain levels of lightness. Once you have colour build-up in your hair, it can take a long time to remove – especially dark tones. Usually, during the lightening process, you will see red, copper, orange, brass and then blonde. In some instances, it can take around a year to completely achieve your desired colour, and it all depends on how easily prior colour can be removed.

We usually get a good indication following the first colour correction setting, and we can estimate a basic timeline for your hair. Please note: anyone with dark or vivid colours will need to book a colour correction service before we can do a regular makeover service for you. This is effectively two bookings, and the standard time for this is approximately five (5) hours.