Should I wash my hair before a color appointment?

No. Arrive with second-day hair. Natural oil protects the scalp during lightening, and clarifying beforehand is counterproductive.

What should I bring to my first color appointment?

Photos of what you want and what you do not, an honest history of every product used on your hair, and a realistic maintenance schedule.

Do I need to tell my stylist about box dye?

Yes, always. Box dye and henna change how lightener behaves and can react unpredictably. The information protects your hair.

How long does a first color appointment take?

A full balayage with toning and a blowout runs three to four hours. Consultations are short and can be booked separately first.

June 17, 2026Before you come

How to Prep for Your First Color Appointment

By Kether Wesley-WieseJune 17, 2026

Arrive with unwashed second-day hair, photos of what you want and what you do not, an honest account of every color used on your hair including box dye, and a realistic sense of how often you are willing to return for maintenance.

1. Do not wash it that morning

A day or two of natural oil protects the scalp during lightening. Clean hair is not an advantage here and slightly stripped hair is a disadvantage. Skip the clarifying shampoo entirely in the week before.

2. Bring photos of what you do not want

Everyone brings inspiration photos. Almost nobody brings the opposite, and the opposite is more useful. "Not this warm" and "not this ashy" narrow the target faster than five variations of the same blonde. Photos in natural light, ideally on hair with a similar starting depth to yours.

3. Tell me everything that has been on your hair

Box dye from two years ago. The henna you tried once. The at-home gloss. The purple shampoo that stained. The keratin treatment. All of it changes how lightener behaves, and some of it — henna and metallic salts in particular — can react badly enough to matter.

Nobody is judging. I need the information to keep your hair on your head.

4. Know your maintenance number

The single most useful thing you can tell me is how often you are realistically willing to sit in this chair. Every six weeks and every five months are both completely fine answers, and they point at different placements. Telling me every six weeks when you mean twice a year produces a color that looks wrong for most of its life.

5. Expect the consult to change the plan

Sometimes the photo is reachable in one appointment. Sometimes it is two sessions and a gloss in between. You will hear which before anything is mixed, along with the number. Nothing starts until you have agreed to the actual plan.

6. Practical things

Wear a dark top with a wide neck. Lightener does not come out.
Eat first. A full balayage runs three to four hours.
Bring headphones if you would rather not talk. That is genuinely fine.
Leave the kids at home — Drip is adults-only.
Arrive on time; a four-hour appointment has no slack at the front.

What happens if you hate it

Tell me in the chair. Tone is adjustable in minutes while you are still here and considerably harder to fix three weeks later. Nobody has ever offended me by saying it is not what they pictured.