What Happens During a Color Correction?

Color correction is any work that undoes something: box color, banding, brassy or patchy lightening, going much lighter after being dark, or hair that's had too many different formulas layered on it.

It starts with a consultation, in person

Photos can't tell a colorist how your hair lifts. At the consultation Niki looks at your hair in natural light, asks what's been on it over the last couple of years, and often does a small strand test to see how it actually behaves.

You leave with a plan: how many sessions, roughly how long apart, and what each one costs. Nothing gets mixed before you've agreed to that.

Why it's often more than one session

Lightening previously colored hair takes it in stages. Pushing all the way to a goal in one sitting is where hair breaks. Splitting it across two visits a few weeks apart usually gets you a better end result with hair that's still healthy — and that's a decision made for your hair, not for the schedule.

What a session looks like

• Sectioned, staged lightening or color removal — often different formulas in different areas
• Constant checking, because corrective work doesn't run on a timer
• Bond support built into the process
• Toning at the end to land the shade
• Cut and style to remove any compromised ends

What it costs

Corrective work is priced by time and product, quoted at the consultation. Larger transformation sessions commonly land in the $250–$500 range. You'll know your number before you sit down.

How to prepare

• Bring photos of your hair in natural light and your inspiration
• Write down everything that's been on your hair — including box color and henna
• Come with clean, dry, unstyled hair if you can
• Come with a flexible mind about timeline; the healthiest route is rarely the fastest