About 62 million American women are home hair-color users, 25 million are dual salon/home users and, according to Mintel market research, last year, of 1,000 women surveyed who got salon color, 15 percent shifted to doing it themselves. To address the elephant in the room, Lauren Gartland, founder of Inspiring Champions, a beauty industry business training company, suggests using creative, targeted promotions.

Show photographs in your salon’s window of common home hair-color mistakes, such as a brassy blonde or a too-dark brunette, and hightlight your color correction services, says Gartland. In press releases, window signs and more, invite women to bring in an unused, boxed color kit for a $10 or a 20-percent discount on their color service. Or, if they’ve already colored their hair and botched the job, have them bring in the used box for a similar discount on fixing it. If they’ve already thrown the box away, offer the discount if they pose for before and after photos, and give you usage rights for future promotions.

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