New color technology means you can save time without sacrificing results. Three solutions to save service time and boost color profits.

Photo courtesy of Schwarzkopf

For most salons, hair color is key to a salon's "vibrancy" year-round. During the holidays, its impact can be even more intense. The good news is that more clients want color and you, of course, want more color clients. But there are only so many hours in a day and so many "extras" you can squeeze into your book. Or are there?

New time-saving hair color technology, innovations and techniques mean you can process amazing hair color results for your clients in 10 minutes or less. Here, updates on two new hair color service opportunities from two Beauty System Group/CosmoProf© color partners, as well as a "refresher" course on a recent upgrade to a classic color shine booster.

FAST AND LUXURIOUS
Ten Minute Permanent Color

If you do the math, it's simple. Ten minutes for processing means you can color three clients in the time you've been servicing one, potentially tripling your productivity and income.

That's the point hair color manufacturer Schwarzkopf Professional is emphasizing as it launches Igora Color10 permanent color, adding that the new product delivers all the quality, vibrancy and shine of a traditional color with a short, gentle process.

"Igora Color10 allows colorists the opportunity for more flexible appointment planning as well as increased client pampering opportunities," says Amy Garrett, Schwarzkopf Professional senior brand manager. "It's not only great for existing color clients, but new clients as well, and Igora Color10 can transform a hair cut client into a makeover client in 10 minutes."

So how does it work? Key to the product's formula are two amino acids- arginin and glycin-that strengthen the keratin fiber of the hair, stabilize the protein structure, improve the hair's condition and act as a carrier to help the color pigments penetrate faster and deeper into the hair.

Thoroughly effective for gray and white coverage, the line boasts a 12-shade range from level 4 through level 9 plus five "Speedlift" shades that lift up to four levels.

Igora Color10 performs so rapidly that the company recommends not exceeding 10 minutes for application time. Igora holds high opportunity for:

• Retouch. Clients who see roots too soon can stop into the salon more frequently for a quick retouch.

• Lunchtime highlights/lowlights. Clients who decide in the morning that they'd like to go out after work can freshen their hair color in-between.

• Upservicing. Now you can move hair cut clients to color, or all-over color clients to additional services like foil highlights or baliage, the same day without worrying about getting behind in your schedule.

Igora also can expand your menu's price points. You might offer a quick, affordable mini-retouch around the hairline to assist clients who have been stretching their color appointments for financial reasons. For more extensive color services you may find that the time savings permits you to charge a premium price. Either way, this is the type of service that can and should bring in new clients while strengthening appreciation and loyalty from existing color clients.

"A traditional permanent color service typically takes anywhere from a 30- to 45-minute development time," says Garrett. "In today's society, where everything is moving so quickly and people want things now, most are willing to pay a little bit more for services that can be completed in a very short amount of time. Think one-hour dry cleaning and 30-minute teeth whitening. Time is money to clients and to you! With Igora Color10, you can save time and make more money."

IT'S A GUY THING
Five Minute Masculine Color

According to research by Goldwell, only one in 10 men currently color their hair, but half could actually imagine having the service. Their studies also showed that the reason more men weren't covering gray or adding color was that they wanted to be approached about color in a more masculine way, with products specific to them. So Goldwell created Men ReSHADE as a completely new and independent launch with new color technology and a unique application system designed "just for men."

Time and comfort level are important factors to successfully convert men to color clients. So Men ReSHADE works by blending away gray in just five minutes. It features a Hybrid Foam Technology so application is done quickly and discreetly at the shampoo bowl. It looks more like a shampoo service or treatment than a color application, which is appealing to color-shy men.

Photos courtesy of Goldwell

Other features:

• Available in four Ash/Cool Ash shades

• Natural looking, cool-tone results (no reddish fading or brassiness)

• Easy to use and apply; processes in just five minutes

• Washes out gradually, so no roots. According to Goldwell, the consultation is an essential part of the process to encourage a man to try color, and that consultation experience is very different than with a female client. The company has developed specific coaching tools and resources to help salons customize the color conversation for men. Tips include:

• Use masculine expressions such as "gray blending" instead of "coloring."

• Thoroughly explain the service and its results. (While women tend to discuss their desired results in a more direct and open manner, men are less likely to ask for a service or talk about hair issues unless prompted.)

• As with all clients, be sure to explain the products you're using and recommend products to take home to maintain the color and style. (Goldwell's DualSenses for Men is the appropriate hair care solution.)

According to the Goldwell team, once your male clients experience the "most masculine way to reduce gray," you will have some of your most loyal and frequent clients returning to your chair every 4-6 weeks.

TIME TO SHINE
Fifteen Minute Colorizing Gloss

Have you ever met anyone who didn't want to add more shine to their hair? Clients can't get enough of it.

Sebastian was an early innovator in "shine technology," with the introduction of Cellophanes colorizing gloss. Recently relaunched, Cellophanes is a professional service that delivers super- shiny hair for clients who long for it and extra "upservice" dollars for you. And, Cellophanes is appropriate for both color and non-color clients.

"Cellophanes is so easy to add on, and the results are always effective, immediate and noticeable," says Janine Jarman, owner of Hairroin Salon in Hollywood, California, and a member of the Sebastian Professional Stylist Design Team. "It delivers great shine and hydration as well as a color boost. It's a great way to maximize double and triple bookings."


Photos courtesy of Sebastian Professional

Cellophanes colorizing gloss is:

• Ammonia-free

• Translucent

• Applied on damp hair from root to tip, avoiding the scalp

• Dried under a dryer for 15-20 minutes, cooled for five minutes and rinsed

"The short time frame makes it ideal to do after a shampoo for a hair cut, or following a color service to lock in the shine and prolong vibrancy," Jarman adds. "It's also great for the color-phobic client, because the non-committal, temporary results appeal to color firsttimers. In addition, it's a great way to tone blondes and seal in color on those porous ends."

In addition to suggesting Cellophanes as an add-on, Jarman uses it as a way to get clients into the salon in between scheduled visits. "I talk about Cellophanes as a treatment with color," she explains, "I recommend it to all my vibrant color clients as well as clients who experience color fading."