When you're in a crunch, how do you shave time off a color service? MODERN asked these six color experts for their advice on the topic!

TRAIN FOR TRUST
“I invest a lot of time and training into my assistants. I trust them to apply and formulate color when I'm not available.” —Linh Phan

UPSELL TO BUY TIME
“When highlighting, if the client needs a full highlight, do a touch up and partial highlight, coloring where it counts and where it will be seen.

“If I am backed up, I go for treatments to buy me some time. This is an opportunity to upsell another service.
I say, ‘Let’s do a Tones demi-permanent glaze and enhance the color because your length and ends need refreshing.’

“I can also offer Aloxxi’s RRx Treatment if the hair is in need of repair. I apply it at the bowl and it buys me some time to get my next client going. Clients love the shine this treatment provides and always comment when they leave the salon.” —Teri Dougherty

PREP THE PROCESS
“I believe time management is key! I personally don’t like to rush any of my color services and believe with the correct thought process behind the technique, it shouldn’t take you long to do, but the result will look like you have spent a lot longer. Preparation before every service is important so you aren’t wasting time on things like preparing foil when you’re busy.”—Renée Valerie

KEEP CALM, COLOR ON “When you fi nd yourself in a crunch during a color service, my best tip would be to stay calm. When emotions rise, intelligence drops, and you need your mind at these moments. You cannot cheat process times or quality of work, and if you do, it will show. What you can do is know when to place fewer foils around the face for a bigger effect, or when to take larger sections of hair as you are working below the round of the head. The only way to understand these things is to be grounded in creativity and principles. In the end it is your understanding and putting into practice your knowledge of the principles that will help you out in a crunch.”—Justin Isaac

TECHNOLOGY RESCUE
“Time has always been an important factor with CHI’s hair color products. In our color lines, we reduced the processing time, but with the ceramic technology we have still 100% oxidation of the color pigments.

“Another tip: Applying CHI infra high lift ABR, NBR and CBR over a level 1, 2 or 3 yields brown highlights without bleaching. This is what I call time-saving.” —Patrick Kalle

HEAT WITHOUT DAMAGE
“A common go-to for many colorists when they’re in a crunch during a chemical service is to speed up processing time with heat, which can potentially compromise the integrity of the client’s hair. In these instances, the key to preventing excessive damage is to stop the accelerated action of the peroxide with Crystal Gel Wellness Remedy by Malibu C Professional, which can be quickly applied right at the bowl so it doesn’t add extra time to the service, but defi nitely makes all the difference.” —Missy Peterson

REFINE AT THE BOWL
“When time is tight, instead of spending 15-20 minutes using a glaze or gloss
to fi nish off the color service, I would use one of Celeb’s Gem Lites or Viral Colorwash colors to refi ne my color at the sink while adding shine. It takes only seconds. If you want even more intensity, do two or three quick multiple washes in a row—no need to leave it on. Stop when you like the color. I would then suggest the appropriate Colorwash to use at home to protect their hair color investment. If they alternate every other wash with Gem Lites Shinewash or Viral Moisturewash, continuous use with it will manage their vibrancy and stop color washout and fade until their next service.”  —Leland Hirsch, Celeb Luxury co-founder