This is the complete guide to colour changes and corrections. The shorter guides linked through it go deeper on each question, and the colour and colour correction page has the salon's prices.
What counts as a correction
A correction is any colour appointment where what's already on the hair decides what's possible. The most common ones we see at Jenna Ellen Hair:
- Box dye that went darker than the packet, or has been applied over itself for months and built up bands.
- Home bleach with uneven lift, hot roots, or stripes where sections overlapped.
- Blonde that's drifted orange from a dark base, where a toner alone no longer holds.
- A salon colour from elsewhere that missed the brief: too warm, too ashy, too solid, or a different level altogether.
- A change of direction: blonde back to brunette, brunette to blonde, or a fashion colour back to natural.
None of these are unusual, and all of them have a route. What they share is that the plan has to be made with the hair in front of a stylist rather than from a photo.
The consultation
The free in-salon consultation takes 15 to 20 minutes and does 4 things. Your stylist looks at what's on the hair section by section, because the roots, mid-lengths and ends usually carry different histories. They check its strength and porosity, which decide how much lightener the hair can take in 1 visit. Where lightening is part of the plan, they run a strand test on a hidden section so you both see how light the hair goes in 1 sitting. Then you get the route: how many visits, what happens at each, how long each takes, and the price.
The common routes
| Starting point | Usual route | Visits |
|---|---|---|
| Box dye, 1 or 2 applications, going lighter | Gentle lift and tone, or a colour remover first | 1 to 2 |
| Box dye, many applications, going lighter | Colour remover, then staged lifts | 2 to 3 |
| Home bleach with bands | Even out the bands with a targeted lift, then tone | 1 to 2 |
| Blonde gone orange from a dark base | Lift to the right level, blue-based toner | 1 to 2 |
| Blonde back to brunette | Filler to restore warmth, then the target shade | 1 |
| Brunette to blonde | Staged lifts with a treatment between | 2 to 3 |
| Grey coverage gone patchy | Even the base, then a coverage or blending plan | 1 |
The box dye guide and the dark to blonde guide walk through the 2 longest rows in detail, and the grey blending guide covers the last.
How long it takes
A single correction visit runs 3 to 6 hours, because lifting evenly through old colour takes time and the toner and treatment steps come after. Multi-visit plans are spaced 4 to 8 weeks apart to let the hair recover between lifts. Your stylist tells you the length of each visit when the plan is set, so you can book the time and the parking (the front-desk iPad extends the free parking to 5 hours for exactly this reason).
What it costs
Corrections are quoted at the consultation and the price follows the time and product each visit needs, so you receive the full figure before anything is booked, never a surprise at the desk. As a guide, a straightforward 1-visit correction sits above an all-over colour ($235 to $280) and a multi-visit plan is priced per visit. A 20% deposit secures each colour appointment and Afterpay is available in salon.
Between visits
A bond-building treatment at each stage keeps the hair strong enough for the next. Kérastase Premiere ($70) is the in-salon repair we recommend between lifts, and the bond repair guide explains what it does. At home: sulphate-free shampoo, a weekly mask, a heat protectant, and the blonde care routine if the destination is blonde.
Protecting the result
Once the correction lands, it's maintained like any other colour: a toner or gloss at week 6 to 8, a regrowth retouch or repaint at 4 to 12 weeks depending on the technique, and a Malibu C ($40) before the toner if you're on tank or bore water. The consultation ends with that rhythm written down, so the correction is the last time the colour is a project.
Before you book
Leave the hair as it is. The assessment works best on hair that hasn't been treated in the last 2 weeks, and a home strip or another box of dye in the meantime changes the plan. Bring photos of where you want to end up, and the full history of what's been on the hair in the last 2 years. The colour and colour correction page has the menu, and the consultation is free.