I Changed My Mind and Colored My Hair Again!
The last time I colored my hair (other than this time) was back in July 2019. I had it cut shoulder length and colored it purple-ish. The hair was bleached and toned, and the purple really didn’t last long. I didn’t take care of it too well, other than buying some Overtone and color conditioned my hair pink, red, and purple at various times. I let it grow out, cut my hair a couple times, and eventually my hair was virgin again. Left it that way for a couple years, switched to all natural shampoo/conditioner, but yup… got bored again and decided to get my hair colored again!
Finding a Hairstylist that did Balayage & Familiar with Asian Hair
I searched on Yelp and plenty of places came up. A lot of places were these large salons where you pick someone to do your hair, and I was looking for an individual without having to go through menus and such of other sites. Also, since I don’t do much with my hair, I was looking for those with portfolios that showed balayage and other colored hair on straight hair as opposed to the curly/wavy stuff that we normally see.
Found Krystelle Rain via Yelp
Link: Here! Not too many photos posted on the Yelp business page, but I did see what I liked – there was a photo of hair where the ends were really light, ombré-ish or something. The photo also showed the not wavy hair, so win win right there!
Dropped off in Danville
The husband drove me to Danville and once we found the salon, he left and picked up me after I was finished.
Consultation and Amenities
They have a drink menu! Unlimited drinks for “free,” awesome! I got a vanilla cappuccino, which was more of a vanilla coffee drink that smelled like Rice Krispie treats (yum) and some water. I showed Krystelle some inspiration photos and she talked about what is possible, such as since my hair is all natural, we can do my hair in one session, whereas going super light or having pre-colored hair may take multiple sessions. I didn’t want to damage my hair too much, and I was able to get a nice looking balayage in one go!
Balayage / Hair Painting
Krystelle mentioned the pricing for the full balayage ($290 starting point for me, additional on how much stuff is used. My hair is long, so a LOT of stuff was used lol). Cool with me, and she went back to mix a bowl of the product to lighten my hair. SO MUCH FOIL was used on my hair. Strands were taken, teased, painted, foiled.
Head Heavy of Foil
Not all my hair was bleached, as we’re going for the balayage. Certain strands were taken, teased, and painted with the product, wrapped in foil. A lot of foil was used, and I definitely felt all that! It was overall painless and Krystelle and I talked. Very cool person!
Not a Fast Process
Black hair, lightening it… definitely takes time! A full balayage takes time too. The lightening portion (painting the hair, detangling, washing, etc.) took a bit over 3 hours.
Toner is Where the Magic Happens (Other Than the Stylist’s Magic!)
The lightening portion makes the black hair this yellow/orange/copper color. It seems that it creates the base for whatever happens next – toner! After the lightening portion was over, my hair was washed. Krystelle mixed the toner aspect and came back and put that stuff on my hair. More so at the top portions, and a bit everywhere else on my hair. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then it was washed off.
Dried and Styled
I saw the transformation after the toner was washed off and hair was dried, and I loved it! The flow was so damn good where the ends were the lightest portion and the top part was darker so that when the hair grows out, it wouldn’t be to dramatic.
Toner Washes Out
Taking care of colored hair is no joke. I typically wash my hair every other day, otherwise it feels super gross to me. Krystelle mentioned to dry to wash it less since the color/toner washes out, and at that point, I finally understood why some people go to the salon on a monthly basis – so much maintenance and frequent toner touch-ups! Anyways, luckily I don’t need to go back too often. Krystelle recommended 4 – 6 months as I did want something lower maintenance. I have my next appointment booked for mid-September to get a touch-up / re-toned, and to get a hair cut!
Paid and Photos Taken
The whole thing this session cost $500. Add in a $100 tip brings my spend to $600. The cost is comparable to salons around the area, but there are places that are a lot more expensive. I kid you not – my hair required so many bowls of product LOL. Krystelle asked to take some photos and I said yeah and asked that she send some to me. So all these here with the salon in the background and what not were taken by her.
Product Recommendations
Regular shampoo and conditioner probably wouldn’t help this colored hair much, so more more regularly using the the Lush shampoo/conditioner that I switched to many months ago. The salon had a lot of Oribe and Keratase products. The stuff Krystelle used to wash my hair was so great since I didn’t feel my scalp getting oily a few days afterwards. Yes, this is one of the longest times I’ve gone without washing my hair!
Ordered Some Products
I ordered a Keratase shampoo and conditioning set (yay discount!), plus some hair serum in case the shampoo/conditioner was too drying. Unfortunately it didn’t come in 4 days, and I did want to shampoo/condition my hair with recovery stuff so I ended up going to Blue Mercury to pick up a few small sized Oribe stuff to try that Krystelle recommended.
What’s Next?
I am amazed that my hair is still wavy after 4-5 days after! I’ll need to take some photos of it after I shampoo/condition it to get a more natural straight hair look to post. Also, perhaps some product reviews as well? Let’s see how well I take care of this colored job. Booking my next appointment is already a huge accomplishment!
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