Guide to colour and care
What we explain in the chair, you can read here: how colour stays fresh for longer, when a cut is due and what will help you carry on at home.
Between two appointments
Most questions at our chair aren't about the appointment itself, but about the weeks afterwards — here are our answers to read at your leisure.
A cut holds its shape for roughly six to eight weeks, a short men's cut more like four. Colour at the roots becomes visible after three to five weeks, whereas a balayage grows out softly and often lasts half a year. These ranges are guideline values — hair structure, growth speed and the chosen shape can shift them in either direction.
After your appointment, make a note of what you liked and what you didn't. Next time, that saves us the guesswork.
Three topics we explain most often
Keeping colour, letting a balayage grow out, planning a bridal hairstyle — we've gathered the key points on these three topics in dedicated articles.
Keeping colour fresher for longer
Why hot water, sun and frequent washing cause pigments to fade faster — and which habits noticeably slow this down.
Balayage growing out
The light transition is intentional with balayage. We show you how to tell when a refresh is really worthwhile.
Planning your bridal hairstyle
From the trial appointment to the morning of the wedding: how much lead time makes sense and what to bring to your trial.
Care at home
How colour and cut last longer
You don't lose most of your colour in the salon, but in the first ten washes afterwards. Warm water opens the hair's outer cuticle layer, and the colour pigments get rinsed out. Adjusting how you wash your hair can extend the result of a colouring by several weeks, depending on the shade. We also share the following routine verbally after every colour appointment.
The first weeks after colouring
Wait 48 hours
After the colour appointment, the cuticle layer stays permeable for a little while. Don't wash for two days, and avoid saunas, swimming pools and seawater during this time. Chlorine and salt pull fresh pigments out especially quickly.
After the colour appointment, the cuticle layer stays permeable for a little while. Don't wash for two days, and avoid saunas, swimming pools and seawater during this time. Chlorine and salt pull fresh pigments out especially quickly.
Wash with lukewarm water and rinse with cool water afterwards. Two to three washes per week are enough for most hair types. For lightened lengths, use a sulphate-free shampoo — it lathers less, but releases colour noticeably more slowly.
A purple pigment shampoo helps against brassy tones in blonde hair, and a red one for copper tones. Once a week is enough, with one to two minutes of application time. Used longer, a grey cast settles over the lengths, which we then have to wash out again.
A mask with ten minutes of application time can replace your conditioner once a week. Apply to the lengths and ends, leaving out the roots. Use a heat-protection spray before blow-drying, since hair structure is permanently damaged from around 180 degrees.
For balayage, come back after eight to twelve weeks; for root colour, after five to six weeks. In between, we refresh the result in about 30 minutes with a toner once the shade has turned dull.
Understanding the technique
Balayage or classic highlights?
Both techniques lighten hair, they just do it differently. With balayage, we apply the lightener freehand to the surface of each strand, so the roots stay darker and the transition is soft. With foil highlights, we work from the roots outward and wrap each section — this gives more even, lighter results, but requires regular touch-ups. Which technique suits you mainly depends on how often you'd like to come back.
Scroll table sideways
| Balayage | Foil Highlights | |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Freehand onto the surface of the strands, without foil | Sectioned off in parts and wrapped in foil |
| Roots | Deliberately kept darker, no hard transition | Lightened right up to the hairline |
| Time in the salon | About two and a half to three hours | About two hours, depending on length |
| Touch-ups | Every eight to twelve weeks | Every six to eight weeks, otherwise the line becomes visible |
| Best for | Natural hair with little prior treatment, soft sun-kissed result | Noticeable lightening, even blonde, grey coverage |
| Regrowth | Subtle, an interim appointment is rarely needed | Visible line, be sure to schedule a touch-up |
Let's talk about what you have in mind
Briefly describe what you're after – Salon Scherenwerk will get back to you with an assessment.