Our Colour

We are extremely fortunate that Eiki has worked at an international company and understood the mechanism of product range, compatibility with hair types and evaluation of their performances as well as the international colour mindset. In the global hair trade, there are international standards for colour products and colour charts. Our entire colour system is based on the international standards and we follow the international application methods and guidances for our colour choice and customer communication. This might sound a normal thing for you. But it is tricky when it comes to a delicate subject such as human hair and when all sorts of factors such as chemical products, regulations, environmental difference and cultural difference are involved. To continue your hair colour successfully with tip-top hair condition, the product choice and application are chief concerns. Our colour products are kind to your hair, and our use of them and our approach for transforming or continuing your hair colour is caring. 

We have a vast selection of professional products to work with in order to maximise your look with absolute creativity and utmost protection. Our colour products are selected and sourced from established brands worldwide and we promise to keep our products the latest in technology and have premium quality. The selection of our colour products is based on their performance for the variety of international hair types and colour shades. Our 100% international clientele enables us to make this specialist focus which helps us to perform the safest colour work every day. We would also like to mention that we regularly test new products and techniques to make sure that we keep abreast of the latest developments and ideas. Along the modern colour products are applied with our expert techniques, we can find an effective care programme such as post-colour care and conditioning items for you. It is our responsibility to navigate you through a safe colour future.

We have product lines of ammonia-free, PPD-free and non-oxidative acidic colours. If you have concerns over chemical or allergic reactions, we are always happy to cater for your specific requirements. Henna colours are not available with us for the time being because of their highly metallic content - modern hennas today are not without chemical components unlike the old hennas - that can impact other chemicals, and their shade ranges are often substandard to work with most of contemporary colour products. We also do not stock hair manicures, which are popular in some Asian countries but like henna, they have disadvantages and we rather avoid them. 

Bleach, or lightener, has been one of our strongest chromatic crafts in our technical repertoire. As we establish ourselves as blonde specialists, the soft blonde, the archetype of light blondes we have been producing, has become our trademark. Experience and passion, two magic ingredients mixed in together, we make our lightener work reliable for the finished result and gentle for your hair and scalp. 

Our global(=single-process, full-scalp) bleaching is performed with our technical excellence and high-quality products. Customised product choices are made for your hair and the requested finish, based on the chemical potency needed for the lightened level, the type of colour pigments and how we can minimise damaging forces for fibres and cortexes in the hair through the lightening process. Our technical focuses are:

 - Precision for minimum overlapping and slice work

 - Scalp protection and hairline protection

 - Protection for the small hairs on your hairlines 

 - Gentle heat work with the use of low-heat for the even result

 - Optimised zonal work for length applications for the new hair and the previously coloured hair. Time-shifted applications for the roots, mids and ends is used - stronger hair first, weaker ones last.

 - Adjusted product strength for weaker hair.

 - One-stop lightening. We do not bleach the same hair many times except for colour corrections. At the same time we do not leave your hair shameful yellow or orange either.

Above all these technical aspects of bleach work, our strongest suit is probably discerning your hair and the look you want, and planning. In the discussion before colouring, we can recognise the varied ideas you wonder, and help you extrapolate the ideas translated in your hair, and compare. We can find the easiest and the best way to make your idea come true. At the point before we're colouring your hair, we will also consider your future colouring and maintenance. We will balance out the process you're about to have in terms of conditions and pigments, so there will be enough room for the next colour and further continuation.

A single-process bleach is a direct and very effective method for achieving light shades, but it's not the only way of creating blonde styles. Blonde looks can be created with off-scalp applications (i.e. highlights, balayage) and muted lifting techniques such as high-lifts than bleach. Each one of these will bring a different look on the same person even in similar shades, and have different effects on the hair, so we perform them according to your style choice. We can talk about their merits/disadvantages, costs, time etc, and put all into perspective around your hair in the way you can imagine and see how they work easily. Alternatively, if you already have your hair processed with global applications and you consider to switch to other styles, we have numerous solutions on hand. When you see and tell us about your hair ideas, we can walk you through how the transition can be made for your hair and whether it can be made in one appointment or several steps to take. 

Grey hair opens up different options for your hair colour palette. There are more than just one shade of grey hair in one person's hair - each person has different grey concentrations and distributions as well as warm to cool grey tones caused by the remaining pigments during depigmentation. With our single process tint, we meticulously colour grey hair using full-spectrum permanent shades with sound coverage and advanced hair-protection technology. Smooth colour continuation and healthy glow are the results of our single-process tint. 

Our single-process tints are not created with a quick mix of one colour and a one-size-fits-all activator. There are almost always more than two colours, sometimes four or more, that are blended with adjusted activators to create our single-tint formula for the perfect match with your hair and skin tone. The reason multiple colours are used is that everyone has different undertones in their natural hair and grey hair, and often one or two tubes cannot offset specific tones and deliver rich pigments at the same time. We have empirically learned that it is worth spending the extra perfection to create the best mix that produces an exquisite result of hair that keeps hair shiny and grows out in a most natural fashion. 

We will also discuss how your lengths are treated along with the new roots coverage in your appointment. We can emulsify the same colour on the root to extend on the length, or we can mix a new set of semi/demi colour in accordance with how you prefer for the finish and what your hair calls for. Hair condition is the utmost importance - likewise the root colour, your length colour is performed by our safest hands for your repeated appointments. 

Adding hand-painted golden highlights on the length of hair with a complementary shades along root tinting can bring a delightful effect that can add dimensions and lure to your hair. 

First grey, fine grey

For first-time grey colouring, or for extra-fine hair, we can recommend some gentle approaches by using semi or demi permanent products that can leave less impacts on the existing non-greys. These forgiving formulae are sometimes just right for those baby greys that try to draw your attention, by doing it without strictly covering but finessing with clever blending that lasts enough. A mild touch, gentle products, shiny shades, delicate processing, we have all what is needed. We know that you're good at spotting tinkling ones in your hair, but we're also good at seeing you through a bigger picture and doing something just right for your hair. 

Red shades with grey

If your hair is grey with red hair, we bespoke  the mix of our colour product with rich reds and warm naturals, calibrated by your personal hair toners, to make the perfect match and continuation with your existing shades. Popular tones such as mahogany, auburn, titian, cinnamon, apricot, copper are all available. We can carefully balance the recipe of your product with semi, demi, or permanent, considering the grey zone and the non-grey zone, product opacity, and the tonal harmony with the length, so that you will not find that light, see-through red hair from the coloured grey hair whereas the vibrancy is not lost from your whole tone. Also our safe formulae for the base will create a subdued, perfect foundation without showing hotness, from which the colour is extended to a sumptuous healthy red. There are many ways of covering grey roots and maintaining splendid red on the length. As you continue colouring your grey roots, we make sure to find your true tone.

Light-shades with grey

For greys with light shade base hair, to maintain healthy shades of shimmering blonde, we can weave in subtle tones of well-placed highlights for an extra dimension, so this will prevent greys from looking conspicuous or harsh in tone and will blend the newly lightened pieces into the existing blonde shades with continuity. There is also another excellent way to blend the grey by using a single process lightening which can lighten the dark hair and colour the grey at the same time to a natural shade. We make sure that our colour does it without brassiness. Likewise all the above-mentioned grey approaches, both our highlights and hi-lifts, the colour is calibrated at a gram level, to customise for your grey non-grey balance, density, tonality and the shade of blonde you prefer. 

Grey on grey

Another dynamic in our portfolio is to keep your grey as grey. This is, however, not quite as simple as it sounds because there are ideas for ideal greys and less-than-ideal greys in our modern culture. The grey styles we see on media outlets today, despite some of them can look natural, are often not simply left uncoloured. The key aspects are natural colour of non-grey hair, the tones of grey and the pattern of grey distribution. If you prefer to keep your grey hair without covering it, we are able to provide a good selection of colour works to incorporate your natural grey into a chic and cool grey style that can work with all textures and skin tones. Our creative repertoire of toning, low-lighting, and advanced highlighting can be assembled to infuse superb cool shine in your hair colour and work on warm tones. 

If you are considering transitioning from covering grey to growing grey, our expert will provide you with analyses of your hair and goal, and sincere advice for how the transition can be made. You might have the length of colours lingering from your previous dyes that need erasing. We will look at colour strength, your hair strength and hair length. It can take time before you start the change and demand your patience. There are a different answer for everyone and not everything is so black and white but we are here for you to make your nuisance a thing of the past.

Summary

As you look after your coloured hair at home, greys are often drier and wirier than the non-greys. They tend to be resilient and sometimes can be conflicting against other non-greys in your hair. Hairstyles with grey hair call for a moisturising or colour-friendly shampoo and conditioner to maintain its elasticity, and regular deep conditioning to keep the hair moisturised and nourished. Our experts will help you keep healthy, luxurious hair. 

Falling in love with the 1970s and Gucci in the 2010s, fascinated by Victorian paint works and David Hockney, mesmerised by Madonna in 1984, The Cure in the 90s and psychedelics in the 1960s, and at times his feet swept off by the work of Mert & Marcus and David LaChapelle, Eiki has been lost in wonder in the world of colour since his early days. Fortunately, he found good use of his zest for colour to code chromosome in our salon's DNA. We love every colour and we believe that we have strength across all the spectrum of hair colour. But we didn't take in this belief without doing our own hard graft of groundworks. Eiki hammered away at robust theoretical and scientific studies at British NVQ3 Hair, London College of Fashion and Aveda London academy. The syllabi encompassed basics from the colour wheel, primary to tertiary colours, colour neutralisation to the International Colouring System, and applied studies from colour in cinema, music and the pop culture. Every one of those disciplines he devoured served as valuable victuals for the young colourist who built up his sense of expert colouring. Along with these theoretical studies, assisting and learning from David Adams and Ian Michael Black, former Aveda Global Technical Directors, were the school of hard knock and pivotal moments that later supported Eiki's hard toil and development of his colour philosophy. All these are now the linchpins of our colour system and creative works.

Among all colours, we have particular strength in some sought-after shades. These three palettes are popular and versatile yet works uniquely to everyone. There are plenty many ways that you can incorporate them in your hair, portray yourself, and break the rules. In Tokyo we often have requests from our clients for natural tones from these three palettes and we've been the ace for them. For these natural tones, 'less is more' is our watchword. With the base idea of simplicity and professionality, we can incorporate something such as a hint of richness, softness or depth based on your suitability, which can add arresting and youthful feel to your hair. Creativity should not be confined to only high-fashion or special styles. Creativity is, for us, the ingredient for quality work and something at hand easily; creative thinking and the highest application skills are basic processes of our everyday colour work from trend styles to the most conventional choices. Efficiency, suitability, colour saturation, protection, your schedule, your whim, all are mixed in your colour delivery with natural shades in these palettes. Alternatively, if you take an idea from a high-fashion, or inspired by someone/something that is mould-breaking, this also goes up our street and we can clue you up with a variety of creative ideas by tapping into our resource of advanced colour techniques, tech+fashion literacy and great products. We can create anything from everything and bring it to your hair. You'll still avert pitfalls that stop your colour working or making sense or put your hair in a difficult situation.

If you are looking for a colour correction now, it is best to contact us by a phone call, or by an email. If you're not sure how to explain, you can write on an email with a few points:

• when you had your last colour

• what your hair looks like now and the problem you encounter

• what your hair looked like before your last colour

• (you can take a few photos of your hair on a phone and attach them if it's easier)

We will discuss your colour situation and then try our best to arrange an appointment for your full colour correction in the nearest available date. Our expert will first look at your hair and come to the bottom of the problems, then provide insights into what is not working, how to correct the problems, and future implications and recovery plans. After the consultation, we are able to make a price estimation based on our price list.

As a house of colour, we take colour correction seriously. Since our early days, fixing people's failed colour works has been a major part of our daily obligations. We leave no stone unturned to deliver the best possible outcome; it is our corporate will to be helpful for everyone with our skill, and few things can be more pertinent than repairing someone's hair. There was a phrase told 'a skilled colourist makes a skilled colour corrector', and we're of the same opinion. When you complete one colour look from a consultation with a client, you plan and execute the processes to reach the final goal from which everyone has a different starting point and condition with a unique hair texture. In this process, the colourist is a conduit for the imagery between the concept and its realisation; being capable of assessing the hair's character, pigments and effective working zone; organising calculations separately on newly regrown hair and existing coloured hair; predicting the hair's chemical reaction to the chosen colour products; mapping out colour products, application, timing and the second colour; and measuring de-pigmentation, colour development and colour deposition, continuously picturing the finished result in their mind. In a nutshell, the colourist needs to know everything. And once you're capable of fulfilling all these tasks, by looking into an ineffectual colour result, you are mostly able to find out in what way and to what degree the errors took place. You can see the process in both directions in the colour stream: creating a result from the start to finish and tracing the process back from the end to the start. Oftentimes a failed result is compounded of more than one technical error. Eiki's experience has seen the whole gamut of corrective works and colour changes in his hands spanning from adjusting small mishaps to fixing major faux pas to swapping one colour style with another completely different look with every hair type including models and actresses.

There's no way to list out the 'typical' patterns when it comes to colour failures. Like every hair has its character, it is plausible that there are vulnerability and tricky working points in every colour work, and jumbled with the human's flawed judgements, the colour mistakes have their own peculiarity and unexpectedness. But these are some cases that we have seen occurrences repeatedly with relatively similar mistakes and that we think they are worth mentioning as references. We have listed our hypothetical solutions with corresponding numbers as below. These are only some samples that we could mention. We will work with our best individual solution for every client case.

 1. Blonde tone became blue/grey

 2. The root touch-up for lightening came out as orange/yellow

 3. The root touch-up came out brighter than the previous shade

 4. Highlights or balayage look stripy/patchy or just don't look right

 5. Highlights became too light or partially lost their dimension

 6. Hair became too light/dark

 7. The colour looks blocky or uneven instead of having smooth transition from dark to light

 8. Didn't get the right tone - e.g. Wanted a soft tangerine for the entire hair but resulted in a fire red, - e.g. Wanted a cool bronde/brunette for the entire hair but resulted in a reddish brown

 9. Didn't get the right style - e.g. Wanted to change from medium brown hair to natural medium blonde hair. It's not just about the colour or lightness, but the way it looks. The hair was lightened, but the style looks different from what was asked. 

 10. Hair was made too dry or noticeably damaged from a colour appointment

In our view, all above examples have good room for improvement. Unification of strong basics in hair colouring, thorough knowledge and high skills that come from experience, rational planning and assiduous work manner will fix the poor result by leaps and bounds, possibly make it turn round into a dramatic come-back. 

1. For over-ashy tones, we have effective ash canceller, which is not a product but our technique, that precisely targets the excess of exact tone and brings in all colour-fading/diluting measures without using bleach or harsh chemicals. This is essentially damage-less and just effective when it's carried out in an exact manner, so that it works well for all hair conditions including highly damaged hair. 

6. The same principle as 1 can be applied to other types of excess colour deposition such as those being too intense or dark for the desired shade. By being used along other fine-tuning colour adjustment techniques such as colour stripping and toning system, by as small as a quarter shade in scale, nearly all depths and tones are able to be offset, shifted and replaced by the colour that is closer to the final goal. We humbly claim that we are able to bring almost every unwanted hair colour under control. 

2. When a root touch-up is not processed properly, extra colour pigments (usually red and yellow ones) will be left in the hair shaft and result in a warm (some say 'brassy') tone. Fixing this faux pas is unlike correcting an over-coloured tone, we need to bring a colour process to whittle down the undesirable warmth remaining in the hair shafts first and then recolour those hair shafts if necessary. The job requires a good calculus to balance the warmth and to measure concomitant stress to the hair and a counter-tone against the warmth. Good news is that warm pigments suggest there's still strength left in the hair, whch was supposed to be taken away if the colour was sufficiently lightened. Yet you don't want to mount extra damage when your hair is re-worked. So what we do is gently nudge the pigments with a barely enough degree of lifter to create the ideal undertone on the correcting zone which is eventually matched to the contiguous zone for a seamless finish. 

3. The bright roots are the opposite version of warm roots. For this, we will match the depth and tone of the lightened roots to the adjacent zone by putting back a small amount of exactly necessary colour pigments. We will take into account of the colours' fading speed on the fixing root. We can repeat this colour saturation as the outcome necessitates. The staggered bands of colour will be evened out to a smoothly continued hue. We try to achieve the fixed shade in the way that it will fade as evenly as possible as you wash and look after the hair. 

4. As active highlighters at the forefront of international hair colour, we're more than just finicky about the tone, density and effects of highlights. We're obsessed with the art of highlights and have been perfecting the chromatics they generate. The knowledge to create beautiful lights is well adaptable to reintroduce sophisticated grains of colour to where things went wrong and to bring back an admirable, multi-hued reflexion. Highlighting, lowlighting, reverse balayaging, shadows and all advanced techniques are enlisted for our microlights correction. One example, we will leave pretty parts as they are and sequester undesirable parts then re-lighten, strip or mask, using technical slices, sectioning and panels; and this operation is repeated throughout your entire hair akin to a seamstress's couture dress-making. This is truly tailored work but it is also what we do for usual highlighting in a sense, just with extra processes and attention for the correction. Again, minimum chemical strength, no over-highlighting, maximum protection are all integral parts in our metier of correction highlights. 

5. In the same principle, over-lightened parts are able to be subdued and lost highlights are restored by part using above applications. Of course, correcting faulty highlights and reconstructing the semblance of highlights on where they're lost are different kinds of work, but both jobs call for a fount of knowledge for highlighting work. Not only we can minimise the damage to the hair by this work, there's also benefit of improving its condition from reintroducing colour pigments to those over-lightened areas. We will discuss in detail the highlighted image you like to restore before commencing the correction work to make sure that we see the same goal. We mean the 'semblance' as that all recreated colours eventually dissipate. But restoring highlighted effects is still very meaningful because

1. It takes time for them to disappear and the process is gradual.

2. There will be future highlights/lowlights followed up as your hair grows. The corrected zone/areas will eventually be blended in the integrity of your whole hair.

For these reasons, rather than dragging the dimension-lost zone on for a long time, applying a swift correction will be good for your hair condition and future highlights. As well as good for the hair's appearance. With future highlights, we will factor in the corrected hair in new applications, so that everything is treated as best as they can be. 

7. When you see blocky/patchy/uneven colour, they have different causations in many ways. They can be caused by incorrect lightening formulae based on miscalculation for the hair's base colour and the applying products, choosing wrong techniques, lack of application skills, or misreading outcomes of each process. There can also be a misunderstanding of the colour structure for the entire hair length and the balancing the light/dark allocation for the length as well as for the hair from different head parts. Or there can be underlying base colours from the past colour works even before the last hair colour appointment. Falling at the first hurdle can lead to another error at a later stage, making the work increasingly difficult. 

When we face this kind of correction work, we can tackle the flawed result by decoding the errors from the previous colour work, addressing the each problem separately step by step till we get to the point we can move on. Some processes can be worked with all parts of hair simultaneously, and some can be divided and worked separately, and completed before moving on to the next procedure. As a result, unflattering tones and shades are replaced with delightful colours, and unnatural colour blocks are smoothed out to a melty, gradual transitional length. There are diligent aspects in the process, but we never cut corners for delivering a goods.

8. If your colour has an unfavourable tone or depth, we can apply above-mentioned(1/6) processes to reduce the intensity or depth of existing colour. After achieving the right base, we add a layer of colour to make your favourite image come true. 

Cancelling red tones differs from doing so cool tones, therefore we may take a different approach with an additional step. All approaches we use for cancelling tones are gentle to hair. Working on a red tone often takes a longer time than dealing with a cool tone, but the result is muted red and vibrant tangerine, or the choice of your tone. If a hair shade tips too brown instead of a cool one you wanted, we may dim the warmth first depending on where the warm strands are and how much hair is needed to be worked on, before giving a cool tone to the length. In lifting the warmth and adding the coolness, the choices of products in each step vary depending on the existing colour and the required result. Especially for finishing with the cool tone, we want the colour last long, and we choose the product carefully.

When you like the depth but the tone, we try to shift the tonality without moving the base shade much and the 2nd colour will adjust both the tone and the shade to the desired level. These are easier said than done as the unwanted tone can often play out in many variations and causes, but we can trouble-shoot by taking the issues one by one and surmounting each obstacle to reach an excellent result that has maximum vibrancy and colour longevity. 

9. In our view, the stylist might not have known how to create the look you requested. There are a great number of techniques and transition methods used for creating and changing hair colours. For an easy example: Sabrina Carpenter's and Rosé's light shades are made differently. Even for seemingly popular shades, there are differences in tones, hues and colour locations in every look, and every colourist takes their interpretation and approach to it slightly differently. There are individual hair texture and condition on top of those colour elements, so that one colour transformation can be done in many different ways up to the technician who takes the job. How successfully you can fulfil the requirements and achieve the final result highly depends on the colourist's experience and knowledge. To make a full colour change, you need to know a lot of things. And to do an excellent job, you have to have tons of knowledge in your head that can pop up exactly when they are needed. If you're a full-time hairdresser for 10 years, you might have a certain amount of experience and knowledge. But there are still so many things you don't know, so a 10-year time isn't very long for a skilled hairdresser. Importantly, if you don't deal with certain types of work or hair types regularly, you never build up your experience or knowledge in those work categories however many years you do your job. To some degrees, the initial training is important for your foundation, but to large extent, on-the-job development is what makes the person's skillset. Again, you need to know almost everything to complete a full colour transformation. 

The solution we offer for cases like this is probably starting from scratch, reinstalling and newly creating the all necessary hues in your hair to bring back the result you needed. We can reduce the strength of lightening chemicals for the already lightened strands as well as adding hair protection if further lightened pieces are needed during the process. We will use any useable colour parts from your previous colour session and incorporate them into your freshly recreated colour style, so that you're not going to waste the prior investment and the hair condition used at that time. There are myriads of ways to adjust and make changes to hair colours and we will do all from building in many mini-adjustments to making measurable alterations for the result you absolutely cherish. 

10. Let us organise this topic in two themes: 

• damage on hair

• the colour on damaged hair. 

For hair damage, it's important to understand two facets of hair damage; breakage of keratin bonds (loss of inside hair structure) and frayed cuticles (porosity and dry surface thus knots-prone). When hair colour is lightened, 

1. alkaline in a chemical first raises the cuticles on the hair

2. the alkaline chemical components go into the hair and break fibres by severing keratin bonds of them and release colour pigments hitherto held firmly between the hair fibres

3. as the process develops, more hair fibres are broken/unravelled and more colour pigments are withdrawn from hair, consequently the hair colour becomes lighter

Once cuticles are chemically opened widely with a stronger chemical, they tend to stay open. A weak chemical opens cuticles by fewer degrees, therefore the cuticles stay closed only with a little ruffle after a gentle colour work. Once cuticles are wide-opened, the result is permanent. You can artificially close the opened cuticles by conditioners, masks and sealing agents but they're all temporary in their effects. The inside structures are under the same principle as the outer layers of the hair. Once the structure is broken, the effect is permanent. You can fill in the hair synthetic keratins and bigger amino acids like polypeptides to mitigate the condition. Breakage of the inside structures leads to more serious problems than those caused by frayed outer layers. It takes greater chemical strength and time to erode internal structures comparing with opening cuticles. If hair reaches extremely damaged state, the hair will look like cotton wool and it'll be very difficult to look after. Most of colour works don't put hair on this stage and they shouldn't. If a hair goes through processes like lightened → darkened → lightened again, it can be extremely damaging to the hair. In some cases, the damage could have accumulated from previous colours and styling (which is quite common and this is why the colourist always has to be careful of distinguishing clients' hair condition and not pushing it to its tipping point). It is also possible that the most healthy hair condition can be devastated by just one substandard colour appointment if errors are compounded. Under a partial assessment, the damaged results from highlights and a global application are slightly different, but damage is usually a total thing and needed to be dealt as a whole of hair. In general, the more portion of hair is damaged and the longer the hair length is, the more care and the more quantity+quality of products are needed. Every person's situation is different and we won't know until we see the actual hair. But there are always ways to manage hair damage and we try to find best answers as possible when we see and speak with clients.

About the hair colour on damaged hair, the colour itself can often look poorly because of the hair condition. With damaged hair condition, it is usually better not to move its colour if the colour itself looked okay. The colour on porous hair tends to last shorter or lose some colour pigments sooner than the others, so the hair can shift its colour tone quickly, resulting in unsteady colour retention. It is better to fortify the hair both inside and outside by using both structure-building and hydrating treatments for colour retention reasons. But some deep-penetrating, intensive treatments can also push artificial colour pigments out from the hair, so we will make a careful choice for treatments as well. If any colour adjustments are needed on damaged hair at this stage before the new regrowth colour appointment, we may use only deposit colours and lowest-chemical colour strippers but not lifting chemicals. And when the client has enough regrowth and ready for the next colour appointment, we will be very cautious and diligent to do every process because of overlaps. This time can be the test for the colourist. When this colour processes go well, the later following appointments can become easier for application and better for the colour appearance. 

Regarding how you can move from damaged hair to healthy hair, we'd like to talk about two scenarios: (A) - Keep the length and work on the condition problem, (B) - Trim some of lengths and tackle the condition and maintenance issue.

The option (A) may include a minimum trim, but the idea is to keep the length and the style of your hair. The priority with this approach is calmness and avoiding any unnecessary actions, so the hair is allowed to grow without disturbance. If there is any need to correct the colour at the point of beginning this period, we will use the colour to improve hair's condition and skip the processes that mount any more damage to the hair. This can mean that some colour problems are addressed first and some are adjusted at a later stage as your hair condition improves and the remaining colour composition shifts due to the colour's fading. In-salon and home treatments will follow through, which take your hair back to a healthy condition in the period of several colour appointments. You might need to be patient when you look after your hair with depleted condition in the beginning. The maintenance will become increasingly easier as your hair condition improves on later stages. We will provide a personalised and focused guidance to cope with key aspects during this recuperation period, so that you can overcome the hair damage with the least cost and time while you regain confidence and healthy hair at the end.

The option (B) is more or less of an overhaul of cut and colour of your hair. By parting with an adequate amount of length, you can gain a few appreciable advantages. The cut length should be the balance between the degree and portion of damage in your hair and the length you'd like to keep. You might as well see this as an opportunity to change your image and plan a different hairstyle that you have not done for a while. Cutting off damaged hair reduces the amount of work and time you will otherwise spend for coming months. Cutting the ends of hair decreases the weight of hair hanging on the remaining lengths and minimise the friction that is concomitant to regular maintenance even when you try as gentle as possible. Talking about hair's weight may sound strange, but when hair is damaged and wet, it's very vulnerable and poses harder work as the length gets longer. Damaged hair absorbs water more than healthy hair, so the hair becomes much heavier and takes longer time to repel water out of hair. By changing the hairstyle a little bit with help of meticulous cutting, you will have less damaged length in your hair and your hair will be much easier to look after as well as it will look more organised and trim in its colour and style. 

This must be a distressing time for you since you did not just receive the result you expected at a professional salon but you are prompted in a situation where you have to find ways to cope with a difficult task that you do not know who to turn to or what it takes. It is disconcerting that we have gone through this kind of processes with many people in the past. But at the same time we have learnt common fault patterns in Japan and the technical cruxes because of the trust people gave us. We appreciate your decision to reach us and tackle the issue with us. We promise to be the most dedicated professionals in this field. We are your staunch ally who focus on your hair, walk with you till your hair returns to complete health where you can leave your horrendous experience as a thing of the past.

Colour correction in general 

To summarise, although we always try to find a pragmatic and long-term solution, no colour results last forever. In some cases it is better to let the hair colour fade first than to forcibly correct it. We will tell you if this is the case. At the same time, however in some cases, setting your hair colour composition straight sooner after a major technical failure can be crucial and for those cases, we try to give your hair restoration as much as possible at the first colour correction. From this point where your hair colour is renewed, you are in a better situation and you have better understanding of what's happening on your hair. You're no longer grappling with something you have no control and you'll move on as your hair grows and the hair colour starts to fade in an orderly way. When being followed by appropriate colour appointments, timely processes and colour adjustments will follow through; needed colour elements will be topped up and positive effects will be built up, all of these will make your hair go from strength to strength. Here's Eiki's words, 'I have carried out so many surgical colour corrections successfully under limited hair conditions. Key to success is the use of intelligent approach, less-is-more mindset and focusing on the moment. I want to get straight to the point and do just all what is necessary. I'm a detailed client-record keeper, so I have a stockpile of previous information that I can access. But on top of those data, every time I come to a crunch point, I always make decisions based on the person's hair in my hands and deep-stored memory that turns up from a corner of my brain. Colour is the world to me. However your hair is messed up, I'll take you to the colour you originally wanted. Don't worry, you will sort it out and move on'.

We understand that you might be devastated after a disastrous experience. But we'd like to remind you that it wasn't your fault. Bad things happen. If you do not wish to do anything about your hair now because of the bad experience you had, it is understandable and maybe it's right for you to wait. But when you look for help, we're always here for you. Although there are many salons offering colour services, the caveat is that a colour correction is an alarmingly precarious job which requires specialist knowledge and experience. For that reason, it is best left to the experts who genuinely commit to international colouring. At Secret Garden our clients are 100% non-Japanese and we're 100% committed to the popular western colouring. Our ethos: hair's health is first and foremost. In every colour work, there are many ways to make your favourite idea without sacrificing your hair condition. Nothing rewards us more than restoring health and beauty to our clients' hair, and seeing them walking out of our salon as a fine, confident person. 

A. Our hair colour services do not include styling & finishes such as blow-dry, diffuser-dry and hood-dry. Please book them separately if you would like to have a complete finish. 

Because of the large selection of styling services with various time and products we offer, separating these service charges makes easier for clients to understand their services. Some of our blow-dries and styling services have a lower price when they are booked with a colour or a treatment.

Alternatively, we also have a post-colour dry-off as a charge-free option. For this finish, we can towel-dry and detangle your hair quickly after the hair-wash, apply a minimum amount of product then we'll do a simple blast dry or an air-dry for a few minutes. Not drying is also the choice you can make, maybe it's easier in summer. You can use our styling products for these free-charge finishes. If your hair needs an extra big detangling process before or after the colouring, there can be a separate charge for it.

I do not change the price of a cut and a colour when they are booked and conducted in the same appointment. I don't know if some Japanese salons are doing this, but that's not many overseas salons do. The set pricing reminds me a lunch menu in restaurants, which can be fun but their business operate differently. Having said this, however, if I keep charging everything by the book for a big colour & cut appointment, it can snowball to a very big bill which I also think it's unkind. In such a case, I will use sense and can take down some prices from charges in the appointment to make a less total service charge as long as it works fair for everyone. 

A. They're both used for lightening hair colour in a texture-enhancing way instead of wholly painting the body of hair. Highlights pick up fine strands of hair and colour them in tin sheets separately from other hair. Balayage picks up a slice of hair and paint it vertically along strands by leaving some strands in the slice untouched. These techniques are repeated on parts or the whole of hair. Both highlights and balayage are listed in the same menu on our price list because they can be used interchangeably or combined in the same application. 

If you're not sure which technique you need to book for your appointment, please mention like 'highlights or balayage'. If your colourist was saying 'highlights' when you had your last appointment, it's safe to request highlights, or vice versa. What has happened many times with me is that when a client said 'balayage' and when I saw her hair, it was actually highlighted, or highlights were needed. If you make an appointment with me, I'll check how your hair's done and can tell you at the consultation. Every colourist does differently to make light shades and has different combination ratio if they mix the techniques.

My work ratio between highlights/balayage today is

70% highlights only

25% highlights and balayage combined somehow like foilyage, teaseyage, highlighted balayage, film balayage etc

5% balayage only

The legend goes that there used to be only balayage conducted by French hairdressers. But in the 1960s, a coterie of hairdressers in London, notably Danielle Galvin who wove in tin foils in the hair of a then famous model Twiggy, claimed highlights as a new way of hair lightening. Thereafter the British way conquered the hair world but came the resurgence of balayage in the 2010s popularised by the help of Instagram. Even 'balayage' sounded exotic to English speaking ears then and the technique prevailed in both hairdressers and clients.

I'm sorry for trifle information. But my view is that, with all pros and cons measured, foil highlights are more versatile to create natural lighting effects than balayage, which makes sense because highlights came later as an improved lightening way of balayage. 

There are many small differences like highlights have more control on super smaller pieces of hair and has advantage when used near the roots whereas balayage can lighten a larger amount of hair at one go and rather stronger in length application. But again, you can apply small balayages to root hair and highlights can pick up a big slice for the length. Even many modern balayages are performed within long tin foils wherein classic balayages didn't use fioils, making them hard to tell the difference for clients. I learned highlights first but I've been using balayage alongside highlights more than a decade, depending on how I want to see the lights. By just looking at balayage per se, classic balayage and modern balayage are already a lot different. Many sub-techniques for different effects have been made now for balayage and highlights. 

A. A small colour work for your hairline and parting line. This service is for a single-paint, demi-permanent or permanent colour and you regularly have your hair coloured . It works when you usually have a set parting area in your hair. It does not work if you switch your parting often or your style doesn't have a particular parting point. T-section can be used for darkening colours like grey coverage, medium shades and moderately light shades. You might want to have a T-section if your hair colour gives you a regrowth contrast to some extent and you don't want to leave it too long. 

For T-sections, I apply colour only on the face hairline and the top parting line where you or others see the most visible regrowth. It cuts the application time a little than doing a whole global colouring. It also saves hair condition a little more than doing colours whole head every time. T-sections are usually alternated with a whole head application, for example, a regular regrowth colour at one appointment and a T-section regrowth colour at the next. 

When this principle is applied to highlights, it becomes a service of quarter-head highlights. But unlike a T-section single colour, 1/4 head highlights can also be done on people without a specific hair parting because highlights can go more freely on different places. When you consider 1/2 head or 1/4 head for highlights, it's not exactly about where you get them but it's about the amount of them you will have. 

A. A type of permanent colours that lightens hair colour but less strong and light than bleaches. I use them as often as bleaches. Hi-lifts can work brilliantly with many hair shades depending on the goal result, hair texture and hair condition.

A. Toners are not included in my lightening colours. There is a slight price reduction for post-colour toners if you have toners with other colour menus in the same appointment. The reason toners are not included is because of the variety of the quality+quantity of toners I choose for a client. The use of toner is highly variable depending on the client's hair and the required result. Some clients don't require a toner because of their hair and the result the targeting level. With some hair types and colour results, you can choose cost-friendly toners. Certain hair types with certain colour finishes only accept premiere quality toners.

From these reasons, it is the most reasonable for my clients to keep toners separate from the main lightening colour, (and staying in the black for u). If I were to include a toner in lightening menus, I would have to either use low quality toners, skint on them, or use something similar products for the place of toners. I might have to cut down on products/service from the main lightening part as well. There can be a risk of overcharging made on non-toner clients. By calculation toners separately, my colour work is cost-efficient and I am able to take true responsibility for my work and tidy up my colour menus. In short, some groups of clients can cut total service prices and some are able to enjoy high-quality colour results with reasonable additional prices. I believe this is what is called 'win-win'.

A. Both of them can be used for light shades to give a tonal result. They are also used as semi-permanent colours for multiple purposes such as adding a top-coat colour on the existing colour. Because of their weaker penetrating nature, both toners and glosses have the minimum intervening potency in the existing base colour. Toners are usually mildly alkaline in pH (7.5 to 8) and glosses tend to be acidic (6.5 to 5). Toners can make a longer lasting result and glosses can make a glossier effect on the colour. We have toners and glosses that make pretty and soft tones from various major international brands.

The difference between alkalis and acids in colour products is that alkaline colours can lift hair's base colour whereas acidic colours don't. A toner's colour molecules try to stay on and just underneath of the cuticle (=outside and inside the hair) while gloss's colour stick on the cuticle (=outside hair). But all toners are meant to be used for subtle colour control on already coloured (usually lightened) hair. This means that toners are made only to deposit colours around cuticles by raising the cuticle barely enough to send its colours  to the beneath side of the cuticle and not to go into the hair shaft and alter the hair colour. For that reason the colour lifts made by the alkaline toner are usually negligibly small.  In contrast, a gloss's acidity works like an astringent for our skin and contracts the cuticle. Colour molecules of the gloss are attached to the hair when the contraction is made and they remain on the hair for a while even after the acidity from the gloss dissipates. 

A. The both colours are less long lasting than a permanent colour. Semi-permanent colours have more colour varieties than demi-permanent colours, and also have a greater choice of vivid colours because many of them are direct dyes (the colour of the product looks the same colour as the colour of the end result from the beginning when it comes out of the container whereas oxidative dyes - e.g. demi/permanent colours - develop their colour after mixing the colour product with an activator).

Semi-permanent colours are said to be less lasting than demi-permanent colours. But this is not always the case because the lasting is highly dependent on the depth of the colour you put on. A deep, intense semi-permanent dye will stay longer than a pastel demi-permanent colour. But it is also true that even with such intense depth of semi-permanent colours, the nice, vibrant hues will be lost earlier than the lingering slightly more dull hues. In another words, within a lifespan of one semi-permanent colour, the colour at the biginning is prettier and the lasting tones towards the end are less pretty. I use semi-colours for the hair colours that demis or permanents cannot create. I have both direct-dye semi-permanent colours and oxidative semi-permanent colours and use them for different colour purposes. 

Demi-permanent colours are often said to be the ones between semi-permanent and permanent colours. It's easy to explain to clients in this way. But this is also not technically precise. Demi-permanent colours are weaker versions of permanent colours in both lifting and dyeing. A demi-permanent colour is effective when it's used only to deposit a colour on hair that is already light enough so that the hair does not need to be lifted its base colour before the colour of the demi goes into the hair. I use demis all the time to refresh the lengths of hair that have been previously coloured but have now lost its shine and depth and need restoring them. The profit of using a demi colour instead of a semi for this purpose is because a demi's colour pigments still can go under the surface of the hair shaft unlike a semi's surface sticking. This makes demi colours longer lasting than semi colours. Also demi colours have more choice for natural tones than semis, therefore demis are easy to use for hairs with natural shades, or natural with vibrant shades. The reason I prefer demis to usual permanents for depositing colours is because the lasting length of demis and permanents are almost the same even the demi's chemical power is much less than that of permanents' when it's used for just depositing. You cannot put permanent colours on the same hair strands many times but you can with demi-permanents. 

Above points are the main difference between semi-permanents and demi-permanents. There are many colour works that start with a permanent colour to change the hair's base colour/shade and then freshen up with semi or demi-permanent colours. There are many hair salons who do not stock so many varieties of colour products but do most of colour work with the full-range of one line of permanent colours from one brand. You can still do a lot of different colours with this way and it's operationally simple and cost-effective. But with this way, you cannot meet all colour demands because of lack of palettes and product choice. A good colourist knows how to use colour products and keeps them ready. Because of the nature of my international customer base, I must have many different colours for different colour works and I've been using them. Managing them are not always a walk in the park but I do this because of the necessity. The necessity to provide the best customised processes for every person who comes to the door of the house of colour!

A. First I'll look at your hair and try to understand what colour in what way you have been having and what your hair needs now. I'll also ask you about your usual colour appointments, what your previous hairdresser was doing for your hair, your thoughts about those outcomes and the hair colour you have now, etc. From the look of your hair and the points you make, the answer is always there. When you look for continuity, I will try to go as close as possible to your hair colour when it was last done (ideally more than 90% colour continuity). This includes using a similar application technique to ones on your previous appointments. Then I will try to go further closer to the colour you're comfortable with on your next appointment. 

Clients explain hair in layperson's words that is how it usually works. Basic things like how often you visited the salon, how you want your hair colour in general and how you feel about your hair colour now etc, give a lot to me. Your hair tells so much about your previous colour. If you look for a different hair colour, or you have been struggling to get your hair colour right from the recent salon visits, or you're not sure what you really want, I will still look at your hair and try to find out your experience with hair colour, then I'll use visual references for you to make comparison and have further discussions about your struggles, what didn't work and what direction we can move to. I might make a distinction between what your hair has now and what it needs as well. I will plan how to create the new result, and explain to you in the way that you can picture and compare the idea easily.

You may concern communication between you and the stylist. At Secret Garden, I'm the person who does consultation, obviously with my clients and for customers who go to other stylists (most of colour appointments are made with me anyway). My English is better than my Japanese when it comes to hair. I'm also aware that not everyone is mother-tongue fluent in English and sometimes clients don't know the exact words to talk about hair. I have many clients whose English isn't the first language and I think I'm good at exchanging ideas beyond verbal descriptions.

Visiting a new hairdresser is an unnerving experience. Hair is important. In my view, it's important for a hairdresser to have experience of doing many different hair types as well as keep receiving new clients. I am fortunate to have both long existing clients and constant new clients thanks to this Tokyo expats rotation where I can build up skills for discussing and creating colour works for clients from someone else in different hairdressing locations/cultures. Even in today's connected world, there are different tendencies between nations and hairdressers in terms of how they understand lightening and popular colours as well as use of words. In a large scope, the western hairdressers use shared ideas/techniques but under the microscope, UK and US stylists have different preferencies, or northern Europeans and southern Europeans prefer hair colour slightly differently. There are regional differences exist and clients talk about them from their perspective. As a colourist in Tokyo doing foreign people's hair, I have learnt there's not a standard in people's idea towards hair. I was a bit taken aback in the beginning when I started in Tokyo, about how different 'sensible' or 'widely used' colours are depending on the culture that people are from. But understanding this is an important matter for a hairdresser in creating a continuous colour from another colourist for the same person's hair, or creating a change in the colour result for someone by using better grounded assessments and analyses. 

A. The factors wash hair colour away are 

• shampooing

• sun rays

• sea water

• swimming pool chlorine 

• thermal heats from styling

• damaged hair quality itself

Tips to stop colour fading are

• Shampoos for coloured-hair

You should always use shampoo and conditioner that are formulated for colour treated hair. In Japanese market, shampoos/conditioners from international brands are often exchanged to a different consistency even from the same brand, so they can meet demands for Japanese preferency. This can make finding right shampoos be a challenge for international people in Japan. I have selected shampoos, masks and styling products that are suitable for coloured international hair, and I may be able to make recommendations if I see your hair. 

• Hair treatments

Post-colour salon treatments are highly recommendable which help locking in the colour pigments from the colour you've just had. At home, you can use a deep hair treatment about once a week to regulate and keep your hair cuticle closed, consequently to seal the colour molecules in your hair longer. There has long been an argument that some deep masks penetrate into hair so deeply that push the colour pigments out from the hair. But the jury is still out for this theory and I personally think some coloured-hair treatments seem to do an excellent job for both colour and hair. Keeping your hair hydrated and well-conditioned helps make the hair manageable and reduce frictions from handling and styling. From this reason I am for deep conditioning for coloured hair. In comparison with the deep mask, oil treatments that some people do at home to keep their hair glossy can cause colour fading. There have been both lab-based and anecdotal evidence for it.

If your hair condition is compromised by the colour processes you had in the salon or by your regular use of heat styling, your hair might not be able to hold colours well, inevitably. Interventions should have been made earlier as the hairdresser created colours for your hair. And if your hair is at such a stage, you should speak to a capable colourist to start making improvement. I, for one, might make something easier for you to start on for this kind of situation, such as a 'mini hair-fixing programme' to see how you can get on with without a huge commitment or a big overhaul.

• Covering your hair or put it up when you're outdoor or doing sports

When you are out under the sun, wearing a hat or covering your hair with a fabric will stop colour fading significantly. Even putting the hair into a simple ponytail or plait can reduce hair's UV exposure and make a difference after some hours or days. Wearing your hair all down makes the maximum sun exposure and is the worst crime if you want to keep your hair colour within your hair. I recommend putting hair up in summer seasons. And ideally, you should wear a swimming cap when you swim in the chlorine water. I used to be a swimmer and not wearing a cap isn't good for your training either even if you do just for fun. I heard about drenching the hair in shower water before jumping in the pool water will help keep the chlorine out of your hair. It will work if you swim only for a few minutes. But if you stay in the pool swimming for half an hour with your hair floating freely, the initial wetting does nothing in respect of chlorine avoidance. 

• Stop washing too often

Finally, don't overwash your hair. Skipping washing is not just good for keeping hair colour but better for the health of an adult's scalp. Washing, conditioning, drying/handling the hair, and repeating the full circle of these actions again as often as near-daily is a lot of work, which you may be able to cope with but it can be too much for your hair and body. I know you run and exercise and work in a competitive office environment or mingle with important people. But trust me, if you let the hair go without giving precise daily cleaning and instead extend your washing interval, your scalp will deal with it naturally like nothing has changed. 

Besides the colour protection rituals by yourself, the colour longevity varies depending on the type of colour you have in salon. Permanent colours are longer-lasting than the others such as demi/semi-permanent colours but they serve different purposes for different colour designs and we usually don't select them for a lasting reason. In some popular colour applications, counterintuitively, there's not much difference in colour lasting between demi and permanent products too. Apart from the permanent/semi-permanent aspect, there is a colour depth issue. Lighter shades like pastels are shorter-lived than mid shades. Blue, green, grey hues fade faster than purples and reds. Neutral tones like a brown lasts the longest. Also this is quite pro advice, that is if you do your styling better, your hair colour can last longer. This includes using effective styling skills and right products which will affect your entire maintenance regimen. None of these maintenance tricks are especially difficult to do and in fact, there are easy ways for everyone. I can advise if I see your hair colour. Lastly, your hair needs to be trimmed regularly even with a small amount. I don't mean precise 5 weeks for a long hair, but there's an ideal span for every hair and its style. Since hair ends tend to be more brittle and exhausted than the other parts, those parts don't hold colour well and cast your hair a washed-out impression.

A. Less often is better for the hair whether you're lightening or darkening.

For keeping healthy hair, a single process colour can be retouched every 4 to 7 weeks. But if you can divide your appointment into a regular touch-up and a T-section touch up (your hairline + parting line only), you are able to manage re-touching the regrowth every 3 to 5 weeks. Standard highlights can be stretched to every 6 to 20 weeks, and in the same way the hairline and the parting can be filled in with 1/4-head highlights in every 4 to 6 weeks.

A single process bleach, however, is not the same as above permanent colours; it's better to be retouched globally (I sometimes do hairline + bottom only but these are exceptional cases) and it is not recommendable to do more frequent than 4 weeks, yet it is also important not to leave more than 6-7 weeks for smooth continuity. This is because if the regrowth becomes too long, we have to colour the regrown zone in separate processes. Even if you prefer the good dark roots with light tones on the length, I still wouldn't recommend leaving the uncoloured roots longer than 2 inches. This is because even with well executed two-step lightening for a long regrowth, the work becomes bigger and the chance of damage rises.

I sometimes have clients who want to have their roots done as often as every two weeks. A hair colour isn't a manicure and I might swap the colour or the technique that doesn't require so much upkeep for those people. It's the overlap made on the already-coloured hair that takes its toll on your hair. At the same time, however, colour connection is an important part of a seamless colour work and the minimum overlapping is a necessary technique. 

• Professional products are designed for overlapping applications.

• The hair closer to the roots is stronger than the hair far from the roos. This is why the hair can be dyed/lightened near the roots in 4-5 week intervals but the same technique usually isn't repeated on the lengths.

• The hair closer to the roots interacts better with colour products, which means it lifts well and be dyed well. It has more benefit in doing colour work near the roots than waiting longer and doing it far in the length if the colour idea is the same.

From these reasons, I always recommend my clients keep regular touch-ups not too often but not too less often, especially for lightening single colours. 

In order to avoid over-colouring, these are my recommendations.

•  Whether you're darkening or lightening, there is the colour difference between your natural hair and the coloured hair. The closer you keep the two sides, the lesser contrast you'll see from the regrowth. Changing the colour level is one way to reduce the regrowth contrast and consequently your colour frequency. 

If you're lightening your hair, you can also try

• Switching from a single global colour to highlights

• Adding root shadows 

• Moving down some of the light pieces away from the roots instead of placing all of them close to the roots.

• Making the colour level lower by a half to one shade

There are always choices you can make to minimise your touch-up frequency and unnecessary damage. Each of these choices can be a small shift, but their effects together are usually immediate and can make significant difference to your hair for a long run. It's true that there are some hair textures that show regrowth more pronouncedly which prompt you to go back to the salon sooner. Even your hair is one of those, there can be ways to manage the contrast and stop over-colouring. I'll try to find useful ideas when I see your hair and listen to your experience.

A. Yes, we have a full range of ammonia-free shades from a major international brand that are suitable for anyone with allergies to ammonia or of ammonia-sensitive. We are committed to cater the most suitable products with optimum applications for your hair colour. Besides the products, I am an internationally qualified hairdresser and practising colours with health & safety over two decades. I am fully capable of examining and discussing all pertaining conditions in English language.

Let me tell you a little more about ammonia in hair colour. Ammonium is a chemical derivative from a gas ammonia and used widely in hair colour products. Therefore in precise terms, we should say 'ammonium-free hair dyes' and it's not correct to say 'ammonia-free hair dyes'. But this is too technical and pedantic since the way of calling 'ammonia-free product' is accepted by many businesses. So brands decided to use the both ways and we do the same for the convenience as ammonia-free and ammonium-free mean the same things. 

What ammonia does is open the hair cuticle, help taking hair's natural pigments out, and help pushing the product's artificial pigments in the hair. Ammonia is alkaline in pH. Ammonia is very volatile and disappears from hair in a very short period of time. And it has the pungent smell that we all know and dislike. Ammonia is effective and low-cost for hair dyes, and mainly used for permanent colours and bleaches. Ammonia is one of damaging factors to hair. It is normal that semi-permanent colours and temporary colours do not contain ammonia because they are not designed to lift hair colour or to drive colours deep into the hair. For this reason, I think it's false advertising when a brand calls a temporary colour as 'ammonia-free' making it sound as if a better product wherein it's actually normal for a semi-permanent colour not to contain ammonia. On this account, in my following explanation, I am going to talk about ammonia-free products with regard to demi-permanent colour, permanent colour and bleach but semi-permanent colours and temporary colours, in terms of the benefits and disadvantages of both product types.

Demi-permanent colour and permanent colour can dye hair permanently and are used for dying grey hair and/or long-lasting colours. Permanent colour and bleach can lift hair colour and are used for lightening hair colour or lightening and dying at the same time. We do not have ammonia-free bleach but we do have ammonia-free permanent colours and I have been using this line successfully. When you're allergic to ammonia but want to have good light pieces in your hair, you can use bleach in foils like highlights and balayage. With these techniques you won't have ammonia touching your scalp. A demi-permanent colour is a mild version of permanent colour and its tube has much less ammonia content than permanent ones. It can cover or blend grey when the greys are meek and can deposit longer-lasting colour than semi-permanents on hair, but it cannot lift much hair colour. Because of this, even if you are mildly allergic to ammonia, ammonia containing demi-permanent colours mixed with low-strength peroxides are often carried out without causing allergic actions in real salon situations whether or not the client/stylist are aware of the allergy. We use ammonia-free permanent colours with low peroxides for the place of demi-permanent colour if you are allergic to ammonia and need demi-permanent colours. This is not my own invented way but the officially instructed product usage by the brand. If you are allergic to ammonia and want to colour your grey or change your hair colour permanently, we use ammonia-free permanent colours with regular peroxide strength.

External hazards vs internal hazards

So what is an ammonia-free permanent colour made of? It has an alternative ingredient called monoethanolamine(=MEA) in place of ammonium. Monoethanolamine does what ammonium does to our hair in a similar result but through a different chemical process. MEA is as alkaline in pH as ammonia. Unlike ammonia, MEA stay longer in our hair and disappear slowly. MEAs at the latest technology can open up hair cuticle as efficient as ammonia. And it has zero odour which we all appreciate. Scientists assert, however, zero odour doesn't mean zero harm. Ammonia with a high dose, for example, can cause corrosive damage to our respiratory organs, eyes and skins. This is direct and visible harm to our body (external hazard). But ammonia in any hair colour products do not have such high concentrations to cause these harms, and what it can do under safe usage are skin irritation and inflammation to a maximum. MEA is known to be able to cause all these harms in proportion to its concentrations as well as extending damaging areas to our kidneys and liver, which makes sense as it stays longer in our body. This is indirect and less visible harm that can take place in our deeper tissues (internal hazard). On this ammonia vs MEA issue, the jury is still out and we don't know which is better or worse. Is ammonia more damaging hair because of its volatile character, or is MEA more harmful to our hair and body owing to its residual traces? The answer remains to be seen and it may take a long time before it's known. One certain thing is that if you are allergic to ammonia, you can still colour your hair with ammonia-free products. And for the people who are not allergic but interested in ammonia-free ranges, my answer is that both types seem safe with the amount used in hair products when they are used in the safe way. They work similarly except that MEAs are odour-free. I found that the ammonia-free colour fades out slightly more during the first two-week time after the colour, perhaps because of the slowly dissipating nature of this ingredient. The ammonia-free product has a slightly longer processing time like 10 minutes more than ammonia permanent colours. I'm not enthusiastic about the way the brands tout as if the ammonia-free colour is a healthier alternative to ammonia-products by linking the product with natural herbal ingredients like aloe, Argan oil, oat milk and likes while they still contain an active ingredient that does the same damage to hair cuticle as ammonias.For the purpose of accuracy, I must state that ammonia-free colours aren't any better than ammonia based colours at this stage. It's a misconception if you think non-ammonium colours are more gentle for your hair than ammonium colours. Their usage, available colour spectrum, performance, and unknown risks, all aspects considered, although I'm not against ammonia-free colours, I still think the current ammonia permanent colours have more advantage over ammonia-free counterparts at this stage simply because there are more ammonia-based products in the market. Ammonia-based permanent colours are like a known devil. 

On the other hand when you have an allergy to a substance, there is a risk of an anaphylactic shock and this is what we must avoid. This is a fundamentally different physiological response comparing to benign chemical reactions such as dryness, itchiness and inflammations that are the result of alkali and other chemical properties in common hair colour products. The challenge is that there are cases where we can't tell whether you have itchiness because you're allergic to the product or you've had itchiness this time because of a benign reaction to the colour. Because of this, I ask all of our clients to report us if there is an unusual sensation during a colour process and we are always cautious about any product reactions on our clients. For the health and safety of our clients and the option for hair colour for them, we prepare ammonia-free colours and make sure to have careful operations within a safe environment by following both the international and Japanese guidelines. 

A. I am not against performing colour services for pregnant women when the process is carried out with safe measures. I have coloured many clients when they were pregnant. There are divided opinions among medical experts on the risk of hair colouring during pregnancy. 

The reason doctors support the safeness of hair dye during pregnancy is because the quantity of chemical compounds used in the average amount of hair dye is far less than the high dose of them that can cause problems for the baby and pregnancy. Many of those pro-doctors advise pregnant women to wait for a hair colouring till the fist trimester is fully over, and some recommend keeping the number of hair dyes less than four times during the whole gestation period. 

In contrast, anti-doctors disapprove colour services where chemicals are deposited on the mother's scalp and they can be absorbed through the skin then possibly cause harmful effects on the embryo or foetus. What I found is that almost all of the hypotheses of hair colouring for pregnant women proposed by those anti-experts are based on two key conditions - permanent colours and on-scalp application. They discuss ingredients in permanent hair dyes (often darkening and deep colour dyes) that take oxidisation to form colour pigments within the hair shaft. And the product types that are directly deposited on the scalp to be developed. Other than these two conditions of chemical and applicational models, they don't explore much about other types of chemicals such as bleaches and semi-permanent colours, nor other ways of hair colour application such as non-contacting colours (i.e. highlights) and short-time colours such as toners. Intuitively, I don't believe bleach is totally safe when permanent colours can pose risks to an embryo, but there haven't been many reports on bleaches. But I'd like to raise my point that those medical assessments are highly laboratory oriented with very specific colour products and not considering what hairdressers actually do in salon for normal colour works with various applications.

At Secret Garden I have put together alternative products and application measures for colour treatments for pregnant clients after researching medical reports and guidelines, hearing from UK hairdressing friends and drawing from my own experience: 

1. Avoiding hair colours during the first trimester

2. Using highlights - to avoid scalp contact for lightening

2. No more than three applications of permanent colour during the pregnant months 

3. Contact-less permanent colours as much as possible for all root colours 

4. Semi/demi-permanent colours in lieu of permanent colours 

5. Well-ventilated spacious salon

6. Quick services to reduce physical stress for the pregnant body

I have read some reports that doctors advise henna colour to substitute regular hair dyes. I don't concur with this idea as a hair expert. Most of hennas in the market today are no longer chemical-free and I am sceptical about the chemical and metallic compounds contained in henna products that are less clinically examined and post-markedly reported. Their colour results are aesthetically questionable and extremely difficult to be removed once it's applied on hair. I think that simply abstaining from colour is much better than doing something that'll make things difficult later. One more thing I advise against is shelf colour products from pharmacies and supermarkets. Their chemical components are by far stronger than those in the salon counterparts and I strongly advise not to use box colours anytime and especially while you are expecting. 

A. I'm sorry to hear that. We are careful not to make such accidents. But if it happens, we might not be able to take full responsibility and compensate the total value of your belongings. If you send photos of your damaged clothes, a price reference of the same item from the seller, and the receipt from the professional laundry shop you used, after assessment we will refund full or some of the cost of your item. 

Besides refunding, I know that your clothe won't go back to what it was before. Coloured fabrics are mostly not able to be returned to the previous state once it's bleached or dyed with a dark colour. Neither our insurance company nor we are able to cover the entire bill for expensive clothes. Here are what I ask all of our clients to do during an appointment:

• Please do not wear expensive or your favourite clothes when you come to my salon. I am serious about my colour work and although I'll try my best to avoid colour accidents, the risk is not zero. Even if not for a colour, shampoo and water can reach low in the neck when washing. You wouldn't wear your favourite clothes when you paint the wall of your house or do serious exercise, would you? We wear work clothes and shoes in salon as colour can go everywhere. Although I appreciate you're meaning  to wear nice clothes or present your style when visiting us because you thought it's polite for us or the way would allow us to better come up with hair that can work with you, please save your clothes for safer occasions and do not keep valuable garments and items around you while you have your hair done especially with a colour appointment. We can plan your hair well even if you come with very casual attire.  

• It is always better to take your jacket or extra layers off and leave them in our cloak space during your colour appointment. This is not only protecting your clothes, but it's also making my work easier. 

• Although I understand that it's normal to keep your bag at your feet in many cultures (I usually do this too), it's common in Japan that clients leave their bag and extra belongings in the cloak space or a locker with a key in salons. Theft in salon is rare in Japan. This reduces the risk of your bag getting a drop of colour mixture or cut hair. You can take your tablets/books with you to your chair with a table shelf where you can enjoy our coffee or tea. 

A. Roughly six things. 1: Why you want to colour your hair. 2: What look you want. 3: How often you want to visit a hair salon for colour maintenance after the first colour. 4: What your hair colour appointments are going to be like for the first time and from the second time. 5: How you look after your hair by yourself after colouring. 6: Where you get the colour work.

For the first question, examples of the motives are

• You want to change your image.

• You have started to notice grey hair and want to do something about it.

• You have changed your job/school/country and you want to update your image for the new circumstance.

• You found inspirations that you want to use or incorporate some of those ideas for your fashion style or lifestyle.

By just keeping this first question in your mind, it'll give you a guideline as you make choices for your colour later. And you can tell your colourist why you're colouring, so they can stick to your needs without walking away much when they plan the colour. 

The second question is a fun part. You need to research on the internet. Google search is good for quantity and browsing. You may be able to find some media feeds, magazine articles and videos of celebrities/athletes that are relatable to what you look for. Images on adverts and fashion articles can be useful for telling someone about the feeling and concept of your idea as those images tend to catch the essence of the styling rather than focusing on close-up hair details. As you continue researching and looking at photos, you'll understand what things you like and what are good/poor pictures for the reference. One tip is not to limit your scope. At the beginning you don't need to worry too much about suitability, tones or depth of your natural hair and skin. If you like an image and the person's hair isn't similar to your hair, the colour idea eventually becomes your own version. When you change your hair colour, your make-up and the colour of clothes around it can be tweaked about, so you can make everything fit together eventually. Your hair texture matters for hair colour but a good colourist will advise you during the consultation and guide you to a holistically balanced colour plan. Once you formed your favourite ideas, then you can quickly reflect the first question you did. If your chosen ideas work with your objective, you've done a good start for your first hair colour. 

The third question is about your colour maintenance. When you have your hair coloured, it's usually not a one-off thing but is like a relationship you take care of. More lighter or darker you shift away from the depth of your natural hair colour, you will see more colour contrast between the newly grown hair and your coloured hair. A single-painting colour, a global permanent colour for example, makes more contrasting regrowth while highlights/balayage type of applications make rather diffused regrowth. The more you lighten your natural hair, the more your hair condition will be affected. The more amount of hair in your entire hair is dyed, the more of your hair is affected by the colour result. Although we colourists decide how we colour your hair based on what result you're after rather than how we can minimise the amount of your future hair maintenance work, a good colourist will consider it and I certainly take it into account. And for your part, the above basic rules are always good to know. In general, the maintenance for beautiful colour is from 5 to 8 weeks for a single root colour and 1 to 5 months for highlights and a length colour. The colour difference will look less noticeable on the regrowth and colour fading will be mild if you keep your colour within 2 shades up or down from your natural shade. Subtle highlights and a semi-permanent gloss are also novice friendly, they look natural and need less commitment. Some colour ideas look good when you get regrown roots. With regard to colour fading, permanent and demi-permanent colours last from 4 to 6 weeks in their vibrancy but the colour itself last for a much longer period of time. For example, once you cover your grey, it won't return to grey as it was even after a year although it loses its shine and gloss in 6 weeks. This is why we reapply a different colour for the faded parts when you return the salon for the root touch-up. Semi-permanent gloss lasts from 3 to 20 washes depending on the depth of the colour.

4th topic is about the scale of the work of your hair colour appointments. Let me talk you through some easier examples and I hope this can prime you for your future colouring. Some kinds of colour have a simple process and don't take much time (e.g. single-paint colours except bleaching), so that you won't feel your colour appointment is a lot of work even if you visit the salon regularly. On the other hand, some types of colour require longer applications and colour/treatment processes (e.g. highlights, a bleach). This means your one salon visit takes more time and cost even though you don't visit the salon so often. Putting them into perspective in my price, a single-process colour for covering grey is simple and quick (1.5Hour/￥14,300 for colour+blowdry medium length, tax included). Covering grey (=darkening) is very low-damage, so the maintenance is relatively simple and low-key. The same single process but going lighter from your natural shades with non-bleach colour, you might need several stages like a toner and a treatment, so your appointment can take more time (2~3H/￥16,500~26,400+) and you will need to take care of your hair condition at home too. For highlights and balayages, they usually take a longer time to be applied than a single-process colour but the time varies widely according to how many weaves and slices are put in your hair as well as the length and texture of your hair that the colour needs to go on. On top of them, there can be many more colour options such as 2nd round application, toners, glosses, additional colours and conditioning treatments in order to achieve what you really want, so your appointment can stretch to different lengths of time (2~6H/￥19,800~55,000+). At the same time, this does not mean you always spend 4 hours for every highlight appointment once you have a four-hour highlight appointment. This is because you sometimes have a small appointment and sometimes have a big appointment. If you're a small colour-work person with 2~3 hour appointments, you may typically visit your salon as often as every 5 weeks to 2 months. If you're a big colour-work person with 4~5 hour appointments, you likely return your salon 3~4 times a year. Or when you have a single colour regularly mainly for the roots, sometimes you can add a little extra enhancing work for the length/strands of your hair, and this will work out as making your hair appointment occasionally bigger with various amounts of time (regular1H + additional1~3H/￥5,500~24,200+). As you return the salon for these colour appointments, you would include a haircut at times as your hair calls for it. The pace of haircuts can be totally separated from that of colours. 

The 5th is about your home care. You will need a pair of colour-suited shampoo and conditioner. And often a hair mask on top of them. In general, the lighter you make your hair colour, the more care it needs. Every person should be able to find suitable shampoos, conditioners and styling products for their coloured hair. If you have longer hair, the time and the amount of products you spend should be greater. Your colourist can help you here. If you have your hair coloured but you don't have colour suitable shampoo/conditioner, my recommendation is to get those items at the salon. If you buy them later, this is like you're kicking the can. You have to research and order those products by yourself, or randomly picking some up at a local shop, and you're not going to know if they work until you use them. You might not know if you're using them in the right way or they have good long-term effects on your hair. I think it's the easiest to get recommendation from your trusted hairdresser. The quality of salon retailed products are always better than mass-sold products. The important point is to get the right products for your hair, and understanding how to use them and what they do to your hair without spending the whole time in the world. This is where you should seek help from your hairdresser.

Finally the 6th point, the colourist. If you can get recommendation from your friends and colleagues, that's great. If not, just online search them. Checking stylists' Instagram/TikTok is good first step but try to communicate with the hairdresser to some extent beforehand as well as making sure you know who is doing your hair if the salon has multiple available stylists. I deliberately don't use Instas for Secret Garden because I haven't needed them. Sometimes there is lots of smoke and mirrors on hairdressers' social media (though not just hairdressers) and it's always good to chat or communicate with the person to make sure that their answers aren't computer generated, you feel comfortable and able to trust them as your hair colourist. 

So these are my opinions about the aspects to be considered before hair colouring. I know there've been a lot to read. And I know you can get a good colour if you didn't know these. But I tried to put together basic points that are good for you to know. Some of them are good to be reminded even after you've done many colours on your hair. I hope these points will be helpful to cut down wasteful appointments from you!

A. For natural colour ideas with grey hair, there are largely two different directions that you can take. And the effective techniques I often use for both the two directions are semi/demi-permanent colour, permanent colour, highlights and combining some of these. 

The first idea is to keep your hair colour close to its natural tone. For first grey (i.e. grey hair at the initial stage) for all natural shades, semi-permanent colour works just great by barely covering or just blending the pliant grey hair without making unnecessarily strong coverage on them and on the non-grey hairs around them. As your grey moves on to a further stage later, you might need to start using a permanent colour, but this transition takes time and the change is gradual. The transition can be from semi to demi to permanent as you continue colouring greys. Depending on your hair texture, sometimes the hair prefers firmer coverage like that of permanent even for the first grey, and if this is the case, we can advise you accordingly and choose the suitable permanent colour for you. We might start on the gentle side by using a semi/demi-permanent for the first time, then see how the colour works by seeing the result and listening to your experience when you return. 

Another way is make your hair lighter instead of keeping it close to the shade of your non-grey hair. You can make your hair colour lighter with many shades with natural tones and you can do this by using techniques such as soft permanent colours and soft highlighting. By highlighting, we don't cover the greys but blending them with lightened strands and this way will give your hair a natural look. Since you will have a darker regrowth after this way of colouring, your future colour process is more like touching up the dark roots than covering the greys exist in the regrown length. 

There is also the third way which is combining all above ideas. You can have a covering colour for your base yet have some light strands on your hair length. Or if you normally put highlights blending with grey hair, adding a colour to the root zone that is a few shades darker than the middle of the length like a root shadow, this will also provide a soft-covering finish for your hair, which can also fade away rather than leaving a clear contrast to the coming regrowth. 

In general for natural styles, I usually recommend soft and subtle colours for fewer greys and bringing a little firmer colour for increased greys. I found that grey hair brings a different, resilient texture to your hair but colouring it can tone down this texture contrast like a moisturiser and give the hair softening and shiny effects both visually and tactilely. I can include many small techniques to keep your hair healthy and looking great. You can also add some vibrant tones to your hair as you keep the whole colour still look natural. With these vibrant naturals, you can find some good hues that complement your skin very well. I have really good permanent colours and formulae for these colours and we can discuss more as we meet face to face.

A. My mind is like Nike slogans. Why not? Just do it. I know hair is a more serious thing than clothes but I always think it's good to do things when you're interested. Hair colour is easy to try and a great way to explore your style. You'll learn a lot from changing a hair colour, looking after your hair, and trying out new colours around your hair in terms of make-up and clothes. Your image will change a lot and it can even make change to your personality. Hair colour is a life experience and lighter shades are worth trying. 

Internet research is key for finding out what colours you specifically want to discuss with your colourist. When you look at images online, you should look out for the two types of blonde looks that are in different directions: 

• Highlights/balayage type - Many light pieces blended for a light result. With this style, you can find many fine strands of light hair near the roots next to the person's natural hair. Recommendable if you want a natural look with some room for your hair to keep uncoloured hair. You can make choices for the shade of light pieces from platinum to understated warm blonde. You can make adjustment with their locations, density and post-lightening toners.

• Single paint type - Hair is mostly lightened and you don't see many dark pieces except optional roots. This is the look if you want a peroxide platinum, all clean blonde style. It's punchy and can make a defined style. This colour takes quite condition away from your hair, so that with long hair, it can be challenging to keep the length and good condition at the same time. You must hydrate your hair regularly with professional products. You will need to work with your colourist for your hair condition if your hair is long. If you go with a single paint with less light shades like a golden/light honey, that will make a big difference for hair's condition. This idea of muted blonde will allow you more to keep good condition and hair length as well as easier maintenance. 

I think, if you do online research into blonde look with these two styles in mind, it might help you to understand which look and what level of lightness you are aspired. If you can't tell which way the photographs you find are created by, don't worry. In fact, many of us hairdressers often can't tell the either way from pictures till we actually see the hair. But at least you will be able to select your preferred images carefully and show them to your stylist with your opinion. 

You mention your hair is brown. All brown shades have full options for all light shades with a variety of applications, the level of lightness, the tone and how many or how much ratio of light pieces you put in. When you see your colourist, you'll be asked about your idea for hair length, texture, haircut, blonde looks and how you want to wear it. Blonde hair alone has a wide variety of looks, so you would be asked about the key areas that you're particularly interested in. Then your colourist might develop the mood of the blonde in details, as well as thinking out how the look can be achieved from your natural hair colour and personal tone. At this point, make sure that you're told how you can look after your hair after the colouring and what the future appointments will be like to continue the colour. Try to get the best colourist from the beginning, so that you can be advised and understand many things soon and enjoy the new colour immediately.

You should also consider whether you are achieving the look in one big appointment or in a few appointments. I have met many customers who thought that they can make the transition in one go in a few hours. I've seen  Japanese hairdressers doing that but that's not always the best way for creating believable blondes that is also be repeated many times. The hair's condition is important and you need to make sure that your colourist knows what they're doing as they lighten your hair. You will likely need to have a few sets of full-head highlights to make your hair to look naturally light and one set of full-head highlights alone takes about 3 hours. I sometimes have people request blonde colouring in one long appointment with several rounds of highlights because of their time restriction in Tokyo. Some people split the process in two or more consecutive appointments when this way works better for them. For myself as a colourist, I always try to do their appointment in the way works best for them. And I can create the best result whichever in their preferred way. It is important that you know what your colour process is going to be like in advance, so you can prepare for it. This is why it's necessary to talk a bit of in-depth with your colourists before you fix your colour transitioning appointment.

A. Yes, I do men's colour a lot. I think more men are having their hair coloured now comparing to a decade ago or even three years ago. Asian men always coloured their hair but I think other men are increasingly colouring these days. I always think men's colour needs delicate handling since their hair lengths tend to be shorter and the colour is applied within a short length close from the roots. The techniques I often use for men's natural colour are

• Men's highlights

• Men's grey colour

Lightening hair colour are very popular among many men everywhere in the world. Highlighting is particularly effective for adding lightness with natural results. I can put them in all hair types and lengths, lighter or darker. This is not for a classic, football-player peroxide blonde but something like light pieces blended in your natural hair (think Harry Styles, Chris Hemsworth, Austin Butler and Ryan Gosling not Ken version) though this doesn't have to be from existing references. Imagine Jason Momoa, who often has light pieces in longer length, if he crops his wavy hair short and puts some light pieces, that'll work. If you have your hair length on top around 1.5 to 2 inches and have it cut every 5 weeks, you don't have to have it highlighted with every haircut but maybe once in two or three cut appointments. If your hair is longer, then the colouring span might be even longer. There is no price difference for highlighting between men and women (￥16,500~: 1/2-head to cover the top part all over, ￥11,000~: 1/4-head with less foils than half-head, ￥8,800~: quick mini highlights on some points like hairlines). 

If you are concerned with grey hair, there are largely two different ways. One is blending some dark pieces in, some sparse dark pieces similar to your natural hair in your grey. It's a good way to break patches of grey hair and make your grey-mixed look softer and more blended (e.g. Jeff Goldblum, Cillian Murphy). By this colour, you won't hide greys but the result is super subtle yet giving a bit of depth and definition to your image by pulling a step opposite to being washed-out. The other way is fully covering grey hair with the shade close to your natural non-grey hair (e.g. Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody). The prices start from ￥8,800 for tint blending and ￥9,900 for covering regrown grey roots.

The above colour techniques all work well with natural styles. They introduce fine shifts of tones and dimensions in men's hair partially or globally. My clients in Tokyo often look for natural results, but because of the wide range of hair types in my clients, I use a variety of applications and products. I think I have accumulated quite a lot of knowledge and ideas for men's natural colours. 

A. I love doing men's colour and you're coming to the best place in Japan. Bleach work is my daily work and I have everything to create the level of lightness and the way of finish you want. Bleach work is broad and I'm open to and think capable for all ideas. You might want something which is bold and defined yet versatile. Or you might want a particular style and want to dress it in a certain way. I take inspirations for hair from everything, but planning ideas during the consultation with a client, your input is the most important. So please bring something you're inspired by. With most of styles with vibrant colours, the colour process includes a first lightening and a following colouring.  The bleach lightening and its pattern are vital for the final outcome of your colour. The second dye that goes on the lightened hair is the colour you see, and the type of this second colour product varies depending on the final result you look for, and there can be the third and fourth dye processes as the final result demands. Alternatively, if your idea is a clean blonde without an additional colour, we can do a clean bleach first then simply tone the hair for the beautiful finish.

The price changes depending on the length of your hair and the processes included. Let's say, you have a short hair within a bob level, and have a full-head bleach (￥16,500~)and a second colour (￥9,900~), the total is somewhere from ￥26,400 including tax.  You might not have to pay for a blow-dry because of a man's short hair. But most of cases with bleaching, I would recommend using condition-protecting treatment used from the bleaching stage such as Olaplex. This starts from additional ￥3,300 for a short length.

Do you know that  the latter 2020s is going to have a major, global paradigm shift in men's styles in cut & colour? From my clients, there has already been increase in both natural and creative colours in men. And I'm sure that there will be so many guys who are colouring their hair in these few years onward.