Dyeing your hair is a common way to bring a change to your looks. Some people prefer wearing a wig or use temporary hair chalk or spray, while some prefer dyeing their hair. But before you start to dye your hair, you’ll need to know how much dying hair can cost.
If you are planning on using box dye at home, you will need to spend anywhere from $5 to $20. But the average cost of dyeing it professionally may range from anywhere from $50 to $400. Your hair length, the intricacy of the style, the health, and the level of your hair determines the average price.
Dyeing your hair at a salon is a pricey matter. Many people opt for box dyes, while many still choose salons. If you are confused about what you should do, then this article is for you.
In this write-up, we will be talking about how much does it cost to dye your hair in detail.
How Much Does It Cost To Dye Your Hair?
The average price of dyeing hair at a salon varies from one style to another. In addition, your hair length matters a lot.
Factors that determine the accurate price of dyeing your hair are:
The Length of Your Hair
The length and thickness of your hair impact the average coloring price. If you have longer hair or thicker hair, you will need more product during the coloring process.
The Hair Level
The color of your hair is determined by levels. There are 11 levels in total. At level one, you have black hair, the deepest hair color. At level 11, you have platinum blonde, the lightest hair color. The hair level makes the dyeing process either easy or difficult.
If you have Level 1 hair, meaning black hair, and want to go to Level 11, meaning platinum blonde, then the process will be very hard, time-consuming and expensive. You will need at least 5 sessions of bleaching, and let your hair rest for 2 to 3 weeks after each session. This will take a minimum of 3 months.
But if you have level 9, very light blonde hair, and want to go platinum, your hairstylist will do one or two sessions of lifting and toning to reach the desired finish. This is comparatively cheaper and faster.
So the level of your hair and your desired finish matters the most during the pricing.
The Condition of Your Hair
Hairstylists consider your hair as the base. If the base is not ready for the color, then they will take appropriate measures to make it ready. If you have unremoved dye in your hair, then your stylist will remove it first. If you have splotches of dye all over your hair, then they will do spot removal, make the base even, and then proceed to the coloring part.
If you have healthy, virgin black or brown hair, then you may not require any of these services. In that case, your average hair dyeing cost will be much lower.
Apart from these factors, the most important factor is the style you chose. Average hair coloring costs can vary depending on the style.
Some of the most popular hair coloring styles and their prices are given below:
Single Process Hair Color
Single process hair color is the process of using one color in your entire hair. Usually, during this process, only coloring is needed. Hence it is the cheapest hair coloring option available. Since it does not require bleaching or lifting, it is also the least damaging to your hair.
The average cost for a single process hair color can range from $35-$100, depending on your hair length. Mid-range salons can charge from $50 to $70 for single process hair color, while some chain salons do it for $35 and more. But you will need to pay around $100 for a single process hair color in a high-end salon.
Uniform hair color is not like by many as it seems too boring. But high-end salons usually mix 3-4 different shades of the same color to create dimension and vividness in the color.
Double Process Hair Color
If you want to dye your hair lighter, then your stylist will lighten your hair first and then apply the desired shade. For example, if you have level 1 black hair and you want brown hair, then your stylist will lighten your hair in sections, and then apply the color. The average cost of double process hair color is from $100 to $175.
If you want to go 2-3 shades lighter, or want a vibrant color, e.g. amber red, then a double process can be done. Since a double process does not require a lot of lifting, it can be done in one session. The first step of a double process, lightening, allows the stylist to have a lighter and even base to apply new hair color.
Color Correction
Color correction is comparatively cheaper as it does not require a lot of work. Color correction is usually done to get rid of the yellowness in blonde hair to make it icy looking. It can also be done to even out the entire hair color you have in your hair.
The average cost of color correction is $100 and more. For root touch-ups, you will need to pay $25 and more depending on the length of the newly grown hair and the severity of the situation.
If you have light brown shade in your hair and your black hair is growing, you can get root touch-ups to make the entire hair look one shade. If you have deeper missed spots of hair, then you can receive a spot treatment to even the color. Root touch-ups are a common thing for people with blonde hair as well.
Highlights
Hair highlights are a common style. People often opt for hair highlights to bring depth and definition to their hair. It is an easy way to make your hair look lighter without actually applying a lot of bleach.
For partial highlights in medium to long hair, you will need to pay from $45 to $55. For highlights all over the hair, the price ranges from $80 to $100. For babylights, expect to pay $125 and more. High-end salons will charge anywhere from $175 to $350 for highlights depending on the hair length.
Although highlights do not require a lot of work, it is still a quite tricky process. Your stylist will handpick hair sections that need to be highlighted and then lighten them. Each strand and section are picked carefully to ensure that once lightened, that strand does not stand out too much.
Balayage
Balayage is another type of highlight. It is a French hair highlighting style where hair sections are much bigger than usual. Although the process sounds easy, it is quite an intricate process where the stylist needs to ensure that the highlights do not stand out at all. Especially with bigger highlighted strands, it is easier to not blend and stand out.
The average cost of balayage treatment starts from $150. With additional charges, you may need to pay at least $200.
Balayage requires time and a significant amount of experience and skill, making it one of the priciest forms of hair highlights.
Ombre
The Ombre hair coloring technique is also similar to hair highlights. The difference is it does not touch the top of the hair only. The ends of the hair will be completely saturated.
The starting price for an ombre hair color is $150. It goes up from that depending on the level of intricacy required, the desired finish, and other touch-ups.
Factors That May Hike The Price
Hair coloring at a salon is quite expensive. But there are additional factors that can hike the price quite a lot. Here are some:
The Salon
The average hair dyeing price depends significantly on the type of salon you are choosing. A high-end salon can and will charge much more than a mall salon. Apart from mall salons and high-end salons, there are freelancer hair stylists who charge according to their requirements.
Most high-end salons have highly trained individuals who are aware of all sorts of hair dyeing techniques. On the other hand, mall salons hire hairstylists who receive the minimum training to receive a license.
Aside from training, high-end salons often make their hair dye and their bleaching services are done with maximum care and consideration. However, many mall salons or local salons will rarely do the same but at a cheaper price.
Freelance hairstylists often serve one client a day. It ensures maximum priority and attention for the client. And it also means you will need to pay quite a lot.
Pre-dye hair care
Before dyeing your hair, the stylist may wash and condition your hair. Some salons offer hair spas along with hair wash which will significantly increase the price. You will need to pay an additional $20-$25 just for the wash. Some salons add the spa as a complimentary service, while some may charge $15-$20 for it.
In addition, some salons will add trims or haircuts along with hair coloring. Now a haircut or trim on its costs quite a lot. But some salons will offer extra hair trim for $30-$40, which sounds quite appealing to many. If you have recently gotten a haircut then we would recommend you to not get an additional hair trim.
Hair Treatment
The condition of your hair may cause the average price to spike. Severely damaged hair requires hair treatment before the coloring process. Very distressed and dry hair is incapable of absorbing dye. Thus, your hairstylist will provide deep conditioning masks and treatments before your hair is strong enough to absorb the color.
If you have uneven color throughout your hair and want an even look, then it will cost more. This is different from a root touch-up. This type of mishap usually happens after a bad dye job from a stylist or a bad at-home dye experience.
Your stylist will lighten the areas that are way too deep first by applying bleach or color remover. And then, once the hair has an even tone, they will proceed to the coloring job. Often stylists tone the hair before applying the dye to make the canvas more even.
Most hairstylists charge on an hourly basis for fixing botched hair coloring jobs. On average you will need to pay $100 per hour, which is 2x of a single process hair color price. It is because fixing ruined hair takes a lot of time and patience.
Post Coloring Hair Care
Once the coloring job is done, the stylist will dry your hair. Drying your hair will not cost extra as it is a part of the coloring package. But if you want a blowout you will need to spend extra. For a blowout, you will need to pay $45 or more. Some high-end salons charge up to $90 for blowouts.
Final Words
There’s no exact answer to the question of how much does it cost to dye your hair. The average hair dyeing cost will vary from one customer to another, one stylist to another. Our recommendation is to do enough research. Ask for a recommendation from your acquaintances.
If you are going to a high-end salon, ask around and find out their best stylist. If you are going to a freelance stylist, check their portfolio, and see how good they are at the style you want. Reach out to 2-3 stylists or salons and compare their work. Hair dyeing is a pricey matter, but a bad hair coloring job will require you to spend more money on removal, and re-dyeing. It is why we recommend you to compare the quality of work of each stylist instead of comparing prices.
Hi, I am Alana Young. As a lifestyle expert, I have studied and researched the ways of life of people far and wide. I can say that I have extensive knowledge in the field to teach and educate people on the proper lifestyles to lead, as well as how to effectively manage costs and maximize output in all aspects of their lives.