Organic hair colour: ten ways to make it work in your salon

Organic hair colour has gone from worthy to wow-factor in recent years. No longer considered an inferior alternative to more traditional products, organic hair colour is now available in a wealth of high-fashion shades and provides a quality finish to rival any other mainstream hair colour. Organic hair colour expert Karine Jackson shares her advice for putting colour at the heart of the business and promoting it amongst your clients... 1. Make sure you stay ahead of the game to ensure you're aware of the latest trends. This isn't a scary prospect; it's all about having fun with colour and being inspired, but you really need to do your research. The internet and magazines are your best source for everything you need to know about what is on the catwalks every season. 2. Give your business a unique selling point; don't be scared of doing things a little differently as it's what will set you apart from other salons. The best thing I did was move into organic colouring! 3. Social media is an incredible tool to share your new techniques and work; Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and blogs will allow you to let the world know about you. 4. Use the point of sale as a way of showcasing your newest collections and techniques. Display these at every colouring and cutting station and change them as often as bi-monthly so that clients can see how your work is progressing. 5. Fashion week is the best place to start developing your new colour trends for the season. Pick a trend, colour or fabric and work with this to create a look that can translate to colouring. 6. Take the time to talk to your staff about the latest colouring methods - it's vital everyone is on the same wavelength. Display techniques on staffroom boards and provide in-depth training. Ask your team to create mood boards on the latest trends as it's a great way to see how colours will work together; it's important to allow your team to be part of the creative process as it's a way of them taking ownership of a project. 7. Training is crucial. Your team should be having fun, learning and spreading the word about the hottest colouring techniques as they then pass this on to clients. It's reassuring for clients to hear that the team is committed to learning the newest ways to colour. 8. It's important to get your latest colour trends and techniques out there - send them to all your local press and to the trade press. 9. Consultations are key for any salon to succeed in colouring. Train your team to provide the best consultations- set the standard for them to work from and you will always have consistent results. Explain to the client why the consultation is crucial and talk them through what you are checking. This is also a great time to recommend after care products as you can explain why they need a specific product. 10. Although colouring is a fun process and some clients will relish trying a new statement style, make sure that you develop new techniques that can be used to create subtle colour for the less adventurous clients.