Are you being smart when it comes to Bond Building? Part Two: FT service upgrades!

Hey Gorgies!

I’m back to talk all things SMART, and this time we’re covering in-salon…

Let’s face it…When it comes to bond builders, the market is overflowing with options, from supermarket dupes to pricier professional, well-known brands. As an industry, we’re finding the current climate more challenging as our clients go longer between appointments and therefore, add-on services can be overlooked by many.

This leads me to a question that always comes up when chatting to fellow stylists…

Should we be including ‘add-on services’ to our treatment menus, or just include them in the price of all our colour services?

This is a toughy, not only because we have to increase our prices annually due to rising costs, but also because, like any menu, if the offering is too much, it can be overwhelming for our clients, so they don’t know where to start and don’t always want to part with more money!

On the flip side, including a bond-building service as part of all colour work may not always be necessary if our client has healthy hair (which of course we always maintain!), as there isn’t always going to be the need to offer this service!

So what are our options?

Here’s what I do:

Emma comes in every 8 weeks for her blonding service. She looks after her hair at home with professional products, and we only ever lighten her regrowth, but due to other factors in her life (like stress, medication, pollution, etc), sometimes her hair feels a bit dry.

During these times, I always suggest upgrading her blonde service.

I add Blacklight Smart Bond Protection and Strengthening Concentrate (1) to my chosen lightener and continue as normal, rinsing thoroughly after development, using the Smart Purifying Shampoo Pro (2) for my first shampoo and the Anti-Yellow Violet Shampoo as my second. After rinsing, I apply the Smart Bond Builder and repair Treatment (3) and massage/comb through for 5 minutes. After rinsing, I take Emma back for her haircut and blow dry and add some Blacklight Smart Oil (4).

I then cut and style as normal, and Emma’s hair feels good as new, without a lengthy treatment time!

Now, this isn’t necessarily requested at every appointment, but Emma knows that she can upgrade her Blonding Service when she feels the need to, and I know that I have the time to incorporate this into her appointment without needing to book out more time, and I charge accordingly as an upgraded service vs the standard service.

So that’s our blondes sorted, what about a colour service???

Lexy comes to me every 6 weeks for her permanent tint retouch. She always enjoys her appointment time and the luxury of upgrading her colour service.

Depending on how her hair feels, I can chose to use a replenishing mask, or I can upgrade her service to incorporate the Smart Bond Protection and Strengthening Concentrate (1) to her colour formula, mixing and processing as normal and then rinsing with the Smart Purifying Shampoo Pro (2), I then have the option to use the Smart Repair Conditioner (3) and massage/comb through for 3-5 minutes or for more porous hair, I can use the Smart Bond Builder and Repair Treatment (3) and massage/comb through for 5 minutes before rinsing.

I tend to alternate step 3 at each appointment, depending on how the hair is feeling and the time of year.

I then continue as normal with the rest of her appointment, adding in some Blacklight Smart Oil (4) on the mid-lengths and ends, and this adds barely any extra time onto the service, but guarantees beautiful results, every time, and the added luxury that Lexy is after!

So, to upgrade or not upgrade?!

That is obviously down to your client, but it’s definitely worth considering as part of your blonding or colouring services, and advertising this with a ‘hook term’ on your service menu to get clients asking more, so you can be smart when it comes to Bond Building, and charging for service upgrades!

Keep your eye out for the next blog where I’m covering The Blacklight Mix!

For a step-by-step application guide or quick reference info, head to the Blacklight SMART 360 Module!

Lots of Love

The Education Team at Oligo Pro UK x