Holiday Hair Color: Booking Before the Season Fills Up

By the Amenities Team  ·  November 3, 2026

It usually starts at the bathroom mirror. The Thanksgiving table is already set in your head, the family photo is on the calendar, and there is a line at your part that was not there in September. Plenty of time, you think.

There is, if you call soon. The weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas are when everyone wants the same Saturday, and color takes more time to fit in than a haircut. So here is what to book, when to book it, and which services need the most lead time.

The short answer: if you just want your color to look right again, a Root Touch Up with Blow Dry starts at $130 for returning guests. All Over Color with Blow-dry starts at $170. Highlights start at $250 and balayage at $380, and both begin with a phone consultation, so those are the ones to call about first.

Which services need the most lead time?

Our colorists start with one question: do you want it to look different, or just look right again? Your answer decides how early you need to pick up the phone. Here is the order, from the most lead time to the least.

• A big change. All-over blonde or a fashion color is Custom Color-Lighten/Tone, Global Blonde, Fashion Color, etc. w/ Blow-dry, starting at $370. It needs an in-person consultation first so we can quote the price and timing, which means two visits to fit in. Call for this one now.
• Balayage. Full Balayage with Blow-dry starts at $380, and a Botanical Repair bond building treatment is included. Partial Balayage with Blow-dry starts at $330 and touches up an existing balayage from the ears up. Both require a phone consultation before we book.
• Highlights. Full Highlight with Blow-dry starts at $250, and Partial Highlight with Blow-dry starts at $215. These also begin with a phone consultation.
• One solid color. All Over Color with Blow-dry starts at $170, for hair that has never been colored or previously colored hair that needs its ends refreshed.
• Roots only. Root Touch Up with Blow Dry starts at $130, for returning guests with an inch or less of outgrowth.

So how many weeks ahead should I call?

We do not have a magic number, and we would rather not make one up. It depends on your artist's book and the day you need, and the front desk can look while you are on the phone.

What we can tell you is that a Saturday goes first, and an artist with a loyal following goes before that. If you have a favorite and a date that cannot move, call for that one first and fit everything else around it.

If your first choice is full, ask who else has room. Our hair stylists work at Studio, Senior and Master levels, and the price follows the level, which is why we say a service starts at a certain number. It is not a ranking of who is better, it is where each artist is on their path.

Will my roots make it to Christmas?

Here is the math we wish more guests knew. Hair grows roughly half an inch a month, and a Root Touch Up with Blow Dry is meant for one inch of outgrowth or less. That gives you about eight weeks.

So count back from the day that matters. If your last color will be much more than eight weeks old by then, you have two good choices: come in sooner for your touch-up, or plan on All Over Color with Blow-dry, which is the service for a longer root.

If you are a returning guest with a current formula on file and you live within 30 minutes of us, there is one more option for a crowded month. An Express Root Touch-Up, starting at $75, covers an inch or less. We apply the color and carefully wrap your hair, and it processes safely at home.

Should I get my color right before the party?

We would not. Our advice is color a week or two ahead, then a separate blow-dry the day of.

A little space gives you time to live with your color. If you decide you want it a touch warmer, there is still room to adjust before anyone takes a picture.

Here is what we tell our friends. Book your color first, then book a Wash and Blow-dry, starting at $55, for the day of the party, and add a Simply Shine/Clear Gloss (add on), starting at $30. The gloss takes about 15 minutes and goes with a haircut or a wash and blow-dry. You walk out with fresh shine and your color still looking new.

Wearing your hair up? Updo / Special Styling starts at $105 and requires a phone consultation. It does not include a shampoo or blow-dry, so come with clean, dry, detangled hair.

What should I ask for if there will be photos?

Say the word photos. It changes the conversation, because a single flat shade can look heavier on camera than it does in the mirror.

You usually need less than you think. Accent Foils with Blow-dry, starting at $110, adds three to six foils to your root touch-up or all-over color for a little dimension. If your highlights have turned brassy, a Tone Refresh with Blow-dry starts at $80 and can add gold or take the brass out without any new foils.

And please do not save your biggest change for the week before. If you are thinking about going darker for winter, warmer is not the same as darker, and most seasonal color is a shift of one or two shades. Bring the photo of the color you do not want. It tells your colorist more than a dozen pictures of the color you do.

What happens when I come in?

We see our guests as guests, not customers, and that holds in December too. You are offered Aveda's comforting tea and a warm neck wrap when you arrive, and it is usually about then that your shoulders start to come down.

Then you and your colorist talk through where your hair is and what the holidays look like for you. The color goes on in thin sections, cool along each part. At the bowl you lean back into warm water while the Aveda aromas fill the room. Neck, shoulder and scalp massage are available on request, so go ahead and ask. It is a good month to ask.

How do I keep it looking fresh through New Year's?

What you do at home decides how long the result lasts. We recommend a small routine, not a cabinet full of products. Use Color Control Conditioner after every wash, and if party styling is drying out your ends, add a leave-in: Light for fine to medium hair, Rich for medium to thick. Rinse in lukewarm water instead of hot, and give the flat iron a day off when you can.

Before you leave, book your next visit. A solid rebook and the right home care are the two best things we can send you out the door with, and January is much easier when the appointment is already on your calendar.

What we use and sell

Color Control Conditioner

$36.00 · 200 ml

The step we would keep if you only keep one, used after every wash so your color still has its shine at the party.

In stock at the salon

Color Control Leave-In Treatment: Light

$36.00 · 150 ml

A lightweight leave-in for fine to medium color-treated hair, one quick step before you style.

In stock at the salon

Color Control Leave-In Treatment: Rich

$36.00 · 100 ml

The richer leave-in for medium to thick hair, for ends that feel dry after a month of party styling.

In stock at the salon