Whether you’re creating a dimensional balayage or getting inventive with hair color hues, a critically important element to achieving the results you want is lighting.
Correct light helps both the client and the colorist. For the former, it gives an accurate depiction of the color they're receiving. For the latter, the right lighting is necessary to effectively analyze the hair color.
Every colorist should invest in and use a ring light. However, it’s not enough to just set up a ring light and expect it to do 100 percent of the work! Choose a ring light that can adjust for brightness and warmth, and keep it at a nice sunlight setting: not too warm, too cool, or too bright.
I find it best to put the ring light about one meter (three feet) from the client to ensure it doesn’t add too much artificial light.
To ensure accuracy and consistency, always use your ring light when photographing your work for social media. Otherwise it’s going to backfire when another client asks for the color they see on your Instagram grid — which is not the same as the color you originally produced.
Besides getting your ring light game on point, here are three top tips for working with light to ensure the best color results every time.
1. Work in a space with as much natural light as possible. This will give the truest reflection of the color you’re creating, without making it look cooler or warmer than it actually is.
If your salon or workspace doesn’t offer a natural light source, a good alternative is soft strip lighting. This will create an even illumination across the hair that is neither too warm nor too cool.
2. Educate your clients on how different light sources will affect their hair color. If you’re looking at a shade in natural sunlight, it’ll appear a lot warmer than if you’re looking at it under a blue light (for example, in a bathroom).
This will help your client understand why their new color might not look the same in their mirror at home as it did in your salon chair!
3. The effects of light on hair will vary depending on the color as well. All shades can look different under various light sources, though blonde colors tend to vary in tone more dramatically than others.
Look at different shades under different light sources and learn the quirks. For instance, when using a spotlight, every red/copper tone will appear as though it has root glow.
It’s so important to understand how lighting affects the appearance of hair color! Not just for you, but for your clients too.
Master colorist and salon educator Lloyd Court is the Creative Director and co-owner of seanhanna salons in Wimbledon, England. Among other accolades, he’s won Colour World UK’s 2025 #Colourtastic Genius Award and the 2021 L’Oréal Pro London Colour Trophy.