Raising Salon Colour Safety, Professionalism and Client Trust.
Why Robert Ari Hair chose Colourstart
Robert Ari Hair has been a fixture in Whetstone, Greater London, for more than 32 years. Although Robert first came across Colourstart a few years ago, he’ll be the first to admit that it took time to fully appreciate its value.
“My dad was a Harley Street trichologist, and he always taught me that skin testing is non‑negotiable. We’ve always had a strict testing policy, using traditional patch tests with a blob of colour. When I first discovered Colourstart, I struggled to understand how we could charge clients for a test, so I dismissed it. I’ll be honest, I just didn’t get it at first.”
With over 2,000 clients on the salon system, maintaining six‑monthly skin tests was becoming increasingly difficult.
“About three months ago, I revisited Colourstart and suddenly realised how brilliant it actually is. It could save us a huge amount of time and work. I told the team we were introducing it, and we’ve never looked back.”
What surprised Robert most was how naturally clients embraced the concept.
“It works both ways. Colourstart is a huge advantage for us, but for clients it’s about trust. They trust us to be the professionals and to guide them, and that’s exactly what we do. We’ve had hundreds of clients sign up. One benefit I hadn’t even considered is that it’s almost acting like a deposit for their colour appointment.”
For Robert, success with Colourstart starts with communication.
“Getting clients on board is about how you deliver it. We have a short video on our computer that explains everything perfectly. Clients watch it and instantly understand. What I really love is that Colourstart cleverly places responsibility with the client, which takes a huge amount of pressure off us as a business.”
Looking ahead, Robert sees Colourstart as the future of professional colour services.salonhyve+1
“I’m certain that within the next few years Colourstart will become the global standard. It’s far more professional, and in many ways, it filters out the clients you don’t need. It also teaches young apprentices best‑practice professionalism from day one. It’s simply a brilliant tool to have in your professional toolbox.”
Robert on getting the team on board
“It’s not optional, it’s just how we run the business now. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to protect both the salon and our clients, and this is part of that.”
Robert on usability
“We use Phorest and it integrates beautifully, but even without it, Colourstart is still an amazing system.”
Robert on client investment
“Clients buy into it straight away. If someone won’t follow our protocol, I’d rather lose the money and accept that they’re not the right client for us. I tell clients that if they’re not happy with Colourstart, that will need to be their last colour appointment with me.”
