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Colour, balayage, highlights: what gets decided before the chair
On a brown-to-black base, going lighter means bleaching and several appointments. The patch test, the henna trap, what hard water does, and the prices that are actually listed.
A bad colour job is rarely put right in one appointment, and almost every unpleasant surprise is settled before the chair turns: in what was said, or not said, to the colourist.
Lightening is not colouring
On a dark-brown to black base, which is the majority base here, going lighter means bleaching: pigment is taken out before any is put in. The hair necessarily passes through red, then orange, then yellow undertones, and that underlying warmth then has to be neutralised with a toner. A colourist who promises ash blonde in one appointment on virgin black hair is promising a result the chemistry does not give.
The practical consequence: an ambitious lightening job is done over two or three spaced-out appointments, and it commits you to upkeep. A balayage with no upkeep turns brassy within a few weeks, especially with hard water.
Tone-on-tone, permanent colour, balayage: what differs
- <b>tone-on-tone colour</b> contains little or no ammonia and fades with washing: it darkens and deepens, and it covers grey badly
- <b>permanent oxidative colour</b> covers grey and holds until it grows out; it needs a root retouch every four to six weeks
- <b>highlights and balayage</b> leave a natural root: the upkeep stretches out to several months, which makes them cheaper over a year despite a higher price per appointment
The test, and the henna
Two precautions that good Casablanca salons take of their own accord.
The <b>patch test</b>, 48 hours beforehand, for oxidative colour: dyes in this family cause allergic reactions in a minority of people, and the reaction can happen even though every previous colour appointment went fine.
The <b>henna</b>. Always tell your colourist if you have used henna, even months ago, and even henna sold as natural. Some preparations sold under that name contain metallic salts that react with the oxidant: heat, a smell, and an unpredictable colour. Settling the question is simple and costs nothing: a test on a strand cut off and held away from the head.
Casablanca water, and the swimming pool
Limescale settles on the hair and speeds up the drift to brassiness, on coloured bases as much as on balayage. A monthly clarifying shampoo, a sulphate-free shampoo the rest of the time, and a final rinse in cold water all limit it.
The pool is the other enemy of bleached hair: the copper present in some pool water can turn green on a lightened strand. Wet your hair with clean water before going in, rinse when you come out, and mention it at the salon before a balayage if you swim every week.
The prices on record
Very few Casablanca salons publish a price list. Recorded in October 2026 on the websites of two establishments:
- at a centre in the Hôpitaux district: colour from 200 DH, highlights and balayage from 400 DH
- at a barber in Racine who also does colour: full colour 1 000 DH, highlights 1 000 DH, beard colour 150 DH, colour in the VIP room 750 DH and up to 1 500 DH for a full colour
The gap between 200 and 1 500 DH does not measure the quality of the work. It measures the length treated, the area — roots only or the whole head — the number of products used, the brand, the time in the chair and who is doing the work.
The questions to ask before you start
- how many appointments it will take to reach the colour you want, and what each one costs
- whether the quoted price covers the toner, the shampoo and the styling
- how often the upkeep is needed, and what it costs
- what happens if the result is not the one agreed: is a correction included
- bring a photo, and a photo of what you do not want: it is often clearer than words
The sign of a good appointment
The colourist looks at your roots and your ends separately, asks about everything you have put on your head in the past year, and says no to something. A salon that says yes to everything, straight away, has not looked at your hair.
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