London salon owner and hairdressing social star, Sophia Hilton, is one name that is synonymous with creative colouring. But fun stuff aside, how does Sophia tackle the subject of skin testing? Colourstart caught up with Sophia to do a deep dive into her skin testing journey…

Sophia, we know you’re an avid fan of skin testing, has this always been the case? 

I never skin tested, simply because it was never part of the way I had been taught. Then, about 2 years after opening my business I had a conversation that made me realise I am representing this industry and I have to do things in the right way and I can’t cut corners. I wish the need for skin testing didn’t exist, but it does, and I 100% believe in it now.

Why is it something you take so seriously? 

I want my salon to be the best it can possibly be; I don’t want to be on the front page of a newspaper because of negligence. We are a company that cares.

How do you skin test in the salon? 

We used to do blob testing, but it is so inconsistent, and it just wasn’t accurate enough for us.  I then took on Colourstart after covid and I would never ever go back.

Is it complicated to use in the salon? 

Not at all. A client books an appointment, my manager will email the screening questions and step by step guides on how to do the test, which can either be collected from the salon or posted out to them. Simple.

Tell us why this works for you…

What I love is that we have one system on the computer, and everything is documented all in one place. Colourstart is the only skin test that has been through a huge clinical trial process and been approved as fit for its purpose by the Medicines Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA). In addition. Colourstart has its own insurance, so I know I am completely covered. That is good enough for me.

How much do you charge for your skin testing? 

£15. With Colourstart we do the one patch test, then after that they just have screening questions to answer each time they have their hair coloured, so it allows them to colour their hair for years.

Any final words, Sophia? 

I am so glad that we don’t offer a blob test and that we have moved to Colourstart. If anyone is thinking of taking it on, just go for it 100% and don’t offer the option of a blob test. This is a time economically where people are going to separate, and the salons that don’t carry out professional services, that don’t operate in a professional way are going to drop off. It is those that deliver at a higher level are going to survive. Prices are rising and we need to prove our value. We are showing the client that we are on top of this, and we know our stuff.

Click here to find out more about Colourstart and how you can implement it in your salon.