Why Your Colour Costs Keep Rising
(And How to Fix It)

If your colour bill feels higher every month even though your team, prices, and service numbers haven’t changed, you’re not imagining it.

It’s one of the most common frustrations I hear from salon owners:

“We’re busier than ever, but I still have no money!”

Let’s unpack what’s really happening behind the colour bar.

High Colour Costs That Don’t Make Sense

Your colour orders keep climbing… but your profit margin isn’t following.

You’re double-checking supplier invoices, wondering if prices have gone up again, and sometimes even hesitating before restocking because deep down, you know it’s not adding up.

The shelves look healthy, but your cash flow feels stretched.

And the truth is:
you’re not losing money because you’re not busy enough.
You’re losing it because it’s hiding in the systems you can’t see.

Hidden Waste, Guesswork & “Just in Case” Habits

Most colour waste doesn’t happen because people are careless.
It happens because we’re guessing or rushing.

Stylists eyeball colour because it’s faster.
We mix more “just in case.”
We order extras to avoid running out mid-service.

But here’s what I see over and over again:

• 10–20 grams left in the bowl after each service

• $1–$2 of waste per colour application

• 5 stylists × 6 clients a day × 5 days a week
  = $7,000–$10,000 a year literally going down the drain

And that’s just the visible waste.

There’s also:

• old stock

• forgotten tubes

• rush freight fees when shades run out unexpectedly

All of it quietly eats into your profit.

The root cause isn’t your team—it’s the lack of a clear, repeatable system for managing colour use and stock flow.

The 80/20 Colour Control System

You don’t need to overhaul everything.
You just need visibility and consistency.

The 80/20 Colour Control System, the same one that helped reduce my salon’s colour cost from 11% down to 7.8%.

1️⃣ Track What You Actually Use

Even if it’s manual at first, start recording grams used and wasted per service.
Awareness alone changes behaviour faster than you’d think.

2️⃣ Focus on Your Top 20 Shades

These shades make up around 80% of your services.
Keep them well-stocked—double or triple up.
Everything else? Order in smaller, planned quantities.

3️⃣ Set Par Levels and Stick to Them

Three of each shade is the sweet spot:

• one on the bench

• one ready

• one in backup

No “extras” unless it’s a promo or seasonal rush.
Buy based on data, not fear.

4️⃣ Order Once a Week

Pick a day and make it routine.
This single habit reduces over-ordering and eliminates panic buys.

5️⃣ Let Tech Do the Heavy Lifting

When you’re ready, tools like Color Bar Manager automate tracking, usage, and ordering.
You get visibility—without the spreadsheets.

When I introduced this framework at my own salon, Mane, we saw:

✅ Colour cost drop from 11% → 7.8%
✅ Waste reduced by almost half
✅ Ordering time cut from 2 hours → 20 minutes
✅ Team accountability rise—everyone could see the numbers

And here’s the key part:
We didn’t switch brands, raise prices, or cut corners.
We just created consistency.

That consistency turned into calm.
And that calm turned into cash flow.

If your colour costs keep creeping up, don’t blame the product or the people.
Look at the habits and systems behind the shelves.

When you can see your usage,
you can control your cost.

Small habits.
Big calm.
Even bigger profit.

Every week, I share stories, tips, and systems like this in The Salon Auntie Newsletter—bite-sized lessons for salon owners who want to work smarter, not harder.

You’ll get:
✨ Real-world examples from salons like yours
💡 Easy frameworks that create instant clarity
💬 Encouragement and ideas that make business feel lighter

👉 Subscribe to The Salon Auntie Newsletter and start building a calmer, more profitable colour business today.

Because business is hard but it doesn’t have to be 💕

Janine Simons
Your Salon Auntie
Founder, Color Bar Manager