A New Tool Helps Colorists Between Conflicting Impulses

There’s a war going on inside every colorist’s head. The right brain is the artist; it just wants to create. Meanwhile the left brain is fretting over formulas, measurements and calculations, all the while shouting at Right Brain, “Why didn’t you take better notes?”

Let’s face it: the artistry is the fun part, but keeping good records is essential to the business of beauty. Not only does it enable colorists to repeat color results with accuracy for returning clients, it helps salon owners manage their inventory of hair color and supplies and cut down on waste. 

Suretint Technologies recently introduced Mia (My Intelligent Assistant) as a way to answer those concerns. The Mia Salon System is a software suite that captures detailed historical color data for each client, then sends formulations based on the current color service to a centralized dispensing station. The Mia App delivers the same functionality—minus the dispensing station— to independent stylists, suite owners and renters. 

“The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Suretint Executive Chairman and CEO Beth Christie. “Until now there’s never been a tool that has captured dispensed usage as it happens.” She adds that the system also gives salon owners a way to manage color dispensing and inventory by collecting usage data.

Most colorists do keep notes. The benefit of doing it in an electronic format is convenience. A system like Mia puts the client’s formula history at his fingertips. “Now when a client says, ‘We did a summer color on me two years ago that I just loved,’ the colorist doesn’t have to search for notes or pretend she remembers what she did,” says Christie.

Mia is accessed chairside via mobile touchscreen tablets, which Christie says enables colorists to be more engaged during the all-important consultation. “The colorist seems more professional; it increases clients’ trust; and clients are more satisfied with the results,” she says. “Clients feel more like they’re a part of the process and that gives them confidence in the stylist.” 

Image: A touchscreen meny from Mia, the software/app that keeps a detailed color history for every client.