Double Process Retouch in Amsterdam: Why 3cm Matters
BY PARIS NGUYEN
The top section is clipped up and the parting is open. Under the pale blonde lengths there is a band of natural dark regrowth right at the scalp. Every bleached blonde reaches this point sooner or later, and it is what our Double Process Retouch is for. The menu lists it at about 3cm. Here is what that number means and why we set it there.
What a double process retouch is
On our menu, a double process means one round of bleach followed by a toner. It is how you get from darker natural hair to a clean, even blonde. Once the lengths are lightened, they stay lightened. What changes is the new hair growing in at the root, at its natural depth.
A retouch is the root version of that service. We lighten only the new growth and leave the lengths that are already blonde alone. Then we refine the root so it blends into the rest of your hair, with no dark band and no visible line where the old colour stops.
Why it is set at about 3cm
The first reason is heat. Your scalp is warm, and bleach works faster near warm skin than it does further down the hair. Within a short stretch of new growth, the whole section lifts at a fairly even pace in one application. When the regrowth gets longer, the hair near the scalp and the hair a few centimetres out start to lift at different speeds. That is how you end up with a bright band at the root and a warmer, darker band below it. Keeping a retouch to about 3cm keeps the new growth in the zone where one application lifts evenly.
The second reason is overlap. Bleach should go on the new growth only. Hair that has already been lightened should not be lightened again every visit, because repeated overlap is where breakage and stubborn lines tend to start. A short, clear band of regrowth makes it much easier to apply the bleach exactly up to the old colour and stop there.
The third reason is amount. A retouch is priced for a certain amount of work and product. Longer regrowth takes more of both, and past a point it is closer to a full double process than a root touch-up. Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month for most people, so about 3cm is a natural rhythm for keeping blonde roots fresh. If you have let it grow out well beyond that, book a consultation and we will tell you honestly which service fits your hair now.
The process
We start by looking at the regrowth: how long it is, how dark your natural colour is, and what shade the lengths are now. Then we section the hair as you see in the photo above, so every part of the root is exposed and easy to reach. The bleach goes onto the new growth in fine sections, stopping where the previously lightened hair begins. Once the root has lifted to the right level, we refine the colour so it sits with your existing blonde rather than against it.
Bleach is chemistry, and we treat it that way. During lightening we protect the hair with the K18 bond-building treatment, @k18hair, so the root stays strong as well as bright.
What to book
The Double Process Retouch (about 3cm) is EUR 200. If your regrowth has gone past that, or you are starting from scratch, the full Double Process (1 bleach + toner) is EUR 220. Not sure which one you need? A Consultation is EUR 30, and we waive it when you book a service.
Colour services include a length-based fee for longer or thicker hair: EUR +10 from shoulder to armpit, EUR +20 from armpit to mid-back, and EUR +30 for mid-back and longer. Shampoo and blow-dry are not included with colour services. Add them when you book if you want to leave styled. If your lengths could use extra care at the same visit, Olaplex Salon Care (EUR 40) and the Global Milbon 4-Step (EUR 50) are both on our treatment menu.
Make it yours
A retouch keeps your blonde going, and it is also a good moment to change things a little. Some people want the root to match the lengths exactly. Others want it slightly softer so the next grow-out shows less. You can also pair the colour with a cut. A Stylist Cut is EUR 70, and a Bang Cut + Face Framing is EUR 40 if you like a fringe and soft pieces around the face, like the long, layered blonde shown here.
The name ASSORT comes from assortment, and behind it is the idea we call 十人十色: ten people, ten colours. Two clients can book the same retouch and leave with different results, because your natural depth, your growth rate and the blonde you love all shape the work. Amsterdam's damp air and windy bike rides are hard on lightened hair, so ask us how to look after it between visits too.
Visit us
When your roots reach about 3cm, it is time for a retouch. You will find us on Kerkstraat in the canal ring, open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00. ASSORT AMSTERDAM, Kerkstraat 99A, 1017 GD Amsterdam, Netherlands.
