Remember when it suddenly became popular to have your colors done? You’d have a personal color analysis session, learn your season, and be given a palette of recommended colors to seek when shopping for clothing and accessories. Now, stylists are embracing the wisdom of personalized color analysis into their hair color consultations, while owners are tapping a new revenue stream with image consultations.

With a degree in fashion merchandising, Shari Braendel was a cosmetics buyer who opened her own image consulting firm 21 years ago, after personalized color analysis made a difference in her own life, and she pursued certification. When life led her from Florida to North Carolina, she reestablished her business by offering her services to church groups and women’s conferences. 

“There were groups of women in the church working on their inner beauty through spirituality, and I wanted to pair that with focusing on helping them be more confident in their outer beauty,” she says. “I reached out to a large ministry, and they had me present to their speaker team—that first year, I was invited to speak at 52 churches.”

Over time, Braendel developed her own system, Style by Color, expanding color analysis with her own proprietary information on dressing for body shape and pairing fashions with accessories, and her first book, Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad, came out in 2010. In 2014, a second edition of the book came out, retitled, Help Me Jesus, I Have Nothing to Wear.

“I ended up pursuing my own color analysis system because we had been trained to pull someone’s hair back and look at their skin and eyes to determine their undertone, but it wasn’t taking hair color into account,” Braendel says. “I had one client come back a year after her analysis to see if I’d still classify her the same way. I could tell her dominant color characteristic, but when it came down to her undertone she was pretty neutral, right down the middle between warm and cool. When I did my own research, I realized about 67% of the population was neutral.”

Discovering a New Market

As Braendel designed her own proprietary system, offering analysis to thousands, she also developed a training course, helping as many as 500 people to date become analysts. 

“About two years ago, we started noticing that about a third of the people coming to us for training were hair professionals, and many shared they were seeking it because they sometimes struggled to develop a formula that would best suit a client—they’d be stumped in the color room, deciding whether they should formulate for an ash blonde or a warm blonde," she says. "Even more shared that they wanted the training so they could offer it as a service in the salon.”

That knowledge led Braendel to hire Renee Moreau as her Beauty Director. Moreau is a beauty professional who was trained by Braendel in 2016, and has been using color analysis with her permanent makeup services, particularly eyebrows. In the late spring of 2025, they launched the first Color Analysis for Hair Professionals Certification.

“We had discovered the training was a game-changer for many stylists who revealed they hadn’t really learned color analysis in depth in cosmetology school,” Braendel shared. “Many would share that clients would come in with colored hair that wasn’t working for them, and they struggle helping guide that client. With training, stylists can get that dominant color code down and help clients transition to a more desired colors, even if they want to gradually go gray.” 

While undertones can play a role in color selection, the real key to flattering hair color lies in depth, contrast, and overall harmony. A well-chosen shade should enhance the natural balance of a client’s features rather than simply aligning with warm or cool tones. 

“For example, a client with a high-contrast look—think deep brunette hair and fair skin—often benefits from maintaining that contrast in their color choices as it adds definition and vibrancy,” Braendel says. “Meanwhile, someone with a softer, lower contrast appearance may find that subtle, blended tones create a more natural look.”

Understanding how hair color interacts with features can help a stylist create a polished and effortless look that enhances rather than overwhelms. By focusing on the bigger picture of color harmony, stylists can provide truly customized recommendations that bring out the best in each client’s natural beauty. 

A Personalized Color Case Study

Sarah Mitchell, owner of Elevate Beauty Lounge in Huntersville, North Carolina, became certified by Style By Color in the Fall of 2024. “I had gotten my color analysis done from a different company, and they ended up coding me wrong because they didn’t take my hair into account. That put me on a mission to find a better way, and my research led me to Shari,” she says. 

Mitchell took the course to elevate her hair coloring skills, but soon started offering personalized color analysis as part of Elevate's service menu. She launched a separate website for her image consultation services, Color & Couture, and a separate Instagram account, and she also markets to her salon clients through email. “We try to send out two newsletters a month and post on Instagram regularly," Mitchell shares. I also did the analysis for all my stylists so they can talk about it with their clients.”

The salon's rate for a 60-minute full color analysis is $375, or Mitchell charges $75 for a 10-minute mini consultation, which can be woven into an existing color appointment while the client's color is processing. Mitchell says she averages about eight image consultations a month, and most of those are for clients who are also new to the salon.

An image consultation frequently leads to subsequent hair color appointments, and clients can choose to book with Mitchell or one of her staff members, depending on their preference and budget. If a client is considering a dramatic hair color change, Mitchell will recommend that the client complete the image consultation after the transition, as their color palette may shift.

As word is getting out, the community is starting to invite Mitchell to do group analysis session. The Westin Hotel asked her to do a session for its managers, and a dentist hired her to come in and do the entire staff for Christmas. 

Mitchell believes the Style By Color training benefits her both as a colorist. “I’m better able to choose formulas that harmonize with the client’s natural skin color, undertone, contrast, and overall coloring. As stylists, we often know what looks good, but sometimes we really don’t understand why—this really bridges that gap,” she says. “It’s elevated my knowledge and sharpened my eye. I now understand why certain blondes brighten instantly, and others get washed out. Or, why a brunette formula can look rich on one person and flat on another.”

Image consultations have also elevated the professionalism of her salon brand. “Clients don’t come to me for just their hair anymore; they come for overall guidance. They stay longer, and they invest more confidently," she says. "They know they are getting something intentional and personalized, that’s not just about the trends. Ultimately, color analysis helps me deliver results that age beautifully, photograph well, and feel authentic to the client.”

Because the salon also carries lipstick and blush, Mitchell includes trying those on during the consultation, which she says almost always leads to retail sales at the end of the consultation. That has her dreaming of opening a clothing boutique in the future. “The first thing a client wants to do once they learn their colors is go shop,” she laughs. 

Most of all, Mitchell says doing the color analysis is fun and gives her a path to grow beyond the chair while letting her staff handle more traditional salon appointments.  She credits Style by Color for the shift in her trajectory. “Shari’s approach to color analysis is rooted in precision, integrity, and a deep respect for the individual,” she says. “And, she remains deeply invested in the success of her students, and continues offering guidance, clarity, and encouragement as we grow and refine our craft.” 

Gratitude for a Lifelong Skill

When Braendel first got trained, she rented a chair at a salon in Grove Isle, Florida, to launch her personalized color analysis business. “Michael Carrato, the stylist next to me used would listen to everything I said, and when he was on a break, he’d come over and just watch,” she says. “He soaked it all in, and I later trained him. 

"I still see him about once a year," she continues. "One year, before everything was computerized, he pulled out his Rolodex and flipped through all the formulas for his color clients, while talking about how understanding color analysis helped keep them loyal through the years. He paused to show me one who had been coming to see him for more than 30 years, telling me she spends about $450 at each appointment. He looked me in the eye and said, 'I don’t care if you bring five friends in with you or come in once a month, I’d never charge you, because you changed my business.'”