Where to Start Applying Hair Color to Darken

The last appointment was a first-time lightening on virgin hair: lengths and ends first, roots last. The next one is darkening a natural brown, and the hand sets off the same way.

That order exists in brand guides, but not for every service, not even within the same guide. Here is the order the Koleston Perfect guide gives for darkening and how it differs from the one it gives, on the same page, for first-time lightening; what IGORA ROYAL asks for on virgin hair; and how to find the block for yours.

Quick summary: per Wella’s Koleston Perfect usage guide, a full-head application at the same depth or darker is mixed and applied immediately, from roots to ends. On the same page, first-time lightening on virgin hair changes the order: lengths and ends first, leaving about 2 cm free from the scalp, then the roots. One guide, two orders, depending on the service. In IGORA ROYAL, Schwarzkopf’s UK technical manual starts the virgin application with the mid-lengths and ends; the detail is in how to apply a cool shade on virgin hair.

Where do you start applying hair color to darken?

It depends on the block your guide gives that service, and that block can change within the same guide. In Koleston Perfect, Wella’s global guide says to apply the coloring mixture immediately, from roots to ends, for a full-head application at the same depth or darker; on the same page, first-time lightening starts on the lengths and ends and leaves the roots for later. In IGORA ROYAL, the UK manual starts with the mid-lengths and ends in its virgin application block.

Guide block	Where it starts	Clock for that block
Koleston Perfect, full-head application at the same depth or darker (Wella global usage guide, p. 2)	Immediately, from roots to ends	30-40 min, or 15-25 min with Climazon
Koleston Perfect, first-time lightening (same guide, same page)	Lengths and ends, leaving about 2 cm free from the scalp; then the roots	20 min (10 with Climazon) in Pure Naturals, Rich Naturals and Deep Browns; then the roots, 30-40 min (15-25 with Climazon)
IGORA ROYAL, virgin application (UK manual 03/2026, p. 8)	Mid-lengths and ends, in small sections; then the re-growth area	10 min (15 for Fashion shades), then 30-45 min

Koleston Perfect: immediately, from roots to ends

The Koleston Perfect usage guide splits the full-head application and the regrowth application into two boxes. In the first, the same depth or darker one, the line is short: apply the coloring mixture immediately, from roots to ends. That block runs 30-40 minutes, or 15-25 with Climazon.

The “immediately” sits in the same sentence as the order, so it counts as much as the order does. Mix when you are ready to start, not before; the reason is in our guide to mixing ratios.

One scope note: this is Wella’s global guide, not your country’s manual, and the block is about the same depth or darker. If the service is lightening, the same page carries another box (we get to it below).

Leaving the roots for last: the order of some blocks, not all

On the same page of the Koleston Perfect guide there is a third box, for first-time lightening. There the mixture goes only on the lengths and ends, leaving about 2 cm free from the scalp: 20 minutes (10 with Climazon) in Pure Naturals, Rich Naturals and Deep Browns. Then the roots, 30-40 minutes (15-25 with Climazon).

Same leaflet, same page, two orders: for first-time lightening, roots last; for the same depth or darker, roots to ends and immediately. When a hand runs on habit, that jump is the one that gets missed. If what you need is the lightening clock, it’s in hair color processing time.

IGORA ROYAL: mid-lengths and ends first, the re-growth after

Schwarzkopf’s UK technical manual for IGORA ROYAL has a block called “Virgin application”. First, the color on the mid-lengths and ends, in small sections, for 10 minutes (15 for Fashion shades). Then the color on the re-growth area, for 30-45 minutes. The Spanish edition has the same block on page 8, titled “Aplicación sobre cabello natural”.

In IGORA ROYAL’s virgin application, the mid-lengths and ends go first.

One caution before using it to darken: the block is named for the state of the hair, virgin, and not for the change of depth; it doesn’t mention darkening or lightening. How it differs from the touch-up block, and what the manual adds for cool shades, is in how to apply a cool shade on virgin hair.

How to find your block before you start

1. Name the service. Full head, first application on virgin hair, root touch-up or lightening: guides separate them into different blocks.
2. Find that block in your range’s guide. A guide from another brand doesn’t apply to yours. Each brand, and sometimes each country, sets its own limit: check your manual.
3. Read the order and the clock together. In a guide, the minutes belong to the block around them. Don’t transplant the ones from another service.
4. If you’ve switched brands, read the block again. One range’s order doesn’t travel to the next; switching professional color brands asks you to review more than the name on the tube.
5. Write down the order you followed and the minute. It’s what lets you repeat it, or correct it, at the next appointment.

Pro tip: if what you’re darkening is lightened blonde, the order isn’t the first decision. Before applying, check whether the base needs pigment put back: we cover it in pre-pigmentation when going darker, from blonde to brown. And to choose the developer for each guide, which developer to use to darken hair.

The allergy test goes first

The order is no use if the test isn’t done. The Koleston Perfect leaflet asks for an allergy test 48 hours before any color service; if it shows redness, burning or itching, the color is not applied, and if the person has ever had an allergic reaction to a hair color, they are not colored. For other ranges, the interval is set by your manual; if it gives none, Blendsor’s minimum is to do the allergy test, and not on the same day as the color appointment. How to fit it into the schedule: 48-hour allergy test scheduling.

And before you color the whole head, two more checks. A strand test on a hidden section shows how that hair takes the mixture in the order you plan to follow. If the hair has a chemical history or is sensitized, like the lightened blonde in the tip above, check elasticity too: stretch a wet strand from the mid-lengths and ends, and if it lengthens without springing back or snaps, that hair isn’t ready for more chemistry (hair elasticity test).

An even chestnut from root to ends is the aim; the order is how you get there.

Frequently asked questions

Do you apply the roots or the lengths first to go darker?

It depends on your range’s guide. In Koleston Perfect, Wella’s global guide says to apply the mixture immediately, from roots to ends, for a full-head application at the same depth or darker. In IGORA ROYAL, the UK manual starts with the mid-lengths and ends in the virgin application, and that block doesn’t talk about darkening. Read the block for your service and your range.

In Koleston Perfect, do the roots go first or last?

It depends on the box. For a full-head application at the same depth or darker, the guide says to apply the mixture immediately, from roots to ends. For first-time lightening, on the same page, the mixture goes on the lengths and ends first, leaving about 2 cm free from the scalp, and the roots come after. Within the same guide, the service sets the order.

What if my range isn’t Koleston Perfect or IGORA ROYAL?

Find the block for your service in its guide and follow its order with its clock. If the guide doesn’t have one, lean on a strand test, which is worth doing either way: it shows you how that hair responds before you apply on the whole head. And writing down the order you followed gives you a starting point for next time.

In short

• To darken, the block your guide gives that service rules, not the habit from the last range you used.
• Koleston Perfect: full head at the same depth or darker, immediately and from roots to ends, 30-40 min or 15-25 with Climazon.
• IGORA ROYAL: in the virgin application, mid-lengths and ends 10 min (15 for Fashion shades), then the re-growth 30-45 min; the block doesn’t talk about darkening.
• Leaving the roots for last is the order of specific blocks (first-time lightening in Koleston Perfect, the virgin application in IGORA ROYAL), not an order the guides share.
• Each block, its own clock: one service’s minutes don’t carry over to another.

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