Does Great Clips Color Hair? What to Expect Before You Go

You’re due for a color refresh, and Great Clips happens to be the closest salon with no wait and no appointment needed. Before you walk in expecting to leave with fresh highlights or a full color change, it’s worth knowing exactly what this chain does and doesn’t offer, because showing up with the wrong expectation is a fast way to waste a trip.

This article covers the straightforward answer, why the business is built the way it is, what you can actually get done there, and where to go if color is what you’re really after.

Does Great Clips Color Hair?

No, Great Clips salons do not offer hair coloring services. This applies across the chain, and it’s stated directly by the company itself as part of its standard service information. If you’re hoping for highlights, a full color change, balayage, or any kind of dye application, Great Clips isn’t the right stop, no matter how convenient the walk-in setup might be.

This is a consistent, company-wide policy rather than something that varies wildly by individual location. Even though Great Clips salons are independently owned and operated by local franchisees, the core service menu, cuts and related haircare services without color, stays the same across the brand.

Why Great Clips Doesn’t Offer Hair Coloring Services

The short version comes down to business model. Great Clips built its entire brand around fast, affordable, no-appointment haircuts, and that model simply doesn’t fit well with what a real color service requires.

Hair coloring takes time, often well over an hour for anything beyond a simple gloss, and it typically starts with a real consultation to figure out the client’s hair history, desired outcome, and what’s realistically achievable in one visit. That kind of unhurried, individualized process runs counter to a walk-in system designed to move people through quickly and predictably.

Color work also demands a different kind of training and ongoing investment than clipper cuts do. Stylists who specialize in color typically build expertise in formulation, developer strength, lifting and toning, and color correction, skills that take years to refine and that come with real liability if something goes wrong. A chain built around consistency and speed across thousands of independently run locations isn’t set up to guarantee that same level of specialized color expertise at every single salon.

There’s also the practical matter of product inventory and salon setup. A dedicated color service needs a much wider range of products on hand, from developers at different volumes to a broad spectrum of shades and specialty lightening products, along with the processing stations and ventilation setup that color work benefits from. Great Clips locations are built around clipper stations and quick-service workflow instead.

Does Great Clips Do Highlights or Balayage?

No, highlights, balayage, and any other color-lightening technique fall outside what Great Clips offers, since these are chemical color services and the chain’s official policy excludes hair coloring entirely. If you’re looking for dimensional color, you’ll need a salon that specifically offers coloring as part of its service menu.

What Services Great Clips Does Offer

Even without color, there’s a decent list of services available, and knowing what’s actually on the menu helps you plan your visit accurately.

Standard haircuts are the core offering, available for men, women, and kids, with stylists trained to work across a wide range of hair types and textures. Most locations also offer senior cuts and have stylists comfortable with everything from precision fades to basic trims.

Shampoo service is commonly available as an add-on, giving you a wash before your cut rather than just a dry trim. Beard trims and neck trims round out the grooming side for men who want a cleaner finish after a haircut. Bang trims are also typically available as a quick touch-up between full cuts, useful if your fringe is growing out awkwardly but you’re not ready for a whole new cut yet.

Many locations also keep a record system that tracks details from your previous visit, so a different stylist can reference what was done last time even if you didn’t request the same person again. This is particularly useful at a walk-in chain where you’re not always seeing the same stylist every visit.

Can You Get a Perm at Great Clips?

Yes, select Great Clips locations offer perms, though not every salon provides this service, and it typically requires calling ahead or booking an appointment rather than using the standard walk-in or online check-in system. Since perms take longer and require more hands-on attention than a standard cut, they’re handled differently from the rest of the walk-in service menu.

What to Expect If You Ask for Color at a Great Clips

If you walk into a Great Clips and ask about color, expect a straightforward answer that it isn’t something they provide. Staff aren’t going to attempt an off-menu color service, and there won’t be color products or processing stations set up to do it even if a stylist wanted to accommodate the request.

Some stylists may be willing to point you toward a nearby full-service salon if you ask, simply because it’s a common enough question that most staff have fielded it before. That said, don’t count on a formal referral system. It’s more of a helpful, informal suggestion than any kind of official policy or partnership.

Does Great Clips Ever Refer Clients to a Color Specialist?

There’s no official referral program connecting Great Clips to color specialists, but individual stylists sometimes offer informal suggestions if a client asks where they might find good color services nearby. This isn’t something to rely on as a guaranteed part of the visit, since it depends entirely on the specific stylist and location.

Where to Go Instead If You Want Hair Color

If color is what you’re after, a full-service hair salon is the right move. These salons are set up specifically for coloring, typically with a dedicated color consultation before any chemical process starts, stylists trained and often specialized in color technique, and the full range of products needed for everything from a simple single-process color to complex balayage or a full color correction.

Some casual, walk-in-style chains besides Great Clips do include basic color services on their menus, so if convenience matters to you as much as the color work itself, it’s worth checking what’s available in your specific area rather than assuming every walk-in salon operates the same way. For more involved work like corrective color, fashion colors, or anything requiring real precision, a salon or colorist who specializes specifically in color tends to give more consistent, predictable results than a general-service salon offering it as one option among many.

Booking a consultation first, even a quick one, is generally worth the extra step before committing to a full appointment. It gives you a chance to see how a stylist communicates, ask about their experience with the specific technique you want, and get a realistic sense of timing and what the process will actually involve.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does Great Clips offer any kind of hair treatment besides cuts?

Yes, beyond haircuts, Great Clips typically offers shampoo services, beard trims, neck trims, and bang trims, along with perms at select locations, though hair coloring is not part of the service menu at any location.

2. Why do some hair salon chains offer color while Great Clips doesn’t?

Different salon chains build their business models around different priorities, and chains that include color services are generally set up with longer appointment slots, dedicated color training, and a broader product inventory, while Great Clips is built specifically around fast, no-appointment haircuts.

3. Can I book an appointment at Great Clips instead of walking in?

Great Clips primarily operates on a walk-in and online check-in basis for most standard services, though perms and formal updos typically require calling ahead or scheduling directly with the salon rather than using the standard check-in system.

4. Does Great Clips offer any color-adjacent services like toning or glossing?

No, toning and glossing are chemical color processes, and since Great Clips does not offer hair coloring services of any kind, these fall outside what any location provides regardless of how simple the process might seem.

5. Is Great Clips a good option for touch-ups between color appointments at another salon?

Yes, Great Clips can be a convenient option for trims and shape maintenance between color appointments elsewhere, since keeping your cut fresh doesn’t require touching the color itself, though any actual color touch-up would still need to happen at a salon that offers coloring.

6. Do all Great Clips locations offer the exact same services?

Not entirely, since Great Clips salons are independently owned and operated by local franchisees, which means services like perms can vary by location, though the core policy of not offering hair coloring services applies consistently across the entire chain.

7. What should I ask a new salon before booking a color appointment?

It’s worth asking about the stylist’s specific experience with the technique you want, roughly how long the appointment will take, and whether a consultation happens before the actual color process starts, since these details help set realistic expectations for the visit.

8. Does bringing my own hair dye to Great Clips work as a workaround?

No, Great Clips stylists are not set up or trained to apply color services as part of their role at the salon, and bringing your own product wouldn’t change the fact that coloring isn’t part of what they offer, regardless of who supplies the product.

9. Are Great Clips prices generally lower than full-service color salons?

Great Clips is generally known for affordable, budget-friendly haircuts, though pricing varies by location since salons are independently owned, and comparing costs directly to a full-service color salon isn’t really applicable since coloring isn’t a service Great Clips provides at all.

10. How can I find out if a specific Great Clips location offers perms?

The most reliable way is to call the specific local salon directly, since perm availability depends on the individual location and staff, and this also lets you ask about appointment requirements before making the trip.