New Year Hair Refresh: 7 Ideas to Try
By Bella Garcia · · 5 min read
January is when a lot of clients sit down in the chair and say some version of "I just want to feel different." December is hard on hair: party styling, curling irons on repeat, and heaters running all night. A refresh doesn't have to be a makeover, though. Sometimes it's an inch off the ends and a little shine. Sometimes it's the color you've been saving on your phone for a year.
Below are seven ideas, from small to bold, with notes on upkeep so you can pick something that fits your calendar and budget.
1. Start With a Clean, Healthy Cut
If you only book one thing this month, make it a cut. Frayed ends catch light badly and tangle easily, and taking them off makes hair look thicker at the bottom almost immediately.
You don't have to lose length. Ask for a "dusting" or a shape-up if you want to keep your style and just remove the damage. A haircut + blowdry ($90) includes a wash, a custom cut, and a finished blowdry. If you just want the cut, the dry haircut ($45) skips the wash and blowdry entirely, so come with hair clean, dry, and worn the way you normally style it. For a rough idea of timing between cuts, see a realistic trim schedule for your hair type.
2. Add Soft Brightness With Babylights
On our menu, a babylight ($180) is a partial highlight on the top half of the head, typically 10 to 14 foils, with toner and a blowdry included. Because the foils sit where light naturally hits, it brightens your part and crown without lightening everything underneath. That's why it tends to grow out softly.
Want more brightness all over? A full head of highlights ($250) is typically 20 or more foils placed throughout, also with toner and a blowdry included. It's the better pick if you wear your hair up a lot, since a partial can show darker hair underneath in a ponytail.
3. Try a Gloss for Instant Shine
Not ready to change your color at all? A gloss ($100) is the low-key option: it's clear, so your shade stays put and the hair just reads shinier. A blowdry is included.
If what's bothering you is the tone itself, like brassy blonde or warmth you didn't ask for, that's a job for a toner ($100). Toner is a semi-permanent, low-commitment color that also adds shine. Here's how a clear gloss and a toner differ if you're torn.
4. Commit to a New Color
If you've been thinking about going richer, deeper, or getting more even gray coverage, a new year is a decent excuse. Full color ($130) is a single permanent color from root to end, blowdry included. It's one shade, applied evenly, so it's best for all-over changes rather than dimension.
Happy with your color but seeing regrowth? A root touch-up ($100) handles regrowth with permanent color taken to mid-shaft, also with a blowdry. Many clients alternate between the two depending on how faded their ends look.
5. Get Bangs (or Freshen the Ones You Have)
Bangs change your whole face without touching your length. Curtain bangs are the easiest starter version because they split at the center and blend into longer layers as they grow.
If you already have fringe, a bang trim ($20) is a quick dry trim around the face; no blowout comes with it. Come with your bangs styled the way you wear them so we can cut to how they actually fall. If you're on the fence, read up on what to consider before committing to fringe.
6. Smooth Things Out With Keratin or a Silk Press
If one of your goals this year is spending less time fighting frizz, there are two very different routes:
- Keratin treatment ($220): Semi-permanent smoothing (the Brazilian Blowout, by another name) that usually holds 3 to 6 months, so it's the choice if you want daily styling to get faster for a whole season.
- Silk press ($110, about 1 hr 45 mins): Washed, blown out, then pressed straight with a hot comb. Nothing chemical is involved, so your natural texture comes back the next time you wash.
Rule of thumb: keratin for months of smoother hair, a silk press for a sleek look you can wear for a stretch and then wash out.
7. Build a Routine You'll Actually Keep
The best refresh is the one that still looks good in March. If you love how your hair feels after a professional blowdry, regular visits can be easier than fighting your dryer every morning.
Our blowdry memberships work like this:
- TIER 1 ($104/month): 2 blowdry services a month in any style you like, and 1 unused blowdry rolls over to the next month. With extensions, it's $144.
- TIER 2 ($208/month): four blowouts monthly, styled however you want, plus a scalp treatment add-on and one leftover blowout you can carry forward. With extensions, it's $288.
In both tiers, Hollywood waves and updo styling cost extra.
Prefer to book as you go? The Friday blowdry special ($45) gets you washed and blown out on Fridays, any look but waves or updos (extensions extra). The Sunday haircut special ($70) is Sundays only and covers a haircut, wash, and blowdry. A scalp treatment ($35) can be added to any service if your scalp feels tight or itchy after winter.
How to Choose Your Refresh
If you're stuck, answer three questions:
- How much change do you want? Small: a trim or gloss. Medium: babylights or bangs. Big: full color or a full head of highlights.
- How often can you come back? Gloss and babylights are forgiving. Bangs need a trim every few weeks, and permanent color shows roots as it grows.
- What bugs you most right now? Dullness points to a gloss. Brassiness points to a toner. Frizz points to keratin or a silk press. Split ends point to a cut.
Bring two or three inspiration photos, plus one of something you don't want. That second photo often tells us more than the first.
Start the Year at Beya Studios
We're an appointment-only salon in El Monte, and every service on this list can be booked online with the BOOK button. To compare everything side by side, browse the full menu with current prices.
If you'd like advice before picking, send us a quick note with a photo of your hair.
FAQ
What's the smallest refresh that still looks noticeable?
A trim plus a gloss. The cut removes damaged ends, and the gloss is a clear treatment that adds shine without changing your color, so hair looks healthier without a new shade or shape.
Should I start with babylights or a full head of highlights?
Babylights cover the top half of the head with about 10 to 14 foils, so they're a gentler first step that grows out softly. A full head is typically 20 or more foils and gives brighter, more visible contrast, including underneath. Both include toner and a blowdry.
Does a bang trim include styling?
No. A bang trim is a quick, dry, face-framing cut with no blowout, so arrive with your bangs styled the way you normally wear them.
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