Hair colour is the one service where the gap between a good salon and an average one shows up fastest — and lasts longest. A cut grows out in weeks; a botched balayage or a brassy single-tone can take months and several corrective appointments to fix. If you're an expat or visitor in Astana, the challenge is doubled: you're trusting your colour to a colourist you can't always communicate with, using brands you may not recognise. This guide explains what's actually available in Astana, what it costs in 2026, and how to brief a colourist clearly even across a language barrier.
The colour services you'll find in Astana
Most established salons in Astana offer the full European colour menu, though the vocabulary used in-salon is often Russian. Here's how the main services map to what you might ask for in English.
Single-tone colour
A uniform colour applied from root to tip — the simplest and most predictable service. Good for covering grey, going darker, or refreshing a faded base. In Astana this is usually done with professional lines like Teotema or Wella. It's the most affordable full-colour option and the easiest to communicate.
Root colour / root touch-up
Just the regrowth at the roots, blended into your existing colour. If you colour regularly, this is the maintenance appointment you'll book every 4–6 weeks. Far cheaper than a full head, and quick.
Highlights
Individual strands lifted lighter using foils. Classic, structured, and high-contrast. Still popular for clients who want visible brightness around the face.
Balayage
Freehand painting of colour onto the surface of the hair for a soft, sun-kissed, grown-out look with no harsh regrowth line. The most requested premium service of the last decade — and the one where a colourist's skill matters most. A good balayage looks effortless; a bad one looks striped. This is worth paying for experience.
Airtouch
A Russian-developed technique (very common in Astana and across the CIS) where a hairdryer is used to blow away shorter hairs before colour is applied, leaving only longer strands to be lightened. The result is an exceptionally soft, seamless blend. If you've never heard of it in Western Europe or the US, this is your chance to try a technique the region genuinely excels at.
Glossing / toning
A semi-transparent treatment that adds shine, neutralises unwanted tones (like brassiness), and refreshes colour between full appointments. Quick, inexpensive, and the secret to hair that looks freshly done in photos.
Realistic 2026 colour prices in Astana
Colour is priced by length, the amount of product used, and the colourist's level. The ranges below reflect what established Left Bank salons charge in 2026. As a reference point, SuperMe's own Teotema pricing is included where relevant.
| Service | From (KZT) | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Root colour (regrowth) | 19,000–23,000 | ~$39–$47 |
| Single-tone, full head | 38,000–53,000 | ~$77–$108 |
| Highlights (partial) | from 30,000 | ~$61 |
| Balayage / airtouch | from 45,000 | ~$91 |
| Grey camouflage | 14,000–18,000 | ~$28–$37 |
| Glossing / shine treatment | from 6,000 | ~$12 |
Full-head lightening and balayage prices vary the most, because longer or thicker hair needs more product and more time — sometimes a full afternoon. Always ask for a price estimate based on your hair length before the appointment starts, not the menu minimum.
Colour correction — fixing a previous bad dye job, removing box colour, or going from dark to blonde — is quoted separately and individually. It can take multiple sessions. If this is your situation, send photos ahead of time so the colourist can plan realistically.
How to brief a colourist across a language barrier
This is where most expat colour appointments go wrong — not because of skill, but communication. A few practical habits solve almost all of it.
- Bring photos. Three or four reference images of the result you want, plus one of a result you definitely don't want. Colour is visual; photos cross any language gap instantly.
- Show your history. Tell them (or show photos of) what's already on your hair — previous colour, henna, box dye, keratin treatments. This affects how colour takes and is the single most important thing a colourist needs to know.
- Agree the maintenance. Ask how often you'll need to come back and what it will cost. Balayage is low-maintenance; a dramatic single-tone change is not.
- Book a consultation first if it's a big change. Most good salons offer a short consultation — use it.
- Choose an English-speaking salon for colour above all other services. A 10% misunderstanding on a haircut grows out; on colour it's chemical and lasting.
How long colour lasts — and how to protect it
Single-tone and root colour last until your regrowth shows, typically 4–6 weeks. Balayage and airtouch are designed to grow out gracefully and can look good for 3–4 months between appointments. Glossing lasts a few weeks and washes out gradually.
To protect any colour investment: use sulphate-free shampoo, wash less frequently and in cooler water, use heat protection before styling, and book a glossing treatment halfway between full appointments to refresh tone. Astana's dry continental climate and hard tap water are both hard on coloured hair — a good colourist will recommend a bonding or moisture treatment to compensate.
About SuperMe
SuperMe PRIME is an English-speaking salon on Astana's Left Bank, six minutes from EXPO. Our colourists work with the Teotema professional system and are trained in the full European and CIS colour menu — single-tone, highlights, balayage, airtouch, grey camouflage, and glossing. Every consultation is in fluent English, so you can brief your colourist as precisely as you would at home. Bring your reference photos; we'll tell you honestly what's achievable on your hair and what it will cost before we start.