How to Set Up Processing Time for Hair Colour Services
Maximise stylist productivity by freeing team members during colour development, without double-booking clients
In this guide
Colour services are the bread and butter of most hair salons, and they all share one characteristic: processing time. After applying colour, the client sits for 20-45 minutes whilst the colour develops. During that time, your stylist is doing nothing — unless your booking system supports processing time properly.
Processing time lets the stylist take on short services (a quick trim, a blowdry, a fringe cut) during colour development. This can significantly increase your revenue per hour without compromising the colour client's experience.
This guide walks you through setting up processing time in Bella Booking so your colour services are configured correctly from day one.
Why processing time matters for colour services
A typical full head colour takes 90-120 minutes. Of that, 30-45 minutes is pure processing time — the stylist has finished applying colour and the client is simply waiting. Without processing time configured in your software, that stylist appears fully booked for the entire duration.
The maths is straightforward. If a stylist does four colour services per day, each with 30 minutes of processing, that's two hours of potential productive time going unused. At an average service value of $50-80 per hour, that's $100-160 in lost daily revenue — or $2,000-3,200 per month.
Processing time is different from buffer time. Processing time frees the team member (client stays). Buffer time blocks the team member (for setup/cleanup between clients). Use both for maximum efficiency.
How processing time works
When you add processing time to a colour service, the appointment is split into segments. The stylist is booked for the active portions (application, rinse, style) but freed during processing. The chair and client remain — other clients can't be booked into that space.
- •The client stays in the chair — the resource (station) remains blocked
- •The team member is released — they appear available for other bookings
- •Online booking accounts for processing time when calculating availability
- •The scheduler shows processing time as part of the appointment block
The key distinction is that the team member's availability opens up during processing. Other clients or walk-ins can be booked to that team member for services that fit within the processing window.
Setting up processing time
On individual colour services
- 1Go to Service Catalog and select the colour service
- 2In the timing section, find the Processing Time field
- 3Enter the processing duration (e.g., 30 minutes for a standard colour)
- 4Save — the service now includes processing time in its total duration
Using location defaults
- 1Go to Settings > Booking Policies
- 2Set a default processing time at the location level
- 3All services inherit this default unless individually overridden
- 4For salons that are primarily colour-focused, this saves significant setup time
Most salons set the location default to 0 and override individual colour services. If the majority of your services involve processing, consider setting a non-zero default instead.
Location defaults vs per-service overrides
Location defaults provide a baseline that all services inherit. Per-service overrides let you customise where needed. The resolution order is: service override > location default > zero.
| Scenario | Location Default | Service Override | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard colour | 0 min | 30 min override | 30 min processing |
| Balayage/highlights | 0 min | 45 min override | 45 min processing |
| Haircut (no processing) | 0 min | No override | 0 min processing |
| All services need 15 min | 15 min | No override | 15 min processing |
| Except express colour | 15 min | 10 min override | 10 min processing |
Processing time in bundles
Colour bundles (e.g., colour + cut + treatment) benefit greatly from processing time. Set processing time between the colour application and the next service. The total bundle duration includes all services plus processing time.
Colour & Style bundle
Colour application (30 min) > Processing time (30 min) > Rinse & blowdry (30 min). Total: 90 minutes. The stylist is actively working for 60 minutes and free for 30 minutes during processing.
Bundle-level overrides take precedence over service overrides. If a colour service normally has 30 minutes of processing, but the specific highlights bundle needs 45 minutes, set a bundle-level override.
Common colour service configurations
| Service | Active Time | Processing Time | Total Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root touch-up | 30 min | 20 min | 50 min |
| Full head colour | 45 min | 30 min | 75 min |
| Highlights/foils | 60 min | 30 min | 90 min |
| Balayage | 60 min | 45 min | 105 min |
| Colour correction | 90 min | 45 min | 135 min |
| Toner application | 15 min | 15 min | 30 min |
These are starting points. Adjust based on your products, techniques, and typical processing requirements. Some products process faster than others.
Key takeaways
- ✓Processing time frees your stylist during colour development — they can take other bookings during that window.
- ✓Set location-level defaults to save setup time, then override individual services where processing times differ.
- ✓Use processing time in bundles to maximise efficiency on colour + style packages.
- ✓Processing time is visible to clients (it's part of the appointment). Buffer time is invisible (it's your setup/cleanup).
- ✓The potential revenue gain from properly configured processing time is significant — hours of freed stylist time per day.
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Last updated: 2026-03-22