My sister and I decided to give our mom a complete "makeover" as a gift. I called multiple salons to inquire if they would be able to strip color out of my mom's hair. (She decided to stop coloring her hair and let her hair grow out, so she had grey/white on top and dark brown a few inches down.)
Many of the salons said that it could not be done. When I spoke with someone at the Ultimate Spa Salon, they stated that they would be able to lighten the color so it would blend better with her natural hair color.
The stylist was very nice, discussed what she was going to be doing. She put lightener on my mom's hair a few times. I was nervous that it wasn't going to work.
She got a new hairstyle, and when it was all done, she looked FABULOUS! I was very pleased with how it came out. It was pricey to have it done, but when it comes to a drastic change, I'd say it's worth it!