A Haircolouring Nightmare.

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As professional stylists we are duty bound to offer. The highest standard of professional skilled knowledge, service, technical ability. To do the very best we can without taking short cuts or rushing and charging accordingly for such service.

So why do so many stylist's over book, take short cuts, over charge and then wonder why they lose clients. make mistakes!
This is a true account with out any names of either salon or people.
However i do thank the client for allowing me to share this rather harrowing experience.
I was recently asked advise by a friend living over sea's about going lighter maybe some nice caramel toffee low lights.
My suggestion was seek professional skilled advise from your stylist. Have a consultation. Discuss your goal and optimum colour target. Be honest about past colouring in this instance quite long hair  mid back level sort of Bra strap. Her natural level would be around level 5. The colour used a rich dark brown around level 4. So long term build up would be a issues. Lots of pigment to exposed with build up of darker shade in the lifting process. The roots will lift Blonde very quickly so apply last with low volume peroxide to blend.
Prolonged use of the dark brown colour would. Indicate long term build up of colour mid length's and ends.
So I suggested that she should ask for strand test. Remove a small amount of hair from the nape area and have it coloured. This would require bleaching but applying from the ends up through mid length finally the root. Once lifted evenly apply toner to even out to desired shade and tone.
Why so you may ask? the ends will lift the slowest and will dictate the end result the mid lengths although coloured less still holding lots pigment. So although it will lift more. It may well throw lots pigment in the lifting process this will tend to be very warm copper or orange.
So armed with all this advise and information off she goes to get her new caramel low lights done.

pre having low lights done coloured level 4

Firstly here is the shot of the hair prior to the colouring.

This colouring was always done as deposit only. No lift .when going tone on tone or darker unless you want to add or increase warmth you do not need lifting levels of hydrogen peroxide.

So any build up is just layers of dark pigment. As stated a rich dark brown it matches her skin colour and hazel eyes. 



So many salons over book, don't allow the time and effort to do a job correctly.When things go wrong they may make excuses about the product, may pretend it looks great. It's how it was supposed to look.
But it's the client who. Has to be excited love this new look get what she wants and requested.
They have trusted us. Sat in the chair patiently. They asked all the right questions .They gave us time to decide on the best course of action to take. Having supposedly considered all options.

After low lights

 So why does this happen?
What went wrong? what do you see? what do you think?

Remember request low lights. Caramel toffee. Remember suggested strand test. Consultation . Remember I suggested lift from ends in  allow that the mid lengths may throw orange and roots would lift really quickly.

So lets look at this. Firstly I was shocked. Sad. Appalled by this poor quality job. Caused by taking short cuts with very little thought given to the process or out come! A rush job.
Firstly the the blonde on the roots to eye level really does not work for her. It sucks the colour from her skin and is just a nothing dull boring shade of blonde.
The mid lengths did not lift as much so formed a colour bar, a very bright copper orange the dark pigment lifted out. Finally the mid lengths and ends they only lifted a little so still look solid and dark very little lift.
There is no way by just applying toner this can or could be fixed.  It was doomed to fail. This was caused by some one being lazy, applying bleach de-colouriser roots to ends and just hoping that it may all lift evenly or at least enough to colour balance it! Hoping that whatever pigments exposed could be evened out with a toner. In doing this the tones made the blonde dull had little effect on the orange and well the ends ! Hum Hoping is not good enough!!
The strand test should have been carried out in advance of the appointment. The strand test shown and discussed with client then the process carried out correctly with a great out come. 
Why oh why do we allow this to happen? Why do we let our selves down . Is it lack of time?  Is it Easy money? well hardly if now you have to fix and re do! Lack caring. I really hope this creates some thought and feed back.
This can be fixed. I have advised the person in question what to do. She is having it re done later in the week . I am hoping she will let me have shots of finished job and i will then post and discuss the out come and process.

Enjoy the topic let me know your thoughts