Can we talk about that time my color correction went completely sideways?

So I had this client come in last Tuesday, she wanted to go from a dark box dye black to a soft caramel blonde. I told her upfront it would take multiple sessions, but she insisted we try a single bleach and tone. I figured I'd done enough tests, but after 30 minutes the bleach lifted patchy and left these weird orange spots near her roots. I panicked for a second, then I grabbed a bowl of a lower volume developer with a blue based toner to neutralize the orange. It calmed down a bit but not fully. I ended up doing a second round with a demi-permanent color to even things out and gave her a free conditioning treatment. She was still a bit upset, but I learned to trust my gut more when clients push for something risky. Has anyone else had a stubborn color job go south even when you prep carefully?

2 comments

2 Comments

verawhite5d ago

hold on, i gotta disagree with you here. you told her it would take multiple sessions and she pushed for one, but you still went ahead and did a single bleach on box dye black. that's on you, not her. you should have stood your ground and refused the service if you knew it was risky. a lot of stylists let clients talk them into stuff they know won't work, and then act surprised when it goes wrong. the client might not know the science, but you do, so the responsibility falls on you to say no. also, doing two rounds of color in one visit after a bad bleach is just stacking more damage on already fried hair. she walked out with a fix that's probably going to fade weird in a week. maybe next time just say "i can't do this in one session" and stick to it, even if it means losing the booking.

sean_torres714d ago

Yeah, I've been there. Client pushes, you cave, and then you're the one holding the bag when it goes south. I learned the hard way that a firm "no" upfront saves way more drama than a botched result. Best move is to hand them a mirror and explain exactly what'll happen if you do it in one shot, then if they still insist, you gotta write it down on the intake form that they refused the pro recommendation. Covers you and sometimes wakes them up.