Just realized most people are using way too high of a developer on virgin color

I had a client come in last week who had been doing her own box dye with 30 volume on her natural dark brown hair trying to go blonde. She ended up with brassy orange roots and fried ends. I see this mistake all the time at the bar and now I hear about it at work too. If you're not lifting more than 2 levels, 20 volume is plenty and 10 volume is better for depositing. Has anyone else noticed more people coming in with damage from using 30 or 40 volume when they don't need it?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_fisher371mo ago

Watching my sister fry her hair with 30 volume last month finally made me get it.

the_mary1mo ago

25 volume turned my ends into straw last spring and I'm still waiting for them to forgive me. Live and learn, right?

wells.karen1mo ago

Oh, are we really blaming the developer strength here and not the application time or how healthy your hair was going in? I mean, 25 volume is pretty standard for lifting a couple levels, but if you left it on for 40 minutes or slapped it on hair that was already dry and damaged... that's not exactly the developer's fault. My stylist once told me she uses 30 volume on herself every 6 weeks and her hair is down to her waist, but she's also obsessive about protein treatments and never lets it sit past the 30 minute mark. So maybe your ends were just telling you they needed a break before you even picked up the bottle. Just saying, sometimes we want to blame the product instead of looking at our own technique.