Color correction took me 9 hours on a single client yesterday

I had a woman come in wanting to go from box dye black to a honey blonde. She said her friend told her it would be a one session thing. I warned her it would take multiple appointments but she insisted I try. 9 hours later I had her at a warm caramel with some banding I need to fix next week. My back is killing me and I only charged her for a full highlight plus $50 extra because I felt bad. How do you guys price these nightmare transformations without scaring people off?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan1822h ago

Honestly, can I push back a little? By charging only $50 extra after a 9 hour color correction, you basically told that client her friend was right and that kind of work isn't that serious. She's gonna expect the same deal next time and tell everyone else you're cheap. You're also undercutting every other stylist in town who actually bills for their time. I get feeling bad, but $50 for 9 hours of labor is less than minimum wage when you break it down. You're just gonna burn out and resent this client for something that's totally your fault for not setting the price upfront.

the_claire17h ago

@abby_morgan18 you're totally right about the minimum wage thing, but I wanna bring up something nobody's talking about. That $50 extra is basically saying your own skills and the years of training it took to even attempt a 9 hour color correction are worth pocket change. The client's friend probably has no clue what color correcting actually involves, and by charging almost nothing you're validating her dumb opinion over your own professional judgment. Like, you literally spent 9 hours proving a point to someone who's not even in the room. Next time that friend needs color work she's gonna tell her to go to you because "she barely charges for corrections" and you'll be stuck in this cycle forever.

charlies3721h ago

What, you mean working for free doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? You basically paid her to do that color correction by the time you factor in product and your time. I get wanting to be nice, but $50 for 9 hours is like tipping your waitress and then asking her to mow your lawn. She's gonna tell everyone you're the magic cheap wizard who can do anything in one day, and you'll be stuck fixing banding for the rest of your life. How's your back feeling after that math lesson?