Shoutout to the client who stayed calm when I messed up her color formula

I was in my chair in Charlotte last Tuesday and realized I'd mixed the developer for a 7N with a 6G toner by mistake, halfway through application. I stopped, explained the situation, and we decided to shift the whole plan to a warmer, richer shade that actually looked amazing on her. Has anyone else had a formula go sideways and ended up with a happy surprise?

4 comments

4 Comments

wood.uma24d ago

Totally get that. Had a client last month where the ash toner grabbed way too much and went full gray on her. Panicked for a second, but we tossed a warm glaze over it and it turned into this perfect smoky bronze. Sometimes the best colors come from fixing a mistake.

nathan_palmer24d ago

Yeah, that's the real art right there. @wood.uma's story makes me wonder if we should stop calling them "fixes" and start calling them "layers." It's like painting. You don't just slap on one color. That gray wasn't a mistake, it was the base for the bronze. I had a client's highlights go way too icy once, and using a peach conditioner didn't cover it up, it mixed with the blue to make this soft lavender-sand color she loved. The plan is just the first step.

tessa_craig24d ago

Honestly that line about the plan just being the first step is so true. Tbh I've had that exact panic with ash toner going full ghost gray on someone. Threw a copper wash over it in a total hurry and it came out this amazing rose gold that she begged me to write down. Ngl half my favorite formulas started as a quick fix when something went sideways.

avery_flores21h ago

My cousin's stylist in Tampa over-processed her hair and it just broke off, no cool color story. I feel like we're celebrating fixing problems that shouldn't happen in the first place lol.