Spent 3 hours fighting with a color melt that should've taken 45 minutes

I had a client come in last Thursday wanting a shadow root with a rose gold midlength. Mixed my formula, applied the shadow, let it process 20 minutes like normal. Then I rinsed and realized the rose gold was pulling way too warm - like almost orange. Had to mix a toner, apply it, wait another 15, rinse again, still not right. Ended up doing a tiny bit of violet additive and reprocessing just the ends. Took me 3 total hours for what I usually bang out in under an hour. Has anyone else had a color melt fight them like this where the undertones just won't cooperate?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_kim8d agoTop Commenter

the issue might be that your client had old color buildup or porosity issues you didn't account for. I've noticed when people have box dye or old demi permanent color still hanging around, the undertones underneath can mess with your formula way more than you expect. especially with rose gold since it's so sensitive to warmth - it's one of those colors where the canvas underneath matters more than the tube. did you do a strand test or check her hair history before mixing?

the_evan8d ago

Friend had same thing happen with rose gold. Complete disaster. Hidden red undertones wrecked everything.