riverreed•1mo agoProlific Poster

Just had a color melt turn into a complete disaster on me today

I was doing a root touch up and shadow root for a regular client, one of those quick appointments I figured would take maybe 45 minutes tops. Well, I mixed up my demipermanent with my permanent formula and didn't realize it until I had already applied the color to about 80% of her head. By the time I caught it, the roots were already processing way faster than I planned, and I had to scramble to rinse everything out 10 minutes early. The end result was this weird line where the root color stopped and the mids didn't pick up at all. I ended up having to do a full color correction on the spot for free, which took another 2 hours and cost me a 3pm appointment slot. My client was super chill about it thank goodness, but I felt like an idiot behind the chair. Has anyone else had a brain fart moment where you grabbed the wrong bottle and totally messed up your timing?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam_lewis1mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain! I did something similar last year where I grabbed my permanent instead of demi on a balayage and ended up with stripes instead of a smooth melt. It's exactly like what @milesj70 said about those bottle mix-ups, you just stand there feeling like the world's biggest rookie. Those are the mistakes that keep you humble and make you triple check every label going forward.

uma_johnson1mo ago

Who grabs the wrong bottle and doesn't catch it until it's too late? I've definitely had days where my brain just checked out and I grabbed developer 20 when I needed 30, but a full mix-up of demi and permanent is next level stress. Your client being chill is a miracle because most people would freak out over an extra two hours in the chair. I bet you'll never make that mistake again though, stuff like this sticks with you forever.

milesj701mo ago

My first week behind a chair I grabbed bleach instead of lightener on a root touch up. Client had to wait while I scrubbed her scalp for twenty minutes. She tipped me extra which still feels like a pity tip but I've kept the bottle separated ever since.