7 minute read
Colourist Reality VS Client Expectation By Kristie Kesic
With so many salons being in lockdown for an extensive amount of time, clients have lived with the reality of not being able to get their hair done. These clients have been left with grey hair, long regrowth, faded out fashion tints and platinum blondes that look more like balayage.
It is more evident than ever how much hairdressers are valued, most clients realising they can’t colour their hair at home. Clients have realised it’s not as easy as slapping on a colour to cover the regrowth and there is science and skilled technique that goes into each application. However, with this realisation comes heightened client expectation for us to deliver the results they expect. Even if those result are unachievable.
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As colourists, we need to remember our fundamentals when dealing with these expectations. We need to stay true to the reality of what colour can do and what can be achieved in each sitting. We then must balance this against client expectations. that are well overdue. Give yourself extra time for a consultation to explain the process to the desired result to your client. Remember that they don’t speak our language, and they shouldn’t have to. It’s up to us to explain our processes in a way the client will understand and appreciate. Unfortunately, we don’t have magic wands; we can’t create the impossible, so always under promise and over deliver.
Let’s look at a few scenarios that so many are dealing with.
LONG REGROWTH
Our regrowth clients. The bread-and-butter client of the salon, ever so loyal. They normally visit every 4-6 weeks. When the regrowth is up to 1.5cm the result is predictable each time. But now the client has 3-4 months’ worth of regrowth. The growth has gone beyond what we call the heat band of the scalp. (NB) Heat band is the name we give to the area of hair that sits from the root to 1.5 cm down the hair shaft. It refers to the zone beyond the surface in which our scalp naturally produces heat.
When this happens and the regrowth is extensive, it is harder to get a nice clean result or lift (not impossible) and you may need to do what we call a virgin application
TECHNIQUE 1:
Apply the product to the mids of the hair leaving the heat band zone out. Once this is complete than go back and apply the colour to the heat band zone. Make sure you check with your product company as to how long you would allow the mid colour to process before you go back and apply the heat band zone as this may vary. When using this technique for our
extra-long scalp bleach regrowth applications, I would use the mid-lengths as a visual guide for the timing of the heat band zone application. When the mid-lengths have lightened to half the level of desired levels of lift, I would then apply to the regrowth heat band zone. Again, this is up to colourist discretion. Trust your knowledge. If the colour is processing very quickly or taking a long time adjust technique accordingly.
Why:
We do this because that heat band zone will process faster because of the natural heat emitted from the scalp. The hair that is not exposed to that natural band of heat will take longer to process. This means if product was applied to the entire length of the extensive regrowth and rinsed at the same time it will produce an uneven result.
TECHNIQUE 2:
This technique is particularly helpful when dealing with dark regrowth and a client with the desired shade 2-3 shades lighter that can be achieved by using a tint colour. Rather than doing a virgin application This technique involves using 2 different strengths of peroxide. First apply the normal desired colour with the corresponding peroxide from the roots to the up to the 1.5cm regrowth mark. Then from the 1.5cm mark through the remaining regrowth, apply a second colour with the same target shade, but mixed with peroxide one strength higher.
For example: Formula One- Mix 6/2 with 6%, Formula Two- Mix 6/2 with 9%.
Why: We do this because the formula in the heat band zone will process faster and lighter because of the heat. We can create the same result by upping the peroxide level for the formula going on the hair that isn’t in the heat band zone.
Dark colour has been put on the hair to cover regrowth.
We are bound to encounter some clients that have been desperate and have chosen to selfapplicate a semi over their hair in an attempt to cover regrowth, or gone darker with the justification “It’s ok, they can just colour it back blonde after.” I’m sure everyone is seeing a significant number of colour corrections.
First and foremost, when it comes to colour correction is it extremely important to establish the history of the hair. This will 100% determine what you can do with the hair whilst maintaining hair (and your reputations) integrity. If the hair is blonde underneath that dark colour, you must ask yourself:
Would I bleach over those ends if it was the preexisting blonde colour sitting in my chair right now? condition of any previous lightening is still lurking underneath. You need to explain the ‘why’ to your client rather than just saying no.
Once you have established the history of your client’s hair and you are comfortable to proceed with lightening, it’s extremely important we revisit our lightening curve. This is also where an extensive consultation is going to be your best friend when talking to clients and dealing with reality vs expectation.
Sometimes it is warranted and needed to give a quick science 101 lesson to clients. A quick explanation of underlying pigment when you are explaining the process of why they can’t go back to blonde in a day (even if it’s a semi) is often necessary. Generally, they won’t want to hear the word no, especially because they are so excited to feel fabulous again and as far as they know celebrities can do it. This is where a thorough consultation and an explanation is much appreciated. Trust me once you get to the word orange, they start to pay attention to why you’re saying what you’re saying.
One of my favourite visual when it comes to colour correction and going lighter is the many memes that float around our social media feeds. They are a tongue in cheek look at “If you are this” (black) you will need to be this (red, orange, yellow) before you can achieve this (blonde). One of my favourites is the mean girls meme. As hairdressers we find them funny and we just nod our head and think “Yessss, this is so true”, because we know what we know. However, clients don’t know that this is a reality, so these can be a great visual for clients to understand. So back to our lightening curve. Always identify the level of your client’s hair first and then identify the desired colour level. Work out how many shades of lift are required and work from there.
Once the hair has been lightened out, use the lightening curve as a tool to identify the level you have lifted the hair to by matching it to the corresponding underlying pigment. This will determine the colour you need to put on the hair. It’s important that you do not choose a colour that is lighter than the level it has lifted too, as this will not cover or balance the underlying pigment. Lightening beyond the desired level is also not advised, as this unnecessary lightening can compromise the hair and reduces the longevity of the desired shade.
I love that clients can now fully respect and appreciate how important our industry is. They have had to accept that the truth is you just can’t colour your hair at home and expect the same results as we create in salon. This is wonderful for us, but it’s so important that we also remember that we don’t have magic wands. The reality is we can only perform to what the hair’s condition and history allows us to do and are also limited to what our products allow us to do. By respecting the process, initiating expert consultation, and balancing this alongside our clients expectations, we can ensure we are consistently delivering results that fulfil them.
