Changing to highlift tint from highlights!

[Joe O'Brien]

Hey guys !!
Need some advice
One of my clients is looking for a change and basically wants to get away from highlights to a full highlift colour.

Her regrowth is about a level 6 with about 20% grey but its only about a 6 week regrowth . And the rest of her hair is a couple of years of highlights and lowlights.
It will be my first time colouring her hair so unsure what is in the lowlight but I reckon its a a warmish 6/7 .

Just unsure what way to go about it because the client wants to be like a level 11 but without bleaching and doesnt want it very warm she would prefer a cooler tone ..

Do I just use a highlift with 40volume and then tone the ends or lift the ends or try bleach just the roots and then tone it all ??

Just nervous as its a new client and its also a new salon we have just opened so want to make sure we get it spot on !!
Any opinion at all is greatly appreciated

 

[JaneyDryBar]

what are her reasons for wanting to highlift instead of bleach? if it is because of the damage try and explain to her in client terms that 40vol is not recommended for scalp application at all and you could achieve results using a lower peroxide x

 

[cassies97]

I doubt you'll get the same amount of lift with a highlift that its had with bleach tbh.

No such level as 11.

You're the hairdresser and you decide what product is best to achieve the result. Don't allow clients to demand whats put on their hair.

@JaneyDryBar highlift w/ 40 on scalp is both perfectly fine and recommended.

 

[Joe O'Brien]

She wont really give a valid reason for it shes just seen a colour book and decided thats what she wants and doesnt really care how long it takes her to get there ..

Im gonna try lift it even to a level 8 and then maybe put some highlights withe pre-lightener and 20 through the top just to brighten it a little more and it will give a really soft baby blonde ..

Its just talking her around ha she is one of the difficult ones

 

[Joe O'Brien]

I doubt you'll get the same amount of lift with a highlift that its had with bleach tbh.

No such level as 11.

You're the hairdresser and you decide what product is best to achieve the result. Don't allow clients to demand whats put on their hair.

@JaneyDryBar highlift w/ 40 on scalp is both perfectly fine and recommended.

I know no such actual level as 11 but in the colour brand I use we have a highlift that is an 11

 

[JaneyDryBar]

sounds like you know what you are doing good luck! xxx

 

[stokesy]

I wouldn't do it, she won't get the effect she is after, you need to show her level 9 blondes and tell her that is the best hilift will do, and explain why bleach is no worse for her hair seeing u can half the peroxide strength, do You show your clients the swatch book? I wouldn't recommend that as they pic a shade like an 11 or a 12 which dont exist like the swatches, have you someone who you can go to in the salon to explain it better to the client, even if you foil lighter foils in it, which will be bleach anyway, u still will have unwanted warmth that the client doesn't want.

 

[cassies97]

She wont really give a valid reason for it shes just seen a colour book and decided thats what she wants and doesnt really care how long it takes her to get there ..

Im gonna try lift it even to a level 8 and then maybe put some highlights withe pre-lightener and 20 through the top just to brighten it a little more and it will give a really soft baby blonde ..

Its just talking her around ha she is one of the difficult ones

So you're going to open the cuticle very wide with 12% and then go BACK in and bleach over already highlifted hair?

You just won't achieve a 11/12 like looking colour without bleach. Whenever a client points to one of them i reach straight for the bleach unless they're an 8.

 

[adamlea87]

This is the problem with showing clients a swatch chart.. Many brands will show highlift level 11/12 as they will apear on a clean level 10 base OR just show the tone as it is printed onto white nylon.

Can you lift your clints hair to that clean level 10 stage? Even it the brand says the highlift lifts 4/5 levels think about bleaching past a level 8 when the hair gets to that yellow stage and slows down... Bleach will carry on lifting though that resistant yellow pigment because it contains persulfates that will lift though them, but highlift will not be able to, and leave you with more yellow base before it tones it with the shade.

Highlift will work better on a level 7+ or on fine texture hair that has almost no warmth, like a powdery-greyish natural tone.

 

[Nicky G]

You need to have the discussion about what level is actually achievable without destroying her hair. I'm sure she will be a happy client if you explain it to her rather than a disgruntled client who walks away not happy and not to return. If she doesn't believe you then let her go somewhere else and when they have messed it up she will come back saying she should have gone with your advice. Good luck [emoji15]

 

[Olive293]

remember to deal with the ends that have the lowlights

 

[Pancakes]

Often clients think that an all over blonde would be a quicker and less pricey alternative, but when there's no natural in between the tone will always lean towards a warmer shade and the regrowth is much more prominent. She will have to get it touched up every 4 - 6 weeks then or gold bands will occur. Also darker eyebrows don't go well with all over blonde and it can also look flat or washed out on some folks.

If I still transition clients from highlights to highlift I either use a neutral shade for the natural lengths (as an ash will make the highlights too cool especially in contrast to the warmer root) and ash only for the very root
or I use lightener to lift the natural/ lowlights and even out everything and only hit the the first centimetre for a short time (so it won't overlift) then tone down everything in a cool level nine so next time I can use an ash based highlift to touch up.
It is well complicated as banding can easily happen if you just put an ash based highlift over the first centimetres!

 

[Michaela Bachiu]

Not only will you have yellow(not even really gold) regrowth with a highlift colour, but like @Olive293 said, make sure you deal with those lowlights in her ends!!
yellow roots, and a mixture of cool blonde and lowlights in her ends sounds like a bigger disaster than explaining to your client the results she is after is not achievable with high lift colour.
I have a client who thinks I use a light blonde colour on her hair, and I use lightener and 20 vol... They don't need to know what's in the bowl all the time! Remember, you went to school, the client didn't. Just because she has seen a colour swatch, doesn't mean that's what she is going to get.

 

[Olive293]

I think it's important to try to work out why she wants the all over colour?
If she just wants to be blonder I would just pack in so many fine highlights, with bleach, and deal with each section in the foil as you see it. Maybe have a bleach and 1.9% on hand just to clean up some ends, and feather down the bleach and 20 vol down those lowlights as you see them.
Maybe then after this she could go for a block colour next time on the roots. But even then I would probably use bleach. I'd use blondor cream if it were me.

 

[Olive293]

Not only will you have yellow(not even really gold) regrowth with a highlift colour, but like @Olive293 said, make sure you deal with those lowlights in her ends!!
yellow roots, and a mixture of cool blonde and lowlights in her ends sounds like a bigger disaster than explaining to your client the results she is after is not achievable with high lift colour.
I have a client who thinks I use a light blonde colour on her hair, and I use lightener and 20 vol... They don't need to know what's in the bowl all the time! Remember, you went to school, the client didn't. Just because she has seen a colour swatch, doesn't mean that's what she is going to get.

@Michaela Bachiu thats why I love the blondor cream... They just think it's colour

 

[Pancakes]

@Michaela Bachiu thats why I love the blondor cream... They just think it's colour

Hahaha it's the first color. Then the toner is the second, brilliant!

 

[RED STAR]

Why are hairstylists/colourists telling the client EXACTLY what is in the bowl....I never get this!
They also put the formulas all over their facebook page????

As highly trained professionals.....It's OUR business to determine what needs to go into the mix to achieve the desired result!
I've been behind folk in 'SUPERDRUG' telling their friend they're going to put their own '8.3' on.....
"Now I know I can get the same colour as they use in the salon......"

 

[Beau Style]

Is the client worried about damage if lightener is used? Have you spoke about olaplex? Is her hair already not in too good shape and doesn't want to damage it further? You need to put in your professional know how in a confident way