Client with level 2 hair would not lift for a balyage/ombre

[harland1994]

I need some advice regarding a new client I had last week. She called and made an appointment for an ombre. She informed me that her hair represented several challenges as it had been dyed to a level 2 ' dark brown' with box dye for many years. She also had her underneath section bleached out and dyed pink which she had done herself.

This is the picture she showed me. She understood that a change like this was not going to be immediate and was very accommodating in regards to her final outcome.

I knew that her pink underneath and the level of darkness were a challenge , however, her hair barely lifted at all.

We did a root touch up on her grey regrowth and followed with a Balyage application of Paul Mitchell Syncro lift powder bleach mixed in 20 volume and later 30 volume for the second half of application.

Her hair was lifting in pink. It wasn't orange, or yellow. Salmon pink. It barely lifted beyond that even when heat from the dryer was used. She utlimately was satisfied with it , but booked a later appointment to get it 'blonder'.

I have no idea how to get her hair the caramel blonde shade she wants with the way it is lifting. I'm only hoping that a second application will lift out most of the color and then it can be toned. I'm very wary of the pink shade that it is lifting to. I'm wondering if at one point more than just her bottom section was bleached and dyed pink.

This was the end result.

She loved how it looked and we opted not to tone because she intends to take it much lighter. I'm very concerned about how poorly it lifted. The face framing I painted into it barely lifted at all. It was kept wet with Cling wrap and was even processed under heat. It looks orangey in the photos but I think it's going to lift to a pastel pink or a pastel orange. Any advice is really appreciated. I want this to be the best it can be.

 

[AcidPerm]

If the pink colour was a direct dye applied a few times, the bleach will have pushed the colour further under the cuticle and you end up staining the cuticle layer.

You can possibly lighten it a bit more but at the expense of the condition. Olaplex can only repair broken bonds but won't help damaged cuticle scales. Your options might be limited to colouring over it to neutralise it or cutting it out. Take a few strand tests and experiment and show the client what results she can realistically expect to achieve.

Also, have a read up on 'direct dyes' if you've not much experience with them.

Remind the client that celebrities who frequently colour change spend hours in the chair and $$$$ to achieve those results.

Good luck!