Hi, long time lurker, first time poster here! I will start by saying that I am qualified, got my level 2 about 10/11 years ago and have just done cuts since really (for friends and family).
My mum has got a lot of grey coming through and has been using box tints for god knows how long but has decided that she wants to go quite an ashy blonde so that when her roots do come through, they blend in more and look more subtle in between colours. She was probably a base 3/4 and had some highlights done by a friend. They really hadn't put that many through at all and despite charging her for a full head, they probably only packed in just under half a heads worth, no toning. She was fine with it but her roots have now grown through and it was looking awful.
Yada yada... I've ended up doing a full head of foils for her (which in hindsight should have been back to back) with Blondor and 6% which lifted quite well. The ends are the worst if you can imagine! I ended up doing a bleach bath on the ends after the highlights and her condition is really good. I've then made the mistake in attempting to use 9/81 to tone her hair with 6% diluted down to 3%. This had caused the roots to lift a fair amount and didn't really do much for the ends really (granted because they weren't light enough). I used the diluting method as I had no pastel (We used to do that when I was in the salon but as I said, that was some way back!).
I will post some photos of the stage we're at now and She would like to be quite ashy but not too ashy so that it looks dark again. She's currently I'd say a base 9(?) on her roots and I'd say her mid lengths and ends are more of a base 7/6(?) and quite coppery (again, toner fail . My thoughts now to get her hair looking more uniformed after not wanting to have to bleach her ends again would be to use a combination of 9/81 and maybe 7/18, either 1:1 or 2:1 to help darker her roots a tad to match her ends? She absolutely does not want to go any darker than what her mid lengths and ends are now, but I need to sort the root glow out because it's driving me mad (she doesn't mind it thankfully!).
So my question is...does anyone have an idea how off I am with my mixing ratios on combining 9/81 with 7/81 and should I be using pastel on the roots and then 6% on the ends? In my head I'm thinking, the roots don't need any lift, so I should be using pastel and apply first and then apply the mix to the mid lengths and ends with 6% towards the end... but then I think 1.9%, I'm not going to be adding any depth am I?! Should the roots be done with double base added? OR would it make more sense for me to just go ahead with my original plan which was to do the mix with 6% and start on the root and then bring it through the ends in the last 15/20 mins?
The other thought in my mind was to say have a 1:1 ratio of 9/81 and 7/18 and then maybe a 2:1 ratio of 9/81 and 7/18 on the ends as the ends are possibly more porous despite being darker... OR scrapping both those ideas, applying a full head of 9/81 with 6%(?) and then using a watch and look method of applying 7/18 as a toner with pastel 1:2?
I'd really appreciate any advice and understand that sending her to the hairdressers was probably the more ideal outcome but she's not been feeling that well to go out and have a colour correction done in a salon (hence the friend doing it before). Also, I appreciate that I have not been colouring in a long time and I know a colour correction is a big/long undertaking, I really was never expecting her hair to kick out so much warmth! For extra info, She's about 100% naturally slatey grey in the front and the back is about 75%, her natural colour was probably a base 5 before the grey starting coming through! Currently have plenty of bleach, 6% and 9/81 but wanted to wait for more info before I purchase any pastel or 7/18! Thank you in advanced. I've also attached a photo of the kind of grey that she wants to achieve which is why I was thinking of 7/18 being mixed in with the 9/81... I even got thinking about special mix but then I thought that might be a bit of a risky one!! I appreciate that she may need more bleach but I don't want to add more stress to her hair! Sorry for the long post...
Thanks!
My mum has got a lot of grey coming through and has been using box tints for god knows how long but has decided that she wants to go quite an ashy blonde so that when her roots do come through, they blend in more and look more subtle in between colours. She was probably a base 3/4 and had some highlights done by a friend. They really hadn't put that many through at all and despite charging her for a full head, they probably only packed in just under half a heads worth, no toning. She was fine with it but her roots have now grown through and it was looking awful.
Yada yada... I've ended up doing a full head of foils for her (which in hindsight should have been back to back) with Blondor and 6% which lifted quite well. The ends are the worst if you can imagine! I ended up doing a bleach bath on the ends after the highlights and her condition is really good. I've then made the mistake in attempting to use 9/81 to tone her hair with 6% diluted down to 3%. This had caused the roots to lift a fair amount and didn't really do much for the ends really (granted because they weren't light enough). I used the diluting method as I had no pastel (We used to do that when I was in the salon but as I said, that was some way back!).
I will post some photos of the stage we're at now and She would like to be quite ashy but not too ashy so that it looks dark again. She's currently I'd say a base 9(?) on her roots and I'd say her mid lengths and ends are more of a base 7/6(?) and quite coppery (again, toner fail . My thoughts now to get her hair looking more uniformed after not wanting to have to bleach her ends again would be to use a combination of 9/81 and maybe 7/18, either 1:1 or 2:1 to help darker her roots a tad to match her ends? She absolutely does not want to go any darker than what her mid lengths and ends are now, but I need to sort the root glow out because it's driving me mad (she doesn't mind it thankfully!).
So my question is...does anyone have an idea how off I am with my mixing ratios on combining 9/81 with 7/81 and should I be using pastel on the roots and then 6% on the ends? In my head I'm thinking, the roots don't need any lift, so I should be using pastel and apply first and then apply the mix to the mid lengths and ends with 6% towards the end... but then I think 1.9%, I'm not going to be adding any depth am I?! Should the roots be done with double base added? OR would it make more sense for me to just go ahead with my original plan which was to do the mix with 6% and start on the root and then bring it through the ends in the last 15/20 mins?
The other thought in my mind was to say have a 1:1 ratio of 9/81 and 7/18 and then maybe a 2:1 ratio of 9/81 and 7/18 on the ends as the ends are possibly more porous despite being darker... OR scrapping both those ideas, applying a full head of 9/81 with 6%(?) and then using a watch and look method of applying 7/18 as a toner with pastel 1:2?
I'd really appreciate any advice and understand that sending her to the hairdressers was probably the more ideal outcome but she's not been feeling that well to go out and have a colour correction done in a salon (hence the friend doing it before). Also, I appreciate that I have not been colouring in a long time and I know a colour correction is a big/long undertaking, I really was never expecting her hair to kick out so much warmth! For extra info, She's about 100% naturally slatey grey in the front and the back is about 75%, her natural colour was probably a base 5 before the grey starting coming through! Currently have plenty of bleach, 6% and 9/81 but wanted to wait for more info before I purchase any pastel or 7/18! Thank you in advanced. I've also attached a photo of the kind of grey that she wants to achieve which is why I was thinking of 7/18 being mixed in with the 9/81... I even got thinking about special mix but then I thought that might be a bit of a risky one!! I appreciate that she may need more bleach but I don't want to add more stress to her hair! Sorry for the long post...
Thanks!