Colour correction advice needed asap!

[dales nails]

After being on Marternity for 7 months i have started back to work part time on a thursday and Friday. The majority of my work is previous clients. But i went to do a consultation on a aquaintence of my sisters who loves my sisters hair and wants to have it exactly the same colour. My sister mentioned a salon haad turned it a grey/khaki colour and she had visited other top end salons who also couldnt get her hair to the required shade. So i agreed to do a consultation yesterday with a view to doing her hair this coming friday afternoon.
Well i turned up to her house and she had just washed it so her hair was damp, and she had just had a power cut so couldnt dry it off. even with it wet and towelled dried i could see it was very ashen and grey looking not even resembling a shade of blonde just very flat and grey., but obviously with it being damp it was hard to get a true allover colour
she had previously been having a full head blonde and she had found it had got too light and white, so she had requested her hairdresser to turn it a more golden shade of light blonde and it just turned grey. And she hasnt been able to have it rectifed since.Her natural colour is around a base 7, with what looked like golden banding around her root area from the last time she had it coloured. Her target shade is a vibrant golden blonde, on the shade chart she liked wella 10/03. My sisters hair which she loves, is a natural base shade of 7 which i do a full head of colour in 12/89 with a full head of weaved foils throughout in shade 9/03 with some wella blondor fine weaved foils throughout a parting area. Im just struggling to think how i can acheive this result on this ladies hair. I have taken some test pieces to have a play with but im just not sure what direction to head in. As i have obviously got to lift her root area to the desired shade, she has the golden banding at her roots and her mid lengths and ends are very flat grey and ashen and white in places. They obviously need some serious warmth adding to them, but im not sure if a golden blonde tint can lift and remove this grey mousy flat colour. Hints tips greatrly received ladies. Its just very awkward with it being an aquaintence of my sisters. HELP!!!!

 

[Lamaur man]

Its difficult to say without looking at the hair. But you could maybe put the 10/03 on the roots with 30 vols, then match up the mid lengths and ends with the slightly warmer 10/3 to neutralise the ash. I would personally use the color touch 10/3 for this. But if the mid lengths and ends are very damaged and porous, you could use a semi-permanent like color fresh.

 

[VIVA.GLAM]

Whatever you do, you don't want to LIFT those mid-lengths/ends if they're as light as you say. As Lamaur Man said, it's difficult to suggest anything without seeing the hair. :/

 

[persianista]

Which colour make do you use/have access to?

 

[dales nails]

Hi thanks for your suggestions, ill have a try out with them on test pieces. I use wella colours, but have access to all professional colours. It was the most bizarre colour i have ever seen very flat to the point of looking mousy,most definately not blonde. she is wanting to acheive a vibrant blonde that is a classic baby blonde but with golden tones throughout. i didnt know whether to use foils to offer a multi tonal effect,and colour the roots/midlengths /ends inbetween so there was different shades of blondes throughout. I couldnt figure out whether i was making this a more difficult process in my head than this actually is! lol. usually i am very confident with colour and instantly know what i am going to use, but this actually stumped me!!anymore suggestions or theories will be so appreciated!

 

[dales nails]

Well i did the test pieces. with 10/3 on the mid lengths and ends, it just added warmth but still looked very dark basically a warm caramel.(which i thought would happen as even though warmth was needed with it appearing a dark grey it did need some lift) The trouble is it looks like she has had that much tint on the mid lengths and ends trying to correct this dark grey ashen flat colour it has actually made the ends appear darker and because her mid lengths and ends where so white and porous before. Basically she was a full head very light ash blonde previously (as i have seen from photos) and she had asked her hairdresser to tone it down to a more softer golden blonde which she said he was reluctant to do but did and it turned out bluey grey. All i can think he has applied was a beige blonde surely he wouldnt have applied a darker ash blonde, but from the result it could possibly have been? Then all the other salons she has visited to try and correct it have been able to lift her roots but her mid lengths and ends have got darker and flatter. What i feel it needs is a gentle cleansing bath on the mid lengths end ends to remove this dark grey ashen effect and at least leave me with a lighter base to play with and tone and add different warm and lighter blonde highlights? what do you guys think i know it is very hard to advise without seeing the hair. the trouble is with having that many colours on her ends her condition has been affected not to mention under all this tint she was previously very light white blonde, so very cautious about trying to do this now. I have spoke to her on the phone and explained this, as i feel its unfair for me to take her money when i know i cannot give her the results she wants or at least make it significantly "better" or do a colour job i would be proud of, I have explained that she would need to have some reconstruction conditioning treatments and advised her of some products and that i would be willing to do some other test pieces on a few weeks and after a cut to see if her condition allows me to do anymore. Any hints and tips would be appreciated. thanks guys. x

 

[Lamaur man]

Hi again.

Yes it definatley sounds tricky as she has had so many colors done previously. I suppose you could gently bleach bath to lift out the dull mid lengths and ends, which you say will leave you a fresh base to color on again, but make sure the hair is strong enough after your protein treatments. I would personally do at least three protein treatments, then stretch test to check the elasticity of her hair. But if in doubt, I would leave her hair and advise further regular trims and treatments. You don't really want to further damage her hair because you could cause more problems with trying to get the right color. I would also advise her to stop putting her own colors on in future.

xx

 

[dales nails]

Thanks for that, that is what i have advised to have some reconstructing conditioning treatments, regular trims then i will have a look and do furthur test pieces and i will assess the situation furthur down the line. I just said i am not willing to colour her hair in its present state/condition. The best of it is the poor women has always had her hair coloured professionally and this was all ccaused by previous hairdressers. Not one test piece or skin test was carried out by any of these salons, all very big named chain salons also, they were all just happy to take her money fob her off with some story and send her out with grey multi toned hair!! shocking!

 

[Lamaur man]

Hi again.

Yes thats very wise to leave her hair and carry out reconstucting protein treatments. Those big name salons should be ashamed of themselves.
Big name chain salons are always only concerened with profits.

Small private salons are the best, as there is always that family orientated customer service and care.

What protein treatments do you use by the way. I always like to know about other products and how good they are.

 

[BeckyGee]

i think the best thing to do in this situation is explain to her that the desired colour is looking nearly impossible with the hair in this current state ... sometimes i find if you over complicate a job and try your hairdest to get the hair to the colour she really wants as soon as possible it just makes it worse and can bring it to a more damaged condition .. at the minute it sounds like the best thing you can do is bring it to a nice colour and work from there .. it may not be the original colour but anything is better than a washed flat mousy grey colour ... explain that you can get it to a nice colour so it doesnt look greyish and then work from there carrying out conditioning processes inbetween ...
i would gentle cleanse using L'Oreal effasor (fantastic stuff) and that should remove alot of the ashy tones and lighten the hair quite abit .. effasor is quite gentle on the hair aswell so it shouldnt affect the condition of it .. as long as you only do a gentle cleanse .. then i would probably do a mixture of golden blonde and golden light brown highlights and lowlights and choose a very warm medium base colour as a base colour inbetween the hightlights .. this is bring it to a warm highlighted nice base colour all over ... atleast it will be a nice colour that you can work with gradually .. it wil be a colour that she should like and can live with for a few weeks to give her hair a break untill the next time you work on on her hair ... and then you will have a nicer base tone to work with ...
hope this helps xx:green:

 

[dales nails]

thanks for the input guys, i have heard good reports about the effasor but have never tried it out, do you apply it the same way as a cleansing bath or apply it to the desired area in foils? would you think a warm 10 base applied as the base shade inbetween the foils ? I have reccommended she uses the joico kpak resurrection treatments at home. x

 

[Lamaur man]

thanks for the input guys, i have heard good reports about the effasor but have never tried it out, do you apply it the same way as a cleansing bath or apply it to the desired area in foils? would you think a warm 10 base applied as the base shade inbetween the foils ? I have reccommended she uses the joico kpak resurrection treatments at home. x

You can use effasor on foils or the whole head, but bear in mind this product is quite strong. It strips colour in virtually the same way as bleach. If you apply it to dark hair, it gradually gets lighter from orange to yellow ect. They say however that it is gentle. IT IS NOT GENTLE. You can add peroxide to it, or if the hair is already quite light, you can just add hot water to it.
Some people do use it as a bleach bath, but please make sure you read all the instructions on its use before trying it out.

 

[NickCalg]

Hi everyone. If your still worried, you can try Paul Mitchell's color remover, Backtrack. I haven't used it personally but all my hair buddies swear by it.
Besides protein treatments, make sure there's enough moisture back in as well. I love using Redken's Deep Fuel, Anti-Snap Leave In, CAT. If those can't help, not much will.
I'd hedge a guess the ends feel soft, spongy or mushy? Way too much abuse on her part.
By the sounds of things those ends will keep taking the warmth and keep going darker from being so porous. You may want to balance them out with a glaze or demi. If your really worried with using those, I'd recommend using Sebastian Cellophanes. But remember her hair may not want warmth or goldy tones, you may have to add a lighter copper. If its a level 7 (tricky level that one) I'd say try a level 9. Maybe even something in a coppery gold blonde level 8.
Best of luck