Grey miscommunication! I need a big colourist hug

[Colour_Freak_91]

Hello all!
I’ve found myself in a bit of a predicament.
I had a client in the salon today that asked for pale granny grey. (The picture depicted a dark gunmetal root and pale lilacy silvery ends)
She was strawberry blonde so I lightened to a level 10 (over multiple sessions) and then applied the dark root, and the silver ends. It came out as I expected, a kind of gunmetal with blue undertones fading to a granny grey/silver blonde but my client hated the colour and then showed me an entirely different photograph of game of thrones Danaerys Targaryen white hair saying that’s what she wanted all along although it wasn’t what she showed me to start with.
I have now decided on the next appointment to lighten out the gunmetal with a full head of highlights and a low vol developer followed by my most platinum toner,
(I sent her home and told her to use coconut oil and deep conditioners/reconstructors)
but the trouble is that she was originally lightened to a 10 and while it was straight up that colour, she said it was too blonde, even with my most ash toner to avoid yellow tones for the grey.
I’m insanely confused because that’s what she’s asking for on the second picture.
Should I just give up that I will never please this client or just do the highlights and then tell her that’s as far as I can go?
I feel really bummed out about this as I put my all into my work and don’t want a bad review to tarnish a currently flourishing reputation, as rep is everything in the beauty industry and I love my job and want to do my best for every client.
But I feel like she’s kind of adamant about some sort of idea that really isn’t translating.
I’ve tried talking to her with the swatches to demonstrate but I can’t get a clear idea because what I suggest she hates and what she says she likes is opposite to what she asking for.
How would you guys deal with this situation/ any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[AcidPerm]

Do you think your client is slightly delusional and simply wants to morph into the character on the TV?
Some clients have completely unrealistic expectations and if your client already finds Platinum Blonde too blonde, then where do you go from there if the image she’s showing you is a fake white hair wig?

As has been said many times, it’s a tint brush not a magic wand in your hand.
I think if she’s unable to articulate exactly what she wants, even with the help of images and swatches, you need to send her on her way and suggest she tries another hairdresser who might be better suited for her. If you keep bleaching and tinting, her hair will eventually start to break off and she’ll readily blame you for that.

Maybe all she needs is someone to sit and braid her hair?

 

[Colour_Freak_91]

Oh god, AcidPerm thankyou so much!
I think she’s eventually going to drive me mad.
I’m going to let her chill out, take some time, really think about what she wants to achieve and if she still can’t give me a straight answer, and I’m still going round in circles, I will 100% pass her on.
Tbh I think I deserve a bit of a pat on the back as getting a level 7/8 strawberry/copper hue blonde to gunmetal and silver is kind of a hard thing to do. It’s literally opposites on the colour wheel.
At least she’s on the right lines now, maybe I will just tell her to buy a nice lace front?
I will post the end result if it ever happens lol!
I cannot wait for these weird hair trends to pass!
I am an alternative stylist, so am used to completely insane colour requests but that plus impossible clientele is actually just a recipe for drinking a heck of a lot of wine!

 

[redlottie13]

Oh god, AcidPerm thankyou so much!
I think she’s eventually going to drive me mad.
I’m going to let her chill out, take some time, really think about what she wants to achieve and if she still can’t give me a straight answer, and I’m still going round in circles, I will 100% pass her on.
Tbh I think I deserve a bit of a pat on the back as getting a level 7/8 strawberry/copper hue blonde to gunmetal and silver is kind of a hard thing to do. It’s literally opposites on the colour wheel.
At least she’s on the right lines now, maybe I will just tell her to buy a nice lace front?
I will post the end result if it ever happens lol!
I cannot wait for these weird hair trends to pass!
I am an alternative stylist, so am used to completely insane colour requests but that plus impossible clientele is actually just a recipe for drinking a heck of a lot of wine!

I was about to say just this I'm a natural copper 7 and my hair point blank refuses to go blonde let alone grey!

Well done, and well done for not throttling her [emoji23]

 

[Colour_Freak_91]

I was about to say just this I'm a natural copper 7 and my hair point blank refuses to go blonde let alone grey!

Well done, and well done for not throttling her

I was about to say just this I'm a natural copper 7 and my hair point blank refuses to go blonde let alone grey!

Well done, and well done for not throttling her [emoji23]

Thankyou Redlottie! It was a nightmare and a lot of perseverance with several 6% bleach and ash toning sessions (9% roots). I use the Shwarzkopf blondeme and it’s epic!!
I am game for a challenge! But I think her issue is that she needs to just accept that her hair isn’t a picture from Pinterest, and start thinking a bit more realistically!

 

[jamiereid92]

It sounds like she doesn't really know what she wants, see what she says in a few days time, but if she showed you images of the dark grey fading into a lilac and that's what you've achieved, then charge her full price to correct it.

You haven't done anything wrong she just doesn't like what she has asked for.

Like AcidPerm said, her hair won't be able to take much more, so you both have to be 100% certain what she wants and what your going to do now.

Good luck x

 

[redlottie13]

It sounds like she doesn't really know what she wants, see what she says in a few days time, but if she showed you images of the dark grey fading into a lilac and that's what you've achieved, then charge her full price to correct it.

You haven't done anything wrong she just doesn't like what she has asked for.

Like AcidPerm said, her hair won't be able to take much more, so you both have to be 100% certain what she wants and what your going to do now.

Good luck x

Totally agree.

I had a client go on holiday so her rootdrag faded, "but I paid before I went so it should last"

Sweetheart I cannot control the bloody sun now can I [emoji23][emoji379]

 

[jamiereid92]

We had a client say she wasn't happy with her balyage a couple of weeks ago, I asked her to come back in so I could have a look at it... She asked if she could come back in 8 weeks to get it redone...

Some clients think we're so stupid [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[redlottie13]

We had a client say she wasn't happy with her balyage a couple of weeks ago, I asked her to come back in so I could have a look at it... She asked if she could come back in 8 weeks to get it redone...

Some clients think we're so stupid [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Hahahaha omg ......ERM NO

 

[Colour_Freak_91]

It sounds like she doesn't really know what she wants, see what she says in a few days time, but if she showed you images of the dark grey fading into a lilac and that's what you've achieved, then charge her full price to correct it.

You haven't done anything wrong she just doesn't like what she has asked for.

Like AcidPerm said, her hair won't be able to take much more, so you both have to be 100% certain what she wants and what your going to do now.

Good luck x

Thankyou,
Yes! Exactly!
She said the gunmetal grey looked ‘too fake’. And the toned level 10 was ‘too bright’ Well duh... That’s the general consensus when you ask for unnatural platinum/silver hair.
I’m going to give her a final chance on Thursday...
My plan is if she’s agreeable to ‘a touch of silver’ is to take it as bland natural-ish blonde as possible, but leave a tiny bit of the gunmetal, lilacy combo and ever so carefully highlight the gunmetal to give the illusion of lightness with 10vol and use a non invasive toner like shwarzkopf’s ‘Ice’.
I might even do the highlighting in quarters just to be sure I don’t process too long as I am aware she’s now close to meltdown stage!
I won’t go near the ends of the hair now, will leave em out, it’s too light and I’m pretty sure it won’t thank me. Can only try to give it a more blonde appearance and then send her away.

 

[redlottie13]

Thankyou,
Yes! Exactly!
She said the gunmetal grey looked ‘too fake’. And the toned level 10 was ‘too bright’ Well duh... That’s the general consensus when you ask for unnatural platinum/silver hair.
I’m going to give her a final chance on Thursday...
My plan is if she’s agreeable to ‘a touch of silver’ is to take it as bland natural-ish blonde as possible, but leave a tiny bit of the gunmetal, lilacy combo and ever so carefully highlight the gunmetal to give the illusion of lightness with 10vol and use a non invasive toner like shwarzkopf’s ‘Ice’.
I might even do the highlighting in quarters just to be sure I don’t process too long as I am aware she’s now close to meltdown stage!
I won’t go near the ends of the hair now, will leave em out, it’s too light and I’m pretty sure it won’t thank me. Can only try to give it a more blonde appearance and then send her away.

I would also make her aware this is the last time you are going to do anything as her hair possible won't take it! Then ditch her [emoji111]️

Good luck love x

 

[Colour_Freak_91]

I would also make her aware this is the last time you are going to do anything as her hair possible won't take it! Then ditch her [emoji111]️

Good luck love x

Oh yes, definitely!
Thankyou
I’m going to do a strand test, one foil, and then check the integrity before I even touch the rest, just to be 100% sure.
A client that has a colour they don’t like is a lot better than one without hair!
If it’s gummy and broken, it’s tough beans I’m afraid. It’s a choice of go darker or the hit the road!
I have a mobile hairdresser friend who helps me out occassionally, so I think I’ll just call her in as a second confirmative opinion at the very least.