I was over-diluting my bleach for years without knowing it

A client came in last week for a major color correction, and her old stylist had used a 30 volume developer with a 1:1 ratio on her thick hair. It barely lifted. I always used a 1:2 ratio thinking it was gentler, but it just wasn't strong enough for some jobs. After talking with a mentor, I learned that for resistant level 1 hair, a 1:1 mix with 30 volume is often needed for proper lift. I tried it on a test strand, and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had to adjust their mixing ratios for different hair types?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nathan2mo ago

Yeah, @brian303 is right, saw the same thing with my own stubborn clients.

brian3032mo ago

Actually, the developer volume matters more than the ratio for lift. A 1:1 mix just makes more product, it doesn't change the strength. For resistant hair, you might need a higher volume, like 40, not just a thicker paste.

evanpalmer2d ago

Doesn't it seem like that's the case with a lot of stuff though? People focus on the wrong thing, like mixing ratios, when it's really the base strength that does the work, same as how everyone worries about the wrong detail in pretty much any project.