146: Top Toning Mistakes

As hairstylists, we learn from experience, reading, and practicing, but sometimes we still scratch our heads when bad hair color happens to good clients. We like to point fingers and blame the client, but it's not always their fault. Sometimes, it's because we messed up and didn't follow the rules, or never learned them in the first place. You know what they say, you gotta learn the rules before you can break 'em!

Today we’re going to talk about the top toning mistakes…why they happen and how to correct them. 

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Transcript

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As hairstylist we learned from experience reading and practicing, but sometimes we still scratch our heads when bad hair color happens to good clients. We like to point fingers and blame the client, but it's not always their fault. Sometimes it's because we messed up and didn't follow the rules, or never learned them in the first place. You know what they say? You gotta learn the rules before you break go. Well, hey there. This is Danise. And this is the salon ownership Made Easy podcast for salon owners who are searching for simple solutions to their everyday challenges. I've owned several six and seven figure award winning salons in my 30 year career. With so many changes happening in our industry these days, it seems like salon owners need a shoulder a hug and a big dose of reality. Think about it. We didn't learn how to be successful salon owners and beauty school. So why don't you let me share what has worked and what hasn't worked for me over the years, you do have what it takes to be amazingly successful. So let's do this. I'm excited you're here. Today we're going to talk about the top toning mistakes, why they happen and how to correct them. Okay, first things first, your toner fades too fast. We've all heard this right toners can fade due to various reasons, including the use of like cheap shampoo, pool water, and excessive heat. While these factors can affect the longevity of toners it's not always the clients fault. As a stylist, you play a crucial role in maintaining the toners vibrancy and longevity. We've all been there, we're at the shampoo bowl and time is ticking and we put that toner on and we see it change and we rinse it off. Well. A simple rule to remember is that the duration of toner processing is pretty much equal to the number of shampoo that's going to last. For example, if you leave a toner on for five minutes, then you can expect it to just stay on on tone for about five shampoos. Now this can be very concerning for your clients who wash their hair every day, their color might fade really fast. So to maximize your toners longevity, it's essential to understand the product and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully. If they say leave the toner on for 20 minutes, you need to leave the toner on for 20 minutes. Why you ask even though it looks like it's already doing its job. Well, some toning products they they have direct dyes and oxidative dyes which can give the impression of an immediate color change. However, this does not guarantee that the oxidative longer lasting dye is had enough time to take. So to avoid this, like I said it's just really really crucial that you leave it on for the maximum amount of time that the manufacturer suggest. Usually it's 20 minutes. Your mistake number two, the color is blotchy and uneven. We've had this happen. This has happened on my daughter's hair. So toners are meant to enhance hair color like the perfect icing on a cake, but unfortunately, this is not always the case. Even experienced stylists can be left with disappointing results including spotting, blotches, marbling and banding uneven porosity levels in hair are often the blame which can cause toner to pool in porous areas, and saturate deeply resulting in uneven color. This problem is even more noticeable on highlighted or over processed hair. Toning on dry hair dripping messy hair dye and combing through the ends can contribute to uneven color. However, there's some easy ways to fix this. But by understanding the causes of this, you can take steps to prevent it from happening again. So to avoid this first you need to even out the porosity of the hair. Now, we used to use a product called you for a fortify and it's basically we say I always say it's kind of like spackle on the hair so it fill in all the divots on the hair shaft. But whatever color line you use, I'm sure that they have some kind of porosity filler. If not, if you're using a bond builder, usually the second step in your bond builder will do the same thing. So this will smooth out the hair's cuticle for more even processing. Lastly, make sure you're working cleanly and watch out for drips. That'll save you 100% Somebody told me this, like if you're doing like a root smudge, it's actually better to make vertical sections instead of horizontal sections to put it on. There's lots of videos out there that explains this. But let's say you had uneven toning, and you wanted to fix it on the spot, just grab yourself a packet of Malibu's mat lib the Malibu's see quick fix, just follow the directions, and the toner should pull right out, no problem. And then just repeat the toning process after you even out the porosity and double check your formula. What about if you went to tone the hair and you didn't even notice it change or it turned at the wrong level? Ah, I think we've been there. So imagine that your client has dark brown hair and once blonde highlights for the summer. And at first you think no problem, and you proceed any give her a full foil. And after about 20 minutes processing, you check a foil, and you discover it's orange. And then you soon realize that her natural hair was not so natural. And then she's been dying at Brown for as long as she can remember. Ah, you then face the challenge of correcting this on a level seven orange hair, right. So after you explain the situation to your upset client, you let her know that there's two options, you can darken the hair or tone out the warmth. And she ultimately chooses to stay lighter, but tone out the warmth. Okay, but you feel a little bit uneasy since you're not into color correction, and you don't really know what to do. Because typically with your highlighted clients, you just go over to your level nines. And, you know, it always turns out great. Whoever this particular situation is, it's a little bit scary. So you decided to guess so you apply the ashes level eight you can find and you process it for the full time hoping it'll do the trick. Just before rinsing, you notice that it looks tongue down which you get really excited, right. But after blow drying, you notice an orange tint reflecting back in the mirror. And you think it might not be that bad and you continue. But once it's completely dry, all you see is orange everywhere and your clients freaking out. So what happened? The answer is very simple. You didn't turn on level, the bright orange created by the highlights with a level seven. But you turned at a level eight. This is a big mistake because the concentration of underlying pigment is heavier at a level seven than a level eight. In other words, to enhance your race or neutralize the underlying pigment, you must apply a color with the equal dye load at or below the existing level of underlying pigment. Lighter dye concentrations are not strong enough to make an impact. So you may see some change but just not enough. That happens a lot on level six hair because level six has got that red orange undertone. And you know when people wanted that mushroom brown color, it was really hard to get it's because we were all afraid to tone on level, because we thought that it would cover everything up. So to avoid this in the future, it's crucial, crucial to turn on level, grab a swatch dry section of the hair to be toned and match it for the most effective result. Additionally, ensure that you process the toners for the full time limit like we just talked about. So to fix this on the spot, just turn it again, this time on level or darker, you should be able to just tone it down. It's not a big deal. The client doesn't mean to freak out. Okay, so let's say that your toner took too drab or ashy or you get that green cast. You know, we've we've all seen that a client requests a change in hair color, and perhaps they want to go from blonde to brown. You know, they either broke up with her boyfriend or it's wintertime or something. We've all had clients like that. And so you're really eager to please them and and so you agree to the request, right? So the client is currently at a level nine and she wants to be in natural level five. So you're all excited and you take pictures and you're gonna share it on social media right so you begin mixing up your five in your neutral shade, which you've used before right for natural looking lowlights. And so you just go ahead and you apply it from roots to end. After a quick application and processing time. You blow dry the hair, and you notice an unusual result. The hair appears aged and unappealing with a strange greenish tint. Specially at the ends. What went wrong? Well, the cardinal rule of hair coloring was broken. The hair was not filled with warmth. Despite learning this lesson in beauty school. It is unfortunately forgotten a lot. But don't worry. As much as this situation sucks. It has happened to the best of us and you As it has, even though we sometimes wonder if filling the hair is a wasted step, skipping it is even more of a time killing mistake. Thankfully, you can correct this before your client leaves and leaves you a bad review. To avoid this in the future, always fill the hair first if you plan to darken it more than two to three levels. To do this, you need to add in the underlying pigment that the darker levels need to look natural. I'm referring to the warm tones, specifically the yellows, oranges and reds. If you need assistance, consider reaching out to a friend, teacher or mentor. Or you can watch a tutorial on your specific color line. It'll walk you through how to fill the hair. And you can find these on YouTube. So to fix this on the spot, again, grab your Malibu see quick fix, or if you have another color remover, and then pull that tent out and just start over. It'll be alright. Just make sure your guest knows it's going to be okay. Okay, so what was the result that you were looking for grab too dark? Well, if you toned your hair too dark, don't worry, it's a common mistake. And it can happen if you're in a hurry. Or if you're experimenting with a new toner, or maybe you left it on too long. The good news is that this mistake can be corrected and prevented with a few simple steps. So before we look at the solutions, first, let's look at why this probably happened. Number one, the hair was either overly porous and it grabbed the pigment, you toned at a darker level than what the highlights were. Or you chose an ashy tone. And although it isn't actually darker, it appears darker. Since it's not as reflective as the warmer tones. The good news is all these problems can be easily corrected and mostly avoided. We've talked about a lot of these before. So make sure you're eating out the porosity with you know I talked about the euphoria fortify where you can use your step two in your bonding. Make sure you're determining the existing level and the target level. And make sure you are choosing the correct pigment to either enhance erase or neutralize the underlying pigment. So to fix this on the spot, again, grab that trusty color remover like Malibu see quick fix, and no, this isn't sponsored. It's just an easy thing to work with. And just follow the directions. Being a colorist and having the experience in the salon is actually your most valuable teacher. And there's also just measures we can take to just navigate these potential edge issues. If you just keep a few simple things in mind, your mistakes are going to be few and far between. Okay, but but don't be too hard on yourself, because everybody makes mistakes. Okay, so first of all, always determine the existing level, whether it's your highlights, or whether it's your natural hair color. So you do this by just getting your your swatches and just determine the level you want to tone. And then what are you going to tone it? Are you toning darker? And if it's darker, do you need to fill it first. And then you got to ask yourself do you want to enhance or balance, erase it or neutralize the underlying pigment. Make sure that you're applying your toners quickly and cleanly. Whether you're doing it at the bowl or at your chair, makes no difference. It's just personal preference. A lot of people do it at their chair because it's a neater application. But then again, a lot of people like to do it at the bowl because they don't want to client to see orange or whatever, you know, they're trying to hide something. And then make sure that you're allowing your toner to process for the full manufacturer recommended time. And remember good rule of thumb, it's not science, but a good rule of thumb is each minute a toning equals one shampoo. So if you're only putting that toner on for five minutes, it's probably only going to last five shampoos. I've seen it time and time again. And if their hairs porous is not ever going to last one or two shampoos. So just think of that. We've all had unexpected things happen at the shampoo bowl, so don't worry, color is always fixable. Until next time, stay awesome. Hey there thanks so much for listening to the salon ownership Made Easy podcast today. Would you do us a favor? If you got value out of this week's episode? Will you share it with your friends? And while you're at it, go ahead and leave us a review. That way more business owners like yourself will find us and we can help them with the challenges they may be facing too. Thanks again, and we'll see you next week. Take care