Tried a new balayage technique on a client with box dye and it went totally orange

I saw a video for a 'low and slow' bleach application on dark, box-dyed hair, promising a clean lift. Did it exactly as shown, but after 45 minutes, the mid-lengths turned a bright copper orange while the roots lifted fine. The color line I used was Wella, and I mixed it at the recommended ratio. Learned that old dye molecules can grab bleach differently, and a test strand is non-negotiable. Anyone have a go-to formula to fix this kind of banding without frying the hair?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy3514d ago

Wait, did you use the same developer for the bleach mix as the color line? Because Wella makes both color and lightener, and they're not always meant to be mixed together. Using a color developer with bleach powder can make it way too harsh and unpredictable on that old dye.

taylorlewis4d ago

Ugh, box dye can be so stubborn. I've had luck fixing that orange band by carefully applying a green-based ash toner just to the mids, it neutralizes without over-processing.