Education week: 10 common hair colour complaints and how to deal with them

Great hair colour is the best way to accentuate skin-tone, bring out eyes and complete a hairstyle, but when colour goes wrong it can be a disaster. These are some of the most common hair colour complaints you're likely to witness and the fail-safe solutions to resolve them. 1. Grey hairs peeking through Grey hairs are usually one of the first signs of ageing, so their arrival can be quite traumatic for a client and you’ll need to deal with them delicately. Don’t just assume that your client will want to cover their greys, and let them know that you can help them if they want to go grey naturally. If they want to cover grey hair discuss the options - block colour or soft tonal blending with highlights - and explain the need for regular re-touches. 2. Colour that doesn’t fit in with their lifestyle This is the client with high maintenance hair, but a low maintenance budget or serious lack of the time it takes to keep the colour in tip-top condition. Look for ways to work with their natural shade to prolong the life of the colour; think about clever colour placement (if the highlights are along the parting, regrowth is going to appear quickly) or alternative techniques like bayalage for beautiful colour with longevity. 3. An at-home colour disaster Many clients see DIY hair colour as a cost saving, but when it goes wrong they’re going to come running to you for advice and it’s likely to cost them even more. When that happens, be helpful, never judgemental and offer them a plan for how you are going to correct it. Be realistic. If it is going to take more than one appointment to correct, tell them that. Educate the client in good hair colour, resolve the problem and you’ve got the makings of a loyal client. 4. Excessive colour fade This is the client who spends lots of money on her hair, but then uses a cheap inappropriate shampoo, has a penchant for swimming, doesn’t protect it from appliances or cover it in the sun. All you can do is give her great product advice to educate her on how she should treat her colour. If you have any promotional or gift-size products this could be the client you should pass them on to - to make her realise what a different good hair care can make. 5. Wanting to go too blonde too fast Just because her best friend went ice white in two appointments, that doesn’t mean your client can too. Going blonde is a bit of a journey and it takes time to lighten the hair to the client’s requirements. Unfortunately, that’s not something everyone who sits in your chair is going to want to hear! The key to this one is to be honest and realistic. You may lose some clients if you tell them they can’t get the result they want straight away; you may also get them back somewhere down the line when they realise you were right! 6. A nasty green tinge We’ve all seen that greenish shade that looks like it’s had a bad reaction to a chlorine swimming pool, but when it’s someone sitting in your chair, you need to counter-balance the green. And fast. The green tinge often happens when covering grey hair or trying to colour blonde without enough warmth or depth. To solve the green disaster you might need to think about a darker base and you’re definitely going to need to add some warmth. An appropriate shampoo and conditioner will also help maintain the desired hue. 7. Hair has a red residue Unwelcome warm tones are the evil cousin of the nasty green tinge. Solving this problem all comes down to the basic principle of counter-acting the colour with one from the opposite end of the colour wheel to create a neutral. So while adding warm tones can help the green problem, you’ll need cool tones to help this client. Again, send her home with a colour appropriate aftercare and she’ll be delighted. 8. Colour banding Don’t you just hate that look that’s light at the roots, dark in the middle and light at the ends? A client with colour bands is going to need some serious TLC. Find out how it got there (you may find a bit of DIY colour comes into the equation!) and create a plan to resolve it. The solution will vary from client to client, but you may find you need to strip the hair or add highlights to break up the colour. 9. Colour that is too dark for the client This is usually caused by colour build-up and can leave the client looking washed out. The first priority is to cleanse the hair with clarifying or detoxing shampoo. A good consultation will help to make a more appropriate colour selection. Too dark hair may mean it’s time to think about a change in colour technique - an ombre look or subtle highlights may be more suitable. 10. Hair that is too blonde The combination of over processing, too much bleach and over highlighting can wreak havoc on the hair and create a look that is just too blonde. The good news is it’s easy to fix. Use toners to rectify block colour, or lowlights to tame too blonde highlights, but make sure you follow it with a good conditioning treatment. With thanks to Issie Churcher, hob Salons; Tasha Stevens, Jamie Stevens; Scott Smurthwaite, Cream hairdressing; Johnny Othona, Ena Hair Salons Main image credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock