Showerthought: Did bleach lifts really start fading faster after 2020 or is it just my technique slipping?

I swear my clients' highlights go brassy in like 3 weeks now vs the 6 weeks I used to promise, and I'm torn if it's the new formulation laws or if I'm just using the wrong developer temp - anyone else noticing this shift?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael5193mo ago

Oh man, I've been fighting this exact thing. Check your water first - if your salon switched to a filtered system or the local water treatment changed, that'll mess with porosity way more than you'd think. I had to bump my toner processing time by like 5 minutes and drop to a lower volume developer for fine hair after 2020. Also try using a protein filler before lightening, it helps the hair hold onto the color longer.

the_wyatt3mo ago

Blame the supply chain changes. Everything got reformulated at once around that time, from hair products to hand soap to frozen pizza. I noticed it in household cleaners too - they all seemed weaker or just different after 2020. Probably some base ingredient supplier shifted things and now every brand's formula is slightly off from what it used to be. Your technique is fine, the chemistry just isn't the same anymore.

skyler_white951mo ago

Right because nothing says 'professional' like blaming your brassiness on the federal water supply instead of admitting your cheap developer is getting old.