That moment I realized I was using too much developer for 10 years

I've been doing hair for about 12 years now and it wasn't until 6 months ago that I figured out I was using way too much developer with my color. A new girl straight out of school named Jess was working next to me at the salon in Nashville and she asked why I was using a full bottle of 20 volume for a root touch up. She said her instructor taught her to measure with a scale instead of just eyeing it. I blew her off at first but then I weighed my color mixture and realized I was using almost double the amount of developer I actually needed. All those years of wasted product and weaker color payoff because I thought more liquid meant better coverage. Has anyone else had a junior stylist or assistant correct something you've been doing wrong forever?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlieh7420h ago

Wait, you're telling me I could have been measuring my color this WHOLE time? I always thought using extra developer just made the color spread easier and gave more coverage, especially on longer hair. But weighing it out makes SO MUCH sense now because I'd end up with way more mixture than I needed and half of it would just sit there. I honestly feel like a dummy for not realizing cheaper product usage and BETTER color payoff come from just following the actual ratios. This girl Jess might have saved you hundreds of dollars over the years, that's wild.

henry15014h ago

Is it really that serious though? I mean yeah sure weighing stuff out is more accurate but I've been eyeballing my color for years and never had a major disaster or anything. Feels like one of those things where the savings are real if you're doing it every single day in a salon but for home use the difference might not be that huge.

jesse_smith1018h ago

Man I've been there too, I used to dump in extra developer like it was going out of style thinking I was being generous with coverage lol. The first time I actually weighed my color I think I used like 40% less product than normal and the color came out better somehow. It's one of those things where you feel kind of dumb after but honestly nobody teaches you this stuff unless you're in school for it. You're not a dummy, you just hadn't been shown the light yet like the rest of us!