Bleached a client's hair at 40 volume and it melted off - what now?

I was at my chair in Tulsa last Tuesday, applied 40 volume bleach to a client who swore she had virgin hair, but about 8 minutes in her ends started turning into literal mush. I rinsed immediately and got her to a salon down the street that does bond repair treatments, but she lost about 6 inches of length. How do you handle the moment when you realize the damage is already happening and you can't stop it fast enough?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordangibson17d agoTop Commenter

40 volume on somebody who says they have virgin hair is a HUGE risk and honestly that's on you for not testing a strand first. Three minutes in a strand test would have shown you her hair was compromised or had old color buildup. Next time do a quick test patch before you commit to the whole head.

simonreed14d ago

Eight minutes isn't much time at all for 40 volume to do that kind of damage, so that hair was definitely not virgin. I've been contracting for 15 years and I've seen plenty of hair disasters, but melted ends in under 10 minutes means there was old color or some kind of metallic salt buildup in there. Best thing you did was rinse fast and get her to a bond repair specialist right away. For next time, pull a couple strands from the back of her head and do a quick test with 20 volume before you commit to the full head with 40. Have you ever had a client lie about their hair history and then blame you for the result?