TIL that mixing my developer 1:2 instead of 1:1 gave me the best gray coverage in 12 years behind the chair
I had a client last Tuesday, Mrs. Patterson, who has about 40 percent gray and always complains her roots go brassy after two weeks. I was low on 20 volume developer so I mixed what I had left at a 1:2 ratio with my color instead of the usual 1:1, just to stretch it, and figured I would see her again in a month to fix whatever went wrong. The color took longer to process, closer to 45 minutes instead of 30, but when I rinsed her out the gray was completely gone and the tone looked cooler and richer than anything I have gotten with my normal mix. She came back this week for a trim and the color had barely faded, which never happens with her. I did some reading after and learned that a thinner mix lets the dye penetrate the gray cuticle better since gray hair is more resistant. Has anyone else played with their developer ratios for stubborn gray, and did you find a sweet spot that actually holds up past the three week mark?
I saw a video from a colorist saying thinner developer ratios help with resistant gray, so your post backs that up. Gonna try 1:2 on my next stubborn client and see if her roots hold up past three weeks.