Dark box dye balayage turned out super orange and I'm confused

So I had a client with box black hair wanting a balayage last Thursday. I went in with 30 vol and my go to lightener, but when I rinsed, it was straight up orange, not blonde at all. We were aiming for a cool beige tone, and this was brass city. I slapped on a violet toner, which barely made a dent. Now she's texting me pics and it still looks off. Is the developer too weak for that level of color? Maybe I should have pre lightened in steps? Honestly, my usual method flopped and I'm scratching my head. What do you guys do when faced with stubborn dark dye?

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3 Comments

betty_gonzalez7mo ago

Yikes... sounds like you created a pumpkin spice latte instead of a balayage.

2

jaketorres7mo ago

Totally, @betty_gonzalez. That orange needs a color remover first, then lighten.

2

sam_martin7mo ago

What color remover did you use, @jaketorres? Some brands just make the orange darker. I've had to correct that exact mess before, and it takes way more steps to fix.

2