🎨 Mixology Basics: These Mistakes Ruin Your Color Result

🚨 Mistake No. 1: Mixing without a plan

“Oh well, just a bit of this and a bit of that…”
Sounds creative and often ends in chaos.

Hair colors are not neutral ingredients.
Every shade comes with undertones, pigment strength, and its own personality.

👉 Our tip:

• Decide in advance what you want to achieve

• Start with small amounts

• Write down your mixing ratio (future you will thank you 📝)

⚖️ Mistake No. 2: Wrong mixing ratios

A tiny splash of a very strong color can be enough to throw everyhing off.
Especially darker shades are real dominators.

Typical problems:

• the color becomes too dark

• the tone shifts cold or muddy

• the desired effect disappears completely

👉 Rule of thumb:
✔ Always dose strong colors carefully
✔ It’s easier to add more than to fix a mistake

🧪 Mistake No. 3: Using Matrix Color Base incorrectly

The Matrix Color Base has the same creamy consistency as all Headshot colors and is used to lighten shades when mixing.

Keep in mind:
The more Color Base you add, the lower the pigment density and coverage become.

Common mistakes:

• too much Color Base → color becomes very light and transparent

• using it on a base that’s too dark → undertones shine through

• skipping strand tests → surprise on the entire head

⚠️ Important: Matrix Color Base does not lighten your hair

This is a very common misconception:
Matrix Color Base cannot bleach or lighten your hair.

It:

• only lightens the mixed color

• reduces pigment density and coverage

• does not change your natural or bleached hair base

👉 This means:
If your hair is too dark or too warm,
Matrix Color Base cannot compensate for that.

For light or pastel results, this always applies:
✔ bleach properly first
✔ then adjust the color or mixture
❌ don’t try to replace missing brightness with more Color Base

A clean, light hair base is always the most important requirement for a great color result.

If you want to work specifically toward light or pastel shades, you’ll find a step-by-step guide with mixing ratios and examples here:
👉 Pastel Mixology: How to Mix Your Own Pastel Shade

https://headshot-haircolor.com/blog/pastel-mixology-how-to-mix-your-own-pastel-shade

🌡️ Mistake No. 4: Ignoring the hair base

The same mix can look completely different on two people.
Why? Because of the base.

Yellow, orange, or red undertones act like a filter on your mixture.
They affect:

• color direction

• depth

• brightness

👉 Before you mix:

• check your bleaching level

• identify undertones

• adjust your mix accordingly

If you’re unsure how problematic a yellow undertone really is for your desired result, read this article:
👉 Is a Yellow Undertone Bad When Dyeing Your Hair Bright Colors?

https://headshot-haircolor.com/blog/is-yellow-tint-a-problem-when-dyeing-your-hair-with-bright-colors  

🧴 Mistake No. 5: Underestimating residue in the hair

Styling residue, silicones, or heavy care products are color blockers.

The result:

• patchy color uptake

• uneven intensity

• faster fading

👉 Before coloring:

• cleanse hair thoroughly

• avoid care products

• better “squeaky clean” than over-conditioned

😬 Mistake No. 6: Using too many colors at once

More colors = more risk.
Especially at the beginning, less really is more.

👉 Our mixology rule:

• use a maximum of 2–3 colors

• build the base tone first, then fine-tune

• increase complexity with experience

💡 Good mixology is no coincidence

Mixology isn’t magic — it’s knowledge + intuition + preparation.
If you:

• know your hair base

• work cleanly

• mix intentionally

you’ll create unique shades that truly fit you 💖

And if something does go wrong:
Almost everything can be corrected — panic is never a good mixing partner 😉