Colour Bar: Planning a Formula

10-15 minutes

Tutorial 20.11: Colour Bar: Planning a Formula

Introduction

This tutorial covers the Colour Bar's Edit screen — where stylists define the formula before mixing. You land here from the appointment hub via three entry paths: Start fresh, Copy & edit, or Edit formula (when a plan already exists on this appointment).

Who this is for: Stylists / colourists at the Colour Bar station What you'll learn:

Three ways to reach the Edit screen
Add bowls, products, and target grams
Per-bowl barcode scanning
Set formula name, developer volume, and notes
Save and move to Mix

Time to complete: 10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

Colour Bar set up and a colour appointment visible on Today (Tutorial 20.10)
Colour products in your catalogue (Tutorial 20.4)

Three ways to reach the Edit screen

On the appointment hub (what you see after tapping a row on Today), the available entry points depend on what already exists:

Path	When shown	What it does
Start fresh	When there is no formula in progress on this appointment	Creates an empty formula and opens it on Edit
Copy & edit	When the customer has a finalised formula on a previous appointment	Duplicates the most recent formula onto this appointment and opens it on Edit
Use this formula	When the customer has a finalised formula on a previous appointment	Duplicates and goes straight to Mix (no changes)
Edit formula	When an unfinalised formula already exists on this appointment (status "in mix")	Reopens the existing formula on Edit

Once a formula has been finalised on the appointment (status "applied" or "reweigh due"), the hub shows Reweigh now instead of Edit — the plan is locked by then.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Land on Edit

Tap Start fresh, Copy & edit, or Edit formula from the appointment hub. The Edit screen opens with the formula's current content (or empty for Start fresh).

Step 2: Set the formula name and developer

At the top of the screen:

Formula name (optional) — a human label you can find later (e.g. "Root touch-up 6N/6A")
Developer — 10, 20, 30, or 40 Vol

Step 3: Work the bowls

Each bowl is a card on the Edit screen. The first bowl is already there; more can be added up to six.

Per bowl you can:

Add a product — use the "Add a product to this bowl…" search dropdown (or scan a barcode — see Step 4). The selected product appears as a new row in this bowl.
Change the bowl number on any row to move a product between bowls.
Enter target grams — the planned weight for this product in this bowl (0.1 g increments).
Remove a product — tap the trash icon on its row.
Remove the bowl — tap the trash icon in the bowl header. Available whenever there's more than one bowl. Any products in the bowl are removed with it.

Each bowl holds up to 10 products. Once full, the add field shows "Bowl full (10 max)".

To add another bowl, tap Add bowl below the last bowl card. The button is disabled once you've hit six.

Step 4: Scan products per bowl

The Colour Bar's barcode scanner is active on one bowl at a time — the active bowl shows "Scanning into this bowl" under its search field. By default it's the most recently added bowl. To switch:

Tap the bowl card to focus it — the scan hint moves to that card
Scan a product's barcode with your USB / Bluetooth scanner
The product is added to that bowl automatically (you'll see a brief "Added [product name]" confirmation)
Enter the target grams on the new row

While you're on the Edit screen, the app-wide barcode scanner (which normally jumps to QuickPOS) is paused — so scans feed the formula editor instead.

If a scan doesn't match any product, you'll see "Barcode not recognised". Check the barcode is set on the colour product (Tutorial 20.4).

Step 5: Add optional notes

Below the bowls is a Notes field — use it for processing time, technique, allergy reminders, or anything the next stylist should know. Optional.

Step 6: Check totals

Below Notes, a live summary shows:

Target total grams across all bowls
Estimated cost based on each product's cost per gram

Use these to sanity-check the plan before saving.

Step 7: Save and move to Mix

When you're happy with the plan:

Tap Save & mix
The formula is saved and the Colour Bar moves to the Mix screen for this appointment (Tutorial 20.12)

Save & mix stays disabled until every row has both a product and target grams greater than zero.

Tap Cancel to return to the appointment hub without saving changes.

Common Pitfalls

"Scan isn't adding a product to my bowl"

The Colour Bar scans into one focused bowl at a time. Tap the bowl card you want to scan into — its hint should read "Scanning into this bowl". If the scan still doesn't match, check the barcode is set on the colour product (Tutorial 20.4).

"I can't add a seventh bowl"

Six is the maximum — plenty for almost every real-world mix. If you genuinely need more, split across two formulas on the same appointment.

"Save & mix is greyed out"

Every row needs a product selected AND a target grams greater than zero, and there must be at least one row. Add the missing details and the button becomes active.

"I typed a wrong product"

Tap the trash icon on the row, then search or scan the correct one.

"Copy & edit brought in products we don't stock any more"

Deactivated products won't appear in the product search, but they can come over from a Copy & edit. Tap the trash icon on any deactivated product row and choose a replacement.

"I tapped Remove on a bowl by accident"

The bowl and any products in it are gone immediately. Tap Cancel to return to the hub and choose Edit formula to reload the last-saved state (anything unsaved is lost).

Tips and Best Practices

Name the formula, always — a named formula is easier to find on the customer's next visit than "Unnamed — 14/4/26".
Use fewer, fuller bowls — six bowls is rarely necessary. Three or four keep the mixing station tidy.
Scan, don't type — a scanned barcode is faster and less error-prone than picking from the dropdown.
Copy & edit for regulars — if the customer's a regular, start from their last formula and tweak rather than building from scratch.
Review the cost estimate — if it's way higher than last time, something's off in the plan before you even pour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I plan a formula before the appointment starts?

Yes. Open the appointment via the date picker on Today and tap Start fresh or Copy & edit. Save the plan — it'll be waiting on the Mix screen when the customer arrives.

Does saving the plan decrement stock?

No. Stock only moves when you finalise on the Mix screen (Tutorial 20.12).

Can two stylists edit the same formula?

Avoid it — last save wins. Coordinate if you're working together on one colour.

What's the difference between "Copy & edit" and "Use this formula"?

Copy & edit lands on the Edit screen so you can tweak the duplicated formula. Use this formula skips Edit and drops you straight on Mix to weigh against the unchanged plan.

The customer is allergic to one of the products from last time — how do I swap it?

Tap the trash icon on the row, add the replacement product, adjust grams. The formula's lineage still traces back to the original.

Why can't I see "Edit formula" after the colour has been applied?

Once a formula is finalised, it's locked — the hub offers Reweigh now instead, so you can record any leftovers before closing it out.

Last Updated: April 2026