To think the hairdresser has totally messed my hair up?

[Maria53]

I am naturally auburn but fancied a change to strawberry blonde/peach. When I went in the hairdresser, we will call her J, said she would need much longer to achieve that colour so I would need to come back. She also kind of talked me out of doing it, saying it would be a lot if root maintenance. She suggested I instead get loads of highlights with a strawberry blonde coloured toner through it to make it look like I had lots of that colour through my hair (pic attached, the one I took to them). She then said I'd need to go with another hairdresser due to availability.

Well see pics of how my hair actually looks. I feel like crying because it just looks like blonde highlights theough my auburn hair. I was looking forward to some peachy vibrancy but it doesnt look that way at all. I havent cried since I was about 17 over my hair but it is not what I expected from the discussion we had. it was really expensive too! AIBU?

Also any hairdressers to advise.

I had hair that exact colour when I was younger (natural, it has gone darker now). I have literally never met anyone else with the same colour except my brother (my dad had proper ginger hair), and hairdressers have commented that they hope I never go grey because it would be bloody hard to colour-match. I dye my eyebrows, and there are no box dyes that golden colour. They are all either too orange or too red. It seems to be a really hard colour to achieve, maybe because it's non-standard.

I honestly think you would have been even more disappointed if she'd tried to achieve it - it would either have come out as tango, or brassy blonde. The undertones are totally different to yours, even though you are auburn.

If it helps, I desperately wanted dark golden brown hair as a teen, and could only either achieve green-brown or dark red (depending on how much I stripped out my own colour). Some colours just won't work on your hair.

I am no style expert but ignoring the colour... the second picture the hair length looks pretty unevenly done?!

'I am no style expert but ignoring the colour... the second picture the hair length looks pretty unevenly done?!'

I thought that too.

Oh OP, you could achieve closer to that colour with a box dye, not sure why a salon can’t! It’s a lovely colour but not at all what you asked for.

@LioneIRichTea she really couldn't. It's a lot lighter than her current colour, so she'd have to bleach it first. And honestly, box dyes come in either copper, or red. They don't come in that strawberry blonde colour. I have looked, for years. The closest you can get is something like this, which I promise you is really orangy in real life.

I've seen someone with this sort of dye job and irl it has a lot of pink tones in it.

I can see why you are frustrated as it isn't what you wanted but I don't think it looks bad.

To get the hair in the photo it could have to be completely bleach stripped out first. Your hairdresser told you that this would take a long time and be very high maintenance and she was right. It vwould also have probably wrecked your hair.

This is so true OP, and as someone who has been there it would have looked bad and taken you years to grow out. you may have had a lucky escape here.

I think Immigrant is right about your options, but whatever you do I think this will be easier to deal with than the damage that could have come from plan A.

It was half dry when I posted originally, this is it once finished.

The replies saying my hair looks better than the pic have cheered me up! I dont delete condition is too bad personally. I think blonde highlights always make it a bit worse.

It seems like they should have just told me they couldn't do it. Not told me they could do stawberry blonde highlights!

I see some people think stawberry blonde wouldn't be possible for me and I don't understand why. I have 2 friends that have had a similar colour in recent years!

Honestly I'm considering just getting strawberry blonde box dye and dyeing the highlights. Could be risky.

Sorry op but thats a bollocks result to what you asked for and they have used a shitty cop out excuse too. I have naturally very dark hair and have had very similar to the photo you wanted in that my hairdresser did loads of copper and honey highlights through my hair and i mean loads that it looked copper when he was finished. Yours shes just flung a few thin highlights in it and called it a day. Go back and complain.

I should say your hair doesnt look bollocks! I mean the effect compared to what you wanted is obviously bollocksm i should have proof read! Sorry op your hair is beautiful.

I think the finished pic looks great OP. Genuinely not just saying that.

Don’t do anything to it it looks great.

It’s a shock when you do anything major. See how you feel in a few days but I really wouldn’t start messing about with it.

Personally I think the hairdresser is right that with darkish (auburn) hair highlights works better, and it would have been very high maintenance to have the roots done regularly.

Looks much much better in the second post. The first one looked really streaky and a bit pink, the second one looks lovely.

From that last pic I think it looks lovely.

It looks really good. I thought it was clear it was not quite dry in your original pics so don't know why people though it was a condition issue.

It looks lovely OP! Don't change it.

To be honest your natural colour looks significantly darker than the “goal” photo (in your recent photo it could pass for brown) so I can understand why she mentioned the frequent need for root touch ups.

You would have to go a full head blonde when you want strawberry blonde, regardless of you naturally having an auburn undertone to your hair as the colour you want is significantly lighter; your natural colour isn’t light enough for them to just throw the colour on top.

I don’t think highlights was the right way to go, I think a balayage would have looked better.

It definitely has shades of strawberry blonde now it’s dry. You can’t go colour you want from the colour you were but she’s done a cracking job on changing your colour with highlights.

@TatianaBis

I think the finished pic looks great OP. Genuinely not just saying that.

Me too. It's gorgeous. I didn't like it originally but now seeing the end result, it's fab!

Don't touch it! It's way nicer than the image of the colour you wanted!

Maybe ask them if they can throw on a “ginger” (warm blonde?) toner on top free of charge. I think you’d get closer to the colour you want as it should make the toner richer/more prominent

In all honesty I would take the photo to a different hairdresser and ask them how they could achieve it.

My hair is naturally mousey brown, dyed chocolate brown and then I decided bright copper was the way forward...

So my hair was bleached to get rid of all the build up and colour, then dyed copper... In the space of three hours I went from dark chocolate to bright copper.

In terms of roots I definately need mine doing every 5 weeks but its worth it to me as I love my colour.

Not helpful to your question but I had to post and say, your hair is beautiful!

I really like your new hair colour. It's really pretty but it's absolutely not like the pic you asked for.

@hastingsmua1 pass for brown! I know you are right but it makes me a bit sad to hear it. I was born with bright copper red hair. I used to get comments from strangers until it really started to dull about 5 or 6 years ago. I feel sad to see how it has changed and I suppose I want to recreate that original vibrancy.

This a photo I took yesterday- I definitely think it looks red here??

I'll maybe see how I feel in a few days. It is just I had in my head a very firm image of how it would look and feel disappointed/dont think it resembles what they said they would do.

Not unreasonable. It’s still nowhere near what you asked for and therefore you’re entitled to complain if that is what you paid for. I understand your frustration. Please speak up and say so.

It looks really nice though now so don’t worry about that!