Are these foils bad and can they be fixed?!

[PinkSpring]

I paid £75 for a full head of foils yesterday as I wanted to lighten up my hair a bit. I said I didn't want them to look stripey or for it be too unnatural but this is what I ended up with.

I really don't like it, I think it's stripey, it's not blended in, parts around the hairline are very harsh / the highlight starts very abruptly. Then I was in the salon it looked ok, it's when you look closer you notice all the issues!

I have already spoken with them and sent photos and they have asked me to come back in a couple of days and they will "fix" with no charge. But what should I be expecting them to do with this?! I want them blended in somehow, I don't want to look like someone has literally just drawn some highlighted stripes on my head!

They are a good salon, I have used them before (although not for colouring), they have very good examples of their work on Facebook and Instagram so I am not sure why mine has gone go crap?! The only things I noticed was that it was the same colour used for all the highlights and they didn't use a toner but that might be normal?

Any hairdressers on here give me any ideas on how they can fix this?

Why would you want the woman to fix it when she said she couldn’t do balayage and the result you want is balayage? She has already proven to you she can’t do basic highlights.

You have to use the right person for the job. Take for example my current hairdresser. His colouring skills are excellent. I’d trust him to do the colour you want. But he doesn’t have the more edgy cutting skills, albeit he cuts very well and with precision. Pre dd I wanted a very specific style and used to pay just over £100 for a cut 15 years ago.... Ie if I want an edgy cut, I would go to the right place. The same applies to colour. This woman is not even adequate at colour.

They aren’t great OP 😬 you poor thing - so disappointing when a treat doesn’t work out.

I had a similar experience the week before my wedding. It took two visits and about 6 hours to correct. Even then, they only managed to correct it by making it even lighter.

It was a very large and well known chain and I complained by calling their customer services. They then arranged for me to go to a different salon where I received a 5* service, free products, flowers etc. It looked great in the end, albeit a bit lighter than I’d planned.

Hope you get sorted

@Mummyoflittledragon because they have basically told me it's her who is going to fix it. If she doesn't or I still don't like it, then I will ask for a refund and go elsewhere but I think they want to at least give her the opportunity to fix it.

Well Gamble 66...you certainly made op feel great!
Going against the gran here but they are not totally awful but definately need redoing. I wouldn't worry too much about going out...maybe wear a hat if super self conscious!

@PinkSpring yes im a hairdresser
@malificent7 - she needs to know whats wrong and how wrong it is when she goes back - pointless faffing saying is ok - its bad and frankly will look worse as it grows out as the slices were way to thick and there is also bleed.

@PinkSpring i would say you don't want her putting it right - you need some veey fine baby lights and some low lights to blend this - if the colour is accurate you also need a caramel toner

Did you have a Full consultation ?
did the hairdresser do any tests on your hair before she did the foils ?
Did she do just a full head of blonde highlights or more than one colour ?
From the picture you showed ( dark with caramel low lights ) to you saying you wanted a full head of foils to go lighter are two different things?

If your hair was originally dark and one colour a full head of blonde foils is not going to get you the picture you originally showed its just going to take you a few shades lighter depending on if your hair was coloured or not before .

There's mis communication somewhere ?

@malificent7 wear a hat? Yes like somome wants to go to an event or the office wearing a hat - fucking stupid 😂

@PinkSpring curl it if you can that will blend it till you can get a fix

It’s not just the colour, it’s the application, you can see where some have bled , this does happen but should have been corrected at the time. It will get sorted op but horrible to be so disappointed.

@Natsel84

Consultation was me showing her the photo, saying this is what I wanted. No strand test, just a skin patch test.

She only used one colour on my hair, she didn't really explain what she was doing but I sort of assumed she would do more than one colour purely based on the photo!!

Basically, I said I want it like in the photo - she said it was done via highlights so we needed to do a full head of foils. I don't know any different so assumed she was right!!

I did query the colour when she started and I also asked if she was going to use a toner - she said the colour was nice already so no toner needed.

To those saying don't let her do it, I don't really have a choice. The salon has said they want her to fix it, she has said she wants to fix it. I don't have the money to go elsewhere and I don't think they will refund if I don't even let them try and fix it. If she does it and I still don't like it, then I will have to push for a refund.

@PinkSpring take the photo - ask to speak to the manager/owner and explain you wamt a senior stylist to put it right or you want a refund - if she just rents a chair and is self employed as for a refund.
Dont back down but honestly don't let her near your hair again

Sorry but what she has done would never achieve that picture! She’s given you a big standard set of badly done foil highlights. They are far too thick and not close enough to the root.

I think to get closer to that picture now she’d need to do some fine highlights or free hand lights then put a darker semi all over the rest to bring it back down.

Before she puts anything else on it though I’d want to have a good chat with her and understand exactly what she planned to do as I fear if that’s her standard of work she may make it worse rather than better!

@Gamble66 I have already spoken to the owner, it's only a small place and all the staff are self employed. So it's basically the one who originally did it fixes it or nothing - and if I ask for a refund, I won't be able to get in anywhere until after Christmas to get it sorted out.

It's just a huge mess. I am gutted, I really am. If she cannot do it, I am just going to request it's just dyed all over to cover up the streaks at least and then I won't go back again.

@PinkSpring

I agree with what @Roominmyhouse as said . Shes basically given you a full head of foils which is not what you wanted . (granted not the best )

She needs to do whats been suggested finer baby lights with a darker base throughout the rest and a toner to get the caramel colour .

I know you've shown her the picture but I honeslty can't understand how she would think giving you a full head of foils would achieve what you wanted.

Like @Gamble66 said curl it when you go out .

@Natsel84 I just don't know, there was also another girl there (also does colour) and she agreed it was a full head of highlights. I just stupidly assumed they knew what they were talking about or would be using different colours for the highlights - not just one blonde colour.

So I am telling her I want baby lights, a darker base colour and then a caramel toner?! I assume this can all be done over the top of the existing highlights?

Aw OP it is really not as bad as you think! Your hair looks wet in the pictures and that would make it look different. I can see worse dye jobs in the street right now. Chin up!

First of all it’s not a balayage it’s very chunky high lights that needs a proper toner ( I’m a hairdresser)
This needs fixing with very fine lowlights in a natural base and maybe some finer babylights to break it up but it deffo needs toning DOWN !
It’s an easy fix make sure your communications are on the same page as your stylist take pics for reference and don’t let same stylist do it get someone with more experience this will be a colour correction and easy to do with the right stylist
Big hugs it’s horrible when it’s not right xx

Haven’t RTFT but what you showed her isn’t done with foiles/highlights it’s ‘free hand balayage’.

She’s got the colour right, but not the technique or the amount of peroxide, it’s not lifted enough that’s why it looks a bit orange/not clean blonde enough also.

She didn’t know what she was doing is the bottom line. She’s not very good at highlights let alone being able to do freehand.

It’s definitely sortable but not sure you’ll be able to get to what you wanted.

A root stretch then an all over light creamy brown tint will make it look better. Go to somewhere a bit more on it. Preferably somewhere with a good Instagram page that shows a lot of their work on actual customers. If you find someone post the insta handle on here and I will take a look.

I would also fear she could make it worse. Id only let her loose on your hair if the hairdressers on here could advise you what to do if it was made even worse. Ie can you put a toner on it yourself or box dye etc? I do understand you want it fixed for Christmas.

Thanks all, I am taking notes of what to say needs to be done - although I would hope they know how to fix it without me, who knows nothing about hair, telling them!

I have been looking at their Instagram and Facebook and they do often take photos of their work and it's usually really good! Just recently they have done some very nice stuff so why the hell has mine been done so badly!

Like I said, I don't have a choice on anyone else doing it. If I still don't like it, I will ask for a refund and box dye over it until I can get into somewhere else.

I think the issue is the sections are far to wide - that's created the stipey look. Really, it should be teeny sections and lots and lots of them to create a more natural highlighted look.

If you've asked for a full head of foils, in my experience that will always really significantly change the colour of your hair overall. A half head gives a more subtle and softer blonde look, but a full head of highlights means quite a large amount of hair has been highlighted so the effect is that you will look a lot blonder.

Colour should have been discussed first if you were having a full head. To get the softer highlighted look they should have discussed using two colours or more - a lightener and a low light. Did you expresssly ask them for root stretch and balayage?

@ExeterMummaMia She was just shown the photo and I said I want it like this which she said she could do. I never said I just wanted full head of highlights, she said that is what was needed to achieve this look. I somewhat stupidly assumed she would do more than just the same colour highlight all over.

When I showed her the photo I explained that was exactly what I wanted to what I got isn't even close to it

You can’t not go out who gives a shit what people think.

By all means fix it but it’s not the end of the world and it’s not worth letting other people (if they even notice) control your emotions and behaviour.

No matter what you asked for, your hairdresser did a terrible job. It's uneven, the highlights are chunky and stripy and not natural looking at all. Even if you asked for bold highlights they shouldn't have given you that. Phone them up and say how disappointed you are and that you think they've done a terrible job which looks nothing like the photo you showed them. They should offer to fix it or give you a refund. If you get stuck, I'd recommend just getting a box dye and sticking that on until you can get it done in another salon.
Sorry they've messed you around like that OP

Do not use a box dye please ! If u do and go to another hairdressers u will need to explain what’s underneath that box dye and it won’t be good to lift that out with the hair underneath already been bleached your hair will end up in terrible condition xx

I’m sorry but I would not go back there, they are not skilled colourists, it’s so far removed from what you asked for that it’s clear she didn’t have the foggiest how to recreate it.

OP you’re fine to go out, just stick it in a pony no one will really notice.

professionally though it’s terrible on lots of levels, I really wouldn’t go back there, if they didn’t know how to do it they won’t know how to fix it. Sorry to be blunt, but you don’t want to end up having it done for a third rime and completely knackering it with chemicals to boot.