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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my hairdresser is taking the piss?

124 replies

itscseason · 14/01/2023 23:22

I’m trying to get my hair lifted light enough to go silver.

I’ve just been 2 weeks ago to the hairdresser and had a toner put on (no bleach, not had bleach for 3 months) and it cost £100. The toner has already washed out. Fine I kind of expected it.

I’ve text her to arrange a bleach session and she said I should wait even longer and just have toner again. £100 for something that lasts two washes. And she said my hair isn’t in good condition. My hair seems fine to me, don’t get me wrong it’s not 10/10 health but it’s hardly candy floss.

To think my hairdresser is taking the piss?
OP posts:
Christmasevesofa · 15/01/2023 08:11

I live in the Midlands too and pay £95 for full head of foils, toner, cut & blow-dry.

Lynz78 · 15/01/2023 08:14

itscseason · 14/01/2023 23:51

Sorry just saw your other post. I don’t have grey hair yet.

Show quote history

This reminded me of a few years back my mum used to get asked where she got her hair dyed by people wanting a silver colour she told them its natural lol

Puffin87 · 15/01/2023 08:16

I got a full set of highlights with toner and hair cut for £75 just before New Year's Eve.

dementedpixie · 15/01/2023 08:20

Schnooze · 15/01/2023 08:06

Why do you need to bleach it 1-2 times? Once it’s bleached, it’s bleached!

If it hasn't lifted enough on the 1st bleaching then you need to bleach it again to be light enough for it to get to silver/grey

SprayedWithDettol · 15/01/2023 08:22

Before you do anything yourself watch hair Buddha on you tube. He reviews home hair dye/bleach fails and gives great advice.

hadenoughforever · 15/01/2023 08:27

I love the colour your hair is as posted. I appreciate you were aiming for different effect but it really is a gorgeous shade as is (sorry not exactly helpful to your query).

Fundays12 · 15/01/2023 08:28

Ouch that's expensive I use osmo toner shampoo and conditioner once a week. My hair dresser recommended I do this to help keep the colour. Your hair looks ok to me but that's a photo so may not be in a good condition for colouring etc

CandlelightGlow · 15/01/2023 08:30

itscseason · 14/01/2023 23:58

Sorry I’m tired and maybe you already answered it. But if I’m wanting to go shades lighter then I’d need to bleach it 1-2 times more but these products would do that?

Show quote history

If you want to do just your roots, unless your hair is extremely dark naturally, the root should lift easily. I have quite dark brown hair naturally and it takes 20 mins or so to lift my roots to the light blonde I have, with one application.

I actually find if you have already blonde hair that going silver is really easy, because any blue based toner basically does the job. I recently used Bleach London's silver shampoo and it has definitely overtoned my lengths to silvery, and I only left it on a few minutes.

The thing you have to be careful with if you're doing it yourself is overtoning and using the same formula or leave on time for all of your hair. Remember your lengths are more porous than your roots so they will take colour quicker. Watch some youtube videos, with your hair already this blonde I'm sure you can do it yourself!

isthismylifenow · 15/01/2023 08:36

HeavenIsAHalfpipe · 14/01/2023 23:59

@itscseason YANBU. I hear ya.

I will never be going to a hairdresser again, ever, for anything. Not a cut or a colour. Nothing - ever. Pre pandemic, it was roughly 15 to 18 pounds for a dry cut in the two hairdressers in my market town. (By the way, there isn't another hairdresser for 18-20 miles. So I don't really have much choice, unless I want to do a 40 mile round trip. And even then there's no guarantee they will be any cheaper.)

I didn't go to the hairdressers from Spring 2020, all of 2021, or the first half of 2022, as I was shielding a bit more because of health reasons, and got a bit paranoid about being in close proximity to people. So I got used to trimming and colouring it myself.

Also, they were closed much of the time because of the pandemic. So that was a another reason for getting used to doing it myself.

Last Autumn (October,) was my niece's wedding and I thought I would quite liked a 'hairdresser' cut, as I've just been trimming and dying myself for about 2 and a half years.

Contacted the hairdresser back in early October last year. They said a dry cut is now 67 pounds. 67 pounds! I said, 'well, how much is it for a wet cut, or cut wash and blow dry?' They said a wet cut's the same as a dry, and a cut wash and blow dry is 80 pounds- so I 'might as well have a cut wash and blow dry really.' So they're trying to make out that a cut wash and blow dry is actually good value, Cos it's only 13 pounds more than the dry cut. Confused

The cut wash and blow dry used to be £30! (Pre pandemic.)

I tried the other hairdresser and they said it's roughly 50 to 65 pounds depending on how long the hair is. I said 'mine is roughly shoulder length.' She said 'Hard to say. It could be anything from 50 to 65 pounds... maybe more We won't know until we start cutting it!'

So basically I will be sitting in the chair spending half an hour while she does my haircut, not knowing how much is going to cost at the end.

People can say, Oh yeah, it's all the extra costs for materials and rent and electric and heating and so on. But the fact is my husband went to a barbers shops just two or three weeks ago, (one in a shopping centre in quite a big town.) They spent 35 minutes doing his hair and did it beautifully. They charged him 18 pounds!

So I have absolutely no idea why the two hairdressers in my little market town are charging so much. I imagine many others are the same (for womens hairdressers!) Suffice to say, though, I will never be going again. Until the day I die. I'll just be doing my own hair. I'm just gonna have to carefully trim it and layer it, get the split ends off, and just dye it myself as I have been doing since Spring 2020.

Like hell am I paying nearly 70 pounds for a trim. And by the way, they now charge £200 for highlights compared to 70 to 80 pound that they charged pre pandemic.

I'm not being funny, I have to be careful, but I can cut and trim and colour my hair myself. I don't want to demean the profession, (and I know I am doing,) but they are cutting and colouring hair, they're not doing heart or brain surgery. Basically it's something I can do myself, and I will be continuing to do it from now on. The rise in costs for WOMEN'S hair is outrageous.

Bloody hell, this is extortionate.....

Are the salons busy? Are people paying this amount for a cut!

I'm not in UK so I'm not sure what shop rentals etc are there, but for that price we can do a full head of highlights and a cut and blow. And a chain salon, and they are usually a bit more pricey.

This is just unaffordable for most people, surely?

Penguinduvetcover · 15/01/2023 08:37

At the salon I go to….
full head foils, including toner and cut & finish is £80.
If a toner is needed in between colours, it is £10 extra added on to the price if a blow dry.

AnotherCountryMummy · 15/01/2023 08:37

A toner at my salon is £15. South East. A salon where a cut costs about £45 for context.

Fluffyyellowduck · 15/01/2023 08:48

Apologies if this has already been said but your hair colour in the op is already beautiful as it is! 🥰

Benjispruce4 · 15/01/2023 08:53

£80 for half head foils and cut/finish with a top stylist.

QueenWenceslas · 15/01/2023 08:56

You’re being ripped off. I’m also in the West Midlands and a whole head of foils and a cut is £90 at my salon.
I pay £140 for a balayage, toner, conditioning treatment, cut and finish.

1000yellowdaisies · 15/01/2023 08:56

I have silver hair and i get my roots done every 8 weeks. You need bleach to lift it, toner itself won't make it silvery. Id find someone else. I pay £110 for a full head plus toner. It takes about 3 hours.

tiredmama23 · 15/01/2023 09:02

😱😱 £100 for toner!

I pay £100 for full head highlights, toner, cut and style. North east.

LetsDoThis2023 · 15/01/2023 09:08

Go to a different hairdresser op!

changmynameasoversharing · 15/01/2023 09:11

i buy toner for 7.99 from amazon that works better than yours looks

Ginqueen456 · 15/01/2023 09:17

She's definitely ripped you off. I pay £80 for full head highlights, toner, root smudge, cut and blow-dry.

ExactlyasIsaid · 15/01/2023 09:29

I think you were definitely ripped off, what does the price list on their website say? I started scalp bleaching my own roots in lockdown and carried on, using wella colour touch I was able to go silver.
I do think I have what I've seen refereed to as "blonde dysmorphia" online as I never felt my hair was blonde enough, it's only when I see photos I realise it was.

Your hair looks lovely op but it's not what you want so it doesn't matter what we say. Your hair has dimension and different tones going through it so you couldn't just bleach it your self as you will end up with different shades and if you've had a dark put through it then the bleach won't work well on those areas.

Did the toner you had get the shade you wanted? There are levels of blonde and to get a silver it has to pretty much be a level 10, toners don't lift hair so if your hair isn't light enough it won't go silver. If it did then you could definitely tone it yourself, they do wash out as they aren't permanent but for the price you could do it regularly yourself

I wouldn't recommend leaving a purple shampoo on as dependent on hair porosity it could stain your hair purple, definitely get one though (I recommend fanola) and use it as a shampoo.

I know the pain of not being happy with a hairdresser, definitely go for some consultations at different salons.

nc8975 · 15/01/2023 09:35

My hairdresser puts a toner on after a bleach and I pay £5 extra for the privilege!

AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii · 15/01/2023 09:48

I pay anything from £80-160 depending on what level of work I’ve had done. Yesterday was my first visit since October full head of fools (many many foils), toner, cut blow dry and curl. I never mind paying the prices because I love what he does to my hair and makes the blonde somehow look natural and lived in and works with the warmth In my hair not against it which makes it look way better than other hairdressers I’d been to that tried to mask it and because of how he does it I now only need to go 2-3 times per year instead of every 6 weeks. He was honest in that I wouldn’t be able to go very very light or at least it wouldn’t last very long because of the warmth so he wouldn’t even attempt it, other hair dressers would though.

AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii · 15/01/2023 09:49

Haha that should says foils not fools 😂

Georgiarule · 15/01/2023 10:04

I have root bleach, Olaplex, toner, cut and blow dry for £100 north west

Catchtwentyone · 15/01/2023 10:07

I’m in NW London. Full head highlights, olaplex, toner and blow dry was £130.
Your hairdresser is having a laugh.