To be disappointed with hair?

[quiettimes]

I am a brunette that’s been blonde for years. Wondering if my expectations are too high as I rarely come out feeling impressed with my hair now.

They used to give me hairline highlights all over so my hair looked bright when tied up. They only bother doing this to the top half of my hair now so with my hair in a high pony, 50% of is bright and 50% is dark.

For the top section of my hair, they pack in lots of highlights to make the transition between my natural colour and the blonde seamless. They don’t bother doing this throughout the rest of my hair where I have large sections of unblended brunette roots with a few highlights scattered in.

I show them what I want and they they choose the services/price/time required btw. I just don’t get why the colour isn’t consistent. It just feels a bit less polished to me, or am I just being a perfectionist?

Go somewhere else and ask for a full head of highlights.

They only bother doing this to the top half of my hair now so with my hair in a high pony, 50% of is bright and 50% is dark.

You’re paying for and receiving a half head of highlights. If you want a full lead you need to ask.

the thing is…I did! I’ve been to 3 hairdressers in the last year. Paid around £200-300 for the colour per visit. Went to the first hair dresser for around 5 years so thought maybe to try somewhere else but all of them have done this.

When they have finished the colour and they say "are you happy" you need to say "no, I paid for a full head of highlights and I was clear about what I wanted the end result to be and my hair looks nothing like that" I'm not sure what the issue is here

No, I’m paying for a full head service but within that I feel like corners are being cut essentially. I have to remind them to do the little touches that make it pop, if that makes sense like the hairline highlights. Imagine my disappointment to find they only did the top half haha

So you’ve paid for multiple full sets of highlights from multiple salons but they never do it and only ever give you half a head?
That just seems unlikely.
Are you sure it’s not more brown because you are leaning too long between appointments and letting roots build up?

True. I’m not very assertive so just gauging opinions to see if I’m being fussy or not! It’s more that it’s just not consistent throughout my head so doesn’t look as intended from every angle. Sometimes it’s hard to notice until I get home and try different hairstyles

You need to ask for babylights or a money piece

No, I tell the hairdresser what I want during consultation and they decide what to book me in for. Eg a combination of full bleach, balayage, highlights, root touch ups, money piece, toner etc - they decide what‘s best. I book in every 10-12 weeks.

Also I’m not receiving a literal half head of highlights, it’s more that the top section has a high concentration whilst the lower sections have highlights going through but a lot less. Aside from the hairline highlights, as they didn’t actually add any around my nape of neck this time.

I always make sure I say, "I wear my hair up all the time so please can you make sure the underneath is done." If they didn't listen, I would say before they finish the foils that they missed the underneath as surely you would notice as they are doing it?

Right, I have an appointment in a few weeks. I’m going to ask for a full refresh with everything done, especially on the lower layers, and make sure it looks perfect before I leave.

There's your problem right there...to maintain highlights you should be having them done every 6 -8 wks and ideally a toner in between appts. After around 8 wks you will end up getting a shadow where you'll see where the regrowth has been re highlighted. (This can look stripey [even if they use a fine weave] especially at the top of the head to the crown and at the temples) Also, depending on your budget you should always have them done at the same interval. As in every 6, 7 or 8 wks even 12 wks if that's all you can afford. Doing this will give more even results.

Also, some hairdressers will do less or a different foiling technique below the crown depending on hair length, condition and desired look. A fair few that I know will keep the nape to below crown slightly more textured and darker to preserve hair integrity/health and create depth/texture through the colour. If you want a uniform blonde you need to ask for it. Or they could be, being lazy.

If you book in for a half head they won't do the nape as well, that's considered a 3/4 head and if you're having a half and want the nape done, just ask most will pop a few through for you depending on their availability without charge.

Also, stick to the same hairdresser. They all have different foiling techniques and patterns that they use. Jumping around will also give you uneven results. It takes a hairdresser approx three appts to get their signature work into your hair, whether that's colour or a cut. Once or twice and they are still working with what the previous hairdresser was doing. Sometimes depending on the work needed it may even take longer to achieve certain finishes or to blend out badly done highlights. Bleach is temperamental and should not be over lapped where ever possible, unless multiple formulas/strengths are used.

Bleach work is delicate and complicated which is why it's one of the most expensive services offered.

my hair doesn’t grow quickly enough to book in every 6 weeks - my hairdresser booked my upcoming one 9 weeks after the last. Thanks for the tip about same intervals.

She doesn’t book specific services like full head or half head of highlights, it’s more “full service” which would include any possible colour work and “top up service” in between. More of a package service to encompass different techniques & services outside of bleach like root tints or lowlights I guess. My previous stylist did similar- he would adapt what he did on the day. I don’t request a half head either. I want all my regrowth to be dealt with.

At the moment I have a slight root stretch so can go a bit longer between appointments; the blend is nice on the top sections but not so much with the lower sections - it’s not as finessed throughout. I do want more consistency and I’ll talk to her about it. Her signature colour is great and I can’t wait to move on from my old colour/stylist and see more of her style. I’m definitely still working with the older colour. The darker areas probably wer to add dimension, I feel it’s a more recent trend right? 5 years ago, I recall highlights were more evenly distributed by default. My hair currently feels unbalanced.

I think it looks more natural being darker underneath. Normally that's the hair that wouldn't be as highlighted because that sun doesn't bleach it as much. I only get partial highlights.

If you want your whole head evenly done I would just tell them that.

Where do you live for it to be £300 that's very expensive, I have the same thing and it's £60

Me too MissSmiley! There's no way I could afford £300 a time!
It sounds as though you're coming up with an assertive plan OP. If you're paying that much for your hair then you need to come out of your hair appointment with nothing less than perfection!! Do not leave until you're more than satisfied with the result!

I have highlights, just had full head, if I am having t bar, my hairdresser always does a few foils at the sides so if I want to up hair up, it looks fine. You are paying a lot of money, I pay £90 for the full head, cut & blow dry.

No, I tell the hairdresser what I want during consultation and they decide what to book me in for. Eg a combination of full bleach, balayage, highlights, root touch ups, money piece, toner etc - they decide what‘s best. I book in every 10-12 weeks.

If you're sometimes getting balayage then you are going to have roots and darker bits all underneath your hair, so if you have a full lead of highlights the next time the regrowth will still be visible even after highlights.

I think you need to be firmer and not leave the appointment if you aren't happy, I know it can be awkward but its the only way. And stick to one stylist, that way they know your hair and what you like.

Ah I see...if you're looking at root stretches that's why you're getting darker areas underneath. It needs to be staggered in order to blend it through. The head is a round object and because it's round, areas will be stretched down further to create balance and depth. You'll especially notice this at the nape and diagonally behind the ears and will be much darker through the area of where you occipital bone is. This can look off if you're just focusing on those sections but it helps with the over colour results. These types of colours also always look better with a wave/curl/texture as they are meant to be more of a 3d technique rather than a mirror finish.

It sounds like to me, you probably want a more tradional foil highlight. By using a root colour you're adding another layer of synthetic colour which needs to be broken through when you have your next service. This over time can cause patchy results and warmer areas through out. Even with the best of colour technicians. It's brilliant on the first couple of appts but then gets very hard to balance there after due to the nature of the technique and the limitations of the product.

It sounds like of you're looking to lengthen your time between appts and have a more subtle regrowth, I'd recommend a root melt with a toner a shade darker than your lengths and ends. It will leave less of a build up but won't last as long.

You could also try having a more traditional full head but instead of a tradional weave, have a combination of teasy lites and super fine baby lites put through. This is much more time intensive for the stylist and may incur a surcharge. The results are beautiful, bang on trend with a softer regrowth and gorgeous blend through. And overall brighter blonde finish. Go for a wow at the front and a slightly lighter contour or money piece put in. It doesn't need to be thick just a couple of foils depth to add some brighter ribbons at your hairline and to show off eyes and cheek bones. This will address the regrowth directly from the root but still keeps it soft. If you have been having darker colours put through at the root, just have the bleach foils done as per above. Just using bleach sounds scary but it can create so many colour combinations with contrast and depth as well.

These concepts are very, very much on trend now and yes you're correct in the last 5 years especially since covid a lower maintenance, rootier finish has been the main trend for highlights/balayage. There's also nothing wrong with a beautiful set of classic back to back blonde foils.

These looks are hard to achieve and you do need to see someone who is strong in colour and specialises in being light handed and subtle. Part of the reason we see some bad balayage and darker root looks is because the hair hasn't been highlighted appropriately for your features. Ie what are you trying to enhance? Cheek bones, neck line, shoulders, eyes etc. That's the starting point for building these colours correctly.

And, as far as price goes...I'd expect a minimum of £260 -£300 plus. They are time consuming, heavy use of product and super skilled/technical finishes. And, it sounds like you're having a full combination of differing techniques used.

Sorry about the essay! As you can see it's something I'm passionate about and work with on a day to day basis.