Hairdressing complaint dilemma!

[Evanted76]

More of a WWYD really... sorry its a bit long...

So yesterday I was booked in for a full head of highlights and cut with a hairdresser I have been to once before which was my last visit in November.

The last time, I noticed that she didn't really do what I asked for in the consultation, but as I was delighted with the result, I let it go.

This time, I took a photo of exactly what I was looking for colour wise and as I sat down in the chair, I said I wanted my blonde to be brighter and that i felt it had gone very dull. Last time, she did blonde highlights with quite a few lowlights mixed in. This time, I said I just wanted the foils to be all blonde.

I also said during the consultation, that if she could find a way for it to be lower maintenance as I'm taking biotin tablets and my hair is growing really fast at the moment. I suggested a root tap but she dismissed it and said to me "leave it with me"

Partway through her putting the foils in, I commented that she seemed to be foiling a lot of lowlights and I said that I was a bit worried. I reminded her that I wanted to be blonder but she laughed and told me to "trust the process"

When she was drying it off, my heart started to sink. My hair suddenly had a very warm tinge of brown to the crown area, so where my original roots were. There was also a very strange step in the way she had foiled it around my parting...and so very noticeable. It was obvious I was disappointed as I had gone from being very chatty to suddenly being very quiet. She didnt notice this, or the look on my face, so I decided to speak up. I started by asking if the warm tinge would fade. Looking surprised, she said "don't you like it?" I shook my head and quietly said that it wasn't what I had asked for and reminded her that I had asked for it to be blonder and brighter and I also pointed out the strange step pattern at the front. She then started to get very defensive and said she had done what I wanted and I had asked for a balayage as I wanted low maintenance! I politely stood my ground, but so did she and in the end the manager came over to find out what was going on.

The original stylist looked like she was fuming and scuttled away. The manager told me it looked gorgeous, but agreed with me that a few foils at the front needed redoing and basically offered to book me back in, for free, to sort my hair out to make me happy. She told the original stylist to come back over with her diary to sort my appointment out and then the manager disappeared. During the conversation about when I can be booked in, the stylist didn't make eye contact with me, was very cold and the whole thing was very uncomfortable. To make it worse, there was a salon full of other clients, who had obviously been lapping up the exchange and whispering between stylists going on in the back.

I suffer with a lot of anxiety and although I'm no pushover, I am absolutely dreading my appointment next week with the stylist and feel the "relationship" between me and the stylist is now irreparable due to the way she reacted to the whole thing. I think i am going to have to find another hairdresser anyway the next time my highlights need doing as she doesn't seem to listen properly during the consultation.

Would you cancel the appointment to fix my hair and find someone else, or put my big girl pants on and go back?

I would go back and allow the original stylist to correct it. I once complained to a manager as my hair was a horrendous colour and not at all what I an asked for. The stylist was fairly new to the job and I explained I understood what's happened but I can't walk around with the strange colour and line around my head. I went back to the same new stylist and she corrected it. It was slightly awkward but it was positive because since then I have been to her for my hair doing many many times and I always get exactly what I ask for. I trust her now and she knows my hair and preferences. We actually have a really nice relationship now. I think she appreciated the honesty and opportunity to rectify it without me going elsewhere. If I made a mistake at work I would like the opportunity to fix it myself.
I have had some horrible hair disasters in the past and never complained as I too have anxiety so it was a big step for me and worked out well.

Can you show us the picture of what you wanted and showed the hair stylist versus a photo of what you’ve got?

What picture did you take in? I agree with others that lots of blonde can’t be low maintenance BUT she should’ve explained this and also explained what she planned to do ahead of doing it. The stylist is in the wrong.

I kind of think you’ve gone to the effort of complaining so go back and get it sorted, and then never go back there.

How can anyone judge this without pictures its impossible.

It's down to you if you want to go back now. Trust your gut feeling.

Did you pay for the hairstyle you didn't want? Or are you supposed to pay when you get it fixed?

Have you a photo of what you asked for and how it looks? It might be okay.

I once had a truly dreadful dye experience and went elsewhere to a wonderful colourist (recommended by a friend with perfect hair) who saved me. It cost a fortune (£250!!! - colour correction is complicated, hopefully yours isn't that level) but it was worth it. That colourist said to me at the time, "Never trust the people who broke it to fix it", and I've always remembered that. I'd cut my losses and go elsewhere.

For those saying it was a contradiction asking for blonder highlights and low maintenance...im aware that blonde highlights are high maintenance. My previous highlights in mid November grew out with a very harsh line. What i meant was "lower" maintenance and the reason why I mentioned a very light root tap to make the highlights grow out softer.

Here are some photos...what I asked for and how it looks. The lighting isn't great so it looks a lot warmer in the crown than it does in this photo.. but hopefully you can see what I mean. I've had full head of blonde foils for years, so I wasn't a million miles away from the photo inspiration at the start.

I was asked to pay in full (which I did) and the correction appointment would be free of charge. However it was so uncomfortable after the awkward conversation, she didn't cut (which I had already said it needed) or style it. Just rough dried it.

I think it was the part about wanting low maintenance that threw her. She should have asked if you wanted balyage though, if that's what she gave you. She sounds rude. Call the salon and say you want someone else to do the follow up appointment, ideally the manager or most senior stylist. If they insist on you having her again just don't go back, and give them a bad (honest) Google review.

Hairdresser here. It’s possible to be blonder and lower maintenance, I do this on clients all the time! You just have to keep it soft at the root. You’re right OP, there is a big chunk at the front— the face frame highlight was not done properly. The root tap was likely done with permanent colour so it lifted your natural root, which exposes warmth.
I would seek out someone at another salon who is experienced in balayage or “lived-in” colour, to fix it. It just needs a proper root shadow and maybe a couple of gentle lowlights (not taken through to ends) to correct the chunk.

Gosh I'm not a hair expert but those photos are pretty different. I think if you can't offer all the things a customer wants you need to discuss all the options "I'm afraid what you've shown me I can't do as low maintenance but I can do X and Y".

I wouldn't be happy with the crown at it. She's fucked it up.

I would go back and get it fixed though, that's not a cheap haircut and you want it looking nice.

She's over toned it too which is why you've got silvery purple streaks

Thanks for your advice. I did ask for a tiny root tap but that's when she shook her head and said "leave it with me"

I've no idea regarding what you asked for and if its possible or not, but I've always thought it strange to let a hairdresser who's messed your hair up/not done as asked, to 'put it right'. if I was so upset I definitely wouldn't be allowing them to touch my hair again.
Agree with others, could you phone and ask the manager or another stylist to take over, even if you have to change appointments?

Go back but not with the original hairdresser - get the manager or someone else.

I don't know anything about hair but you can tell she's buggered that up.

I would ring and see if you can get it fixed with the manager or another member of staff there.

The hairdresser should have just apologised and booked you in to fix it. She's lost a customer anyway!!

Whilst I think you didn’t get good service, I would probably just go somewhere else because - in my experience - they never do a decent job once something like this has happened.

5 years ago, I booked to have my hair cut and coloured by someone different at my usual salon because my hairdresser had left. It’s always important to me that my hair is well cut and coloured, but on this occasion it was even more important because I was speaking at my brother’s funeral.

I haven’t got much grey hair for my age. I have a mix of high and low lights to warm things up and a colour underneath at the front by my ears where there is some visible grey. Hairdressers always say, ‘you haven’t got any grey underneath at the back’. So the new stylist discussed what I wanted, looked up in my records and then asked if I wanted to try covering up the underneath grey with blonde. I told her that wouldn’t work and to stick with the tried and tested approach. She didn’t, it looked as grey as before she started. She then tried to say that a.) I’d asked for blonde and b.) that it was difficult to cover that much grey. As aforementioned, it’s not that much.

Luckily, I found my previous stylist on Facebook. She’s still my hairdresser and now has her own salon 😀

I'd ask for the manager to fix it

Also no NOTHING about hair, but that looks like a lumpy cockup to me. Sorry OP... do go back... do use a different person.

This looks like my dd has had a go with her hair chalks

In the early stages of having my hair done I had to go back as I wasn't happy. I felt awful and didn't really want to but equally I didn't want to have wasted my money and go and pay again (for reference I have long hair which takes 4/5 hours to do generally).
After that time it wasn't awkward and I continued to go to her for 10 ish years. I think stylists do take a bit of offence but they don't get it right every time and most would rather you say your unhappy and fix it rather than silently losing you as a client and guessing it's because you hated it.

This. But the stylist should have known that these two requests were not possible.
The stylist will not want to see or encounter you again, as she probably is either inexperienced or tried her best, and will be a nervous wreck if you go back. Quit your losses and losses a new salon.

I didn't ask for low maintenance! I had a very harsh root line after having full head highlights ten weeks ago...plus I'm taking Biotin so I asked for somehow for them to be done LOWER maintenance...thats when I mentioned a very light root tap. And it got dismissed.

I'm going to ring the manager on Tuesday and speak to her over the phone.

I'm going to explain that I don't feel comfortable having the original stylist correcting my hair. The manager wasn't around when the stylist got all defensive and voices started to get raised a little. But hopefully when I explain that due to her reacting so poorly to me being unhappy, plus there is obviously an issue with the stylist's listening skills, I'm not coming back to her.

I'm going to ask for either the manager correct my hair on the stylist's day off or I'll go elsewhere for it to be corrected. I'm not sure how it works as I'm sure they could be all self employed there but it's worth the phone call.