Hairdressers - AIBU to be unhappy with my £170 balayage?

[Bumble88]

I’ve recently had a baby boy and have a three year old girl. So you can imagine my excitement at finally being able to get to the hairdressers (for the first time in over a year) to have a fresh new balayage done.

I went to a small chain which has a branch locally. I showed the hairdresser a photo of what I was looking for in terms of colours and depth of the colour. My appointment was 1pm and I came out at 5:30pm, £170 lighter and with a huge feeling of disappointment.

Whilst I’m not naive enough to expect to look like the model, I just don’t feel the colour looks anything like what I asked for😓To me it looks very flat and single tonal. Some of the hair also has a metallic/brassy look that kind of glistens (like my old highlights had become over time!)

I didn’t say anything at the time as I was a) running so late as I hadn’t expected to be in there nearly 5 hours and b) I felt too embarrassed to say it was way off what I wanted, when what could be done to fix it?

AIBU to think my £170 has not been well spent…? (Image on left is my hair, image on right is what I showed the hairdresser for the colours I wanted…)

You’ve just had a baby, unfortunately your hair will be poor at taking to colour for a while (same goes while you’re pregnant). But I’d be really unhappy too, that looks like it’s had nothing done to it. Could you ask for them to correct it?

Sorry just seen this is days old!

so sorry OP, I would be disappointed too. I recently went to a new hairdresser, it was a Home salon. I paid £95 for half a head. I came out feeling like a million pounds - will show you a photo. There is no excuse for a high street salon to make you feel this way, you have spent an awful lot of money here, was in there a long time. Do you feel comfortable going back to make a complaint? Not always easy I know.

This happened to me. I did complain but I was too scared to go back. I’ve naturally ginger hair and so my hair is best without toner. But they put toner on and it “lost” the blonde which is frustrated as you sit so long. The blonde did come back after washing with head and shoulders for days. But I also felt she had done highlights instead of balayage on my nice thick hair so I was disappointed my hair looked blonde rather than red with a balayage.

That’s very nice @AGirlWithAHandOnHerArm . I would also be very pleased.

I think it’s unfair to email head office when you won’t make your thoughts known and give the salon a chance to rectify it first. A lot of people hate confrontation but now you’ve paid £170 for something you don’t like! I’d recommend calling the salon and letting them know what’s happened and see what they can do for you

Definitely go back to them! You don't have to go in with the attitude of complaining, just say you're not happy with the result and show them the photo again and is there anything they can do to help you?

I've done this for 2 separate friends who were too scared to tell them they weren't happy and also recently with my hairdresser of 12 years who is usually amazing and all 3 times offered complementary fixes.

No salon wants you to feel unhappy with the end product. Be brave!

I genuinely prefer the image on the left! The image on the right just looks like every other girl on the street, to my mind. The image on the left looks natural and truly beautiful. I am not joking, I thought the results were going to be the other way around: you wanted the left, but got the right!

Go back to the salon and give them a chance to fix, maybe phone first if you can't do it face to face and then they can tell you to come in to see or you can email a pic. If they don't say or do anything only then would I go to head office. But yeah they did a very poor job, it doesn't look even on the left side at the bottom where it looks clumps of blonde and the other side very little

I also wondered if that is how it looked when first done or if it was styled better.

I prefer the colour overall but appreciate that it isn't what Op wanted.

Mine never looks like that but I have very dark hair and colour added is blonde. There is very obvious contrast in mine. Also my hairdressers doesn't do much near my roots. My hair is thick and longer and it takes about three hours for £170. I'd be expecting contrast.

Firstly I think it looks lovely, but please say something if its not what you asked for. I cannot imagine £170 to spend on a haircut and over 4 hours in the hairdressers! Im very glad to have a home hairdresser as that amount of time and money is huge. I’d definately speak to them if you were expecting something different for that price and effort.

Sorry just noticed image on the right is not before and after - definately go back as not sure how it took them 5 hours!

@Eaterysarnie

its not a good balayage

@Isitautumnyet23

how much do you pay?

also 4 hours isn’t that long

@PrincessOlga

perhaps op wants to look like every other girl ?

if lots of other people have something it’s generally cos it’s nice. Styles get popular for a reason

I would be very upset with that result… without being mean, your hair looks like someone’s hair than hasn’t been to the hairdresser in 6 months NOT fresh out the salon!

This isn't very good at all. Go back for a refund.

If she couldn't be arsed to do it properly I'm the first place I cant see her being able to fix it.

I dont have the same thing done but £60 for highlights and a cut. You dont get any of the treatment you get in the hairdressers, but im happy to save on a cup of tea and a magazine and someone washing my hair. Done in an hour, totally flexible to fit around kids (evenings etc). I dont have the same style but I can imagine a home hairdresser could save OP alot of money. I hear my colleagues complaining about having to sit in the hairdressers, take a Saturday morning out etc and I tell them just get a home hairdresser.

I don't know, I like the warmth and golden tones it has which I find a lot of hairdressers can't or won't do (I've asked for such a golden colour in the past and always found they can't achieve something that's not either bright blonde or light brown). It seems like it could be rectified by adding in more contrasting blonde bits and styling like the second photo.

Not sure why they would do foils are balayage is a freehand colour technique. I've never had foils for balayage. They should section the hair and layer the colour freehand.

What was your hair like before? Are there photos on social media of this stylist achieving similar styles? I am questioning if they are experienced in balayage.

5hrs would be about right, I have shorted hair than you and I'm usually about 4hrs in the salon. £170 is expensive but not out of the ordinary. However the result is really substandard and I'm sorry you've had that experience for something that was supposed to be a treat. Go back and ask them to fix it.

I’d definitely go back to the salon to give them chance to rectify the colour, especially as you paid £170! You won’t be the first person they’ve experienced coming back to the salon, and if they’re professional they will want to put this right for you.

Well you might think that, but you can't deny it looks nothing like the picture on the right, which is what OP wanted and paid £170 to get.

If you weren't happy, you needed to say so there and then. You can't just leap to head office without giving them a chance to rectify etc

I'm going to stick with my £50 comes to me and does just highlights hairdressers though

Did she just colour it? I'm more concerned about the actual cut, just doesn't look right.