Not sure about this balayage

[Lacky301]

Opinions please

It just feels like the top and fringe is lacking. She asked me how far up to start the balayage.

It looks like a really good job to me!

She has agreed to put a foil in the fringe to add some blonde but says she can only put 1 foil in as not enough hair

Says any more foils and I'll end up with a block blonde colour fringe

Photos aren't great but I wouldn't say this was a good balayage (I've had good and bad). It doesn't appear to blend well.

When I had a bad balayage they offered to redo it but based on their first attempt I wasn't convinced they understood what a balayage was. I wrote off the cost and went someone that was recommended by a friend with great hair.

It doesn't look like you've just had your hair done, it looks like grown out roots to me, sorry.

I don’t really understand what this is supposed to be.

I thought ballyage was natural colour on top and then just blends into lighter at the ends. This seems too high up to be ballyage, it just looks one block colour with prominent roots? Like highlights with roots rather than ballyage ?

Balayage isn't a look (as such), it's a technique. When first done it can be quite close to the root, but thanks to the resulting effects of the technique you can grow it out and it still appear done.

I'm very confused on what to do now she has offered to put a foil in the fringe but I'm not happy with the top either

Another hairdresser has said I can book in for a t section of highlights and she can use toner to match my balayage

looks nice imo, although looking at your second pic can see what you mean about the fringe section. It looks a bit odd, like it’s grown out like that.

I’d contact the hairdresser, explain your concern, and ask if she/he can touch it up

looking again, I think the fringe doesn’t look good. And she/he hasn’t really done much in the way of balayage – it’s all very close to your parting but just in an uneven wiggly line. There’s not much contrast or variation in colour or much movement through the hair. It just looks like one colour, starting very close to the roots and covering your hair in a block. (But without the neatness of a standard dye job.)

Do you think t section foils will sort it

How the hell are you supposed to know this secret code! The hairdresser should be talking you through this and establishing really clearly which bits you want done and which bits leaving out.

I’ve had several successful balayages and there was never any talk of money pieces, so it’s not universal! I think they will probably have just asked me – do you want lighter bits round the front? (or similar)

It's very poor sorry @Lacky301 I hope you didn't pay a lot for it.

I don’t really know, sorry!

I think i’d be wary of just agreeing to a ‘technique’ being overlaid over this attempt. I think it leaves too much room for them to not take responsibility for the outcome.

I’d be talking in terms of how you want it to look (ideally with some pics as a reference).

Then how they achieve that is up to them to recommend

It cost £155

😧😮

Yikes!

Wish I'd never bothered

@Lacky301 was this a new hairdresser?

Yes I'd never been there before

From what you’ve said OP about wanting a big change I think you probably wanted highlights rather than balayage in the first place, balayage starts much further down the hair so it would never be at the top of your head, it’s supposed to look sort of like natural sun kissed hair if that makes sense. If it was in the fringe then the blonde would have to be much higher than it is in the rest of your hair so it might look odd. X

I originally wanted highlights and showed her a picture and she said that's more like balayage so I said okay.

Do you have the picture to share here for comparison? You should basically get what you ask for, within reason.

I have highlights, and went for a modest money piece (as in, not too chunky) It only costs me £65 for highlights and roots (that's without a cut, when I have it cut, it adds another £35) I'm happy with it, as its what I imagined / asked for.

Sorry I haven't brushed my hair as I'm feeling a bit poorly tonight, but for reference, this is mine to show the noticeable difference between the two colours.

I don't have a fringe, mind. I do think that's the thing that complicates matters. They were right what they said about it looking 'blocky' if they put too many foils in your fringe.

Also, did they use a ballayage board? When my hairdresser uses this, it costs more, takes more time, and looks more 'blended' (my DD gets this)

I feel happy with highlights, as it still looks quite blended for my liking. I used to have 'salt and pepper' hair as a young girl, and that's what I was trying to replicate.