To think colours should come with a blow dry?

[PumpkinSpiceSzn]

NC but been around for donkeys years.

AIBU or is my hair salon? I booked online last night for a "full head hair colour" (£60), it states on the booking slot online this particular service is 1 hour 30 minutes.

I arrive this morning, and was asked if I want to go dark all over, as that's all there's time for. I was a little confused, that the only colour I can choose, is dark brown all over. What if someone blonde went in, or auburn, etc. Does everyone who books in for a full head of colour have one colour choice to choose?

I have medium brown roots and a light balayage on the ends, that I paid for at the same salon in feb. I will attach a picture of what colour I wanted to go, but I hadn't even mentioned this or shown a picture, so the stylist didn't know this to predict their wouldn't be enough time to do the colour of my choice, as soon as I walked in and she said dark brown or nothing.

I said I didn't want to go dark brown all over, so she suggested a toner to brighten up the balayage. I told her I thought it was quite brassy last time so didn't like it. I agreed to the toner as I had just traveled there for nothing otherwise. Whilst I had the toner on, I was informed I didn't add on a cut or blow dry to the booking system, so I wouldn't be able to have my hair dried. I said I didn't realise, also we were less than an hour in to my apt, and the booking system said it would be 1hr 30, so how couldn't there be time to trim and dry it?

After they washed off the toner, they asked the appreciate/ Juniour to blast it dry, no blow drying style was used, she literally just blasted it how I would at home, it was all frizzy and static/ bushy looking. The colour also looked exactly the same, and the toner had made no difference.

I spoke to the manager, who said she used the same toner as last time (not sure why, when I said last time I found it brassy, which is why I wanted to change the colour today) and the manager seemed pissed off/ unhelpful. Told me if I wanted anything further/ a cut I would have to sit and wait half an hour or so.

i left feeling quite disappointed and was charged £70, for the hair to be left all frizzy and blasted dry by the Juniour, not blow dried properly by one of the stylists, I feel like I've been ripped off charging full price for that blow dry. And the toner that made 0 difference. My mum and partner have asked me what I had done as my hair looks exactly the same as before I went in. AIBU to feel like they've taken the piss? My usual stylist who did the toner, was also colouring another ladies hair at the same time too. Pic of the colour i originally booked in to go attached below.

A full head colour is usually a single colour. Balayage or highlights tend to be specified as they take much longer.

If you have dark hair and book a full head they can only give you a dark colour as it needs to be darker than your own hair. If you want to go lighter it needs bleaching first…and you didn’t book that which is why she assumed you wanted dark all over.

Also, I wouldn’t expect a blow dry with a colour. Not even at a high end Mayfair salon (where they often have a bank of dryers for people to dry their own hair if they’re only in for a colour).

I think you booked the wrong treatment and made assumptions about what you’d be getting for the service. If a blow dry was included they would have specified as it adds to the value of the service and the time required.

They should have used a different toner though.

I am confused by your post. The picture of the colour you wanted is literally "dark all over". The colour appointment is 1,5h because it takes 45 min to apply and 45 minutes to process so you have to be in the salon for minimum of 1,5h. The only reason they state it like that in the booking system because some people think they will be in and out of the salon in 45 minutes. But the 1,5h appointment doesn't actually mean someone will be working on you for this entire time.
If you had balayage previously, you often can't just have colour on top of that. You need to correct blond bits before applying colour to the hair. Effectively, it is two colour services which take extra time and extra cost.
It's a standard for BD to be booked and charged separately (that's another 45 minutes of stylist's time) and some salons also charge for rough dries because someone still has to be paid to do them.

But yeah, mostly I am confused as to why you said you didn't want to go dark all over when it is literally what you wanted based on the picture and why you agreed to the toner when it wasn't what you wanted.

@StormingNorman i didn't want the balayage again, i was just stating that's what I have currently. I just wanted a whole head of colour, like the pic I attached. My balayage has mostly grown out and my hairs brown so I didn't think it would be that difficult to whack on the colour I attached, which was my main issue. i just feel they should of left it wet then, rather than asking the new apprentice to blast it dry how i would at home, and then charging for a full blow dry for it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Catza she said all she would have time for was a dark brown all over, so I didn't bother to ask about a different darker colour. Since she said all she has time for is a dark brown all over.

I've never had this where you book a set amount of time. That place doesn't sound very professional at all. Surely having a colour, a lot of people go for a cut and most obviously a dry too.

I get my hair cut and coloured every 7/8 weeks and it is always blow dried afterwards. That is the norm where I am from - Dublin. Never left with wet hair. I wouldn't be happy with that tbh.

Well if you didn't bother to ask, and then didn't bother to wait for a blowdry you didn't bother to book and then didn't bother to say you didn't want a toner then why are you surprised at the outcome?
If it were me, I'd said "I'd leave it then and rebook for another time. What service should I be booking for, please?" Job done.

@Catza also, I was sitting back in the chair, after washing off the toner with half an hour of my appointment left to spare, when they said they don't have the time to dry it. It had taken less than an hour to do the toner so I was wondering why there was no time left, considering my booking said 1 hr 30.

@Catza i did bother to sit and wait for a blow dry, i said the apprentice blasted it dry after waiting 30 min+

I think you should have given her your photos. By “brown all over” she may have really meant not highlights, etc.

But, contrary to what a pp has said, my colour appointments have always included a blow dry! I noticed the other day that my salon has now split the bookings, so you book a colour and then it forces you to also book a finish - which can be a blow dry (choice of seniority/price), or a cut/blow dry, etc.

I’m confused 🫤 So after the hairdresser said do you want to go dark all over did you then show her the pictures and say this is what I want? Because if you didn’t, then you are being unreasonable.

Because 1,5h appointment includes 45min colour application and 45 minutes colour processing when you are reading a magazine and your hairdresser is seeing another client. I already explained that. I am not sure why your toner took an hour but if it did, your hairdresser was already running 15min behind for her next client.
There seems to be a massive miscommunication issue from all parties. And were you charged for a full blowdry or just a rough dry (under £20 normally)?

@TimelyIntervention fair enough, I have clearly misunderstood and taken it quite literally as whacking on the darkest brown all over. Tbf, she did say all I have time for is a dark brown all over. Maybe she was just assuming that's the only dark colour I would go. I really should have shown the picture, but just assumed it would be off the cards since she said dark brown all over.

I’ve been going for my hair colouring for nearly forty years and it’s never not included a blow dry.

Never heard the likes of not getting a blow dry included in the price. So you'd actually leave the salon with wet hair not even knowing what your colour your hair is?

The people who are saying yabu are likely the types that say that on every thread no matter what the aibu is!

Hairdressers very much encourage the clients to have a BD for exactly this reason but it is booked as a chargeable service. And you will be surprised how many people don't want to book it to save on cost. Even though, the hairdresser can't guarantee the colour correction service if client left with wet hair.

I was charged £40 for the blow dry. She just held the dryer and blasted it dry. It wasn't how they usually do it. It was all frizzy as she never held the dryer to the brush like they usually do.

Did you challenge that when paying? I would

I've never not heard of a blow dry not being automatically included in a service. And I've been to quite a few hairdressers in different cities/countries.

No, I did say to the manager i wasn't happy and my hair didn't look how it usually looks/ it looks no different to how I walked in but didn't get much of a response. He just said I should have toned it darker then, and the stylist used the same toner as I had last time (despite me saying i didn't like the last one it was brassy) and wasn't shown a choice of toning colours, she just said she would brighten it up, but it doesn't look any different.
They did go in to the back where they mix up the colours and whisper, so I felt uncomfortable and paid and left. But I do feel I've been ripped off a little, and was wondering whether to write a bad review, which is why I asked on here if IABU, as I'm happy to write it off if I am.

I've never encountered a hairdressers where you have to add on a BD at the time of booking? That's weird.

I think the hairdresser was rude from the offset. She didn't need to tell you what she had time for until she asked you what you were expecting from the appointment and then could tell whether or not it was doable.

In the place I go the hairdresser will have a quick chat about what you're in for and then maybe say ok well you've only booked for X so I can't do all of that today or well you've not booked in for all of that so I can add it on and it'll be X amount extra.

I'd find a different salon.

@HowNowBrownCow2 thank you, this is what I was expecting too. She didn't say "what do you want today?" Or anything as soon as she put the cape on, she said are you going dark brown all over as that's all I have time for? So I felt a bit obliged to do what was quickest from the get go.

At my hairdressers, you pick the finish you want. A blast dry is free, and a blow dry is about £30. Years ago it used to be included, but not anymore

@ImthatBoleyngirl that's what they usually do, I might send the manager an email. They normally say are you having a curly blow today etc. but they just asked the new apprentice to blast it dry for me today, and then charged me full price for it.

vote with your feet.