AIBU? My hair is awful! What do I do?! Pics included….

[forgoodnesssakee]

I went to a hair appointment this afternoon, which I was scheduled in for since 2 weeks ago. It was a free of charge ‘model’ appointment for the hairstylist, who was completing a trial session in the hair salon. (But many many years of experience in other salons)!

I was booked for today at 4.30pm - and messages at 4.05 and again at 4.15 to say I’m running behind as two taxis cancelled on me back to back, so I had to walk from home to the closest shopping complex (8’ min walk) to find a taxi that was available to get me to the salon, which was 22 minutes away.

On the way there, as expected, we hit every single red light imaginable and I ended up arriving at the salon at 4.36pm - so six minutes after my allotted appointment time.

On the journey there, the stylist was kept informed on my estimated arrival time etc. when I text to say I was 2 minutes away, the stylist text me to tell me their next client had arrived, and that they will no longer be able to do my colour appointment and will just be able to do a wash and dry.

Baring in mind that at this stage, I’d just arrived to the location and had paid £52 for the taxi as I was stuck in heavy stop start traffic almost the entire journey.

When I get into the salon, the stylist is rude and extremely unwelcoming and tells me - again, that he is not willing to do the color service. I explained that I was sorry for being late, and another member of staff came over to ask what the problem was.

The stylist then proceeded to tell the other member of staff that I was 36 (!!!!) minutes late for my appointment, and that I was actually booked for 4pm. This is categorically untrue and I showed them both my appointment confirmation for 4.30. Again, I explained that I was sorry for being late and at this point I was getting extremely upset and red and embarassed. It turns out he had a 2nd client booked at 5 and the salon closes at 7. He’s not left enough time.

The stylist then reluctantly tells me he will do some minimal ‘scatter’ highlights if that makes me ‘happy’ and that will be it.

Before I can answer he’s sectioning out my hair - no prior consultation to ask me what I’m looking for - and proceeded to start putting the bleach on. This literally happened in the blink of an eye. I had no time to react and didn’t even have a gown on at this stage.

Fast forward and he’s added some random highlights to diferent sections of my hair, and it’s left on for 35 minutes, before being washed out.

When washed out by the assistant, the stylist was asked if he wanted to check the highlights. The stylist then proceeded to come over and say they’re fine without even really looking, and when the assistant asked which toner they wanted to use, the stylist said none - my hair doesn’t ‘need’ it.

I’ve been blonde all my life and NEVER have I ever had highlights without a toner.

When I was back in the chair and my hair was being dried, the stylist didn’t speak to me.

Once dry he told me I’m done. The other member of staff then came and looked, signed off his work and I was told I’m finished and can leave. I’ve never felt so rushed and unwelcome in my entire life. I know this was a free appointment but I’ve left feeling even worse about my hair than I did going in.

Girls - what do I do? My highlights are uneven, chunky in parts and thin in others, some start up higher on my root than others, and they’re so brassy they look yellow.

Please give me some advice? I feel like I don’t have grounds to complain but I also feel humiliated and disrespected and like I was an inconvenience for helping the stylist out on their assignment.

I wouldn’t want anybody else going through this. I’m so upset I’m in tears.

I’ve tried to take a photo as clear as I can, and to be honest the photo doesn’t even do it justice, it’s so yellow and awful. The blonde is so yellow and it’s making my hair even look oily?

I don’t want to cause an issue as I don’t want to cost this stylist their potential job - but at the same time I’m really disappointed with the outcome. It’s only since I got home that I’ve noticed how bad it is! In the salon the lighting was very low and moody and it didn’t show so much.

It doesn’t look fine.

It looks lovely, stop stressing. But it’s true that you get what you pay for.

It looks okay to me, but the lack of courtesy and customer service should stop them from getting the job.

Are people looking at the same photo that I'm looking at? It looks dreadful! Proper early noughties chunky stripes. Go back and complain, it 1000% needs a toner to make it look less brassy.

Everyone saying it was on you as a customer to use your words and speak up midway through the appointment must have very low standards of how you should be treated during something like a hair or beauty appointment and must go to some quite coarse places to accept that kind of treatment. A salon visit is meant to make you feel accommodated and comfortable even if you were 10-15 minutes late - it's how they keep you coming back unless you go to a place they cram you in like cattle supercuts.

OP you should complain - he was rude, wasn't courteous to you, made a brassy stringy mess of your highlights and made you feel upset. It's the opposite of everything a stylist should do to you. You would have had better treatment from someone on your street with some leftover bleach and kitchen foil. Don't see it as making him lose out on a job, see it as making sure other people don't have an expensive luxury ruined by someone who can't do his job properly. It's not your place to halt a stylist mid bleach, you assume they know what they're doing by default and he'd already made you feel uncomfortable therefore less likely to speak up. I doubt most people on this thread get their hair done judging some of the responses and if they do I'd never go where THEY go.

Imo alot of people lately shouldn't be in the beauty industry with horror stories I've heard about rudeness and rushed treatments, you'd get better service from a dirty mechanic than alot of the beauty establishments around post covid.

It doesn’t look that bad, but if you don’t usually go for the stripey / chunky look, then this would be really disappointing. You could call the salon and ask if they can fix it, but I wouldn’t bother going back there again if that’s how they will treat their clients.

You can try purple shampoo to tone down any brassy colours.

As I said, it’s not that bad, so you could just get it corrected next time you’re due to go to the hairdressers (but I’d go to a different one!) or if it’s really bothering you, you could go to another salon and ask for more foils to even out the gaps / get rid of the stripes

I think your hair looks fine but agree the service was appalling.

I actually think it looks very nice, and it was free! I understand he was rude, so I wouldn't go back again. But I wouldn't complain either, because he's done a good job!

You got away lightly. I attended one of these appointments back in the 80s. I told the student I didn't mind how short I went and she proceeded to chop away into a nice pixie cut. Then, her tutor came over and began shaving off my hair without even hinting that she would do this! I sat there shell shocked unable to speak. I probably preceded Sinead O Connor in that 'look' back then. 🫣

Looks fine x

I would absolutely complain! You were only 6 minutes late for crying out loud, and there is NO excuse for treating a customer in such a rude way. I've had things like that happen where I just can't think fast enough in the moment, and later I'm all like "Why didn't I do/say x?" Don't worry about him losing his job or whatever. You should never be rude to a customer, imo. (And btw, I think your hair looks fine)

All the hairdressers I’ve come across (both male and female) are bitchy in general.

So if your not in the UK, how come you posted that the taxi cost you £52?

As a hairstylist and salon owner for many years ,I thinkthat the customer service is lacking here. If you had an appointment card with 4.30 on then they should have given you the benefit of the doubt. He should not have done anything without a basic consultation. The foils look a little bit stripey which is due to his placement of the foils. If you are used to having a toner (maybe to tone the yellow and make it more ashey) then that is why it looks to yellow to you. Go back and explain that you are not happy. If he was on trial for a job, I wouldn't be employing him and a prospective employer would want to know about this. They could blend your highlights a bit more and tone your hair, after a thorough consultation.

It was a free of charge ‘model’ appointment for the hairstylist...

I think YABU to expect it to look the way it normally does with your usual stylist. Why would you expect the same service for free?

I think your hair looks all right, but I don't know much about highlights or hair dye.

But the stylist treated you horribly! That was not OK at all!

I'd be ringing the salon and providing pictures of what your hair usually looks like. Don't feel bad — you wouldn't want anyone else to go through that.

They lied and said you were over half an hour late when you'd been polite enough to let them know you might be five minutes late. If it's an issue, my salon texts back saying they won't be able to fit me in. If your appointment was 4pm... They could have texted you that at 4.05 when you contacted them!

They then proceeded to do what they heck they liked with your hair and failed to use toner. Do you really want this person employed here?

Considering this was a trial session for him to demonstrate his skills, which as a hairdresser includes his customer service skills I would definitely complain. He was very rude and even if you were late it was only 6 mins and he handled it badly. If you don't speak up you'll regret it. If you don't get an apology for his bad attitude leave an honest review.

How is anyone in the UK to know the rules there, you should have said in your OP it's abroad.
In the UK it's known as being a model. It's either for training nights, stylist's portfolio or interviews, portfolio and interviews the stylist/colourist would normally supply their own.

Models for training go for a free hair session, not to help the stylist as you stated.
It's incredibly difficult getting models with good reason, as they don't get much say in what they want.

My understanding is that if the appointment is free it will in the style of what the hairdresser chooses - perhaps he had a selection of looks to do for the trade test

Sounds like a nightmare way to get your hair done, with assistants and hustle immediately you’re through the door.

I would write and let the manager/employer know that I was distressed by the experience and will not be back. Detail the lack of courtesy.

Doesn’t sound like a reputable salon and I would point that out.

Then leave a review online. People should not feel hassled by a trip to the hairdresser, half the job is making the customer feel good.

Just go somewhere else and pay to have it corrected and a toner applied. The stylist sounds awful - he was rude and showed he was prepared to lie as well as not being good at his job. If the salon does employe him it’s not one I would ever want to return to anyway. Sorry you had this experience

He bullied you and did a terrible job, maybe on purpose. Why are you tolerating this? I’d make a formal complaint and leave a bad review. This stylist needs the feedback.

I thought £52 sounded a lot for your taxi journey - the currency conversion explains it!

Exactly and the fact that he booked one client in for 4.30 doing highlights and another for 5pm so just half an hour between is ridiculous or he made a mistake. Clearly he saw a way out by refusing to do you by using your six minutes late as an excuse. And then lied about the appointment time. Definitely wouldn't want a hairdresser like that.