Help me go blonde

[Spocklebock]

I had a half head of highlights a couple of years ago in a top salon and they did a terrible job. The highlights were yellow, chunky stripes and I needed to have it corrected. The corrected colour was lovely, a nice ashy blonde on my light auburn/brown hair.

Last year I decided to get another set and the exact same thing happened again. Ridiculous chunky yellow stripes despite me being very detailed about what I wanted. I had another correction done and it left my hair a bit dry so I had the ends cut off.

Now I'm determined to go blonde and thought the best way would be a full head of blonde highlights but I'm so scared it'll go wrong again.

Does anyone have any tips? I've been to expensive salons and used the style directors so I don't know what more I could do.

That sounds unlucky. I have mousy dark blonde hair which I've been getting highlighted for years without any colour disasters. Cuts another story however......
Have you tried a salon and stylist recommended by a friend who has had highlights done? I have found some of the fancy places less good myself. Find somewhere you can have a free consultation and discuss what you do and don't want. I think to avoid stripes only small sections should be done per foil. Hope that makes sense, I'm no hairdresser!

I'm amazed by the number of hairdressers who don't have a good eye for colour. Red or warm colours look awful on me, but they often suggest them. So if ash blonde works well the go in determined to get it. I have highlights in equal amount of bleach and an ash blonde colour and it looks nice.

The issue you've got is the warmth in your natural hair colour. Mine used to be the same (it's got ashier as I've got older and it's easier to get an ash blonde result rather than a warm blonde). Even if you lift the highlights enough, against auburn hair the overall result can look brassy.

You might want to go with a combination of highlights in a darker ashy blonde and a platinum blonde so you're not lifting all of your hair and to reduce the chance of the overall look being too brassy.

I'd recommend a strand test to make sure you're happy with the result before you go ahead.

I just don't seem to have much luck with hairdressers Thank you for your suggestions. A strand test is a good idea! The last two trips were recommendations so I just don't know how to choose a good hairdresser.

If anyone has seen The Fall, I'm after Gillian Anderson's colour in that as her base looks very similar to mine.

I can totally see what you're going for - but Gillian Anderson isn't actually a redhead! Her natural hair colour is dark blonde, she dyed it for X Files.