Balayage is too blonde! How do I tone it down?

[PonderLand]

I went to get my hair done yesterday, I asked for a balayage and to keep it really subtle and sun-kissed. I've had it done there before about 2 years ago and loved the results, this time it's totally different! It's like they've dyed my whole hair different tones of light blonde! Possibly due to the toner? It really doesn't suit me.

Can I fix it at home without causing a disaster? Going back and complaining isn't an option as I'm too British, they spent 7 hours on my hair and it isn't a bad job I don't think but it isn't what I asked for.

I think it’s slightly brassy looking and agree you need a toner on it.

It looks way too warm and yellow. Hairdressers are mostly shit at achieving that cool ashy look. Why the fuck should you pay £200 and then feel like you have to go straight out and buy your own toner to fix it. Rant over! Good luck tomorrow, hope they fix it but not sure what they'll achieve in 30 minutes. Chatting about what you don't like and what you envisaged will be about 10 minutes. If they go for toner, another 20 minutes and then drying it.

Wella purple shampoo and conditioner is your friend. Or if you can’t get hold of that touch of silver is next best thing. Leave conditioner in for at least 8 mins. As a life long blondie it gets my hair out of that grassy stage in the summer

Brassy bit grassy 🙄

It’s not what you asked for but I think it’s lovely. Much nicer than the other pic

One person's brassy is another's strawberry blonde and some people need warmer tones in their hair. Personally, I think the balayage look often looks that someone's lobbed dye on your hair with no real skill.

Josh Wood Shade Shots From Boots are £2.50 are good toners. There’s a blue one and a lilac one that could work for you. You don’t need to buy the hair mask to mix it with, any white conditioner you already have will do.

Touch of Silver is very good for maintaining the tone.

I agree that the salon should fix it for you, but if you go to your appointment and you don’t get a good vibe from their attitude, so feel uncomfortable proceeding, don’t be afraid to back away. In that case, the above things will help.

Although I do also agree with PP that it’s lovely!

OP are you in london? If so, my hairdresser does the exact balayage you want, she’s great at it. The picture you posted of what you wanted could literally be my hair! Let me know if you want me to PM you her details

I can completely see what you mean. And had a similar experience myself a couple of years back. IME they put a purple toner on it when I went back, but that only lasted a little while, I wish I'd gone back again and got my money back as I'm still growing it out and hate it tbh.

Fanola purple shampoo will take out the brassy tones at home.

It looks brassy and this exact same thing happened to me earlier this year. After years of great highlights they did a balayage and it looked horrendous. So bright and brassy, almost as bad as an amateur box dye I had done at home myself. I went back and they toned it down with highlights but I still didn't like it and I am here ten months on trying to find another hairdresser and work up the nerve to get it coloured again.

Hey all, I went back today and the hairdresser was understanding but he said it looks like the photo i showed him. Unfortunately my phone broke this morning so I couldn't show him the photo again.

He ran a darker colour through my roots and brushed it down, left it for 20 mins and rinsed. He got a junior to blast me with a hair dryer whilst dragging her fingers through my hair (no brush) my hair went puffy so not the best way to view a new dye but as soon as it started drying I wanted to cry. It looked so ginger to me, in some lights it looks okayish. I think maybe it's because it's blonde so it reflects light, litterally from one mirror to the next it looks different.

He came back and said oh it looks darker don't you think, I said I didn't like it and it looks like i've had a full head of dye and it has a really orange/yellow tone, he said it's caramel like we talked about. I cried and i've got no idea why, i felt really embarrassed trying to defend why i didn't like it but still I was ridiculous to get upset over it. He told me to go home and style it etc and if i'm still not happy he'll re-do the whole thing. I'll attach photos of the new colour ones with flash and without just to show the different colours depending on the light!

Ohhhh bless you I understand what you mean, if anything it looks even warmer now :/ it sounds like he’s misinterpreted you wanting it less bright as you wanting it a deeper shade rather than the all over light, but then completely is regarded the tone which is soooooo much warmer than the picture you showed.

You’re going to have to go back but is there any way you can ask for a different stylist??

*disregarded

Hi @SilverDoe It's nothing like the photo I showed him is it, it's too much of an all over colour. I felt like I was going insane as even the receptionists were agreeing with him about it looking nice etc My dp who knows nothing about hair has said it's totally different to the photo. My roots are going to look horrendous in a months time. I don't want to go back there, he owns the salon and he is meant to be the best at colouring. I want my money back but if he's offering to re-do it then I suppose thats my only option or I can just leave it and never dye it again lol.

Looks amazing to me.

It's not really about whether or not the receptionists think it looks good or if anyone here thinks it's nice. It's not what you wanted.

It does look really red toned, in the flash pic very much so

I can see why you’re upset, I suppose they could redo it all but such a faff for you

I mean non flash pic - the ones on the right

I had this same issue. I’d been going to a place for a year or so and the girl who did my balayage left and a new girl done a horrendous job! I went back twice in the end they just said they couldn’t fix it -_- we ended up in an argument they wouldn’t refunded me and I found the girl who used to do it to fix it! I’d get the details off a PP and get it done elsewhere. Some people advertise baylage but can’t actually do it and this seems like the case

Oh god no he’s really messed up the roots. If he’s the best at colouring I’d hate to see what the worst is like! I really feel for you, id be very upset with this. I think you need to find a new hairdresser and ask for ash blonde with cool/silvery tones rather than anything warm or caramel. I also think you need to print out the original picture and go back to demand a refund!

I think you need to go to a different hairdresser who knows about balayage and ask for their opinion. If they agree with you / us, go back and demand a refund. And never go back there again. That really is a shit job!

I would go back and say that you find it a bit too warm and golden and you'd like it toning down. It won't be a problem

Poor show to not use a brush also. Mine rough dries a bit then finishes with a brush. Agreed it looks ginger, though I can never achieve the colour you're looking for because of my natural hair colouring and warmth. Your example picture is probably heavily filtered/edited so what you're seeing may not even be real. Def go back and ask for another colourist this time.

I have had this and it's upsetting when it really does not come close to the pic you want and had taken so long.
Agree toner will take it down and even though it is their fault, I think you would feel more comfortable going to another hairdresser and feeling less worried. That is how I found my current one - she fixed someone else's error and I stayed!
First 2 pics are variants of the balayage I wanted. 3rd is the darker version I got. Can't add 4th pic so will post after!

And this is the lighter version moved to