Hair disaster - am I wrong?

[NewhairDocare]

I went to the hairdresser to get some balayage to break up my too blonde highlighted hair. I have attached pictures of what I asked for, how I started out, and what I’ve ended up with. Am I wrong in thinking it’s nothing like what I asked for, and nothing like balayage should be?

I called the salon to ask them to fix it and the managers attitude was that it’s all just my interpretation!

It had turned put quite mosey - where has the blonde gone?

Is the 2nd or 3rd picture the 'after'?

After is the last, aspiration is the first.

3rd pic is after!

Its not a disaster but its definitely not what you asked for either.

In that case, I'm sorry but it doesn't look good . Before looks so much nice. I'm sorry that's not helpful but I wouldn't be happy with that at all. Your 'after' is what my natural hair is, and I spend a lot of money balayage-ing it to something nicer!

Whenever anyone posts on MN about bad hair it always seems to be balayage that's gone wrong. Is it something that loads of salons offer but not enough hairdressers are properly trained in?

What do the lengths of your hair look like, OP? From the photo it looks like the whole thing has been dyed mousy brown.

It’s bloody awful! The attitude is very much that it is what balayage is meant to look like and it’s my interpretation that is wrong.

Definitely not balayage. What did they actually do? My hairdresser spends ages painting my hair in little sweeps, then I wait for a bit and then wash and toner. This is how mine turned out.

What colour is your natural colour? Can you grow some roots out and then get hand-painted babylights?

Bit blonder at the back I think but it looks grey not like balayage!

Natural colour roots. Comparing the pics you can see the lengths had got very blonde. I wanted the balayage to break it up and blend it in.

We can't compare from the pic you've posted, take another one in the same way as the middle one.

Is the third pic straight from the salon? The condition is pretty terrible.

The before pic was in the sun in the car. The after pic is daylight today but it’s not a sunny day. Condition is dreadful and that’s after a ‘treatment’.

Does balayage break up blonde lengths, though? Don't just the top few inches/roots get dyed brown (or get left if virgin hair)? Wouldn't the blonde lengths have stayed blonde?

It looks like a stripey highlights job, and I can see why you're not happy.

Best comparison I can do.

We need to see the overall look, around your face like the second picture, not isolated sections.

It's not grey, it's ash blonde.

sorry - I can't tell the difference between the first & last picture

It may be called ash blonde but because of how fine the bits of blonde that still show are it looks like grey hairs.

your last picture does look all one colour though

Ok, new picture doesn't look quite as bad! Its still not right, they just seem to have dyed it darker and then put blonde highlights in!

The hairdresser just hand painted some bits with dark dye. I’m presuming she just did too much?

Looks more like highlights than balayage

You just need a few more free highlights through the front and ends.

The colour is far kinder on you than it was before, so that's a positive.

She didn’t do any highlights. The blonde you see is the bits of hair she didn’t hand paint. Too fine? And too dark a colour used?