Just wondering if I need to manage my expectations better or if I’m being ripped off a bit. Sorry for the rant- no one else cares to listen and I need one! Looking at the pics I think it looks slightly better on camera- it looks patchy in places when I put it up in a ponytail which I don’t think I’ve captured.
I went to the same hairdressers for over 6 years, however lockdown and having very young children meant that it was getting harder and harder to drive to my nearest city. Early this year I started going to a more local hairdressers. The place has some good reviews and seems very busy. However, this is where my problem lies.
I’ve been about 5/6 times now and It’s almost like the hairdressers is too busy to pay me full attention and each time I feel almost like a nuisance or imposition. Bearing in mind I usually have to get childcare for my children- we don’t have family around and so it’s hard for me to have any time to myself for a few hours.
At first I just attributed it to lockdown having just lifted and them obviously having a huge backlog but now it seems like that’s just how it is. At my old hairdressers, I would go in and have the same woman do my hair right up until she took payment from me- occasionally someone else would wash or dry or even more occasionally (I.e on a Saturday someone else might cut). However, at this place at least 3 different people will work on my hair/go through the process with me.
Every time I’ve been I’ve had an apprentice or trainee work on my hair (e.g, doing part of the dye or blending). The first few times I thought fair enough- they need to learn somehow- but I’ve still had to pay the full extortionate price each time (usually well over £100) and it’s been every single time!
Sometimes I’ve gone in and it’s been so busy and hectic no one has even paused to ask what I wanted, they’ve just gone straight in with prepping the dye/the highlights as - even though I said I wasn’t sure over the phone when booking- They’d put me in for a full head of highlights (this was after the third lockdown so I had substantial root growth). I literally didn’t even get time to speak.
The last time I went felt like the last straw. The hairdresser who started my hair was over 20 minutes late (don’t want to be too outing but it wasn’t because of an emergency, it was a non- reason). I was told this as I turned up for my appointment and I had to just sit in the chair and wait for her to get back. Bearing in mind I’d had to pay to have my children in nursery for the afternoon so I could attend the appointment. An experienced hairdresser foiled my hair and then an apprentice added bleach and blender to my roots, washed and dried- I still paid £110. I was there for over 4 hours in total (for a full head of highlights and root blending I think), the process always seems to take ages as I’m left for large chunks of time while they work on other people’s hair.
It’s been a week and I don’t even think the job is very good? There are lots of clear lines near the top of my head and it doesn’t seem all that well blended. My hair is now probably in the worst condition it’s ever been in- but I appreciate that’s probably just the bleach.
Are my expectations unrealistic?? Especially at the moment given the last year? Happy to be told they are as I can struggle with wanting things to be perfect. Or is this a bit of a crappy job?