Should I change my hairdresser ?

[Mimzi1]

My hairdresser has been doing my hair for 10 years and become a friend since, I’ve not been happy with my hair for the last few years but I don’t know how to end my hair appointments with her without it having an effect on our friendship? I feel like my hair looks patchy and not a good finish? It looks lighter when down but a lot of uneven tones when up. This is 4 weeks after an appointment I should add but she doesn’t seem to get too close to my root so I usually always have root showing. What would you do? Is my hair a mess?

It's not a mess and the colour is great.
Unless your hair grows extremely quickly there is rather a lot of roots.

What service do you ask for op?

I would never let a friend do my hair, they get too familiar which makes them lax imo

As far as ending your appointments goes, you will either have to talk to her like a big girl about not liking your hair or talk to her like a big girl about wanting to try someone new.

What other adult options are there?

I think OP is an adult @Mommasgotabrandnewbag , not a big girl.

Then she should act like one. Just talk to your friend.

My hairdresser would DIE if I was going about saying I was unhappy with my hair/feeling like he did a shit job. He and I are also friends (although I started going to him based on a recommendation, I didn’t know him then) but I wouldn’t hesitate to say I wasn’t happy and ask what we should do to make it better! I think you must do as pp said and either have a tricky chat about not being pleased, or have a tricky chat about going elsewhere. The only alternative is to disappear off somewhere else and ghost her!

I actually now manage my salon’s social media and about 50% of my posts are about customer focus, listening, people wearing their hair every day, making sure clients only have good hair days. I see my hairdresser in much the same way I see my dentist, we’re a partnership and there needs to be open communication and trust.

It’s really tricky, she was my hairdresser first and then became my friend after. I have a full head of foils, cut and toner. I pay £95 each 6 weeks, I don’t get a discounted rate, that’s the same for anyone having that service but price wise she is the very reasonable, other salons in my area charge a lot more. She does my appointment in around 2.5 hours, it use to take longer when I went elsewhere before but I wonder if she is cutting corners, she will easily have 2 or 3 people in at a time, she is a 1 person home salon.
i haven’t said I’m not happy with my hair but I have said things like ‘Can I add more highlights to break it up as my hair had gone a bit blocky’ or ‘The colour hasn’t taken too well to my hair, what would you recommend etc. I hint but I’m polite…!

I think a balayage would be more suitable and you probably wouldn’t need it done every 6 weeks. It can’t be good for your hair colouring every six weeks.

You need to have an honest discussion. Tell her you find it looks patchy when you put your hair up. Tell her you would like her to get closer to the roots with the highlights. Give her a sh1t sandwich - you love the shade and the cut, but you'd like the colour to go closer to your roots and look more even when your hair is up, you know you'll have some good suggestions because she's a good hairdresser and a friend.

It may cost you more, but if you get what you want then that may be the solution.

*you know she'll have some good suggestions

I’d talk to her first.

If not happy after that, I’d change hairdressers.

Alternatively do neither and tell her your mum/sibling gave you a voucher for a new salon that you’re going to try/tried.

It’s a service that you pay for so really you need to get what you want for this reason. I have no loyalty to hairdressers at all and have been to three in quite a short space of time.

When you say you are friends, do you see her much outside the 6 week appointments?

I'm a coward, OP. I just didn't go back to my hairdresser of 20 years and accepted the friendship probably wasn't that strong since if it was a real friend they'd do their very best job considering you were still paying a lot of money.

They've not contacted me at all but now I pay £35 less for a much better cut, colour and my hair is no longer suffering constant breakage which was always put down to poor diet/my mishandling.