Highlights gone wrong - WWYD?

[hairdisasterbeforechristmas]

I have been going to the same hairdresser for over 15 years. It's a highly rated salon in London and costs significant money (hundreds) but it's my one indulgence. Today I had my usual appointment (colour and style) before going away to see family for Christmas. Unfortunately because of work commitments I had to leave it later in the day than normal. I think it has been a disaster- but I dont know if I am being unreasonable as I haven't been feeling well. .The hairdresser was running late - I had to wait over 4o minutes and at the end she left me with one of the juniors whilst she went to have a Christmas drink with the rest of the team. That would all be fine /understandable but the colour is awful. Literally just cheap looking strips/ blocks/ not blended. Really upset.

Please can you tell if iabu and WWYD? I am due to catch a train tomorrow and the salon is shut/fully booked til Christmas. Should I just buy a hair dye or cut the streaks out? WWYD?

Send photos and ask for it to be fixed as soon as you are available. You could buy some purple shampoo and try to tone down the tiger effect temporarily in the meantime.

Ask for an appointment asap. It’s awful. Remain polite, generally you catch more flies with honey then vinegar.

Do not cut the streak out!

Live with it as is for a few days while Xmas happens and go back to the salon when it re-opens.

It is no where near as bad as you are thinking, but yes the highlights could do with a bit more blending in.

Agree with @Itsaswelltime ,
But do not cut them out that would be so difficult to grow out again .
Tone them down as much as possible.
(Also other folk will not notice as much as you do)

If you’ve been going a long time and generally are pleased with their colour, call them as soon as they open tomorrow / Monday.

Calmly and politely tell them that unfortunately you got home and realised your highlights aren’t to their usual standard and aren’t blended properly like normal. You understand it’s a really busy time of year and you’re usually very happy with your colour. Can you arrange an appointment asap with your usual hairdresser to see if there is anything that can be done to sort them out.

Contact the salon

It is a little chunky. Do not cut it out though! Call the salon, you already have photos. Ask for them to rectify ASAP. Will probably be post-Christmas, unfortunately.

Thank you. I wasn't sure if it was just in my mind as I wasn't feeling very well, she normally does a great job, very reliable.

I will call them on Monday but I dont want to look ridiculous over Christmas (meeting up with friends and family). It seems I shouldn't be cutting them out but do you think I should just put a colour on it? Cost me nearly £500!

Why on earth would you cut the streaks out??? 😕

Contact the salon when they reopen and email pics to the manager. If they can't fit you in before you go away, insist on an appointment when back.
Whilst away, try some different up styles or half up/half down if the streaks make you too conscious to have it all down. Curling it would also hide them more than dead straight.

I think it's probably fine tbh. You could always buy brown dye in boots and dye the highlights brown again if it worries you.

It's probably not so bad really though. For context, I had a terrible hair cut one year right before I went to my inlaws abroad for a fortnight for Christmas.

When I arrived they all stared at me as if to say "What the hell were you thinking?!"

I just looked straight back at them and said "Yeah, it's a disaster, I know. It'll have grown out by next year."

That sorted the problem entirely and after that nobody batted an eyelid.

In my case I had asked the hair dresser for something a bit like a pixie cut and instead got just a really short men's haircut. I normally have very long hair so it looked very strange indeed.

It was kind of funny.

Let them fix it then never go back.

For that price you should definitely send photos and ask for a full refund. That's a bonkers price.

Do not cut them out!

get one of those root touch up sprays and spray over it. I'm sure it just washes out.

send them these pictures and ask for it to be rectified asap. Do not pay a penny towards them fixing it.

Contact them as soon as you can and live with it until they can fix it, or at least discuss with them before they do anything. That's a huge amount of money and the base colour is nice but the chunky light streaks are not great. It probably doesn't look awful in the flesh, so don't do anything drastic, give them the chance to fix it.

It doesn't look ridiculous!

Ask them to fix it!

in the meantime time - just pop on something like this L’Oréal magic retouch spray to cover it (washes right out) : https://amzn.eu/d/cue3sT3

Do not touch it if you want them to fix it (as they should, if your highlights are usually better blended).

If you put brown dye on it, they won’t be able to see what your concerns were. And you created a harder problem for them as they won’t know how your box-dyed hair will take the highlights.

Nobody else will think you look ridiculous.

And for god’s sake don’t cut them out!! You’ll have random sticky out short bits that will take years to grown down!

Could you email them? Then you can think about exactly what you want to say without the back and forth of a conversation? Including pics, from several positions, they definitely don't look £500 good. But again you will be way more aware of them, than anyone else.

They cost more than my rent

Erm I wouldn't care if they were fully booked - I'd be going back asap and demand it gets resolved or get your money back. I definitely wouldn't wait as they may find it easier to argue that you did something in the meantime.

If they can't fix it in time for Christmas, colour them in with a brown sharpie. I'd love to say I'm joking but I've had to do it myself several times. Works a treat!!

Toner toner toner! Get a good toning shampoo and it will bring them right down until you can get into the salon for a correction. And don't be afraid to ask for it to be corrected if its not how you normally have it.

My usual hairdresser botched my last colour due to rushing, fortunately she could do the job right two days later. I was firm but polite, well inout and out lied tonsave face, saying I think its hanging differently now I've washed it (bollocks, she just hadn't done it right) but being oh so English it meant we could both laugh about it and she fixed it.

This happened to me once and by the time they could fit me in a few weeks later they wouldn't do them . They should fit you in right away it's practically an emergency the state of that

Seems unprofessional to leave you with a junior so she can go for drinks!! Complain and find yourself another hairdresser it's clear they don't value you or your custom.