Disappointed after hair dresser appointment- with pics!

[BeeKeeping]

I’ve just spent an absolute arm and leg at the hairdresser (again) and so disappointed with the results. I wanted baby highlights to blend in the greys- I’m naturally dark with about 30% grey spread throughout. I would like to look effortless but this is effortful and looks a bit shit. Surely there is a better way? Have home dyes improved? Do people use foils at home or would it have to just be one all over colour? I would like to either save money and accept it’s not perfect, or spend money and feel really pleased with the results!

We’re realistic with what the result would look like on your hair? Did you say something to the hairdresser?

Last time I went to the hairdressers I had a perm and I looked like Deidre Barlow I was 20!!! I’ve been doing my own hair since (I’m 52) most of the time successfully but I’ve run the gauntlet through the streets a couple of times to get a different hair dye form the shop

What don't you like about it? Looks nice to me

Front is ok. Underneath is not. Did you pay for a full head or just a half / T section?

Underneath and back is not good, did they use a toner at all?

I am so sorry OP but to me it looks awful and l would be very disappointed if l had paid a lot of money for it like you . Your hair looks really out of condition and dry . What on earth have they used on you or have they left the dye in for too long .
Honestly you couldn't make a worse job at home doing it yourself.

I think it looks ok, but a toner would probably soften the highlights a bit. Did your hairdresser offer one? And then deep condition, hair mask and a leave-in product too, to nourish your hair

If you want to tone the colour a bit you could try a purple shampoo? It made my highlights more blonde/ashy ( less yellow)

I agree. It looks like the placement is poor and they've not toned your hair. Possibly that they haven't fully washed out the dye before attempting to tone actually. Hopefully using a good conditioner at home and maybe a home toner will help.

I'm in my 50s with about 30-40% grey and this is how grey blending with babylights looks on me. I like the blended lived-in look so you can see how the darker/grey roots are blended with the blonder lengths. Is this more like what you expected? This costs <£100 (outside London). Anyway, please consider contacting the hairdresser and giving them the chance to put things right.

Get a toner on it. If you get toner shampoo don't use it too often as it really dries your hair out. Maybe get a really good hair mask as it does look quite dry.

I know! I think it was left in too long too. It’s made me think that rather than going through the pain and heartbreak of finding a new hairdresser, I should just do a box dye at home and save money. I have no idea where to start? Are supermarket dyes just as good as the ones you get online?

That looks awful. Dry and amateurish.

She did use a toner! I paid for full head of foils for regrowth and toner (and blow dry). I use the fenola purple conditioner which usually keeps the dye quite ashy and in keeping with the grey. Some bits have taken the toner but it’s very patchy.

I really don’t want to go back to the hairdresser- I’d rather try and fix it myself, and maintain it myself if possible

You paid for a full head?! That’s not a full head.

I add that I think one of thr biggest problem is that your hair looks so dry and brittle and it needs a good cut. I think the (shit - no way is that a full head) highlights are the least of your troubles. Just been for highlights myself today and I would be not impressed at a hairdresser who let me leave the salon looking like that.

what did they do when they took the foils out? Just kick you out after emptying your purse?

id left my highlights for too too long (reasons I won’t bore you with) and my Hairdresser took well over an hour to put the foils in.

That’s exactly what I wanted @SecondguessYour hair is beautiful

I do need to condition it properly- I think it’s gone so frizzy because she didn’t dry it properly because I was in a rush. The first 40mins or so was putting the foils in, she said she’d come back to take them out in 20 minutes but it was more like 45 and then wash, toner on for 5 mins then another wash and by then I was running late so just asked for a quick blow dry.

Just to comment on the Fenola, I found it very drying. The bleach London one is great.

Is that picture of when you came out of the salon, or have you washed it since? If that’s how they left it, it’s shocking. If that’s after you’ve washed it, you need to use a moisturising product on it.

Sorry, cross-posted with your update.

@Tcateheven the conditioner? Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. I don’t use the shampoo, but the mask keeps the blonde bits ashy to tie in the grey (usually) but this time it just looks shit.

Oh that sounds nothing like my afternoon. Well over an hour putting foils on. 45 minutes baking. Rinse and toner (took about 20 minutes to apply thoroughly) and left in for 10 minutes. Then a thorough wash and condition, trim, blow dry, left feeling fabulous. Which is what you should have felt. OP you’ve been done.

Are you wanting a colour that will blend your greys in rather than covering them completely? I would recommend a semi permanent if this is what you're after and going to do a box dye yourself at home. (Ex hairdresser here).

I think I’m just done with the whole hairdresser thing @BitOutOfPractice- if I had big brass balls I could march back and demand a redo but honestly what if it still looks shit. This is not sustainable- I cannot spend this much money to look this awful!

finding another hairdresser who is not extortionate and booked up till the end of time, feels impossible.

is home dying blonde just a no no? Should I just go dark for ease?!

Can you do semi permanent blonde?

The first 40mins or so was putting the foils in, she said she’d come back to take them out in 20 minutes but it was more like 45 and then wash, toner on for 5 mins then another wash

After reading this update I think the whole process has been too rushed. I appreciate you seem to have been on a schedule yourself but babylights take a long time, and your hairdresser should have been clear about the time required. I'd expect 2.5-4 hours depending on your hair density etc.

Even with babylights at your hairline and parting and thicker foils elsewhere it can take an hour just to put the foils in, then if you want a blonde effect it's another hour to lift your colour gently (maybe less if you're under a heat lamp but generally you can lift quickly or gently, not both). Babylights should be tiny sections of hair and lots of them. Did you have so many foils that you looked like you had an afro, and it seemed to take forever when they were being removed?
If the colour hasn't fully lifted to a light blonde while in the foils then you'll be left with a more brassy shade that toners can slightly neutralise, but they can't get it lighter. Did the hairdresser check how much the hair had lifted before removing the foils? Leaving the toner on for just five minutes seems very quick - I'd expect this to take up to half an hour, and with washing thoroughly before and after and conditioning... This is how we get to a 4 hour appointment!

I understand that you want a quick fix but you've paid for a service that you haven't received. Maybe you could send the images to the salon manager saying something like "I booked and paid for x service and this is the result, it's not what I expected and I am disappointed. I'd like your thoughts on how my hair looks in these images. I can come into the salon on dd/mm if you'd like to check it in person. Thank you".

@BeeKeeping no... Semi permanents have no lift in them so you wouldn't be able to do blonde but as you have highlights already you could touch up your roots with a semi permanent and leave the ends to go for an ombre effect...