Should I say something to the salon?

[Ssam]

Hi,
I am not a hair professional, just someone seeking advice on my experience with a new hairdresser. I had a last minute chance to get my hair done, but was unable to get in with my usual stylist so I had to go elsewhere. I usually do a double process to go lighter. It had been 5 months since my last appointment so my roots were about 1-2 inches long (I know, I know :-/).
Well we were off to a bad start because the hairdresser was disagreeing with what I normally do. She was trying to talk me out of a double process, even though that's what my appointment was for, to which she very reluctantly agreed to finally. I told her what level processor the other hairdresser uses because my hair turns brassy very easily and she disagreed. She also wanted to use a color that matches my root color to dye my roots, which I don't understand. I told her it needs to be much lighter. She ended up doing what appears to be a darker base color and admitted to using a lower level of processor.

Luckily the highlights turned out ashy but my roots are still pretty bad. On top of that, I have bands of color in several spots. I also asked for bangs and she told me that bangs are for children. I insisted and she cut a tiny piece of hair by my face to chin length. I also told her no layers in the back and she ended up cutting long layers.

When I got home, I ended up cutting my own bangs. But now I'm seeing bands of color in several spots and my roots are still pretty obvious.

Should I say something to the salon? I definitely don't want retaliation but she obviously doesn't listen to her clients.









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[AcidPerm]

Unfortunately, your second mistake was to try to tell her exactly how to do your hair. It's annoying and condescending frankly.
(How would you like someone unqualified and inexperienced telling you how to do your job?)
If you'd showed her a picture of what you wanted and mentioned the double process but then let her get on with it, you might have had a better outcome.

There are often several techniques and products available to reach a particular outcome and brassiness is just hair that hasn't lifted enough but it can always be toned. There are hundreds of bleach products available these days and some are definitely much better than others and it's pointless telling a new hairdresser what your previous one did if they're not using the same products or even the same techniques.

I agree with you that she does have odd ideas about hairstyles. She's obviously not familiar with European hair fashions, for instance. Bangs or fringes are not confined to children. I'm ancient and love my fringe with my short grad Bob.

Oh, and your first mistake was booking a hasty appointment for a chemical service with a new hairdresser without checking them out thoroughly beforehand. Always a risky move in my experience!

I think you should chalk it down to experience and start afresh with someone new but don't dictate what they should do before they've had a chance to look at it properly. Visit several salons and have a few free consultations to see what they suggest before taking the plunge. You should then get a good feeling for who knows what they're doing.

 

[Ssam]

Thank you for the quick reply! I re-read my post and can totally see why you said what you said and I wanted to clarify . The hairdresser asked what I wanted done when I sat down and I told her I was hoping to go with what I usually get done (a double process). I told her unfortunately my hair does not lift so easy because it loves to pull red tones and past hairdressers have had luck using 40 developer. She said she wanted to use 20 and I told her I understand her hesitation but I've had several hairdressers use 20 and 30 and then beat themselves up because it didn't lift as much as they wanted, but I trust her judgement. She also wanted to know why I didn't just do highlights and wanted to try a 5 minute toner on me and I was persistent in getting a double process. She kept looking at the clock and called me to arrive earlier than our scheduled time. I was her last client so it almost seems like she was rushing me out.

I completely agree on the fact I rushed into this. I don't think she is a new hairdresser, just new to me. The salon had excellent reviews and she did as well so I felt confident in my choice. But there is another hairdresser I've gone to in the past who I liked but unfortunately she was booked for several weeks :-(.

 

[S&G Beauty Bar]

Personally I'd just chalk it down to experience. But if you want to approach the salon to see if they'll do anything about it, there's no harm in it. Just don't expect miracles.

Just try to plan ahead in future. If someone's booked up for weeks in advance, it's because they're good and worth the wait

 

[AcidPerm]

Your pictures weren't posted when I drafted my reply. Looking at them now, it's probably worth going back and asking them what can they do to rectify it as it does look pretty awful.

Mind you, I'd be wary of giving her another go as she should have got it right the first time. We're not talking a shade out but serious banding there.

Agree with the poster above about excellent hairdressers being booked up for some time ahead. Book in with her now!

 

[Ssam]

I know . It looks awful! Lesson definitely learned....the hard way!! Thank you very much for your help!!