Difficult client

[redlottie13]

She comes in and says I want this exact pic ...then never likes it! ...am I in the wrong here

Ok came in yday with her hair all over bleached pic 1

She wanted this exact hair pic 2

And left with This pic 3 I was very happy...I used base 4.0 with a smidge of warmth over the blonde told her to wash it after 24 hours and it will fade by about half a shade. ( actual colour ashier than pic)

This is what she sends today pic 4 .....grrrrrrr

Now she's asking for something different pic 5

Ffs she's never happy suffers from low self esteem & she could find fault in everything 'her' related

What do you geeks advise going forward? Feel worried I won't be right either way !

 

[Nemo]

I'm not a hairdresser but I actually have my hair done like KK as I used her photos to give to my hairdresser.

Your client gave you picture 2. In my unprofessional opinion, picture 3 looks nothing like the colour of picture 2. Picture 5 is closer to the way picture 2 goes dark to light.

I have no idea about hairdressing. Not trained and certainly not professional.

I'm just giving my humble opinion from the photos you've provided. With regards to head and shoulders and ashy, I have no idea what all that means!

I'm a nail girl, we have clients in all the time showing us pictures. I tell them straight off their nails will not look like the photo and explain why. I think managing client expectations is the biggest challenge.

And although my hair looks exactly like picture 5, it took 3 visits to the hairdresser to do that. Stylist 1 & 2 just said yes okay. I came out each time not quite right. Stylist 3 said yes okay BUT I need 6 hours and it'll cost more. Me as the client is now very happy as my expectations were managed (eventually!!)

 

[redlottie13]

I'm not a hairdresser but I actually have my hair done like KK as I used her photos to give to my hairdresser.

Your client gave you picture 2. In my unprofessional opinion, picture 3 looks nothing like the colour of picture 2. Picture 5 is closer to the way picture 2 goes dark to light.

I have no idea about hairdressing. Not trained and certainly not professional.

I'm just giving my humble opinion from the photos you've provided. With regards to head and shoulders and ashy, I have no idea what all that means!

I'm a nail girl, we have clients in all the time showing us pictures. I tell them straight off their nails will not look like the photo and explain why. I think managing client expectations is the biggest challenge.

And although my hair looks exactly like picture 5, it took 3 visits to the hairdresser to do that. Stylist 1 & 2 just said yes okay. I came out each time not quite right. Stylist 3 said yes okay BUT I need 6 hours and it'll cost more. Me as the client is now very happy as my expectations were managed (eventually!!)

The difference when curled...I think it's pretty damn close

*Please excuse the lihhting

 

[nailpod]

Oh my gosh you poor thing ! I would say you did a nice job and she is sending you pic of curled hair which is kind of different by the light and filters the photographs are taken in, you need to tell her the reality is not the same as Instagram.

Send her to another hairstudio I would

 

[k_lee110788]

Ive been a hairdresser for 12 years and i think you have done a great job. What was she expecting, its not going to be exactly like the picture as its a different persons hair! It looks like youve got it as close as any hairdresser could have

 

[Nemo]

The curled photo looks good. Some people will never be happy!

 

[Char M]

'The roots are too dark and the ends are too ashy' isn't that what ombré is meant to look like! Some people are never satisfied! good luck!

 

[Caroline_music_]

You did a good colour. But....the pic she initially wanted is nowhere near the length of her hair, this is an issue in terms of colour because of placement, you can't replicate a balyage colour on short hair so this would need to be explained. Whilst you did a nice root blend the ends of this client's hair are not as light as the ends of the model's hair in the photo, model's end are completely saturated with blond. Granted that the depth of colour could be affected by indoor versus outdoor lighting. Her roots feel black, blimey, look at the model's roots! You've gone a bit closer in at the root, imagine if you'd done it like that picture. Perhaps it's the contrast she wasn't expecting? If she wants the professional filter finish on her hair like in the Pinterest pic, she needs to apply a brightness filter and up the contrast. As for the KK pic and separate colour change, swerve! If she dislikes going darker she will hate the KK colour. It's not blond enough. Self esteem is a real issue for some people dissatisfied with themselves but ask yourself is it really as blond as it could be towards the ends? Perhaps you took the dark too far down? Not a criticism, just throwing it out there, it's so hard to tell with pictures. I really do feel your pain, I had one like that until she blocked me on Facebook for disagreeing with her about the 'no more page 3' campaign. She was for, I was against [emoji23] I do not miss the anxiety of her constant dissatisfaction!!

 

[lissydoll]

I've enjoyed this read, not in a way of laughter or actual enjoyment it makes me realise that all us hairdressers have the same issues with clients and we are ALL HUMAN!!
People underestimate how tough this job really is.. I agree with caroline_music, you've done a really nice job of her hair. Her hair texture, length and thickness are all different so no of corse it isn't going to look identical to that picture because well we all "hairdress" differently, it's a work of art and you don't know the formula to this Pinterest picture so it's all trial and error in some cases of the world of hairdressing!
I think you've done a lovely job, like you said when you curl it it looks lighter, what does the picture look like straight (Pinterest picture) who knows?? and when clients make you feel like this it's the worst feeling so yes maybe sending her away would be the best thing to do and not have to deal with it again in the future.
hope you sort it Don't let it knock you.

 

[redlottie13]

You did a good colour. But....the pic she initially wanted is nowhere near the length of her hair, this is an issue in terms of colour because of placement, you can't replicate a balyage colour on short hair so this would need to be explained. Whilst you did a nice root blend the ends of this client's hair are not as light as the ends of the model's hair in the photo, model's end are completely saturated with blond. Granted that the depth of colour could be affected by indoor versus outdoor lighting. Her roots feel black, blimey, look at the model's roots! You've gone a bit closer in at the root, imagine if you'd done it like that picture. Perhaps it's the contrast she wasn't expecting? If she wants the professional filter finish on her hair like in the Pinterest pic, she needs to apply a brightness filter and up the contrast. As for the KK pic and separate colour change, swerve! If she dislikes going darker she will hate the KK colour. It's not blond enough. Self esteem is a real issue for some people dissatisfied with themselves but ask yourself is it really as blond as it could be towards the ends? Perhaps you took the dark too far down? Not a criticism, just throwing it out there, it's so hard to tell with pictures. I really do feel your pain, I had one like that until she blocked me on Facebook for disagreeing with her about the 'no more page 3' campaign. She was for, I was against [emoji23] I do not miss the anxiety of her constant dissatisfaction!!

See I disagree I feel that I have done a balayage and feel it can be done on short hair also...... the picture makes the colour slightly different due to lighting but can assure you the blonde wasn't touched .... even though I broke it up with the dark the rest of the blonde remained the same blonde as when she walked in, which is why I'm miffed when she said it's too dark on the roots and too light on the ends! (erm please see your pictures love)

Hahaha I think they need a permanent filter to carry around with them!

 

[Cindy2021]

From a clients perspective, based on the pics they appear very different however if she thinks the roots are dark they seem much lighter than the pic she asked for.....

 

[Jake nattrass hair]

From a professional point of view, I think you've done a lovely job. You gave her a dark shadow root and ash ends like the photo - of course it's not 100% going to look the same - you don't know what exact colours they have used and what filters/editing they have done on the photo.
Then she sends you a photo of a almost completely different blonde tone - a lot more warmer.
Advise her to wash the ash out of her hair and leave it a week or two for the root to lighten then simply just offer to re tone the blonde into a warmer tone, don't re do it all it's not your mistake you've only done as close to the photo as possible.. your a hairdresser not magician my love. X

 

[Jemma1919]

You did a good colour. But....the pic she initially wanted is nowhere near the length of her hair, this is an issue in terms of colour because of placement, you can't replicate a balyage colour on short hair so this would need to be explained. Whilst you did a nice root blend the ends of this client's hair are not as light as the ends of the model's hair in the photo, model's end are completely saturated with blond. Granted that the depth of colour could be affected by indoor versus outdoor lighting. Her roots feel black, blimey, look at the model's roots! You've gone a bit closer in at the root, imagine if you'd done it like that picture. Perhaps it's the contrast she wasn't expecting? If she wants the professional filter finish on her hair like in the Pinterest pic, she needs to apply a brightness filter and up the contrast. As for the KK pic and separate colour change, swerve! If she dislikes going darker she will hate the KK colour. It's not blond enough. Self esteem is a real issue for some people dissatisfied with themselves but ask yourself is it really as blond as it could be towards the ends? Perhaps you took the dark too far down? Not a criticism, just throwing it out there, it's so hard to tell with pictures. I really do feel your pain, I had one like that until she blocked me on Facebook for disagreeing with her about the 'no more page 3' campaign. She was for, I was against [emoji23] I do not miss the anxiety of her constant dissatisfaction!!

agree, hairdressing definitely brings anxiety with clients like this

 

[Momobile hair]

Oh my gosh you poor thing ! I would say you did a nice job and she is sending you pic of curled hair which is kind of different by the light and filters the photographs are taken in, you need to tell her the reality is not the same as Instagram.

Send her to another hairstudio I would

Trying to get this in clients head's! I wouldn't do her hair anymore xx

 

[kristianjon]

Do you mind sharing the formula to what you did? It looks amazing! I don't think you've done anything wrong, the amount of times people bring in a photo that you can never exactly replicate is unbelievable, you did the best you could and in my opinion it looks extremely similar. Good job.

 

[redlottie13]

Do you mind sharing the formula to what you did? It looks amazing! I don't think you've done anything wrong, the amount of times people bring in a photo that you can never exactly replicate is unbelievable, you did the best you could and in my opinion it looks extremely similar. Good job.

Of course I used babylites on the t section and scattered lowlites in larger sections (full head) with 4 & 5.1 (1:1) 20vol.
Shampoo once & i then painted the root with a point brush Using 4 & 5.1 (1:1.5) then get your fingers right into the scalp and spread the colour (be careful not to be heavy handed) this gives a great smudge if your careful and leave for 20 mins.

Rinse and tone with violet shampoo xxx

 

[JJH93]

When the picture is curled it looks very similar
I have a client like this. Always bleach blonde, whenever we put ash lowlights, warm lowlights, a root smudge or anything through, she never likes it. She wants to be bleach blonde but she wants something different and she doesn't want the maintenance. It's difficult. But I would get her in to sit down and talk it all through cos she may be the same as my client!

 

[RED STAR]

I did a post last week.....'Thoughts comrades....how far do you go to please!'

I had just dealt with a very similar issue as redlottie13.

I find the younger clients more difficult to please, as they are more likely to have unrealistic expectations, IMO, due to excessive use of social media, and highly filtered images.

It is hard to manage their expectations, especially if they have confidence issues, or suffer from image related OCD.

If they start the consultation with tales of 'demon hairdressers ruining their hair.'....BEWARE!