Balayage gone wrong

[Bubsy2018]

Hello,

Just looking for some assistance as to how to rectify this. The first photo is what I asked to have done and the second two are what ive been given.

I am so upset and not sure what to do or even ask her to do to rectify it. I told her that I wasn't happy and she said she would just colour the top to get rid of the stripes and add more blonde to the back but to me that isn't the best way to solve it.

Even with hair up it looks awful and I don't even want to leave the house now this is definitely not a balayage is it?

Any help would be great.

Thanks

 

[james28]

Hi sorry this has happened to you try not to be too upset these things are fixable! I promise you most people won’t even notice it as flawed how you are seeing it!

Did you show that inspiration photo to your stylist? And have you been a client of hers for long? I’m not one to judge another stylists skill especially based on one set of photos but it’s possible this is just a weaker area for them and you might want to consider seeing an experienced colourist. Granted you would have to pay full price for a colour correction so it would be more costly.

I think with a thorough consultation when you have it corrected it’s entirely possible to get it looking how you want.

I’d make sure you convey to her that you it much more blended and “soft” with a concentration of lighter parts towards the bottom length.

Your stylist should be able to do a root drag (fancy for pull some colour from the root) to blend the highlighted parts towards the top.

As for the tone in the inspiration pic was that what you were looking for? It is quite a flat colour and would require a very light canvas and a toner to achieve it. Free hand highlights don’t always lighten up as nicely as those in foils do which could make this tone harder to achieve and maintain.

 

[Bubsy2018]

Hello,

Thanks for replying. I stupidly went with her as a first time client and just went by a few Facebook reviews so I guess it is my fault to begin with.

I showed her the photo and asked her if this was a style she felt comfortable doing and had done before and she said yes many times so I trusted her word. I won't be making the same mistake again.

I will mention root drag and softer to her but do you think I should let her add a darker dye to the top to remove the stripey highlights?

I wasn't expecting the colour tone to be exact as I knew it wouldn't be easy to achieve so would be happy with a less ashy blonde as long as it was placed similar to the photograph.

I am going to see if she can fix it and if not invest in a full colour correction.

Thanks again for your advice. Not crying so much now!

Thanks

 

[james28]

Yes I think a darker colour that is slightly lighter than your natural does need to be put on the top. It should help diffuse it. Once hair has been lightened it’s irreversible and can only really be “masked” by colouring over it.

She should be able to select a colour that will leave your natural hair as it is and just deposit colour into the hair that has been lightened making it an easier process than picking out every strand! There should be little worry about it affecting your natural hair colour.

I think defo give her the chance to correct it as we all make mistakes and believe it or not she is probably upset too that it’s not how you wanted it! I would be!

If you are at all worried about her correcting it allow her the chance to just do the darker colour (a root drag or similar) to blend the top in and visit an experienced colour specialist after Xmas to have more blonde put through it. Im saying after Xmas as most of us are booked back to back at this time of year and you will want as much TLC as possible. I think this would be your safest option and would allow you to feel more comfortable with the style in the mean time. Bleaching hair that has already been lightened can be damaging if not done with care whereas just depositing a colour and diffusing the blonde towards the top should not be damaging. If you do decide to do that make sure the colourist is completely aware of what’s happened so they can tackle it correctly!

I hope that makes sense and I haven’t gone too technical!

 

[AcidPerm]

That is not good at all and I think you should request a full refund as the the fact she’s taken the bleach right up to the parting suggests to me that the stylist isn’t experienced in balayage colouring and has just ‘had a go’.
A decent colourist should easily have given you what you requested so it’s not a matter of getting there slowly, at all!

If a stylist is going to offer a particular technique, they need to be properly trained in and have practiced that technique thoroughly before offering the service to paying clients, not just watched a few YouTube videos!

I usually suggest allowing the hairdresser the opportunity to correct the hair but only where the client feels the colour is a little too light and needs toning down or not blonde enough and needs a few more foils adding.

This is not competent work.

 

[Bubsy2018]

James - thanks for your response it wasn't too technical let's see what tomorrow brings. Good job it's winter hat time and not height of summer just in case.

AcidPerm - thank you for your reply. I am honestly gutted at the work she carried out but as she is offering to fix it I am sure she will refuse giving my £95 back to me. It just gets worse as I put it up to try to forget about it and now have stripes everywhere. Photo below.

I am scared that after taking years to grow my hair she is going to ruin it but don't want this for Christmas so hopefully if I ask for a root drag then I will at least be able to go outside without a hat!

 

[francesXXX]

It doesn’t look bad, it just looks like you’ve had normal foil highlights. But she hasn’t done what you wanted at all and clearly isn’t as experienced in balayage as she said she is, so you definitely would have a right to a refund. However, I definitely think your problems will be solved with a root drag. I’m not sure why she didn’t do this in the first place, as it clearly has one in the photo! I think you will end up with the style you want.