Blonde highlights - Patchy !!!

[fluffy77]

Hi,

hope you professionals out there can help.....

I've been getting my hair highlighted for years now and lately i've noticed that my hairdresser ( also my best friend ) doesn't highlight the same sections of hair each time so when i lift the top section the sections underneath are all different levels of roots and i feel that it is now begining to show through and look patchy. When i look at my hair from the back its beginning to look bad. a couple of time he has also caused lines where he has removed the foils, like it bleed onto the hair that he's not hightlighted ( sorry don't know the technical term !! ) and i'm worried that when they grow out it will look really bad !

My hair is naturally darkish brown and i get it hightlighted to light blonde and my hair done every 3/4 weeks ( one time i just get the top section done and the next time i get more done )

Although he is one of my best friends he's not the kind of person that i could ask... its a case of ' im the hairdresser not you !!' :irked: so any advice you guys could give would be fab.... could you think of a way i could approach the situation with him without offending him ??? Its one of those situations where he does my hair, he is my friend and if i stopped going to him we would fall out which i would hate, hes a drama queen but i love him for it !! so i'm kinda trapped to keep going to him...l

HELP !!! :lol:

 

[Kurl]

I think u should tell him. He's the hairdresser yes.... And u r the customer. U should b happy. Drama queens should b able to handle a little extra drama. And if He's really such a good friend he'll understand. Besides... Whats wrong with learning and improving. Tell him u're also helping him to keep his other customers. U can start with a subtle..... Tell me...... Does the back of my hair look a bit patchy to u? And hope he agrees. Still.... U can't let it carry on or theres no point to havin your hair done if it looks odd. Good luck. It is a tough situation to b in.

 

[becki x]

I would be tempted to ask for some brown low lights for a change,this will disguise the root regrowth and break up the colour.

In all honesty you have to tell him,or change stylists,it's your hair :!: hth's

 

[minky]

Sometimes when we get repeated highlights it can be nigh impossible to pick up on the very same ones due to certain factors eg if there is a big regrowth

or there is a lot of highlights in the hair.

I do try to pick up the previous highlights and try not to overlap. I personally don't

take the bleach through to the ends but other hairdressers may depending on their own techniques.

If your Hairdresser keeps picking out the brown bits only , you are going to be left with darker/ patchy roots and lighter ends.

So therefore, you will need at some point a bit of natural brown colour put back through as Beki suggested.

The line you see is seepage of product from the packages,this is due to a problem with technique
eg product overload or product placement ,eg to near the edges of the foils.

also the product he is using could be swelling too much inside the packages. This can cause seepage ,

and a too hot environment or added heat can cause swelling and seepage too.

These are all factors a hairdresser must take into account before highlighting your hair.
I have only touched on a few different things which may be going on here , there may be more,

but I hope this helps you to make more of an informed choice :hug:

 

[JDs]

Becki gave you a fantastic suggestion. putting low lights in to help break up the blonde ends and blend the darker roots.

When you continuously highlight as often as you do, you will end up with a solid blonde look on your ends and darker roots.

The patchy look at your roots where the bleach swelled out of the packets is what I call "tiger stripes". This is due to (as minky said) over use of product , too high of a heat used with a product of high ammonia, and closing the packet too tight.

The best way to approach this is honestly and openly. You must remember, You are his walking advertisement. When someone takes a look at your roots..who knows what they might think.
It sounds as though he may need some more practice in foiling and YOU are the one that can help him by telling him what your concerns are. How else will he ever know?

Don't tell him how to do it, but ask him as a client would with a concern.

Good luck hun.

 

[minky]

Hi there I agree with JDs he needs to be gently asked, and as kurl says" you are the customer ".
Would you consider having light blond flashes or slices placed under your partings and fringe areas instead ? ( then you wont have to worry about roots showing too quickly.)
It can look great with the blond flashing through .

Then the rest of your hair could be colored with a nice medium golden choccy brown shade, preferably with a long lasting shine giving semi permanent quasi color ? This may be easier for your stylist when it comes to re touches, and a lot less root maintenance for you, and it will be better for the condition of your hair , what does any one else think?




Ps sorry about the sentences and punctuation thing .

 

[fluffy77]

Hi

Thanks so much for all your fab advice....

I'm going to see him on Wednesday and i think i'm just going to be honest.

I think one of his problems is that its his own little salon and he doesnt' go on any refreshers courses etc to keep up to date with the latest techniques etc. I think he still works like he was trained 15 years ago....

I'm going to take along your suggestions and see what he thinks and if i'm still not happy i think i'm going to have to change hairdressers and deal with the consiquencies !! :Scared:

Wish me luck.................................................

xx

 

[six]

Hi Fluffy, all the above are excellent comments but if you are intent on staying blonde & using the same stylist then (as he's an old fashioned stylist) why not ask him to do capped h/lights? just because its viewed as the old way to do it does not mean it does'nt produce a good result, it does. If pulled through thick then your patches will be covered & it will be quicker for him than foiling. Win Win situation as far as i can see & may well save the friendship. Just a thought, best of luck :hug:

 

[JDs]

A safe way of not getting the bleach bleed thru as long as the cap isn't torn and the holes don't get stretched out too large so the bleach goes thru to the scalp. But especially with caps and thicker hair, i find it hard to get close to the scalp so there isn't a grow out line.

 

[2cheesecakes]

Hi i am just a hairdressing student, but from what i know, if u keep highlighting the hair blonde, i would totally agree that, bearing in mind its impossible to pick up exactly the same highlights as picked up previously, the hair will look like an overall blonde at the ends and proper highlights at the roots with the midlengths bending the 2 areas. also areas of regrowth will still be visible.

HOWEVER a top notch salon will highlight the hair blonde AND THEN:
apply a semi (lasts 8-10 washes) or a qausi colour (lasts about 18-20 washes) inbetween the folis to breakup the highlights.
this will maintain that 1st time highlighted look, especially if you are getiing highlights every 3-4weeks.

i really think u should beable to talk to ur hairdresser, its not your fault but i feel it is his and that his own techniques and custom will benefit from really listening to the clients and finding a tecniue that does what they ask and not what he thinks best (which many many hairdressers tend to do)

i do agree that the leakage you are experiencing at the root area, is being caused by a fault in the hairdresser's technique, could be any of these or a combination of them:

1) colour applied too close to edge of foil
2) foil being pulled down when applying colour to midlengths and ends
3) to hot a working environment & problem 1 causing colour to expand & leak
4) climazone & problem 1 causing colour to expand & leak

HTH
love to all
xxx

 

[JDs]

Thanks cheesecake for putting all we said into one paragraph.

If you do slices, block coloring, flashes, peeka boos. It is Not impossible to grab the same area again.
What the problem with breakage is over extending the bleach in to the previously bleached hair.

 

[minky]

Hi i am just a hairdressing student, but from what i know, if u keep highlighting the hair blonde, i would totally agree that, bearing in mind its impossible to pick up exactly the same highlights as picked up previously, the hair will look like an overall blonde at the ends and proper highlights at the roots with the midlengths bending the 2 areas. also areas of regrowth will still be visible.

HOWEVER a top notch salon will highlight the hair blonde AND THEN:
apply a semi (lasts 8-10 washes) or a qausi colour (lasts about 18-20 washes) inbetween the folis to breakup the highlights.
this will maintain that 1st time highlighted look, especially if you are getiing highlights every 3-4weeks.

i really think u should beable to talk to ur hairdresser, its not your fault but i feel it is his and that his own techniques and custom will benefit from really listening to the clients and finding a tecniue that does what they ask and not what he thinks best (which many many hairdressers tend to do)

i do agree that the leakage you are experiencing at the root area, is being caused by a fault in the hairdresser's technique, could be any of these or a combination of them:

1) colour applied too close to edge of foil
2) foil being pulled down when applying colour to midlengths and ends
3) to hot a working environment & problem 1 causing colour to expand & leak
4) climazone & problem 1 causing colour to expand & leak

HTH
love to all
xxx

Hi there,

Personally I don't think it would be advisable to put on a semi that lasts only 8 -10 washes as this would then run into the highlites when they get washed,
so a Quasi colour would be better for this reason as they lock in better,

Yes it is a good idea to put darker between the highlights and it is cost effective,
but don't forget if you happen to pick up a colored darker piece the next time you highlight you will have to bleach this back up again ,

like JDs says its extending the bleach over previously bleached hair

 

[minky]

I perhaps should have shortened the above quote first sorry
:hug:

 

[JDs]

Hi there,

Personally I don't think it would be advisable to put on a semi that lasts only 8 -10 washes as this would then run into the highlites when they get washed,
so a Quasi colour would be better for this reason as they lock in better,

Minky:
What is a quasi color?

When doing lowlites in with highlights, we use to run into the problem of the darker color always 'tinting/toning' the blonde highlights.It Became very frustrating Until we experimented and learned that when rinsing the colors out, you do the darker color first then take the foil packets of highlights out and rinse.

 

[minky]

Oh hi there JDs,
You would probably know it as a semi that lasts for anything up to around 15 shampoos or longer. We use Colour touch by Wella its mildly oxidizing no ammonia and gives around 50% coverage, (or more with darker colors). It is mixed with either 1.9% or 4% Releaser (peroxide) mix ratio 1+2. it is full of waxes and shine reflecting pigments and can be used directly after perming , its really Fab

You would be perhaps know it as another named product: Goldwell /loreal
jiocio sorry don't know how to spell it,
or that one you use for glossing but with the color in it.

It is the next thing up to a permanent.
I wonder what the rest of the hairdressers use for the same effect but different product.
All answers will be most welcome ,
let us into your secrets

:hug:

 

[JDs]

I perhaps should have shortened the above quote first sorry
:hug:

See the Edit button on the bottom ? You can use that to go back in and correct spelling, re quote etc..:wink2: You can even use it to add to your previous post.

Oh hi there JDs,
You would probably know it as a semi that lasts for anything up to around 15 shampoos or longer. We use Colour touch by Wella its mildly oxidizing no ammonia and gives around 50% coverage, (or more with darker colors). It is mixed with either 1.9% or 4% Releaser (peroxide) mix ratio 1+2. it is full of waxes and shine reflecting pigments and can be used directly after perming , its really Fab

You would be perhaps know it as another named product: Goldwell /loreal
jiocio sorry don't know how to spell it,
or that one you use for glossing but with the color in it.

Uh. No it is called Wella colortouch here also.:lol: I have used it off and on for about 11 years now.. Joico also has something similar ~ don't care for it.
I basically use Redken Shades EQ. This one give 100% grey coverage with heat, 75 % coverage w/o heat. Redken is the same as Wella. use it right in your neutralizer as a color boost or afterwards as a demi color all over.

Thanks for the definition of Quasi color

 

[minky]

Yup they're the ones long lasting semis/ demis = Quasi just a fancy name for it,

The Tip about taking the darker foils out first and rinsing well and the blond last is excellent I always do this ,
It leaves the blond hair so much brighter,

mmmm Just thinking, the reason why i don't really like the shorter lasting semis ,eg color fresh ect 8/10 washes,
I find when the client washes it at home it lathers up color again and the lather tends to give subdued hues on the highlights after each wash,
what do you think and anyone else?
thank you for the edit tip JDs