What happened to my hair?

[badhair]

I recently had a new gal highlight my hair. Long story, but instead of the Wella Koleston 10/8 + 40 vol that's been put on my hair every 6 months with great results for 10+ years, she used 12/0. Hair is now... brassy box-color orange

Here's a link to various pics of my usual hair over the years a + the current orange: Hair

Went back to salon and talked to another colorist who said I will need to use bleach to do [anything] and also from now on. I've never liked how bleach looks (not as subtle or natural), especially how it grows out. I'm also approaching 50 and am very conscious of my hair's health. Don't own heat tools, use styling products and doing minimal hi-lift blond foils twice a year helped me keep hair happy.

I explained that I REALLY don't want to use bleach, but she basically said it's my ONLY option from now on. I'm mostly trying to understand what went so wrong and why/how I can't go from 12/ to 10/ since I thought level 12 should be lighter (?) but never got an explanation other than I have to bleach it now. I'm fine wearing my hair in a ponytail for the next 6 months or whatever if it means I can avoid bleach and just go back to what I've always been happy with. Or something close. Frustrated.

Note: the prof at the salon is having me come back for a strand test but that's not for another 3 weeks

I'll be waaaaay less annoyed if I can at least understand what went wrong and why bleach is the only option now.

Much love <3

 

[AcidPerm]

I’m wondering why the new hairdresser used a highlift tint, did they explain?

Level 12 isn’t really a higher level, it’s just used to differentiate highlift tints from normal tints as they’re formulated differently, but your hair can’t lift higher than a 10 otherwise, it will start to disintegrate.

Some hairdressers always use Highlift tints instead of bleach but it doesn’t lift high enough on darker hair types and can leave it looking very brassy, so in that case, they’d be better off using bleach.

Using bleach and a low volume of developer is FAR LESS DAMAGING for your hair than a highlift tint that requires you to use a stronger developer, because it won’t blow open the cuticle layer. Unfortunately, so many clients and a few hairdressers wrongly believe bleach to be very damaging but a well trained colourist knows how to use it properly with minimal damage.

Nine times out of ten, I opt to use bleach to maintain the integrity of the hair and get a clean lift.

The pics of ‘orange hair’ is whilst your hair is still wet, so it will be lighter when it’s dry.
Your current hair probably does now need bleach and a low vol developer to lift it up to a 10 and then a decent toner to finish off. It’s an easy job to do for a competent colourist so maybe ask around for recommendations for another salon if you don’t want to wait 3 weeks?

 

[badhair]

Appreciate the reply...

"I’m wondering why the new hairdresser used a highlift tint, did they explain?"

I'm guessing because I told her I've always used color and didn't want bleach? Not sure why she went with 12/ when 10/ always worked perfectly well.

I've tried bleach a few times, have very fine hair and really don't like the way it grows out. Not nearly as natural as color does. Since I routinely highlight every 5-6 months, this is important to me. My base isn't dark (maybe an 8?) and I've always been told bleach wasn't necessary to get the level of lightening I like. Definitely have not gone brassy before using 10/8.

Unfortunately, hair is just as orange and box-color-y looking when dry. My skin tone is pretty warm and now looks almost pink by comparison.

Q: if we use bleach to fix this, can I go back to using 10/8 in the future? Or am I now stuck using bleach for all of eternity? It's confusing to me that people change hair color all the time and the ONE time someone departs from my usual routine, it's impossible to rein things back in.

Thanks again & appreciate the help

 

[AcidPerm]

Yes, your hairdresser can use a normal level 10 colour in the future on your virgin hair growth, just making sure not to over lap onto already tinted hair.

With bleach, you HAVE to tone afterwards to put colour back into the hair. It’s not a one step process.

Maybe they’d run out of stock of your usual tint?

I do think you should complain and ask them to fix it for free within the next 7 days, because they’ve clearly cocked up on this occasion.

 

[fab fingers]

We obviously weren't at your consultation, when the stylist opted to use the hilift, so none of us can say why they chose to use it, but I just wanted to thrown something else out there. Many clients will say they have stayed with the same colour for many years and do not want to change, but it's worth remembering that your own hair changes through time.....you may start to see grey/white coming through, the texture/condition may change, or the highlights may begin to look like a block colour on the ends, so it's common to need to change the colour over time, or perhaps add more than one colour of high/low light, to break the colour up. You should trust your stylist to do whatever they feel is right, to get the result you have explained to them. You should not be so worried about the mix of colours they use. I'd also say, 6 months is generally quite a long time to leave it between colour. Over time colour does change and sometimes hilifts can look brassy, but again, if the colour is being upkept more often, it will not lose the overall 'tones' you are trying to hold on to. You do not need to know the ins and outs of the colours and how they will take to your hair, just as you wouldn't tell your nurse how to take your blood, or your dentist how to fill your tooth.....your stylist has trained for years and should be trusted to do what they feel is correct.....or find another stylist you do trust. I'm not sure what your profession is, but I'm sure you are confident is what you do, and wouldn't necessarily feel you should need to explain your training to a customer/client?

 

[solobabe]

We obviously weren't at your consultation, when the stylist opted to use the hilift, so none of us can say why they chose to use it, but I just wanted to thrown something else out there. Many clients will say they have stayed with the same colour for many years and do not want to change, but it's worth remembering that your own hair changes through time.....you may start to see grey/white coming through, the texture/condition may change, or the highlights may begin to look like a block colour on the ends, so it's common to need to change the colour over time, or perhaps add more than one colour of high/low light, to break the colour up. You should trust your stylist to do whatever they feel is right, to get the result you have explained to them. You should not be so worried about the mix of colours they use. I'd also say, 6 months is generally quite a long time to leave it between colour. Over time colour does change and sometimes hilifts can look brassy, but again, if the colour is being upkept more often, it will not lose the overall 'tones' you are trying to hold on to. You do not need to know the ins and outs of the colours and how they will take to your hair, just as you wouldn't tell your nurse how to take your blood, or your dentist how to fill your tooth.....your stylist has trained for years and should be trusted to do what they feel is correct.....or find another stylist you do trust. I'm not sure what your profession is, but I'm sure you are confident is what you do, and wouldn't necessarily feel you should need to explain your training to a customer/client?

I always want to know what exactly my hairdresser is putting in colour wise. I have had many bad experiences when they have messed my hair up ! I now do mine at home as i can't cope with the stress of it again.

[merged posts]

 

[AcidPerm]

You do not need to know the ins and outs of the colours and how they will take to your hair, just as you wouldn't tell your nurse how to take your blood, or your dentist how to fill your tooth.....your stylist has trained for years and should be trusted to do what they feel is correct.....or find another stylist you do trust.

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree.
To my mind, the art of a good consultation is listening to your client, asking relevant questions and then empowering your client with knowledge about the colour process so that they can make an informed decision when choosing their options.

If you’ve ever had surgery, your surgeon always discusses the procedure in some detail and explains what to expect before you’re asked to consent. Why should our clients not receive the same level of courtesy?

If I visited a salon and the stylist said ‘leave it to me, I know best’, I’d probably get up and walk right out of there.

 

[badhair]

We obviously weren't at your consultation, when the stylist opted to use the hilift, so none of us can say why they chose to use it, but I just wanted to thrown something else out there. Many clients will say they have stayed with the same colour for many years and do not want to change, but it's worth remembering that your own hair changes through time.....you may start to see grey/white coming through, the texture/condition may change, or the highlights may begin to look like a block colour on the ends, so it's common to need to change the colour over time, or perhaps add more than one colour of high/low light, to break the colour up. You should trust your stylist to do whatever they feel is right, to get the result you have explained to them. You should not be so worried about the mix of colours they use. I'd also say, 6 months is generally quite a long time to leave it between colour. Over time colour does change and sometimes hilifts can look brassy, but again, if the colour is being upkept more often, it will not lose the overall 'tones' you are trying to hold on to. You do not need to know the ins and outs of the colours and how they will take to your hair, just as you wouldn't tell your nurse how to take your blood, or your dentist how to fill your tooth.....your stylist has trained for years and should be trusted to do what they feel is correct.....or find another stylist you do trust. I'm not sure what your profession is, but I'm sure you are confident is what you do, and wouldn't necessarily feel you should need to explain your training to a customer/client?

Appreciate the feedback, but when I returned to see a different stylist for color correction (same salon), she basically said what was done to my hair made no sense at all. I do trust my stylist, but she moved and this was a new person and no, I don't have any confidence in her based on the results. I've had half a dozen people do the same old highlights in the last 10 years and NEVER had anything but good results. Definitlely pilot error.

 

[badhair]

Yes, your hairdresser can use a normal level 10 colour in the future on your virgin hair growth, just making sure not to over lap onto already tinted hair.

With bleach, you HAVE to tone afterwards to put colour back into the hair. It’s not a one step process.

Maybe they’d run out of stock of your usual tint?

I do think you should complain and ask them to fix it for free within the next 7 days, because they’ve clearly cocked up on this occasion.

Thanks, that's helpful. I'm very clear in my communication & even showed pictures -- of my own hair -- to make sure we were on the same page. This was the first time seeing this colorist, so seems like she made a mistake. I'm going back for strand test in 3 weeks to see what we can do, that's the first opening. In the meantime it's orange and in a pony tail. Blue shampoo is helping a little, but not much