Scary high-lights (follow up to Ann-back to natural shade)

Hi SHM, I contacted you earlier and Michelle gave me a lot of useful advice on how to go back to my natural shade of ash brunette. Armed with the pic of ash bruntte from your website and the knowledge Michelle gave me, I mustered up enough courage to go back to a salon as I didn't feel confident enough high-lighting my own hair.

First, I asked for semi-permanent, however they said it would not be worth my money as it would only last for a few weeks so they recommended another permanent color in ash tone and assured me it would look similar to the pic I showed them, unfortunately I allowed them to do it. The color I ended up with is similar to a light sandy brown; it's not bad and doesn't have the yellow/oragne tones I had before but still isn't close to the pic I showed them.

Secondly, I asked for high-lights that looked as natural as possible. I also asked for foil high-lights. The stylist then told me that the cap would be better for a more natural look. I thought this was strange and even told her I heard differently but she insisted and said "Trust me, the cap is better for you". Then she showed me a picture of the color of high-lights she chose for me which was white, I guess you would call that a platinum blonde. Straight away I expressed my concerns at the "whiteness" of the high-lights, stating I wanted something more subdued but again she said "Trust me, you will love it and it won't look as white mixed with your new base color". So, naively I trusted her.

Applying the high-lights was extremely painful. She poked my head with what she said was a "knitting needle" and then pulled out my hair through the cap. It was excruciating and I told her as much. She then said "you must have a sensitive scalp because I have never had anyone react like you". So, I had to just deal with the pain until it was over. When she first washed off the high-lights she told me to look in the mirror and see if I liked the color. It was a horrible orange/yellow, so I said no because that's what I was trying to avoid. She then said "ok, we must leave it on longer". So we did and in the end my high-lights are extremely white! Admittedly, I forgot to ask her if she used a toner so I'm not sure if this was my fault or hers. But that's not my only concern....

The high-lights don't seem even in color, if that sounds right. One small part of my hair in the front is much whiter than the other high-lights. And on this same side, the high-lights do not start at the scalp; it looks very uneven wheras on the opposite side it does start at the scalp. Also, one side of my hair actually seems like it has more high-lights then the other side. Is this because I part my hair to the right side?

Lastly, the overall apperance is very pale because it seems the high-lights are too harsh for the ash tone, not at all like the picture I showed her, not even close! (To give you an idea of what it looks like, refer to your pics of "Sandy blonde" and "Platinum blonde" you have on your website and that's similar to what I have only the sandy I have is paler.) Straight away I told her how unhappy I was so she gave me a $50 discount. She told me to wait one week and then we can try to fix the problem however she actually said to me "what's the problem, it looks great!" She didn't have a clue.

So, this was my second trip to a salon and the second time they've ruined my hair. And I even went to the second salon based on a friend's recommendation! I'm losing trust in all salons now. I show them pictures and they still get it wrong. Are my expectations too high, am I naive, a push-over, what? *Please can you tell me how to fix these awful high-lights. I am currently covering my hair because I'm too embarrased to be seen in public with them! I will print out EXACTLY what you tell me to tell the stylist, show her and not leave the salon until she does it. I hope she doesn't get too offended but I've now lost my patience with coloring and simply cannot keep putting my hair through this nor my bank account for that matter!

Thanks again, Ann

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Scary high-lights (follow up to Ann-back to natural shade)

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Mar 18, 2008

Just a thought
by: Randy

The next time you see someone on the street with hair done well and possibly a color combination you'd like. Stop them dead in their tracks and find out where they have their hair done. This is the fastest way to find a salon that's not populated with idiots. I go to a salon locally (NW Wisconsin) that has one stylist/owner/operator who's been in the business a long time. She's seen it all and used to have 4 girls working for her. Once they all left, she was able to control everything and that's just how she likes it. There are some artist/scientists out there working on people's hair willing to do what people ask, but often you get opinions and incompetence instead of expertise. Good luck to you and start watching for great hair...

Best,

Randy

Mar 18, 2008

Maddening...
by: Michelle

Hi Ann,

Oh boy. That just ticks me off! I'm sorry this happened to you. There was no need to put you through 2 haircoloring processes. That's the benefit of using foils, it can all be done at the same time... AND, you don't have the issue of first adding color to the pieces that will be lightened, and then removing that color to do the actual highlights. It's far more complicated than just learning how to foil hair!

***Start Mini Rant Session***
People... be warned. If a stylist/colorist tries to talk you out of using foils and says "trust me" a lot, RUN. This person doesn't know what they're doing in terms of haircolor, but they're very good at manipulating people into believing their suggestions, which are really well-disguised tactics to cover up their inadequacies.
***End Mini Rant Session***

Whew... that felt good.

Anyways Ann, here's what you can do from here to take the simplest route to the color you're after. You can do this yourself or venture back to the salon to have them fix it.

You now have the highlights, which is a good thing. But, you have too many in places and the base color is still too gold. Try this...

1) Weave some of the highlights out and place them inside of foils. Just use a conditioner on them to help them stick in the foils and protect them from the base color being applied in Step 2.

2) Apply a semi-permanent color to the hair that is left out of the foils. (YES, SEMI.. even though it gradually fades, what is the benefit of using permanent color to achieve a long-lasting shade of a color you didn't want in the first place?) Use a neutral tone and an ash dark blonde/light brown tone (2 parts neutral to 1 part ash) mixed together. You need the neutral now because some of the hair that will be receiving this formula is pre-lightened and using strictly ash will turn those pieces a greyish tone.

**If those pieces are extremely light, it might be best to forgo the ash altogether.

3) After allowing the base color to fully process and rinsing it out, remove the foils and apply another semi-permanent over top of everything. (Use a medium blonde and light blonde mixed together in a neutral tone - no ash) This MUST be semi-permanent so that it ONLY deposits. It won't have any effect on the overall base color, but it will deepen your white highlights just a bit and it will even out their color.

(Continued in next comment)

All the best,
Michelle
Editor, SHM.com

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Mar 18, 2008
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Submitted by: Michelle

Title

Comment
Hi Ann, Oh boy. That just ticks me off! I'm sorry this happened to you. There was no need to put you through 2 haircoloring processes. That's the benefit of using foils, it can all be done at the same time... AND, you don't have the issue of first adding color to the pieces that will be lightened, and then removing that color to do the actual highlights. It's far more complicated than just learning how to foil hair! ***Start Mini Rant Session*** People... be warned. If a stylist/colorist tries to talk you out of using foils and says "trust me" a lot, RUN. This person doesn't know what they're doing in terms of haircolor, but they're very good at manipulating people into believing their suggestions, which are really well-disguised tactics to cover up their inadequacies. ***End Mini Rant Session*** Whew... that felt good. Anyways Ann, here's what you can do from here to take the simplest route to the color you're after. You can do this yourself or venture back to the salon to have them fix it. You now have the highlights, which is a good thing. But, you have too many in places and the base color is still too gold. Try this... 1) Weave some of the highlights out and place them inside of foils. Just use a conditioner on them to help them stick in the foils and protect them from the base color being applied in Step 2. 2) Apply a semi-permanent color to the hair that is left out of the foils. (YES, SEMI.. even though it gradually fades, what is the benefit of using permanent color to achieve a long-lasting shade of a color you didn't want in the first place?) Use a neutral tone and an ash dark blonde/light brown tone (2 parts neutral to 1 part ash) mixed together. You need the neutral now because some of the hair that will be receiving this formula is pre-lightened and using strictly ash will turn those pieces a greyish tone. **If those pieces are extremely light, it might be best to forgo the ash altogether. 3) After allowing the base color to fully process and rinsing it out, remove the foils and apply another semi-permanent over top of everything. (Use a medium blonde and light blonde mixed together in a neutral tone - no ash) This MUST be semi-permanent so that it ONLY deposits. It won't have any effect on the overall base color, but it will deepen your white highlights just a bit and it will even out their color. (Continued in next comment) All the best, Michelle Editor, SHM.com

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Mar 18, 2008

Maddening, cont'd...
by: Michelle

Frankly, I wouldn't recommend going back to the same stylist. Although she should be responsible for fixing her mistake(s), you may just be subjecting yourself to more hair color headaches.

For the record, NO your expectations are not too high! And you're not a push-over. The fact is, some hairstylists just don't have the ability to color hair. Some don't have the ability to cut OR color hair... yikes. So getting a recommendation is supposed to be a good way to go. That's partly what makes this so frustrating, I'm sure.

Look around you and find someone who has a really well-done haircolor. Try again to get a recommendation for the next time you need your hair colored. OR, go back to the original salon and ask them to book you with someone more capable to color your hair. They are as responsible as the stylist so they should ensure your hair color is fixed at NO charge.

Let me know how it works out for you.

All the best,
Michelle
Editor, SHM.com