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After a complete colour disaster is it better to go back to being brunette or do I have another option?

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Hi,

I have dark brown hair and have half a head of blonde highlights every eight weeks. My hairdresser, who is mobile, suggested I have my usual half head of highlights along with an all over brown tint as this would look less harsh. Once it was washed off I could see my roots where the tint was applied had gone orange. She applied a toner to the area which did nothing apart from turn my highlights blue.

My hairdresser then corrected the blue highlights and applied more tint. Once my hair was dry (it was washed five times during the whole process) I was left with orange roots, especially around my ears and hairline which looks very severe. My hair is damaged at the front and has snapped in parts. I have been applying lots of deep conditioners and treatments to try and rehydrate it.

I have been in to various salons to ask for their advice and have been told to wait until my roots come through and then have my highlights redone. I have also been told to opt for lowlights instead. I am not sure what to do and whether I should just bite the bullet and go back to being a brunette.

I asked my hairdresser for my money back as I was so unhappy which she did, but as she is mobile I don't think I have any rights to anything else.

I would really appreciate your advice as to what I do next and how I can fix this mess!

Thank you,

Anon, Wales

Sorry to hear about your hair colour disaster. It seems to me that as your hair is damaged it probably would be best to let it rest for a while and keep conditioning it and injecting as much moisture as possible into your hair.

As for getting your money back, I would politely explain your dissatisfaction with what has happened and that you want your money back. If you are unsure about the legalities surrounding your rights, then Citizen’s Advice should be able to help.

Now for the hair colour itself, I would go have a consultation with a colourist who specialises in corrective work. Ask around to see if anyone knows of a good salon in your area. Also if they have colour specialist certificates you should be in good hands, as they have been trained in dealing with problems such as yours.

Go armed with as much information as you can, pictures of what your hair used to look like, what you would ideally like it to be and so forth. Unfortunately it may take a few attempts to get the colour back to something you are comfortable with, but with a little patience you should get back to normal.

John Clark, Head of Colour at Brooks+Brooks, London