After some bad salon colouring will my hair be strong enough to take a home colour?

Hi,

Exactly eight weeks ago I got my hair stripped from dark brown to what I had hoped would be some sort of blonde, my aim was to be an ashy-white blonde.

My hairdresser has done a couple of strange things with my hair both at that appointment as well as a couple of weeks later at another appointment with "organic highlights" that have made my hair a yellowy / gold / ginger color, nothing that's anywhere near what I'm aiming for, although some of my hair seems to have turned more towards the ashy-white blonde during all of this.

All my friends and family look at my head in horror every time they see it saying that my hairdresser is just taking me for a ride and stringing me along, she wants to do what she wants with my hair instead of what I want. To top it all off, she's not letting me come back to get it lightened for another few weeks, and even then I'm worried to wait for that long to go back in.

What I'd like to know is whether my hair is healthy enough to take an at-home color like L'Oréal, as well as taking it to the color that I actually would like?

Thank you,

Anon, UK

I am somehow mystified to hear you say that your hairdresser will not let you come back for a few weeks, let me tell you here, no hairdresser has the right to tell you want to do, they should however give you professional advice and help you through the time until the hair colour is what you would like it to be. You are the client, you are free to go to any other salon of your choice.

I would not advice you to do it at home, you may regret it and it will take longer to get your hair in good condition, do remember that only hair in good condition will respond to chemical colouring.

We use L’Oreal in our salon, it is a good make for Professional use, I honestly do not know the L’Oreal home hair colours, all I do know is that their colours are good. It is in many cases not the colour itself, it is how it is applied and mixed and the timing which causes the horrendous disasters people do to their hair at home. L’Oreal protects themselves with cleverly small written words on the packaging.

I really recommend you to see a specialist hairdresser. If you use a home highlighter or any colour to lighten your ginger roots it will go yellow or golden instead of the light colour blonde you want.

I wish you much success to make the right decision,
Pierre

Pierre Alexandre of Pierre Alexandre, Manchester