Hello, I come to you seeking advice.
My 18-year-old daughter went to a salon to have highlights put in last week. They highlighted her hair several months prior with no issue, however on this occasion when I arrived to collect her, I was rather shocked with the outcome. Rather than embarrass my daughter in the salon, I made my concerns about it not being very blonde, and when we left, I discussed it with my daughter about what she thought. She was upset that the hair looked rather dull and was purple due to the toner and not bright blonde as she had asked.
I contacted the salon again to advise that we weren’t happy and there shouldn’t have been a need for a toner unless it’s what she requested - had the bleach have been left on long enough to develop. We were told to come back in and they would reluctantly redo the highlights, however in doing so all they have done is pick up more sections so that the top now looks like she has had a tint all over.
I stayed in the salon during this time, and I would say the maximum time the bleach was left on was 20-25 minutes. Before they started rinsing the bleach I asked if it had lifted well and was told yes. Upon shampooing I could see that it was extremely ginger. The hairdresser then proceeded to apply two more toners to my daughter’s hair at which point she was holding back tears because it was stinging and burning her scalp. She has a sore from it.
I made it clear to the hairdresser that she couldn’t tolerate any more pain and expressed my frustration why they were unable to get the hair blonde. I asked if they had changed bleach or developer and was told no. They told us just to continue using purple shampoo at home, which is not working as the bleach has not been lifted enough to grab the shampoo.
I’m in the process of trying to get a refund so that my daughter can go somewhere else to have this rectified as she is currently walking around with ginger roots and blonde ends.
Are you able to help with any advice please?
Hi,
I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s highlights not turning out as she wanted. It’s a tricky question to answer not being able to see your daughter’s hair, know all the products that were used etc. but I will do my best to give you some advice.
So, to me it sounds like when your daughter’s highlights were first carried out, the problem is that the lightener was not left on long enough to take the colour from dark to a light, clean blonde. Toners can be used to help balance the colour, but you need to be mindful of using a toner after applying bleach, as the hair is more porous after bleach, and so will grab onto colour including toners. If the toner has been left on too long, then the hair will grab onto the purple colour. A good cleansing/clarifying shampoo should help to clean the purple from the hair. It may take a few washes!
Highlights are a good option to help lift the hair further to the desired blonde, but it depends on the state of the hair and its condition as to how this will turn out. If your daughter’s hair has turned orange after the highlights, then I am assuming she is a natural brunette? Or, if she was a blonde to begin with (naturally) and her hair is now orange, then this could indicate a build-up of chemicals or minerals in the hair that has caused this to happen. The previous bleaching and toners maybe being an issue here! Purple shampoos are great at counteracting brassiness and orange tones on blonde hair. But it does sound like a bigger salon fix needs to be carried out.
When hair colour has gone wrong, it is so tempting to want it fixed right away – and understandable – but getting hair corrected right away can sometimes make the colour worse. Often enough, colour can be tweaked right away by adjusting the tone, adding more highlights, and so on, but a truly botched colour job takes time. After the first appointment, it will look a lot better and only improve from there, but it typically takes a few more appointments after the first, especially if there is any damage that has occurred to the hair. I noticed you said her scalp was very sore, which isn’t a good sign. Clearly an overload of chemicals.
My best advice to you now is to get your refund from the salon and go and visit a salon that specialises in colour for a consultation. Let the stylist see your daughter’s hair before booking an appointment and explain fully everything that has happened and all the products and chemical processes that have been carried out so far. Typically, hair can be processed again, but leave it to the specialist to make that call. Your daughter’s hair health comes first. A colour specialist will determine what is best for the health of your daughter’s hair and then go from there. They might advise she take a break for a few weeks and use a deep conditioning treatment to help strengthen the hair before attempting to correct the colour.
The beauty of hair colour is that, as long as the hair is still on the head and in good condition, it can always be fixed.
I hope this helps, and lots of luck to your daughter. I am sure with the right colourist she will be back to her beautiful blonde in no time!