Well I finally went and had my hair done in a salon. I have not been since 1995! I didn't have to go because my hubby cuts my hair.... well actually I'm very shy and I've had bad experiences with hairsylists.

I went on tuesday and had it dyed dark brown with red fine streaks. It looked good, but it's not edgy enough for me. I'm....was (I'll soon explain) happy though because my hair is somewhat healthy again.

The lady had a horrible time on my hair because I decided to dye it myself at home, over a time span of two years. The dye matted my hair and made it unmanageable. She had to take off 7 inches. It is now just below my shoulders.

The bad part...

I washed it an hour ago (thurs) and the ends of the red streaks came out! The top is fine, but the bottom of the streaks is the bleached colour!

Arugh.

Did I miss something? Did I pay $160 Cdn for something temporary?!

I'm a newbie at this salon stuff...is this expected or should I gather up some guts and give them a call?

Suggestions please!
Sorry about my grammer and stuff........ *blush*

I would suggest going back to the salon and having them fix it (for free). The color is supposed to be permanent.

Of course, this is a case of "do as I say, not as I do" because I had a similar experience. I went to have my hair dyed at a new salon, and they did not apply the dye to my roots first, then wait, then to the rest of my hair (which is what I do at home, since gray roots are notoriously resistant to dye). They just put the dye on my whole head, all at once. I remember thinking, "How odd. I guess they must use really good 'industrial strength' dye here, not the cheap stuff I use at home." Well, the first washing of my hair and all my gray roots were showing. Everyone advised I go back and complain, but I was too shy.

You, however, spent considerably more than I did, and having bleached ends is more obvious than having gray roots.

Definately go back and complain.

- Vicki

Thank you very much for your advice. I'm going to give them a call. I'm nervous, but I'll make myself do it.

Give 'em hell, Roo - a thousand dissatisfied customers are rooting for ya!

LabRat (who never got a bad dye job, but was on the receiving end of paying a fortune for a few lousy cuts in her time...)

Definitely go back, Roo.

I once paid $150 USD for a perm that never took. I have very heavy, VERY thick hair and I asked the stylist before she started if I would have any problems. She assured me that my hair wasn't that thick...there was just so much of it (i.e. the stands themselves were normal, I just have a lot of strands). I left the salon with curly damp hair and by the time I got home it was dry and straight. I called my mom (who used to own her own hairdresser's shop and has kept her license all these years) and she insisted I go back and get my money refunded. She also laughed when I told her that other comment. The woman obviously didn't know what she was talking about. Anyway, the first time I went back, they tried to fix it by trimming about four inches off the bottom, but it still didn't help, so I finally did get my money back. I have not attempted a perm since...

Hair color, on the other hand, has never been a problem for me.

Thanks everyone! I gave them a call and they explained the probable reason for the problem to me and they are going to fix it for me tomorrow - with no extra charge...I really hope it takes this time!

I'm glad you gave them a call. Be sure to give us the update when you go and tell us how it came out!

FYI, reds are known for being difficult. In fact, my hairdresser jokes that he includes a disclaimer anytime anyone wants red that it probably won't stay for more than a few weeks. <g> I disagree with him that this is the case for everyone -- I've had quite good luck with reds over the years -- but I do recognize that red dyes just aren't as stable as other colors.

But obviously the color is not supposed to wash out in 48 hours and certainly not unevenly! So I'm glad you're going back -- what happened to you is clearly not what was supposed to happen.

BTW, you were smart to wait the 48 hours before washing it for the first time -- that's important for helping keep your color. Also, be sure to use a shampoo for color-treated hair. L'Oreal Color Vive is a good over-the-counter one, or I'm sure the salon would be happy to sell you one of their name-brands. Salons also sell shampoo that deposits color on your hair -- you can alternate it with your regular shampoo to help keep the red portions looking fresh.

Also, if you decide to keep coloring it, always, always just do the roots (assuming you are keeping the same color) and don't just put new dye over your whole head. You can have them pull it through the ends for the last few minutes to freshen up the rest of the color, but if you do your whole head each time, the dye builds up on the ends and the color gets more and more "muddy" over time.

Kathy (who has been having professional color done for the last 10-15 years. Going gray in your early 20's isn't a barrel of fun, but the "silver" lining is that I've gotten to be everything from a blond to a brunette, with several years as a redhead in between. )

This is interesting. I've never actually been brave enough to put any unnatural color in my hair (like highlights) mainly because my hair is very dark brown. However, I have had some interesting experiences with hair cuts because my hair is incredibly thick and very curly. Thank goodness I finally learned that I just cannot have hair any shorter than an inch below my shoulders. If it is any shorter, it turns into some sort of triangular shape. Not exactly flattering.
~Lauren