To Dye For Saga

For the past several years I have had someone come to my house to cut my hair and also to do foils (low lights).  My grey hair saga through the years had led me not to do all over colour on my hair because it is just too grey and I just cannot keep up with it.  But under A's urging that I decided a couple of years ago to start doing low lights to make me not look quite so old.  A used to work in a fancy salon but stopped when she had to get a job that provided benefits.  She'd come to my house usually on a Thursday or Friday (her "weekend").  It was very convenient and a very good deal for me.  A few months ago A's work changed so she had the "real" weekend off so she'd come on a Saturday or Sunday. Stephen did not like her coming to the house when he was home.  He told me he wanted me to go get a "real" haircut, meaning in a salon.

A few weeks ago I tried setting up an appointment with A but we just could not get our schedules to align with hockey games and her kids' things.  So I decided to do what Stephen had been telling me to do for ages and I made an appointment at a fancy salon/spa for a "real" haircut.  I made it at this particular salon because I had gift card for $100 that Stephen had given me two years before for a massage (but I never went!).  In spite of the gift card, it was still going to be pricey but that is the price of beauty, right?  I made the appointment was for 1:30 and I figured I would be there until 3pm.  Stephen had the day off and would be with the kids.

When I arrived at the fancy salon, a fountain was gurgling and soft music was playing.  I was offered a nice cold glass of lemon water and then I met the stylist.  She was very friendly and easy to talk to and we chatted about colour and she decided to do two colours in my hair - dark brown to match what little natural colour I have left and a caramel to match the faded brown low lights that were already there.  And then she got to work.  Now, she did warn me that because my hair was so thick she would have to use extra product and there would be a charge for that (I figured that already so I agreed).  She got to work putting in the foils and it a long time!  She ran out of product and got more and kept going and going and going. Shoot!  She ran out of colour again and had to yet again go get more.  This was taking forever!

She checked the colour as it developed a few times and then it was time to wash it out.  Nothing seemed amiss.  She mentioned the curl in my hair and suggested that I wear it curly and she cut it so it would curl up more.  At this point we had of course run well over the one and a half hour allotted time and since I was going to wear my hair curly, she "styled" it and put me under a heat lamp to dry.  Finally it was dry enough for me to leave.  I liked how curly it was but thought that my part looked a little funky - kinda a zig-zag part that is not really in style anymore.  At this point I'd been there 3 hours and wanted to go because I still had Christmas shopping to do.  I paid (and extra $50 in product!!!) and left.  Holy crap I could not believe how expensive it was - the foils, the cut, the extra product and the tip was close to $300!  Thank goodness for that gift card - but still!

After I arrived home from shopping it was late.  Stephen said he liked my hair and was glad that I got a "real" haircut and colour.  I was in my bathroom and decided to fix that stupid part she put in my hair but when I did I freaked out!  OMG I had a diagonal strip across my head right where my part was!  It looked like someone had taken a brown sharpie and drew an angled line on my hair! 

The photos are a little over exposed so it is hard to see the diagonal stripe just to the side of my part - actually on my left side but on the right in the photo

I called the salon first thing the next morning and said I needed it fixed and made an appointment to go back in. Then I thought I will just part my hair on the other side so camouflage the brown line.

Again, hard to see the line in the photos but it goes diagonally across my head

Holy crap!  I have ANOTHER brown line across (not down like the foils were supposed to do) my head!!  On closer examination, there were *4* lines like this running across my head!

The stylist apologized to me and said she had noticed some "bleed through" when she had done it.  Then why the h*ll didn't she tell me at the time?!  Anyway, I was whisked into the "private room" for the "colour correction".

Sitting in fancy salon's private room which is actually usually used for Muslim women who cannot uncover their hair in the presence of men

Ok, so I had no idea what they were going to do with the colour correction.  More foils evidently but I guess also some "colour lifting".  A quick shampoo afterwards and guess what...

Hrmpf!

The friggin' brown line is still there!!!!!  Aargh!  I was not happy (as you can probably tell from my face).  So she says let's try it again.

Third time's the charm?

Nope, still here

I am mad

Ok so now I am really, really pissed off but I held my temper.  I made it perfectly clear that this was not acceptable and it needed to be FIXED.  I was assured they could fix it but now here it is, nearly two hours of this second fancy salon visit and my hair is just as bad it it was when I walked in. The stylist said to me that she is so sorry and she will have a senior stylist come in to consult.

And I told her no that I needed to speak to a manager before I spoke to anyone else.  The senior stylist came in anyway and was trying to reassure me that she could correct it and I said "I am sorry.  I am sure you are very experienced and very nice but I cannot talk to you until I speak to a manager"

The manager came in and I explained that I had no more time to work on this today as I had Christmas shopping to complete.  But, I needed this fixed!  And OMG, I had a Christmas party to go to with brown stripes across my head!

So it was agreed that I would come in the next morning to see the senior stylist (8am on Christmas Eve).  After the appointment was made I said "I will be getting my money back for this".  I decided not to demand the money back for the haircut (it was a good cut) but I did get the money back for the foils, the extra product and for good measure, I even took all of the tip back.  I know accidents can happen but she ~knew~ there was bleed through and she did not utter one word about it to me!

Anyway, the next morning I was up and back at the salon.  The senior stylist thanked me for being so accommodating.  I was thinking "what the else am I going to do?  I need this fixed by someone who is not going to be passive aggressive and burn off all of my hair!".  The correction ended up being putting MORE foils and colour in my hair since the colour lifting had not worked the day before.  I was disappointed because I get foils to avoid the dreaded skunk line that I get from all over colour.  I did tip this one because I think she did a good job and she had really been reassuring to me that my hair was not going to break off.  The salon gave me this uber expen$ive conditioner to use on my hair. 

Here was the final result.  Seven hours in the salon and?  Not perfect but much better. 

Happy that my hair hasn't fallen out from being over processed!  Hurray!

And in the end, I blame Stephen for insisting that I get a "real" haircut.  I am looking forward to having A come over again to cut and foil my hair.  In my kitchen.  On the weekend.  With Stephen home.