I think I posted somewhere before about my stylist jumping ship and moving to another salon... and that this new salon is far away and extremely inconvenient. So, I stayed at my current salon and went with a new stylist.
Ladies, we know about our relationships with stylists. I don't know if most guys can relate... maybe some of you can. But, the relationship you have with your stylist is almost more important than a marriage. Of course, I'm saying this a little tongue-in-cheek, but I almost mean it for real. For MEGA REALZ. (okay, I just said that because I miss LA and Junk-Feud).
So, after six years of finding someone who really KNOWS how I like my hair, I'm just giving up and going to another stylist for my driving convenience. (Danger, danger, Will Robinson!) I've been to the new girl twice now. She does a great job of cutting, even though she doesn't style it exactly the way I like it. But so far, it's been okay. Yesterday, I went in for highlights. (Red alert!)
Usually, I get highlights and lowlights. I am a brunette, and as I've gotten older, I've taken my natural hair color a little lighter. This disguises the greys that are ever-multiplying, and I don't look all mousey brown. It's worked. I've been doing this since I was 30. I never colored my hair before the age of 30, but it's gone well the last seven years.
The highlights have been a very light brown... or dark blonde, if you will. The lowlights tend to be in the auburn family. It has worked very nicely, thank you very much. I've been happy.
Yesterday, new stylist girl tells me that previous stylist girl took all my info with her when she moved salons. So... there are no cards listing the exact formula of highlights/lowlights. I'm like... okay. We can "punt" here, right?
New stylist girl: "It's spring now... are you thinking of going a little lighter than what you already have?"
Me: "Sure... nothing drastic... just a little lighter. "
New stylist girl: "Do you want both highlights and lowlights, or do you want to go with a nice blended highlight only?"
Me (feeling brave): "Let's just do highlights today, I guess. That would be fine."
So, we do the highlights. In the salon, it looks okay. I go out to my car... in the sunlight...
Me: "Wow. This is a little blonder than I thought. Hmmm..."
Then I drive three hours to watch my oldest daughter and her school chums perform in some competition. The whole drive up, I keep telling my mom, who made the trip with me... "I'm just not sure about this." When we arrive at our destination, I run into people I know. Strange looks from adults. Many of my daughter's friends tell me that they like the new hair change. Teenagers complimenting me. I'm still unsure. Then I finally get a chance to talk to my daughter.
Daughter: "Oh my God, mom! What did you do to your hair?"
This was not said in a surprised and approving tone. It sounded more like sheer horror.
So, here are some before and after shots... the first one is about 4 years ago. The second was last Thanksgiving. The third one is today. :-(
HELL NO. So, now... I have to make an appointment tomorrow to get this fixed. I don't have anything against blondes... I'm just not one. My complexion does not work with blonde hair. Arrrgggh!!!
**UPDATE: I'm going in on Tuesday morning to have them fix it. For free. YAY!
16 comments:
A very girlie post indeed - not withstanding that it is a tad difficult making the call around a big purple blobby mask - the blonde after version looks quite chic and sprightly - live it up!!
Aw, you poor thing. A bad trip to the stylist is hysteria inducing(whether or not it looks bad to others, if YOU are unhappy with it it's the worst feeling ever). It's hard to see how blonde it is in the picture, but if you're uncomfortable with it, find someone toot-sweet who knows how do to multi-dimensional low-lights. You were a dark brunette and she took you all the way to blonde in one sitting? Help me understand, DCMM!!
rev: it's just not me, though. That's the problem.
jurgen: that's because I accidentally hit post before I finished the whole thing. I actually have three pics now that show the progression. :-( And yes, I'm unhappy. I just hope they'll fix it without charging me an arm and a leg. I definitely did not ask for that!
I know exactly what you mean about the stylist being almost more important than the marriage. I drive about 30 miles to get my hair done. There is no telling how many salons I pass on the way.
Those are highlights? But it's all blond. How did she manage that?
You should ask them to fix it free of charge if it's not what you wanted. You said nothing drastic afterall.
MPB: Trust me. It does NOT look okay.
shelley: I used to do the same thing. I might have to go back to my previous stylist and just be inconvenienced. Bah.
kim: Yep. I didn't really watch her... I was reading a magazine. But it looks like she did a lot more then I usually have. I just don't know. I guess we'll see tomorrow if they can fix it.
I went through a brief phase about a year ago where I dyed my hair blonde.
What?
Yeah.
Wife once tried to do her own hair and wound up dying it 4 times in one week until even I couldn't lie about the greeness of her hair. She ended up driving 40 miles to a paying about $100 to get it fixed.
Chicks.
Good luck getting it fixed - because that is BLONDE! My complexion wouldn't look right with blonde hair either.
I feel your pain - in the opposite direction. The last time I had my hair colored "professionally" was with a stylist I'd been going to for about a year. (I only left the previous one because we moved 3 hours north.) We were doing a typical roots/allover touchup - in a color very like your middle photo (which is my natural color... except for the grays).
So after she puts on the stuff I'm sitting there and I say, "Um, the stuff looks waaaay darker than usual." She blathers about "oxidation this" and "the stuff always looks darker" that. "Um, but it looks darker than every other time you've done it." More blathering. I gave up.
When she rinsed it, it was black. Elvira black. Shoe leather black. Black black black. And my scalp was burned in three places - there was to be no getting it fixed for me. I had it cut to my chin (by someone else - about 7 inches - waa!), and then I used a demi-permanent color ("midnight") on my roots for the nearly two years it took to grow it out.
I now use Natural Instincts, in a medium brown. The grays come out blondish (because it isn't permanent), so it looks like highlights.
Eff stylists, man. They've got us girls by the short hairs...
Okay, so maybe it isn't so high/low - but I think it looks good.
Of course my hair lady flaked on me and left the red on too long and now my hair is weirdly purple and not very coppery. She's on vacation for the next two weeks and I begged to get in. I'll never do that again.
They should fix that for free! I'm sorry your experience was so traumatic, but I'll bet you look way cute.
I once went to a salon and got dyed blond, too -- and I don't look good that way. I was so upset, I barely slept that night and wound up dying it back to my normal color myself.
It's really true that your relationship with your stylist involves untold amounts of trust! I love mine and dread the day I can no longer see her.
I've been going to the same stylist since birth so she really knows my hair. She never really listens to what I tell her but whatever...
I only strayed once in 9th grade which I might add is a very pivital year with girls. She chopped my hair off. It was so short I couldn't even put it in a pony tail and I was growing out my bangs because in 1996 no one had bangs! It was not a good look for me. Hard to belive I know... lol
I blamed my mom because it of course was her fault and ran out crying and flipping out. It was not my proudest moment but hair makes you or breaks you so I can feel your pain.
You look really sexy in that first photo. (Is that you? I hope so, so that the compliment can actually be applied to you and not some random person.)
I agree, get it fixed! Good luck!! Next time go darker! It's hot!
I fully intend to go blonde at my next salon visit, but that's the best color for me.
Okay, I can read. Really. I still stand firmly behind my saying that the first photo of you from 4 years ago is H-O-T.
I've never had a professional hair cut in my life.
If you watch Reno 911, your ultra blonde look is resemblant of Deputy Clemmie Johnson. Not saying thats a good or bad thing, but a thing nonetheless.
jaek: you went blonde? Wow. I can't really imagine that. Although, guys can kind of do that stuff and people don't really freak out to much. Dudes. Go figure. ;-)
tammara: "Elvira black"-- hilarious! You are so funny.
alyssa: the color might look good on a lot of other people... just not me. Oh, and my sister had the same thing happen to her- she wanted more coppery red, and it ended up magenta. And that's what we called her for a while, Miss Magenta. ;-)
nabbs: They ARE going to fix it for me. I'm so excited! You and I have similar complexions. So, think back to how you looked blonde... and that's me.
julie: I can relate. Some lady cut my hair super short once, and I just wanted to go buy a wig. Wah.
poppy: yes, that's me. I was hitting golf balls in my brother-in-law's "desert" backyard. Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn't go back to that darker color. I really liked it better than the middle pic color, but the greys are too dominating! Arrrgh. But THANKS!
hannah: do you do your own? or do you have a friend/family member cut your hair? I'm jealous! And ACK! You're right. I do look a little like Clemmie. Ohmigod!
I cut Hannahs hair in college once. haha... that was fun
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