I broke up with my long-standing colourist when she overdid
the ash blonde highlights and made the rest of my hair too ginger. I asked on
several occasions why I kept getting the "ginger" problem and what
could be done about it. She told that as she was tinting on top of tint, it
would throw up warmth. (I later found out that this base colour used on dark
hair, which I have, would turn orangey.) So, I decided to try somebody
else.
The first time was fine, the second time the colour lifted
and my locks were a dreadful copper shade with blue highlights. The colourist
tried to correct it but made it too dark and too ashy.
Jo Hansford, one of the country’s top colour experts, is
right when she says a bad colour experience can be psychologically damaging and
can affect your confidence leaving you feeling depressed and unhappy. To say I
was not best pleased is putting it mildly.
Jo's advice is, if you are not happy with your colour contact your colourist, explain your concerns and re-visit the salon to allow them to look at what can be done to rectify the problem.
“Trading standards state that a salon should be given
the opportunity to correct any mistakes, but if hair has been very damaged or
the salon feels they cannot rectify it then they would be likely to offer a
refund,” says Jo.
Unfortunately, in the UK, hairdressing is not a regulated
business. Some hairdressers are registered with the Hairdressing Council
(haircouncil.org.uk). In severe cases you would have to consider taking legal
action.
Usually, when the colour goes wrong, it is invariably, too
dark, too light too, too ash or too warm. “If a tint is too dark it's nothing
to do with the development time, it's down to the colour choice,” says colour
expert Mathew Alexander. “The only way to lift a tint is with a bleach bath or
a colour stripper which can dry the hair, ruining the condition.
"If a tint is too light, it needs to be reapplied, a
shade (or more) darker. When a colour is throwing off too much warmth it can be
toned to a more neutral shade. If a colour is too cool it can be toned to make
it warmer."
I went back. It turned out too yellow. I bumped into a
friend who works in the industry who said if they haven’t interpreted what you
want and haven’t created the right tone to suit you; do you really want to go
back again?
To be continued.
By Daralyn Danns
