I had an appointment (4.03.26) with Payton and requested a low-maintenance, lived-in blonde. I…read morespecifically asked to avoid chunky or streaky highlights and an overly bleached look. For context, I typically get my hair highlighted only 2-3 times per year, my natural dark blonde typically remains visible.
Although Payton said she understood, the result was the opposite. My hair is heavily over-highlighted with micro-highlights throughout, leaving it overly bleached, damaged, and already appearing grown out. A toner was applied for 2 minutes, resulting in uneven tones, including orange and ashy sections, despite my request for warmer tones.
My hair is now extremely damaged--dry, frizzy, and brittle with significant breakage and shedding. The my hair texture feels synthetic. I mentioned beforehand that my hair processes quickly, yet bleach was applied for approximately three hours. The final result shows inconsistent lifting across most of my hair, with white, gray, orange, and streaky sections.
Payton texted multiple times while actively applying bleach, which felt unprofessional during such a technical process. The haircut was also poorly executed. It was cut wet and blown-out in curls, making it difficult to assess. When I requested more layering, minimal adjustments were made, leaving uneven front pieces and poorly blended layers. I expressed my dissatisfaction before leaving. Payton acknowledged it but attributed the outcome to it being her first time doing my hair, which does not justify the result.
I contacted the owner, Alison, with photos and a detailed explanation. While she offered to review the situation, she declined a refund when I stated I was not comfortable returning for repairs or even an assessment. If conditions shown in the photos are considered acceptable for Blue Magnolia, then I don't see a reason to travel to her salon so she can assess something easily seen in the images sent. I find this unreasonable, especially as I will now need to invest significant time and money into repairs. I invited Alison to my repair consultation appointment at a reputable salon if she wanted to assess, she declined.
At the consultation, the stylist recommended cutting approximately 2 inches of damaged hair and intensive repair treatments, along with at least three lowlight sessions to restore a more natural color.
While I understand salons may prefer to correct services in-house, I am not comfortable returning to the Blue Magnolia under these circumstances. The photos speak for themselves.
