My bff and I came in nearly 2 weeks ago on a Saturday to get our hair colored. We both had not colored our hair before ("virgin" hair), and scheduled an appointment online with Aimee. We brought photos/videos of the styles we were both going for. I (3c/4a finer hair) wanted simplistic highlights, my friend (4b/c thick hair) was going for a more bolder ombre look. We both left the salon with something drastically different than what we initially wanted.
Aimee took her time and spoke with us at length about our hair and what we wanted. She refused to dye just the bottom/ombre half of my friends hair because she had a trim 4 months ago, instead of 3, and instead suggested a single-process which would color all of her hair. We are still struggling with understanding this rationale. I explained to Aimee that I wanted to keep my darker black/brown hair color, and just add lighter brown highlights toward the front. She suggested lightening my hair a little to a color in the "brown family" and then adding highlights. I got a single-process + few highlights.
After Aimee and her assistant lightened my hair & blow dried it, I was extremely nervous about the color. It looked more red/copper than brown, and too light for my liking. The lighting near the washing/coloring stations is poor, so I wasn't sure if that was exacerbating the color of my hair. By this time, the salon became busy. I overheard the receptionist tell Aimee that her 12:00 appointment had arrived (it was 12:30+) and things starting moving very fast. I tried to ask Aimee how much lighter the highlights would be, given that my hair was already pretty light, but she was busy and didn't seem to have the time to have an additional conversation with me. She put highlights in the front half of my hair, washed them out, then processed the other side. She toned my hair, then her assistant washed my hair, and prepped me for a curly style.
After sitting under the dryer for about an hour, Aimee's assistant began to "fluff" my hair. My hair was not detangled well during the washing process, as there is only 3 sinks and many people lined up to wash out color etc so I was rushed out. During the fluffing process she tried to detangle my hair, which just made my curls frizzy, and honestly doesn't seem to be the standard practice that Hair Rules teaches/markets. I was really frustrated by this, but I did like the outcome. After my hair was all fluffed and dried, the color just seemed really light, but again the lighting in the salon is so bad, I genuinely didn't know what it actually looked like. I told myself to give it a day or two, that I was likely being overly critical and just wasn't ready for such a big change.
When I got home, my fears became my reality. My highlights were uneven, and looked like the orange/blonde color that appears when you accidentally pour bleach on black clothing, not light brown. Half of the highlights were much brighter/lighter than the other side, and were placed really poorly; like in clumps. The front of my hair was carrot top red/copper. The salon is closed on Sunday and Monday so I waited until Tuesday and gave them a call. The receptionist was super sweet and understanding, and fit me in for a same-day appointment for a color correction free of charge. Because Aimee only works 1 week per month, I was placed with Amber who was incredibly sweet.
Amber listened intently, heard what I wasn't satisfied with, and asked clarifying questions about what I wanted to change. She told me it was a quick fix, and she & her assistant got to work. She darkened/deepened my roots and my highlights. She would consistently remove some dye to show me what the color looked like while it was processing so that it was where I wanted it to be. She was incredibly patient and caring. Amber's assistant washed, conditioned and prepped me for a curly style. I don't know why, but my hair again wasn't detangled very well, and this time around I didn't like the results of the curly style, however my hair color looked 100 times better.
While my hair does look better than the 1st time I left the salon, I'm still not satisfied. Because 1/2 my highlights were originally over-processed, they are still very visibly lighter than the rest, and their placement makes it worse, but I just don't have the time or money to go back, and don't want to risk damaging my hair.
Overall I paid $235 for the single-process + few highlights, tipped Aimee 25%, and also tipped Amber (although I didn't have to, but she genuinely deserved it). That's a lot of money to be left with a hair color that you're praying will "grow on you". I can see myself going back to black/dark brown and forgetting this ever happened.
I initially was going to give this salon 2 stars, but because of Amber I threw in an extra one. She honestly is a gem. Despite how beautiful, modern, and well-known Hair Rules is, results matter, and I'm not very happy with mine.
Best of luck to the rest of you. read more