I rarely leave reviews, but felt like I wanted to share my experience…read more
I booked an appointment for a balayage with a stylist I had never seen before, but I had followed her work online for quite some time and felt confident based on what I had seen. I came in with multiple inspiration photos, including photos of work done by another stylist at the same salon. My goal was a beige blonde/bronde. I specifically explained that I did not want an icy platinum blonde, but I also did not want to be darker, brunette, or overly warm. I was already very blonde (approximately a level 9/10), and all I wanted was my roots blended and my color refreshed.
Unfortunately, the appointment quickly went in a different direction. My hair was toned multiple times throughout the service because the color kept coming out differently than what I had requested. After each toner, the result would be either too silver, too ashy, too warm, or simply not the tone shown in my inspiration photos. I spent the entire day at the salon, from 10 a.m. until late afternoon, feeling more defeated each time the color was adjusted.
Eventually, I agreed to leave with the final result because I felt that continuing to tone my hair was not getting us any closer to the look I wanted. I paid $580 for the service and left with hair that was much more honey-golden than the beige blonde I had requested.
Over the weekend, I was extremely unhappy with the color and reached out to the salon to ask if I could come back for a toner adjustment. To their credit, they were accommodating and invited me back. I even contacted my previous stylist, who had successfully achieved the blonde color I loved, and asked what toner formulas he typically used so I could provide more guidance. (Redken shades 9n & 10p).
During the correction appointment, I told her the shades my previous stylist used and she agreed to use them. My hair was toned again, but the result came out even darker than before. The stylist agreed it was too dark and decided to tone it again adding more shade "10p to make it cooler" At that point, my hair had been toned approximately five or six times between both appointments. While the stylist remained kind and professional throughout the process, I became increasingly concerned about the condition of my hair and felt that we were moving further away from my goal rather than closer to it.
When she showed me the final result and offered to continue toning, I declined. I knew that no matter how many more toners we tried, we simply were not achieving the color I had originally requested. I left feeling frustrated, disappointed, and honestly emotional. I went in as a bright blonde wanting a blended balayage and left with hair that felt much darker, duller, and more brunette than I have ever worn.
I want to emphasize that the stylist was very kind, and I do not believe there was any bad intention. However, after several attempts that were clearly not producing the desired result, I wish there had been more collaboration, consultation with another stylist, or a different approach taken. Sometimes asking for a second opinion can make a huge difference.
The most disappointing part is not just the money, although $580 is a significant investment. It's the fact that I left without the result I requested despite providing clear inspiration photos and detailed explanations from the beginning. Hair services are expensive, and many people save for months to treat themselves. When spending that amount of money, clients should feel confident, heard, and leave with a result that closely reflects what was discussed during the consultation.
I am sharing my experience not to be hurtful, but to provide honest feedback.
I am posting some pictures. The first two pictures is what she kept toning my hair color to be. The third picture is what I finally left my hair color to be because it was already 5/6 times she had tried to tone my hair to get me to the fourth picture which is the inspiration photo I showed her. And the last two photos is what my hair looked like going in to the salon from the start, I was already kinda blondeish and just wanted to refresh my balayage and move it up to my roots.
