I waited a few weeks to be sure my review wasn't unjustified and to make sure I had enough time to really care for my hair and assess the situation. So I went to Privi a few weeks ago asking for my dyed black hair to be brought back to my natural light, ASH brown with some added light balayage. I worked with Camilla and was pleasantly surprised the salon could get me in on such short notice! I was excited from the good reviews but I honestly can't give one after my experience. I want to preface this by saying that the women who work at Privi are absolutely lovely, and Camilla is a wonderful, sweet, woman! The result of my appointment was not nearly as nice.
After an 8 hour appointment I was excited to see how it came out! While Camilla mentioned we might not totally be able to get up to light brown, I assumed medium brown would be okay, just as long as it wasn't LIGHTER than I'd asked for. When she blowdried my hair, though, my stomach dropped. I specifically mentioned to Camilla AND the owner of the salon that I was NOT looking for blonde hair at ALL- I've had it before and it just does not suit me. I am, through and through, more suited to brunettes and black hair. Plus, I had multiple inches of my natural hair (BROWN) grown out and I had brought photos of me with my natural hair completely grown out for reference.
To refresh, I asked for light brown hair with some VERY LIGHT, VERY NATURAL, balayage through the ends. I don't light highlights as they leave a clear line when they grow out. When Camilla turned the chair around, however, I had orangey-blonde hair with all over color; there is no balayage in my hair, and now it just looks like I dyed my hair blonde and I've been growing it out for months. There was also a 1 inch chunk in my bangs that was never touched with dye- just a black streak that looked awful. On top of that they charge an obscene amount for their services, and I didn't even leave the salon with what I asked for. To their credit, I called back the next day and Camilla bent over backwards to get me in a few days later to help fix my hair for free which I appreciate immensely. When I came back in she toned my hair and brought it to a color much closer to my natural color. Even after this second appointment where I pointed out, amongst other issues, the black streak in my bangs, I STILL HAVE IT. She still missed a piece and now every morning I have to twist it under the rest of my hair out of embarrassment. I was happy with the toning, but then it washed out 2 washes later (I only shampoo my hair every 5 days- I didn't immediately wash out the toner). I recognize that I asked for a TALL order, going for such a big change, but I would rather Camilla have just told me it was not possible rather than have me go through all this damage. I also don't appreciate the fact that I asked for balayage and I essentially got all over highlights- it doesn't look natural at all and is much too extreme. My biggest issue is the fact that I asked, very clearly, for one thing, and left with quite another and this salon charges so much. I just wish the salon had been honest with me and told me to get balayage somewhere else. My hair is now blonde and I'm having to tone it on my own and try to do damage control. While Camilla is an absolute joy and the salon did try and rectify the situation, I'm now wishing I never tried going back to my natural color. I'm posting this review for others considering color correction here- this might not be the salon for you; as wonderful as the staff are, the most important thing in a hair salon is how your hair comes OUT. read more