Today I'm heartbroken and embarrassed to be seen. It'd been a year since I had my hair done. We moved, and it was 8" longer than normal. I came looking for a 'big chop' and color. I booked online, at a 4 hour window for a full balayage (wasn't sure if that was the right option, but I've never been in a chair longer 4 hours so I felt it would be okay). Pricing was $350+.
Sila texted days before my appointment asking for photos of my hair and also what I wanted.
Appointment day, I sit in the chair and am told that she charges by the hour, $85 per hour. Doing math at that point, thinking 3-4 hours max, and being okay with it.
Cut is first. I show Sila a photo OF ME after my last cut and explain this was the length I wanted, BUT explained verbally 'this photo my hair was curly and it's longer than it looks...' I explained that I DO NOT USE HEAT ON MY HAIR, only a dryer with a diffuser IF that. I typically let my hair naturally dry. I assumed that would be taken into account in the cut.
We looked in the mirror and Sila held up a comb asking 'so here?' From where I was sitting & looking at the back of my head I said yes, to which 'okay so the antennas on the butterfly tattoo you have' was the confirmation. I can't see the tattoo, 'if that's where it falls, then yep!' She cut the back of my hair first, and went all in - didn't start longer to check on length and see if I wanted it shorter, and with a razor at that. No room for error. Looking back, I've checked the length in the back, it's at least an inch above 'the antennas.' I sat through the next 3 hours silently mortified over the cut knowing I looked like a 12 year old with a bowl cut. I told myself to not panic, she wasn't done, trust the process.
The 1st lightening application; 'I want all of my hair pin,' she proceeds to leave a good amount of it not and tells me that the bottom is 'too short' for foils. It wasn't supposed to be that short.
I sat through 3~ applications, then it was time to dry and layer it. I explained prior to that I was 'mildly panicking' because of the length and was told there would be no more coming off, just 'shaping.' Great, but that wasn't the point of my comment. 'Shaping' was thinning sheers in layering motions followed by styling with irons to make it look good. It looked good when I left, because it was styled to, but I already explained I don't use heat on my hair. When I'd gotten home 30 min. later, the curls had fallen and I looked like Willy Wonka.
I slept on it-literally. Woke up and examined the color and cut. There is silver, there is orange, there is SO MUCH uncolored hair even though I asked for ALL of my hair to be pink and showed the inspiration photo many times. If it wasn't possible, I should've been told BEFORE that it wasn't possible; though that wasn't said at all.
Undertone has PHENOMENAL reviews-RAVE reviews. Do I doubt them? No. Quite frankly, it's the coolest looking place I've ever been to. Sila seems like an amazing human, I don't doubt she's talented and great at what she does-I just don't know what happened here.
I DID NOT reach out to them, I don't see a reason to as I'm not willing to go back to have it fixed there. I spoke up with mild concerns a few times, though also know you have to trust the process and the worst was already done-the cut. I'm mortified. I've been wearing a hat since last night. I've made an appointment elsewhere to get it fixed.
She took BEAUTIFUL photos when done; but it was styled with tools and heat tools that I will never use, in the most perfect light. I'm including photos of what it looks like currently-after the curls fell. Again, I DO NOT use heat on my hair, I made that very clear. The cut should have been done based on my habits. It needs to look good every day, not just when I leave the salon.
I spent $425 to get this. I would've been HAPPY paying that. I'm sure there's no chance of getting my money back; between that and these results, I've never been so disappointed. read more