quoted cost of install- advice needed ASAP

Hi Julie,

You pose a question I struggle with all the time.  Try a hair expert who charges a premium price or try to work with an existing hairstylist I love...

I totally hear you..................
I had been going to the same colorist for over 7 years back in December.  I started going to her because my previous colorist in 2005 destroyed my hair by "accidentally" using the wrong color and brand on my hair causing me to spend 2 years working to get it back to the point where I even felt comfortable going in to a brand new colorist for highlights/lowlights.

Sadly, in December, my current colorist  of 7 years did exactly what the previous one did.  She decided...without telling me...to use a different brand of hair color (Redken versus Matrix) and a different lifting agent.  When she was finished and I looked in the mirror my hair had pulled orange and red.  I was horrified.

She also had pulled color all the way through to my ends which extend to my hips (very very bad idea for long hair like mine which is very fragile)  My scalp also was burning from the Redken which was odd because I had never had any problems before with Matrix after 15 years of constant use.

I started to cry in the salon.  She offered to fix it, but at that point my hair was dry and crunchy feeling so I fled the salon.  She called me a few times after that, but I wouldn't let her near my hair.

Luckily I went to cosmetology school so I was able to carefully remove the red/orange without harsh chemicals and wore jojoba oil in the rest of my hair non-stop for 3 months. 

My hair is back to normal except with very long roots.  I too am struggling.  Do I go back and let her fix my roots and not let her touch the rest of my hair OR do I go to one of the top colorists in town and try something different?

I think with this you have to go with your gut.  Sometimes you have to spend money to get the very best results.  Extension specialists are usually required to take some amount of special classes to become certified in the hair systems they work with.  I know this used to be true with HairUWear and some of their competitors.

I also know some extension specialists who go out of their way to take continuing education classes and attend workshops.  That is why they specialize.  They have done the work to become great at what they do.

Of course I have learned the hard way that you can't ever completely protect your hair from disasters and related issues. 

If you really trust your hairstylist and they mess up will that taint your longtime relationship? 

One of the things I was most upset about besides my orange/red hair was the fact that I might have to find a new colorist and start over after 7 years of trust.  That bummed me out almost more than the bad color.

Lots to think about. 

I hope you'll let us know what you decide to do and post pics.  Thanks for sharing.


Edited by Karen Shelton - July 29 2013 at 6:10am

I typed a reply the other day and it got lost:( just now getting back.

Karen, thanks for the thoughtful reply.
I could really relate.
I decided to let the experienced girl do it. It was tough but my gut instinct told me to go with her even though I feel it was really expensive.
She took two and a half hours blending, combining colors... It's gorgeous. I enjoyed the whole experience of the fancy salon. I'll post pics later. I'm really happy, but now need to get used to myself with long hair again. I do not regret my decision to go with her. She cleaned up my color beautifully the hair is amazing. I'm very happy.

The funny twist though, When I called my former salon to discuss and cancel my appointment, they hold me my stylist decided he didn't want to do extensions on me. He thought they'd be more trouble than they're worth. I worried for nothing I guess.

My new girl's expertise was very evident. She was worth every single penny. My first professional install:) I may not be able to go back to a DIYer