What to do when your haircolor goes wrong
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It's not as bad as you think.....
We will discuss what to do when you or your hairdresser messes up your hair color. From time to time this will happen for various reasons. What we want to do is get you back to good hair with minimal drama.
So, what happened?
What went wrong? Did you grab the wrong color? Was it a miscommunication?If you did it to yourself then it is important to know what products were used. Write down the shade you used and any information that you can remember. This will help your hairdresser determine the steps to take you to where you want to go.
If it happened at a salon then there are two ways it could happen. 1. the hairdresser didn't listen during your consultation. 2. there was an error in application or formulation. If they feel that they can fix it, let them. If you feel they are not confident, you may want to speak with the salon manager or owner and see if there is someone else than can fix the problem.
What do you do now?
First, take a deep breath.
If you don't have a hairdresser or colorist start searching the web for salons that focus on color correction. Yahoo local is a great place to start. People will write reviews about salons in your area. Try to remain calm. Go to a salon that will take time to do an in depth analyis of your hair and consultation for your situation. Make sure that you find out the costs for all steps involved. Many times color correction isn't resolved from just one visit and there may be many steps needed and more money involved than an normal haircolor appointment. Make sure your hairdresser informs you of what the costs will be. Make sure you are comfortable with moving forward before your hairdresser makes the next step.
Bring photos of what you are expecting to be the end result. The most important thing right now is knowing what your expectations are and that your hairdresser can deliver your desired end result.
Keep in mind that if your color went dark they may need to do several steps to remove the color. If your color is too light there may need to be fillers applied in order to achieve a beautiful naturally looking result. Think of it as a primer before you paint over a wall with a new color.
If your hair is damaged there may need to be some conditioning treatements incorported in the process before, during AND after. If there is any question to how the color may turn out your hairdresser may do strand tests. This is where they try 2 or 3 different formulas and use them on a small strand of hair to get the perfect result.
Remember though..... this is a problem and may not be fixed with just one visit. You may need to come back a few times. If you have overly damaged hair the color may fade out more quickly than normal. So, you may need to layer the color on a few visits to get it to last.
Speak with your hairdresser about the right shampoos, treatments, and conditioners to maintain the color that you just worked so hard to fix.
There are shampoos that are specifically for color treated, damaged, and for protecting the haircolor. Additionally, they may recommend color shampoos which have a small amount of direct acting pigments that just help to keep your color fresh.
If you don't have a hairdresser or colorist start searching the web for salons that focus on color correction. Yahoo local is a great place to start. People will write reviews about salons in your area. Try to remain calm. Go to a salon that will take time to do an in depth analyis of your hair and consultation for your situation. Make sure that you find out the costs for all steps involved. Many times color correction isn't resolved from just one visit and there may be many steps needed and more money involved than an normal haircolor appointment. Make sure your hairdresser informs you of what the costs will be. Make sure you are comfortable with moving forward before your hairdresser makes the next step.
Bring photos of what you are expecting to be the end result. The most important thing right now is knowing what your expectations are and that your hairdresser can deliver your desired end result.
Keep in mind that if your color went dark they may need to do several steps to remove the color. If your color is too light there may need to be fillers applied in order to achieve a beautiful naturally looking result. Think of it as a primer before you paint over a wall with a new color.
If your hair is damaged there may need to be some conditioning treatements incorported in the process before, during AND after. If there is any question to how the color may turn out your hairdresser may do strand tests. This is where they try 2 or 3 different formulas and use them on a small strand of hair to get the perfect result.
Remember though..... this is a problem and may not be fixed with just one visit. You may need to come back a few times. If you have overly damaged hair the color may fade out more quickly than normal. So, you may need to layer the color on a few visits to get it to last.
Speak with your hairdresser about the right shampoos, treatments, and conditioners to maintain the color that you just worked so hard to fix.
There are shampoos that are specifically for color treated, damaged, and for protecting the haircolor. Additionally, they may recommend color shampoos which have a small amount of direct acting pigments that just help to keep your color fresh.
Yahoo Local - A great way to find a new salon!
Yahoo Local is a great way to find a a great new salon and stylist! You can learn information about the business, find their website and learn about what their clients have said about their salon. Even if there are negative comments you can see how they deal with real situations! 
Some helpful links!
- If you live near or in Burbank maybe we can help.
- Our salon website. See some of our work and learn a bit more about our salon.
- Our salon blog.
- We started this blog to show the process of transforming our space into our salon. We share tips and tricks for great hair and keep you updated on what we are up to!
- How to get the right haircolor and haircut for you!
- This lens is to help you so that you don't get in a situation where you won't like your hair. Get tips for the consultation and finding a hairdresser and salon that is right for you!
- Hair lenses
- My top hair lenses all in one place!
Tell us your story
Did you have a haircolor disaster? What happened? Did you end up happy? Do you need a referal?
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Ladymermaid
Feb 16, 2012 @ 8:21 pm | delete
- I'm lucky in that my hair color is holding it's own so I won't need to dye my hair hopefully for many years yet to come. So glad to see you working on lenses here at Squidoo. There are many hair issues that so very many people would love to have more information on.
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Hairdresser007
Feb 16, 2012 @ 8:38 pm | delete
- Everyone can always use a little haircolor! It's like make up for the hair! ;) Please let me know what issues you think people would like to read about. It always is sort of hard to decide what to write so ideas are always great! Thanks for all of your likes and blessings!
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christina king
Feb 16, 2012 @ 1:13 am | delete
- i went to my reg hairdresser today & instead of the blonde hilites i usualy get i got dk brn! & the hilites are so white they look grey! she did say the base would be a little darker but the hilites would still be blonde & many, its dark, i dont like it!
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Hairdresser007
Feb 16, 2012 @ 1:16 am | delete
- Maybe you should call her and ask her about it. Maybe she could do a quick toner on the blonde to make them less light and the brown might shampoo out after a couple days.
If you have been a good client I am sure she will want the chance to make it better!
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SecondHandJoe
Jan 30, 2012 @ 12:02 am | delete
- Hey this is a great, informative, funny lens, and I love the clean layout! Thanks for telling it!
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Athf
Jan 29, 2012 @ 11:40 pm | delete
- Like the lens. Pretty cool idea.
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Paula7928
Jan 23, 2012 @ 10:05 pm | delete
- great lens. Glad you are getting traffic.
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Blessed mom
Jan 23, 2012 @ 11:21 am | delete
- Had my hair highlighted. Apparently she mixed color wrong. The blonde turned whitish and the other turned "barney" purple. So unhappy. Went back next day and she tried other colors to change it. Blonde is a little better, not much and purple turned black but still hint if purple. It looks horrible. Going back Wednesday. What else can be done? If they can just get it back to brown, it would be so much bettet.
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Hairdresser007
Jan 23, 2012 @ 5:10 pm | delete
- That doesn't sound like fun. Sorry you are going through that. It is so hard to recommend anything without seeing it. I am sure your stylist is just as upset as you. We tend to really criticize ourselves when we make a mistake. I know you have to wear it but I am sure she is losing sleep too! From what I THINK is going on I would almost just start over. I would take out all of the color with a color remover like the one from Goldwell. And first I would see if I could remove the color that way. Then start it all over with alternating foils of three colors. 1 the lightest blonde that you want 2 your natural color 3 a middle color a little closer to the blonde. It won't be perfect, but it will be a whole lot closer to what you want then where you are! Good luck.
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kwongster
Jan 22, 2012 @ 8:47 am | delete
- I had dark brown hair,and i went for gold highlights. Now my hair at th fronts nice,but th back is whitish gold like a skunk! What do i do?!
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