Hairdresser Horror/Disaster Story

[Rhoward]

Everyone loves a good hair disaster story, I've read so many and I never thought I'd have one of my own this bad but here I am!

I've been seeing the same hairdresser for about a year now and actually trusted her (Stupid mistake!) I've even been paying through the nose for her overpriced salon shampoo and treatment products. My hair had grown (even with her insistence on six weekly trims) to well below BSL and all one length so I thought she was doing a good job.

I had some old colour in the midlenghtns and ends of my hair, some from chemical colour and some hendigo (mostly premixed wimpy stuff, like light mountain, henna hut and Lush, once with BAQ). I told my hair dresser that I had used henna/indigo before and that under no circumstances was bleach or high level peroxide to be put in my hair. This was my standard line every time she tried to convince me to let her colour it.

Anyway, I hadn't put colour in my hair for almost a year and wanted something to liven it up a bit so I gave in and decided to take the plunge. I asked her for a dark blue based red demi permanent, we went through the colour chart and I picked the colour I wanted (Loreal Richesse 4.5/4rv - I'm a natural level 6 so 2 shades darker) I felt confident that we were both on the same page and wasn't worried at all (2nd stupid mistake)

So she takes me to the basin for what she called a "deep cleanse wash" I assumed she was doing a clarifying wash. The "shampoo" she was using smelt really strong but I didn't think anything of it. She was chatting to me and I must have been at the basin for a good 10 minutes. When she starting rinsing my hair I could tell something was wrong, you could feel the stress coming off her. This is when I start freaking out and tell her I want to see my hair. She tried to keep me at the basin but I was pretty insistent.

So the towel comes off at the mirror AND it's horrendous. The first two to three inches are bright orange, then is turns a disgusting shade of darker orange and for the grand finale from about my shoulders down is GREEN, bright GREEN. Ok so I'm now crying and shaking, she's just shaking her head claiming she doesn't understand what happened. She finally admits that she put a mix of shampoo and "effasor" (a stripping agent which is basically bleach power) and clarifying shampoo apparently to help the new colour "take better". I was so angry, I cant count the amount of times I have told her that there is indigo in my hair and I can't ever have bleach put on it. I wanted to scream at her but instead I just sat there, stunned with tears running down my face.

So I should have left right then and there, run for the hills, you always read these stories and think "why don't they just leave before it gets worse?" I know why now, because they're in shock thats why!

For some insane reason I let her convince me to let her attempt to "fix it". The condition of my hair is now unbelievably damaged. She is hacking through it and chucks are coming out in the comb. She cuts some sort of horrible "layer" cut on me and puts a treatment in my hair. She offered to colour it for me but I wisely choose to leave (first smart thing I did!) the only good thing I have to say is she didn't charge me. So I drive home and spend the rest of the day crying and feeling sorry for myself. The next day my husband tells me that my hair is also "crooked" - Awesome, so now its green, orange, slightly longer than APL, damaged beyond belief and crooked! I had a better look at it and everything was uneven, the layers were different lengths on each side of my head, the hemline was crooked it was awful.

I was way to scared to trust another hairdresser so I put a cassia treatment in it and did some research. In an attempt to be able to show my face in public again I decided to cut my own hair and colour it, I mean I couldn't do any worse then "the supposed professional" and at this stage I really had nothing to lose.

I did a ponytail cut (ponytail high on my head at my front hair line, right in the centre) in the hopes of evening out my layers. I then did a low ponytail cut (feye's method for a straight across cut) to even out the bottom. It's not perfect but a massive improvement, but still orange and green! Too embarrassed to go outside I send my husband to Price Attack (beauty supply store) to pick up a demi 4rv (dark red violet) put that through it and thank goodness it turned out even and green free.

My hair is still in bad condition but I will keep up with the cassia treatments and moisture treatments. I will also NEVER go to another hair dresser again, I will continue to use feye's method for a straight across cut until the worst of the damage and most of the layering is gone. I can't believe I have had my hair goals put back what feels like forever over one afternoon at the hairdressers.

On the bright side, I really like the red on me and am now stalking the cherry cola/burgundy henna thread

So that's it ladies, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope my bad luck can save someone from the same fate.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

((((OH.......)))) Nobody could enjoy reading this. I have nothing to say but :grouphug:....

[pailin]

Oh, that's absolutely horrible. Hugs to you.

[calmyogi]

Reading this made me cringe. I'm so sorry :(

[Llama]

You told her you have henna/indigo on your hair and she put bleach on it?! That is common knowledge in cosmetology school. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

[mindwiped]

I'm so sorry! I hate when they went listen if you mention henna or indigo. Luckily I'd waited a really long time and had a major cut and a couple of terms before I decided to go back to commercial color, but a co-worker/friend knew it might happen, and still let them attempt bleach. Green/blue ends! Six processes later it's fragile, like watch it in a stiff breeze, but not blue anymore (she works in banking, so couldn't just go with it, otherwise she would have)

[Groovy Granny]

Wow :agape: (((hugs))))

I had a similar thing happen 15 years ago, though yours was much worse!

My nurse friend and licensed stylist fried my hair too....I have no idea how; it turned green and crispy 12 inches up my length.

She wanted to 'fix it with drops'???

I ran to another reputable salon and they spent 2 hours with me trying to discern what to do.

In the end,they chopped a foot of hair off, did some sort of treatment, and re-dyed me as close to my natural color as they could; I never colored or had major work done in a salon again!

That is traumatic and totally inexcusable with a licensed professional :mad:

I am glad you are coming out the other side ok, and hope your hair recovers quickly and easily.

[Anya15]

Oh dear...I'm so sorry :grouphug: :( I would've been mad at the stylist, especially since you TOLD her that you have henndigo on your hair and so bleach cannot be used!

Just hang in there. You will grow out the green/damaged bits eventually. Again, I'm really sorry for what happened to you.

[Rhoward]

Thank you all so much for your support and kind words, I really appreciate it. The worst thing is she works for herself from home so I couldn't even complain to the manager lol. At least now I know I can cut my own hair, and if I tell myself to cut a half an inch at least I can believe myself!

lots of babying my hair, coconut oil, pantene, micro trims (feye's method) and patience, hopefully its in a lot better shape by christmas.

[pailin]

lots of babying my hair, coconut oil, pantene, micro trims (feye's method) and patience, hopefully its in a lot better shape by christmas.

Yes, baby your hair, and it WILL get into better shape. And take care of yourself too :)

[Echileruwen]

How awful! I had green hair once after a hairdresser left green stuff on it too long trying to remove the red from the ends after I got tired of dying the roots, but my experience was not as bad as yours. I agree, taking care of yourself and babying your hair is probably the best thing to do. At least now you know that you can cut your own hair, and that's helpful.

[Beezle]

What a dreadful experience, Rhoward. You must have felt completely traumatised. It was horrible enough to experience this just through reading, I just can't imagine how awful you felt, but so wonderful to hear that you were prompted to trim your own hair now. I've not been brave enough myself but must try.

[Arctic]

Youe seem to have pretty good attitude, which probably will help you to process this. I'm sorry it happened to you. It was unexcusable for her to act so and make such decisions for you when at the sink washing your hair. I hope it will grow out very soon.

I see protein treatments were not mentioned - those are often very helpful to damaged hair. Follow by moisture so your hair won't dry.

[Kake]

That is horrific. I'm glad you were able to improve it yourself.

[Rhoward]

Youe seem to have pretty good attitude, which probably will help you to process this. I'm sorry it happened to you. It was unexcusable for her to act so and make such decisions for you when at the sink washing your hair. I hope it will grow out very soon.

I see protein treatments were not mentioned - those are often very helpful to damaged hair. Follow by moisture so your hair won't dry.


Thanks Arctic I appreciate the help

Just went through my stash and I don't have any specific protein treatments, a couple with a bit of protein in them but nothing substantial, but you are right I need to get my hands on one ASAP, the cassia treatment helped a lot but that will wear off in a couple of weeks. I'll get myself to the supply store and grab one tomorrow, I've got a few moisture ones. Thanks again for the tip, I really need all of them I can get at the moment

[Sweets]

My heart hurts for you, Rhoward. Hugs to you. Stay strong and baby your hair the best ways you know how to. I second protein treaments, sounds like you are a great candidate now, no thanks to your hairdresser.

[KittyBird]

Gosh, so sorry that happened to you! :grouphug: I'm glad you managed to fix the colour, and yay for liking the red!
I hope that hairdresser learned her lesson after that. Listen to your clients and don't freaking bleach somebody's hair without them knowing it.

[Lizzie.torp]

Can the story be about my mom? I've never trusted hairdressers. Okay, here it goes.

So, she had the most beautiful curly BSL hair and she wanted a trim and some layers. (Who knows why) The guy ended out just chopping it up like he was in the 80s and she had about 5 layers, APL hair, and the top layer was 3 inches long. So, of course she cried and didn't learn her lesson (3 years ago). She searches around for a good hairdresser and is just generally unhappy with her hair that doesn't SEEM to grow anymore.

[Horrorpops]

wow that is terrible, I can't believed she would do that without asking you first!
It sounds like you've done a great job at turning things around with trimming and dying at home thats wonderful! I hope your hair grows back super fast :)

[Rhoward]

What a dreadful experience, Rhoward. You must have felt completely traumatised. It was horrible enough to experience this just through reading, I just can't imagine how awful you felt, but so wonderful to hear that you were prompted to trim your own hair now. I've not been brave enough myself but must try.

I'm definitely traumatised. Honestly though I think I'm more angry at myself, I usually dye my own hair but I had this stupid sense of loyalty to her because she'd been cutting my hair for so long that I convinced myself it was the right thing to do to let her do it.

I was so scared to cut my own hair but by that stage I was more scared to find another hair dresser and go through potentially even more pain and suffering. I wish I'd started doing my own years ago, once you get over the fear its so easy, honestly you can't really go wrong if you follow the steps.

These youtube videos really helped me get my courage up

This is the one I followed to even out the crooked layers the hairdresser gave me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLqRMH5nlcA

Then I used this one to get a straight line across the back (this one shows the feye's method for U cut, Straight cut and V cut - awesome video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Erf49Eyxc&list=WL&index=394

And this one I used to give myself some shape around my face, there were layers everywhere so it kinda looked silly not to have some face framing pieces. I used the second technique he explains the "twist cut" (I didn't use as much hair as he did, only did a very thin front section)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVM6w_Ov2M4

there are so many great videos on youtube these are just the ones I used, and believe me if I can do it, anyone can lol - now I'll just stick to feye's straight or U method to grow out the layers, I do need to get some real hair scissors though, I had some brand new fabric scissors still in the packet so I used them, probably not ideal but my hair was green and chunks of it were breaking off so I didn't have much planning time lol

[tiffycakes]

That's so horrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you.

[lapushka]

I can't believe she didn't tell you about the shampoo. That was very unprofessional, IMMHO.

I hope the nerve (because it takes nerve) to cut it yourself at least proved to you, you don't actually need a hairdresser!

Hang in there, it can only get better from here. :flower:

[Rhoward]

I can't believe she didn't tell you about the shampoo. That was very unprofessional, IMMHO.

I hope the nerve (because it takes nerve) to cut it yourself at least proved to you, you don't actually need a hairdresser!

Hang in there, it can only get better from here. :flower:

I know right, I still can't believe she did it. She claimed she thought it was necessary to get an even finish on the colour because there was old colour in my hair, I said she should have told me what she was planning to do first as I thought I was only getting a demi colour. She was very upset about it and kept apologising and saying she would fix it, but it was too late, years of growing gone.

I've just been online salon supply shopping and thought bugger the expense and got myself some Olaplex (to use a stand alone treatment), some good protein treatments (litre size!) and some good quality scissors. Hopefully the Olaplex makes a difference, I've not used it before (have used a competitor but not olaplex, mind you I also had healthy hair then!), I'm not expecting a miracle but some noticeable improvement would be nice. I got express shipping so I should have it in a few days, I'll let you all know if it helps. I'm worried about putting any more hair dye on the lengths so I think I might stick with direct dyes for the rest of the year.

I do feel better knowing that I am now in control of my hair and not dependant on anyone anymore. As bad as my hair is right now, it will recover and I never have to have another bad haircut again. Thanks for your kind words, they mean a lot to me :heartbeat

[Wusel]

I feel so sorry for you... :(
I hated hair salons my whole life. And had long hair almost my whole life. Until my mom convinced me to do "something new and fresh" and I let them chop WL hair off... I liked the cut the first two times he did it but when I went to trim it a third time I looked like THIS!!!
WAYYY too short, way too thinned out, unevenly layered and the look of a plucked chicken... HORRIBLE!!!
It was in December 2013 (see pic below).
Now, I'm back to hating hair salons and NEVER. NEVER!!! enter one again. Never in my life.
I feel so sorry for you and it made me both sad and angry reading this.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22558&d=1460985140

[lapushka]

Ooh Wusel, that's cut a little uneven, not a bad look on you, though, but I'm sure you can rock anything!

[Wusel]

Ooh Wusel, that's cut a little uneven, not a bad look on you, though, but I'm sure you can rock anything!

Thank you, lapushka.
Many people said, back then, that it looked okay, not that bad and somehow cute, but I felt really bad with it. Like, that wasn't me me when I was looking in the mirror. And it took me so long to grow the shortest layers out. The shortest were around the eye area... only an inch longer than the bangs... And I could do nothing with it. No proper ponytail, no updo... When I look at the photo I'm SO happy that it's grown out.

And what's really amazing... The photo is from December 2013... And now I'm only 8cm from waist and all hair one length, blunt, with NO layers... My hair grew quite fast. The blunt cut to even out was in October 2014 so the shortest layer was 1,5 inch below chin already less than 1 year later.

[Estrid]

Haha, Wusel! That is how I looked all the time with short hair! I kinda liked it though, but now I guess it might not have looked as good to others as it did to me x) I quite like the "messy" style.


I'm sorry this happened to you, Rhoward. I will never dare to go to a hairdresser again after reading all terrible stories on this site.

[TatsuOni]

It's terrible what happened to you!:steam I have been cutting my own hair for nine years now since I don't trust hairdressers after terrible experiences.

I think that you will be very happy taking care of your own hair in the future:) After a little practise it's really easy to do. It takes me around five minutes to trim my own hair now.

[Atarah]

Oh my goodness! That sounds terrible.

Sometimes, I've kind of wondered what I'm missing by never having colored my hair. After reading that, I'll just pass on the experience. Hope your hair recovers soon though!

[Groovy Granny]

Thank you all so much for your support and kind words, I really appreciate it. The worst thing is she works for herself from home so I couldn't even complain to the manager lol. At least now I know I can cut my own hair, and if I tell myself to cut a half an inch at least I can believe myself!

lots of babying my hair, coconut oil, pantene, micro trims (feye's method) and patience, hopefully its in a lot better shape by christmas.

I was in the same boat; mine was a full time nurse and a part time stylist; but she did have a license...live and learn :doh:

Cutting your own hair is so liberating ~ LHC will support you in your hair recovery :cheer:

[Anje]

Wow, that's quite a horror story!

I don't suppose you have pictures, do you? (I know, sorry, but maybe in a few years it'll be fun to laugh at the time your hair was green. And it's a fantastic warning for all the serial dye-ers who are suddenly gung-ho that they're going to use indigo.)

[Nightshade]

Holy hell. Wow, I am so sorry that happened to you. If there's any henna or indigo advice I can lend please ask :)

[Rhoward]

Wow, that's quite a horror story!

I don't suppose you have pictures, do you? (I know, sorry, but maybe in a few years it'll be fun to laugh at the time your hair was green. And it's a fantastic warning for all the serial dye-ers who are suddenly gung-ho that they're going to use indigo.)

Sorry there was no way a camera was getting near me lol - I do understand why it would have been helpful though, I've read so many posts on this site about girls wanting to bleach or lift their hair after using indigo, thinking because its been so long since they have used it that it would be ok, and not listening to others when they warn them not to do it. Hopefully this story gets the message through to someone. Indigo + bleach = Green

My husband refuses to wait a few years to laugh at me, he's been going for it since I dyed it red, he's a brave man LOL

[lapushka]

Maybe I missed it somewhere, but how much length did you end up losing to this disaster? What length is it now? APL? Or shorter?

[chen bao jun]

OOooh, I'm so sorry.
You should have taken pictures and stood outside her door with them blown up for everybody to see.
she will do the same to someone else next week, that's the sad thing.
I'm supposed to go to one next week to straighten, now I'm scared.

[Anje]

My husband refuses to wait a few years to laugh at me, he's been going for it since I dyed it red, he's a brave man LOL
Brave indeed!

[DarkChocolate]

I highly recommend aloe vera for fixing split ends. I rub in on my hair everyday from the aloe plant.

[meteor]

Oh no! I'm so sorry this happened to you, Rhoward! :( Really, really scary stuff!
I really hope hydrolyzed protein treatments, oiling and good old TLC will help your hair recover and grow back fast and strong! :pray: By the way, Nightshade's article on growing out and rehabilitating damaged hair (http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79) is super helpful (it can be found in Nightshade's siggy a few posts up-thread).

Wishing your hair swift recovery! :grouphug: :heartbeat

[HoD]

What a horrible experience Rhoward! Glad you got back to a good color at least.

Thanks for the link, meteor. Helpful info

[Rhoward]

Maybe I missed it somewhere, but how much length did you end up losing to this disaster? What length is it now? APL? Or shorter?

It was a bit past BSL and one length and when I left her "salon' it was JUST APL and has layers through it, but it was crooked so by the time I evened it out its now a bit shorter than APL :( - its gonna be a long road back

[Rhoward]

Oh no! I'm so sorry this happened to you, Rhoward! :( Really, really scary stuff!
I really hope hydrolyzed protein treatments, oiling and good old TLC will help your hair recover and grow back fast and strong! :pray: By the way, Nightshade's article on growing out and rehabilitating damaged hair (http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79) is super helpful (it can be found in Nightshade's siggy a few posts up-thread).

Wishing your hair swift recovery! :grouphug: :heartbeat

Thanks Meteor, that's a great article, very detailed - and thanks Nightshade for writing it :)

[Rhoward]

Update on my hair condition :)

I got my delivery of Olaplex today and while it is no miracle it is pretty amazing. All the top and mid lengths of my hair are now almost back to the condition it was in before the unpleasantness/total disaster happened. The ends (the bits that had indigo on them and were green about the bottom 2 inches of my hair) are in better condition but still definitely damaged but 100% better than what they were. It was really easy to use and the whole treatment only took 30 minutes. I'll definitely be doing another one in a couple of weeks.

New problem though, when I washed my hair prior to putting the treatment on my shower looked like a murder scene, heaps of the red demi I put in went down the drain, I did expect it to happen but didn't expect that much to wash out. The ends (the previously green/indigoed parts) now look a really ugly muddy brown. Dont want to put anymore demi colour on it because it does do some damage to use it. Thinking burgundy direct dyes might be the best bet?

My new scissors are really cool though!

[lapushka]

I'd stop dyeing until the dye has washed out fully!!! Also, I'd start microtrimming to try and get rid of these green/muddy bits asap. I once dyed over indigo that had turned green as well, with a dark brown/black permanent dye, and no matter what I did, the ends stayed looking a matte brown/black. It is green, it will stay green. You are just going to have to deal with that. :flower: The best thing to do was to put a red dye over it (it counteracts the green somewhat), but other than that, there's not much you can do.

You did gain something from all of this, though, the confidence to cut your own hair. I hope you never go to a salon again, and keep doing your hair yourself. It's the best thing you *can* do.

[mindwiped]

The first time you wash any level of red hair color, you lose some of it. I've sadly learned to go slightly Ronald McDonald, so that I end up with the color I prefer. The longer you can wait post color to wash, CO, or WO, the better the color status put too. Red is such a large color molecule and I guess even the pros knew to aim a bit over the top, which my guy (the only one I trust with my hair and scissors) warned me about the first time he did color on my hair.

[meteor]

Thanks Meteor, that's a great article, very detailed - and thanks Nightshade for writing it :)

Thank you! Yes, Nightshade's articles are really great. :D For example, her Herbal Dyes articles are super-helpful and detailed, as well.


Update on my hair condition :)

I got my delivery of Olaplex today and while it is no miracle it is pretty amazing. All the top and mid lengths of my hair are now almost back to the condition it was in before the unpleasantness/total disaster happened. The ends (the bits that had indigo on them and were green about the bottom 2 inches of my hair) are in better condition but still definitely damaged but 100% better than what they were. It was really easy to use and the whole treatment only took 30 minutes. I'll definitely be doing another one in a couple of weeks.

New problem though, when I washed my hair prior to putting the treatment on my shower looked like a murder scene, heaps of the red demi I put in went down the drain, I did expect it to happen but didn't expect that much to wash out. The ends (the previously green/indigoed parts) now look a really ugly muddy brown. Dont want to put anymore demi colour on it because it does do some damage to use it. Thinking burgundy direct dyes might be the best bet?

My new scissors are really cool though!

So happy to hear your hair feels much better now, after Olaplex! :D I really hope it will keep working in the future, too! :pray:

About red demi washing out fast... it's kind of hard to avoid, especially for porous hair... Washing hair infrequently and with cool (not very hot) water can help prevent fading a little bit.
I have no personal experience with henndigo myself, so please take my words with a huge grain of salt, but is there a possibility that topping up henna treatment(s) over your bleached henndigo can do the trick of bringing back the red to your henndigo? :hmm: Can somebody weigh in on this, pretty please? :flower:
(Obviously, even if it can be done, I'd do some serious strand-testing before considering taking the plunge.)

[Nightshade]

Thanks Meteor, that's a great article, very detailed - and thanks Nightshade for writing it :)

You're so welcome :) One of these days I'll get the updated version on the site, but if you'd like it in advance, shoot me a PM :)

[Rhoward]

I'd stop dyeing until the dye has washed out fully!!! Also, I'd start microtrimming to try and get rid of these green/muddy bits asap. I once dyed over indigo that had turned green as well, with a dark brown/black permanent dye, and no matter what I did, the ends stayed looking a matte brown/black. It is green, it will stay green. You are just going to have to deal with that. :flower: The best thing to do was to put a red dye over it (it counteracts the green somewhat), but other than that, there's not much you can do.

You did gain something from all of this, though, the confidence to cut your own hair. I hope you never go to a salon again, and keep doing your hair yourself. It's the best thing you *can* do.

The truth always sucks but you're right, micro trimming until the last of the green ends is gone is the most sensible plan, even with trying to mask the green as best I can, its still not ever going to be nice healthy hair again anyway so its better to chop it out

[Rhoward]

You're so welcome :) One of these days I'll get the updated version on the site, but if you'd like it in advance, shoot me a PM :)

Thank you so much, that would be awesome :D

[mariazelie]

Your story just confirmed to me that you can never trust a hairdresser completely. I had green hair once when I was a teen. It was NOT in style then, either, LOL. I am very sorry for you that you had such a horrible experience.

[lapushka]

The truth always sucks but you're right, micro trimming until the last of the green ends is gone is the most sensible plan, even with trying to mask the green as best I can, its still not ever going to be nice healthy hair again anyway so its better to chop it out

Yes, I do hope I wasn't too harsh - but I've been there! And so it pains me to see that someone else now has the same issues, and you'd do anything, you know to try and help! :flower:

[Rhoward]

Yes, I do hope I wasn't too harsh - but I've been there! And so it pains me to see that someone else now has the same issues, and you'd do anything, you know to try and help! :flower:

Hey people are always more passionate about a subject that is close to their heart. My hair thanks you! No more peroxide of any kind ever on my hair, no more hairdressers, nightshades article has changed the way I look at my hair and what it really needs.

[lapushka]

Hey people are always more passionate about a subject that is close to their heart. My hair thanks you! No more peroxide of any kind ever on my hair, no more hairdressers, nightshades article has changed the way I look at my hair and what it really needs.

That's great to hear. I hope your hair recovers quickly! :D Hang in there!!!