Spent the big buck's!

by Shayla Fleischer
(Hood River, OR)

HI out there. I was happy with my new found hairdresser, I had been seeing her for over a year now. The only thing I could complain about is that her new salon was far from beautiful. It was a new establishment and it was never really finished inside.
But like I said my stylist Laura was really good.......(she did charge as much or more than anyone else in town). So....I'm a mother of two very young boys and thought I would splurge and try the new super, super duper, straight out of Dwell magazine, salon/spa. All this because I wanted to be in a beautiful place and have people offer me hot tea, or sip on a glass of wine. It took a 30 min consultation one week, then It took seven weeks to get my appointment with the owner, Jim. I was so excited when the day of my appointment finally arrived. Well I do remember saying to him color it just like Jessica Simpson, because that's what my hair already looked like, and everyone I meet tells me I look like her. I just wanted my layers cleaned up and my roots done, (It had been eight long weeks) Jim suggested that he add just a very fine weave of light gold and a darker gold underneath and a super light blond.( so the blond on top would really POP!) Sounded good to me. When the foils were removed and I looked in the mirror I kept my eyes closed for the whole forty plus minutes of the final cut and blow dry. Jim was so excited, he thought I wanted to surprise myself. Well he didn't listen or he just didn't know what the hell he was doing, because I'm now a brunette. That's right, brunette. I do have a few, very few dark caramel colored highlights in the middle. I even had the worst cut and style I've ever had, and I was charged $220 for it. No, that did not include tip. Now your thinking that's not that bad. I live in Hood River, OR and the most I have ever been charged is $140. for color and a cut......So what I want to say to you is, you don't need to go to the fabulous salon, where you feel and they make you feel lucky just too get an appointment there. If you're happy with your hair dresser or close to happy, stay with him/her and keep working on getting it right. It will be better for you , your hair and your wallet in the long run. Now I need to go back to Laura, totally embarrassed and pay $140. to fix it.

Yikes Shayla! Sounds like you really paid for that appointment, in more than one way! I am really sorry that happened to you! How often we want to feel special and place our trust in other people, only to find out that we trusted the wrong person/people. I wonder if you told Jim you were unhappy? Most hairdressers are willing to work with you if you tell them you aren't satisfied. I agree with you about sticking with one person you trust though. However, even then, all hairdressers make mistakes sometimes or have an 'off' day. Thats why I suggest that everyone should learn about coloring their own hair, even if you don't color it yourself. You cannot understand what you don't know.

Here are some basic tips for everyone to consider.

Know your own base color. Know how to get what color your want. Know what end result you want. Be ready to show pictures of what you want. Write down all the products you use. Use products that have proven good results and be informed about the results you'll obtain by using them. Use virtual hair tools so you can try out new styles, cuts, or color's before you get them.