Hair Mishaps & How To Fix It: Part II

Last month, we touched upon common mistakes that some women make when making the drastic change from blonde to brunette. Let's now take a look at what could have been done to prevent this situation...

1) Always bring a photo of your desired look with you to your hair appointment

2) Before your color appointment, go into wig shops to try on different color wigs. This give you an opportunity to see how various colors work with your skin tone. Although the wigs may not be the style you want, it will give you an idea of what will and WON'T work for you.

3) Consult with your stylist prior to the the appointment. This puts the idea in motion as well as makes the idea more realistic. This will let you know if you are really ready to make the change or let you know if you need some more time to think about it.

4) Make a gradual change. As a stylist, I know that this is a difficult thing to say to a woman who is convinced she must have her drastic, life altering change now! But low lighting dark color into blonde hair makes the transition less dramatic as opposed to all over dark coverage.

5) Make sure you and your stylist are on the same page. During your consultation, ask your stylist to look with you through a color swatch book. I have had many clients that have come to me saying that they want no red in the hair. So, I tell them to select a color from the swatch book, and the first thing they point to is a hair color that has a red base. Sometimes describing color is difficult for people to do. Using a swatch book alleviates any confusion.

SOLUTIONS

There are truly only three things that you can do to fix this type of mishap...

1) Give it some time. In many cases, a person needs time to adjust to their new look.

2) If you've given it some time and it still isn't working for you, you may want to consider adding a couple of highlights around the face. This softens the blow of the change.

3) If all else has failed, the truth is... that particular style may not be for you, and you should go back to your natural hair color or the blonde that you loved. I've seen this happen many times before. FYI: going back natural is not a quick fix. It's not a simple one hour process. It can take up to three hours. Recreating natural hair color takes layering of pigments which takes time. If anyone offers you a quick fix, they are looking for quick $$$ and you should run for the hills!