Orangey highlights

So yet again I've got highlights done and they've come out the same colour as always. Despite the fact I've chosen numerous different shades in the past, it always comes out looking exactly the same! I mean, today I picked out a light brown shade, almost ash blondish and it also came out this tacky goldy, orangey copper colour, which is exactly what I didn't want! Is it my hair? I went to a really good salon this time, paid a lot of money and got an excellent cut, but I just can't understand what's going on with the colour. Do I need to go lighter or something? I always ask for a fairly natural shade because I hate the blonde highlights in dark brown hair look. Aghh. It's not horrendous looking or anything, but it just isn't what I had in my head.

Did you complain at the salon before you paid

It looked OK at the salon with the lighting, it looked more blonde but now I'm home I realise it's the same old orangey colour. I could go back but I really don't have the time, this was pretty much my last free morning in ages. It's not horrible, most people would probably be happy with it, the placement is exactly what I wanted, the cut is perfect, but once again the colour isn't what I thought it would be. I just don't understand what the problem is. It isn't incompetence as I've been to a good few different places and this place has a really good reputation.

pookie82

I had the exact same problem and unfortunately, it's your hair. Some hair is just not as receptive to certain shades as others. I was dying my hair blonde for years, and I always had the perfect shade that I REALLY wanted in mind. Saw it on other girls all the time so knew it wasn't unachievable or anything. Tired every hairdresser conceivable, every colour card in the book, no go. Got home and realised most times that it was a miserable coppery dirty looking blond despite how good the hairdresser had seemed.

Then my best friend became a hairdresser and I explained my problem to her and she tried colouring it. She got the EXACT colour I'd always wanted and I was overjoyed but the difference was she spent a lot more time on it and also used a special toner on it to heighten the colour after the highlights had been washed out. Basically, it took a lot more care, time and attention than any regular hairdressers were ever willing to take with me.

I went dark a few months ago so it's not an issue for me any longer but I know how you feel and it sounds like you had the same type of hair as me. Some hair types just don't take colour like others and need a lot of special products and techniques to get the right shade. Next time I recommend that you explain your problem to a hairdresser before booking an appointment and ask for a strong guarantee that they will do their best to get the right shade. Explain the difficulty in the past with colours turning out coppery and ask if adding toner after a colour would be effective.

Yep that's what I thought. The hairdresser even seemed surprised but he didn't say anything, and it looked quite OK in the salon. What type of hair do you have? Mine is dark brown and fine. Meh the my hair doesn't look horrible, it looks quite well and the highlights are fairly subtle but it doesn't make my hair look lighter overall which is what I basically wanted (I live in Belgium so I'd to try to explain all this in French!) Maybe I should have asked for something more obvious, a lighter colour, instead of saying I wanted it natural looking. Just had a fear of big blonde streaks!

Acoshla

Hiya,

I'm just talking from my own experience but I'd say it's your hair, is it very dark? I worked in haircare for a while and we were told that to define what colour hair someone has there is a scale, 1-10, 1 being light blonde, 10 being as close to black as natural hair can go, I'm an 8. I had pink in my hair before so it had to be bleached first, I had it done a few times by an excellent hairdresser and each time my hair never went blonde or even near it, it always went orange, it's just so dark that it can't be done, he made me promise never to go blonde because it would be so awful

moonflower

Spadina wrote: »

Hiya,

I'm just talking from my own experience but I'd say it's your hair, is it very dark? I worked in haircare for a while and we were told that to define what colour hair someone has there is a scale, 1-10, 1 being light blonde, 10 being as close to black as natural hair can go, I'm an 8. I had pink in my hair before so it had to be bleached first, I had it done a few times by an excellent hairdresser and each time my hair never went blonde or even near it, it always went orange, it's just so dark that it can't be done, he made me promise never to go blonde because it would be so awful

Doesn't the scale go the other way, with 1 being black and 12 being white-blonde?

To the OP: You need some toner. A blue one will eliminate the orangy colour and a violet one will get rid of any yellow. If you ask in the salon they'll put one in for you, or you should be able to buy one. You should really call them and complain though, even though you've already paid. They might fix it for free or a reduced price or give you some vouchers or something.

I think I'm a 7 the hairdresser said but I could have made that up. My hair is not unusually dark at all - just your normal dark brown, nowhere near black, and almost blonde at the ends and in some parts (should have left it alone :rolleyes:)

Re: the toner, shouldn't hairdressers know that and use it? I didn't realise the highlights were particularly 'wrong' until I'd left. They are actually barely noticeable in natural light, it's just under artificial light they're almost gold and sort of sparkle?! Looks awful imo! Where could I get this toner? I guess I should complain but its a hassle now. I wish I'd realised in the salon but I'd been in there 2.5 hours and was feeling a bit flustered

OK, I'm definitely going to get this fixed even if it means taking time off work. I didn't pay 100 quid for a hair colour I don't like and have to see every day for a year. I've had a quick search online and it seems that it's extremely common for dark brown hair to go orange instead of light brown/dark blonde. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it by using a toner or something. Aghh! This is the LAST time I dye my hair!!!

Acoshla

moonflower wrote: »

Doesn't the scale go the other way, with 1 being black and 12 being white-blonde?

It was a L'Oreal rep that told me the scale, I remember her saying that I was a 9 at the time (hair was dyed a bit darker) so with that scale anyway it went light to dark, just using it as a guideline to see if OP's hair was as dark as mine, doesn't matter too much if its wrong

pookie82

[quote=[Deleted User];59502386]I think I'm a 7 the hairdresser said but I could have made that up. My hair is not unusually dark at all - just your normal dark brown, nowhere near black, and almost blonde at the ends and in some parts (should have left it alone :rolleyes:)

Re: the toner, shouldn't hairdressers know that and use it? I didn't realise the highlights were particularly 'wrong' until I'd left. They are actually barely noticeable in natural light, it's just under artificial light they're almost gold and sort of sparkle?! Looks awful imo! Where could I get this toner? I guess I should complain but its a hassle now. I wish I'd realised in the salon but I'd been in there 2.5 hours and was feeling a bit flustered

OK, I'm definitely going to get this fixed even if it means taking time off work. I didn't pay 100 quid for a hair colour I don't like and have to see every day for a year. I've had a quick search online and it seems that it's extremely common for dark brown hair to go orange instead of light brown/dark blonde. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it by using a toner or something. Aghh! This is the LAST time I dye my hair!!![/QUOTE]

Definitely go back. Too many times I sat at home out of pocket with a gross hair colour that I hadnt asked for and didn;t have the balls to go back. Even if the hairdresser hadn't predicted your hair not taking to the colour he/she put in properly, when they see the result they should endeavour to fix it. You're paying them through the nose for a service so you should walk away happy.

Go back in and tell them that now that you've seen it at home/in everyday light/after a wash, you're unhappy with the colour. Ask them about fixing it and ask if a toner might help to lift the colour (dunno what the French word for that is, sorry!!). Don't leave it too long though, or they could say washing or general wear has faded it and charge you for fixing it.

jackira

A 7 is blonde on the ICC ( international colour chart ) no matter what products you use they all follow the same code. Although they use blonde it's not the blonde that you would think it is like after getting highlights.

1 is black
2 there isn't always a 2 but i know that goldwell uses a 2 on there colour charts and it's the same a 1 so black as well
3 is dark brown
4 is brown
5 is light brown
6 is dark blonde
7 is blonde
8 is light blonde
9 is very light blonde
10 is lighest blonde

those are you basic colours 1-10 you can get lighter colours l'oreal have a 10 1/2.1 which is an ash blonde. and then they have their majiblonde range

As for you going a orange/brassy colour, are they applying the colour directly to your hair or and they bleaching it first? What products do they use, L'oreal have majimeches which is very good for lifting darker coloured hair and nxt have a lightehing product that you mix with you normal colour and it helps lift it that bit extra.

As already suggested if they didn't use a toner they they should of done, i think if you go back in they would be happy to do this. It's not a difficult process and it should take long.

You could try a silver shampoo, i dont have much knowlege of these but i have heard they are very good for high lights, i think there more meant for yellowish tones, you would need to ask if this would work of orangish tones as well.

Hope you get your hair sorted.