Blonde ‘balayage’ didn’t turn out how I wanted
Here is my hair journey for background info: I had my hair done in March 2025, and I absolutely loved it, both when it was fresh and as it eventually grew out. I will insert some pictures of what it looked like in different lighting and different stages of growth.
In March 2026, I felt like I needed a refresh, I will show you what it looked like before and after I got it done (beginning of march). (I had been using keracolor honey conditioner prior to because it had been looking lifeless.) I couldn’t go back to my original hairdresser because I have moved far away. I showed the new hairdresser the same reference photo, gave same instructions, and it seemed fine at the salon, but when I got home and saw it, I was very unhappy with how it turned out — it looked way too thin/stripey and extremely unblended. I went back and asked her if she could blend it a bit, but she just added some kind of toner/gloss which helped a little, but eventually washed out pretty quickly.
I have an important formal event coming up and I thought I would treat myself and try to fix my hair again. I went to the same hairdresser because I thought maybe we just had a miscommunication last time. I showed her reference photos of my own hair last year after I had just gotten it done, and said please just try to blend it, and make it look more like this. I don’t want it to be too light, just blend whatever I already have. Lo and behold, the highlights are more blended with the rest of the hair, but it turned out WAY too light. Also it is not very blended with the root, giving a “grown out” appearance despite being freshly done.
My hair has been processed many times and I am worried now my hair is going to become damaged very easily due to the summer sun, frequent washing due to sports, swimming, etc. I just wanted a low maintenance, natural-looking soft highlight like before and I am left wishing I had never touched it at all. I have decided I never want to go back to her again, and I have also now banned myself from getting any color treatment for AT LEAST the next year.
I want to try fixing it myself at home now because I am upset and I really don’t want to go back. I did some research online and was thinking to get a demi permanent color (wella 7N?) , and try to add some thin pieces to break up the heavy bright blond chunks, and maybe a toner/gloss on the whole head to bring it down a bit and make it more cohesive. Is this the right move? Do you guys have any advice for which demi permanent color I should get, and what specific toner will help me achieve my goal? If not, is there anything else you would recommend me to try?
Also if I end up going back to the hairdresser (in a year or however long), what are the proper instructions I can give to the stylist to get my desired outcome?
