When good haircuts go bad (again!)

Can you remember the last time I posted about hair cuts?  There was no way EVER was I going back to that salon and forking out gazillions again, I'd just go back to my normal; salon and pretend I'd hadn't had a haircut for the last 6 months.  But at my little local mall recently (you know the one, a supermarket and a handful of shops, not the big whizz bangy kind of mall), I saw a sign outside a hair salon - $185 for a cut and half foils, or full hair colour.  I should have stopped, I should have remembered my last hair experience where I paid almost double that, I should have just taken a moment and had a think.  But no, straight on in and booking made.  I normally time my haircuts so I have something on that night to wear my new hair to, rather than putting my newly glammed hair straight into bed.  So I had a function to look forward to with a lovely relaxing hair cut before hand.

The stylist and I had a nice connection, she was days away from having a baby so we did lots of chatting while she showed me colour charts.  She did mention that she thought foils were a bit "brassy" for my hair and that I'd suit it darker, and showed me a rich dark brown.  "You will get a bit of a shock when you see it though", she warned.  "It will be quite different".  So on went the colour (it was only going to cost me $185 after all), and then the cut, and finally the blow dry.
By now, I had put down my Hello magazine and was starting to pay attention to what was happening in the mirror in front of me.  Because it appeared that not only was my hair considerably shorter but it was also black, almost.  Jay-sus, I thought.  Now after a cut my hair is usually straightened or blow dried straight so I know there will be a reasonable amount of spring back when it goes back to normal, and always is shorter than what it looks on the day.  But even with it straightened, it was starting to boing, which meant it would look extremely short once the hair had gone back to it's normal curliness.

"Now just make sure to use the best shampoo you can find", she suggested (although by now our relationship had soured considerably), "If you just use cheap supermarket shampoos, it will strip the colour from the hair quite quickly."
"Whatever", (you know I didn't say that) I mumbled and headed straight to the supermarket where I brought the Plain Brand shampoo and conditioner.  And for the next 3 months have been dutifully stripping the colour out of my hair so it's back to it's comforting brassiness.

Now I'm due again for a haircut.  And I will not be lured into any cheap deals or miracles promises.  And will be going straight back to my normal hair stylist where I will confess my sins and plead for forgiveness (and a great hair cut and colour).

Postscript:

The photos are of me not long after I had my latest botched do' and after I have carefully done my hair and then taken a zillion photos on Photobooth to come up with a goodie.  This was in November and I only feel ready to talk about it now.