£59 Keratin Blowdry Treatment didn't work

techchic

Hi,

I was wondering if I could get some advise please.
I booked a Keratin Blowdry directly through a Salon and they required me to pay in advance. I read a number of things about it online and was concerned either it would ruin my hair (as some of the products contain formaldehyde), or it would not do anything. I have blond extremely tight curls which I have to use curl definer on to stop it going super frizzy. I was told this would relax the hair (not straighten which I am clear on). So I expected not to have to use styling products in it for a few months (and have been informed I shouldn't). Anyway - the treatment cost was £59. I decided last minute that I wanted to cancel due to the concerns. The woman on the phone was extremely unhelpful and rude. She said I could not cancel as the appointment was the next day and she would not give me a refund. Basically they said there was nothing they would do. I asked her name and she refused to give it to me. I spoke to another person at the salon and she was a bit nicer and a bit more re-assuring. She convinced me the treatment would be good for my hair and people are happy with results. And its good for any hair.

So - I went along for the treatment. She said she has never done the treatment in hair like mine - and the product she used said on the bottle "medium wave" which my hair is definitely not! She seemed to think this would be fine for my hair though. The lady spent a long time doing my hair - she blow dried it straight and it looked really good for that style. I was impressed with the way it looked at the time and was hopeful that once I washed my hair the curls would be much tamer. I was told I needed to buy Keratin Shampoo/conditioner for £30 as well otherwise the treatment would be stripped out. I was also told not to get my hair wet and wait 3 days before washing it. I have followed the care instructions precisely. Not a drop of water has touched my hair! I have now washed it and am very disappointed. My hair is just as fluffy as it was before the treatment - and I have been told not to put anything in it so it looks a mess! Its meant to be a relaxer that lasts 3 months. I don't feel it was fit for my hair though. Clearly not worth £89!

I just want to know what my rights are here and how i should approach this. I did try to cancel initially because I wasn't convinced and they wouldn't let me. I'm not convinced they will be particularly helpful now!!

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!

Claire

pinkshoes

Your first step would be to phone up the salon, speak to the manager and explain what has happened i.e. you were assured that the product/treatment was suitable for all hair types, even though you questioned whether it would work on your hair, and clearly it hasn't worked.

Hopefully the shop will either attempt to put it right i.e. offer another treatment for free, or give you a full refund.

fluffnutter

Mine worked a treat. Mind you, it cost me £150. But my hair was glorious afterwards!

techchic

Thanks pinkshoes I think I am going to give them a call today and just let them know I'm not happy with it. I don't think a new treatment will do any good as I recon its more the product they used than the way it was applied.

fluffnutter how curly/frizzy is your hair? Do you know what treatment it was they used? Which strength?

Thanks,

Claire

ilovegreyhounds

The Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 aims to protect consumers against bad workmanship or the poor provision of services. It covers contracts for work and materials, as well as contracts for pure services, and remember, this still applies even in everyday situations – such as going to the hairdressers or the dry cleaners – where you have no physical contract at all. Just as with Sale of Goods, Supply of Goods and Services legislation contains statutory rights, which don’t have to be specifically mentioned in any contract, but cannot be excluded. These are:

• That the supplier will carry out the service with reasonable care and skill
• That the work will be carried out in reasonable time (unless timeframe has been specifically agreed)
• That the work will be carried out at reasonable cost (unless cost has been specifically agreed)

Quote the above to the manager, esp the first point about the person doing it had no experience and insist on a refund. If she doesn't agree to it over the 'phone, tell her you'll be putting it in writing and can you have the owners name and address. Write to them and assure them you won't let it drop until you get satisfaction.

HAve you used this salon before or was this a one off?

I'm getting a brazillian blowdry next week (at a salon I've not been to before) and they assure me the product they use has no formaldehyde in it and is perfectly safe. Still had to get a patch test done though....did they ask you to do one?

fluffnutter

minxysex wrote: »

Thanks pinkshoes I think I am going to give them a call today and just let them know I'm not happy with it. I don't think a new treatment will do any good as I recon its more the product they used than the way it was applied.

fluffnutter how curly/frizzy is your hair? Do you know what treatment it was they used? Which strength?

Thanks,

Claire

My hair's wavy rather than curly but does quadruple in volume in the wet so I have a fair frizz problem

I don't know what strength was used - it wasn't discussed. But it was at a Toni and Guy salon so if they use the same strength for all it might be worth ringing them? It's called a Brazilian Blowdry (odd really as I thought Brazilian was all about the lack of hair )

How long did it take them to do yours? Mine took about three hours.

techchic

fluffnutter I think you probably have the right sort of hair or you had a stronger treatment. I have very very curly hair and it is permanently frizzy unless I use some products in it. Had hope the treatment would stop the need to use them for a few months - or less! It was the light wave they used on my hair.

gkhair dot com/index.php?page=Hair%20Taming%20Formulas (sorry cant add links apparently!)

The lady at the salon told me that was the only one they used now as the stronger ones have formaldehyde in them which is banned in the UK. Lol I think at least with a traditional Brazillian you know exactly what to expect! ;-)

ilovegreyhounds thanks for the information. I've called them and they have asked me to come in on the 6th of July so shall get an idea of their plans then after their "assessment". I'm a bit annoyed they didn't give me a consultation first to assess whether my hair was suitable. More a take the money and hope kind of approach!

I'm not sure if the Brazilian treatment has formaldehyde but the products I linked to above do apart from the light wave product. But it obviously will only work on light wave hair!

:P

fluffnutter

minxysex wrote: »

I'm not sure if the Brazilian treatment has formaldehyde but the products I linked to above do apart from the light wave product. But it obviously will only work on light wave hair!

:P

It does have formaldehyde in it for sure. It was horrible having it done actually and must be much worse for the poor girl doing them everyday. The fumes set the fire alarms off.

blondie12_2

right - i would been very wary of the salon offering it at that price! as someone else said - £150... which is about right price wise. also sounds like the salon didn't use a reputable keratin treatment brand or at the minimum didnt have the necessary training to use it! I'm a qualified hairdresser btw lol...

depending on the tightness of the curl.... hair MAY need straightening after, but after the treatment, even very curly hair should be more manageable - altho it cases where it very tight curly straightening may be required after and i'm not doubting you havent followed the instructions - if people pay for something like that, usually they will do whatever they can to make sure they follow what the stylist said.

now in terms of the stylist - she should of made you aware that in some cases, straightening may still be needed after, and this is where the right training and general cust serv skills would come into it. it would be interesting to know the brand of they used as some do contain a banned chemical which can cause cancer....

look up 'brazilian blow dry' on wikipedia and look up 'la brasiliana' on google as this is the brand that most uk salons use.

however - here in UK, there is one main supplier of the keratin treatment which doesnt contain that chemical. and assuming the salon uses one of the major supplier to get their stock, i cant see any reason why they would use an unknown brand because of negative thinks like your situation happening.

also the keratin treatment is different from a relaxer - the keratin treatment is temporary and will last 3 - 6 months where as a relaxer changes the chemical structure within the hair - its basically like a perm but without the rollers.

anyway, complain like hell to the salon.... as most salons know, word of mouth is their best advertisement, and bad customer service and bad hairdressing skills will ruin their reputation in no time and no salon wants that!

good luck!