I used to go to a great Brazilian colourist at Viva, but when I called in December (2009) to make an appointment she'd left so I was allocated someone else. My hair is bleached super white and it's hard to get exactly the right tone. I've had it like this on and off for years so I know that it's tricky but achievable if the colourist knows their stuff.
I've always found the reception at Viva a bit difficult, totally self conscious making. It's a small space and it feels really cliquey, which is fine if that's what you're into, but I'm not. I only ended up there because a friend used to be involved, but I'll put up with worse for a good colourist.
Anyway, feeling a bit uncomfortable as usual, I explained exactly what I wanted and was told it'd be fine. I then spent a total of nearly five hours (a ridiculous amount of time) sitting around in various chairs. Since bleach has to be on your hair for a while, it's understandable that a stylist might go off and do something else for half an hour, but after the initial application I pretty much didn't get another look in. I got to watch her cut a succession of people's hair while she directed juniors in looking after me. I suspect this is because the stylists don't get much of a cut of the fees paid so have to try to get through as many people as possible in a day. I felt like I was actually getting in the way.
The bleach eventually came off, and they got into the toner. My hair was coming up yellow, so they thought they'd even it up. This is never a good sign, mainly because even if it does sort it out, toner washes out of bleached hair in about a week so long term you get stuck with the mistake they were trying to cover up.
I was shown my hair in artificial light (somehow it's only artifical light in there, despite having a massive shop window), which makes it very difficult to judge the colour, given a blowdry and fussed over in the way you only can be when someone has buggered up your hair.
They also naffed off my boyfriend, who had come in to collect me, by jumping on him when he walked in and suspiciously asking what he wanted, almost like he was a shoplifter. This place is the size of a matchbox, there's nothing to take, he's got no hair and he was waving to me so it was pretty obvious what was going on but the obsequious receptionist was straight in there.
Finally I was charged £180 for the pleasure by a visibly embarrassed person (although perhaps I was just projecting that onto him, because he should have been).
On getting home and having a proper look, I found that not only was the overall effect yellow rather than silvery white as requested, it also varied in tone from root to tip and from the front of my head to the back. It was a bloody travesty and I was incredibly upset about it but too poor to pay anyone else to fix it. So I spent Christmas looking like I'd gone down to the local high street and let them do their worst.
I have since found an incredible colourist in Shoreditch who can do the whole job in just over an hour, costs £75 and has never once plonked me in a corner and forgotten about me while his friends dropped into the salon to hang out and have a chat.
Anyone who thinks Viva is good value is mad, because it's very obvious that you're subsidising their central location heavily. And I don't care if they're cool, there are tons of cool people in London and quite a few of them will cut and colour your hair better for less money without making you feel a bit of an idiot. read more
