Nightmare Hair

I am a natural blonde with very fine hair. My hair was white as a child because it was so blonde. I also turned 40 last month and had my first baby two years ago.

I started highlighting my hair as a teenager and have done it ever since. It always kept my darkening hair looking super blonde and I loved it! My hair had a beautiful rich blonde color similar to my childhood. My stylist also cut my hair to curl under and it appeared extremely thick despite being so fine, and I was able to wear it long.

After I had my baby, my hair has taken a complete nosedive. Despite increasing the highlights, my stylist cannot get me back to the same blonde that I was just two years ago. I now look very dark even with highlights and I have dark roots after just a couple weeks. I have NEVER had roots showing in my entire life. The color looks great when I leave the salon, but starts getting dark again within just a few days. It's like the color just washes out after a couple of shampoos. I have tried color safe/preserving shampoos in all varieties and nothing helps. I use nothing but color safe products on my hair. My hair is also extremely tangled after washing. I can barely get a comb through it because it is so tangled, and that has never happened before. My hair is also incredibly flat and looks stringy. I no longer have the beautiful blonde thick hair. In short, it looks like a complete mess! I am embarrassed to wear my hair down anymore and wear it up in a ponytail most of the time.

I have been growing increasingly frustrated and have spoken with my stylist. I asked her if I need to switch to all over color to help brighten my hair and if I need to cut my hair shorter. She says no and that it is just due to my pregnancy hormones decreasing and my body should reset itself soon. It's been two years since I had my baby! However, as I see pictures of myself I am getting more and more frustrated. My hair looks horrible and nothing like it did just two years ago.

Is my stylist correct, or do I need to find someone new? I am so tired of looking like this! As a side note, the salon was recently bought out by a new owner. The new owner has cut back on a lot of the products they used to use and I'm wondering if they have also chosen cheaper less effective hair color? Shrug?