P&O passenger's 'cruise from hell' after purple hair ordeal

Former hairdresser Chris Adams had to dye her hair three times to get her blonde locks back, which has left her with blisters on her scalp.

"I came on Britannia to relax but it turned to a nightmare," she said.

Chris had vowed not to set foot on a P&O cruise ship ever again but has since booked another holiday after being offered a discount.

Chris and her mother during the first day of their holiday (Image: Chris Adams)

'My hair turned purple'

The Sholing resident boarded P&O’s Britannia with her 83-year-old mother for a two-week getaway to Northern Europe and Scandinavia in May. 

On the first day at sea, the 55-year-old went to the spa, run by One World Spa, and tried out a machine that analyses hair and recommends treatment.

After being told her hair was dry at the roots, Chris spent £330 on five products to rehydrate her locks.

She said: “This may seem like a massive amount of money but as a fully qualified ex-hairdresser, my hair is really important to me and I always try to look after it.”

When getting ready for that evening’s dinner, Chris decided to try one of the products.

But after washing it off, she noticed her blonde hair had a purple tinge. 

She said: “I turned to my mother and said 'I cannot go down to dinner looking like this'."

The mother-of-two then returned to the spa early the next morning, where a stylist told her he would use a toner to correct the colour.

“I thought that a toner would not take the purple out my hair but went with it thinking to myself that these are professionals.

“After he washed my hair out it was a mousey brown colour. I was rather annoyed by this point as I went in to get my hair hydrated and have now had it turned from blonde to purple to brown.”

Chris with her hair dyed purple and then mousey brown (Image: Chris Adams)

'It ruined my holiday'

The stylist then applied bleach to her wet hair but Chris was horrified to find it turned her hair orange. Only after a third treatment did her hair go back to blonde.

She said: “I came to tears. I was so stressed by the whole experience. I came on Britannia to relax but it turned to a nightmare.

“It had a massive impact on my chronic fatigue and my mental health. I could not eat that night, I was so upset.

“It was a total disaster that ruined my holiday. I had my honeymoon on Britannia and those memories have been totally ruined.

“I could not wait to get off and never wanted to see another P&O ship again.

“My hair became so dry from all the treatment. I even have blisters on my scalp and I'm waiting to see a dermatologist.”

Future cruise booked

Despite the ordeal, Chris has decided to "give P&O another chance" and has booked a Christmas cruise after receiving a discount.

A spokesperson from P&O Cruises said the matter was resolved "to (Chris') satisfaction".

One World Spa was approached for comment but did not respond.