Rough hairdressers?

[cremenoir]

i used to be a stylist and i think the main reason they tend to be rough on hair is time constraint. the amount of time stylists are allotted for each service is usually not enough to treat hair the way it should be treated, in my opinion; and there's a lot of pressure to stay on schedule and avoid getting behind. long or thick hair tends to get the worst treatment because the time slot is set up for an 'average' service. if you have more hair than average, the stylist will likely end up being in even more of a hurry, and there just isn't time for careful, gentle treatment.

for people with long hair who get highlights, a huge rats nest often results when the foils are taken out simply because in order to get all of your hair to fit in the foil and get saturated with color, the strands usually have to be folded onto themselves several times. combine the resulting tangles with rough combing and you're in for some damage!

to avoid rough treatment at the salon, there are a few things you can do. first, if you feel your stylist is rushed or you wat to be sure s/he has enough time to baby your hair, when you make your appointment, ask them to schedule you more time than the standard service. this usually costs more, but it's worth it. be direct with your stylist about what you want. let him/her know that you want extreme care to be taken when washing/detangling/etc. you can also ask that YOU be the one to do the detangling. while salons frown upon this because it makes it look like your stylist is lazy, if you want to detangle yourself you absolutely have the right to. YOU are paying for the service, and you should be given what you want. if your stylist is too rough with the dryer/irons/etc. you can ask that you skip the styling and go home with wet hair. this is also frowned upon by salons because stylists are discouraged from letting clients walk out looking 'unfinished', but again, this is about you, not them. YOU are the customer and if that's what you want, then by all means, you have the right to do it. never be afraid to be direct with your stylist about anything you want. their job is to make you happy!

[angelshair]

Thanks guys! I have now made a checklist on my phone for the next time I'm going to the hairdresser. I'm bringing my tangleteezer, my spritzbottle and I'm walking in there with freshly washed hair in a bun the next time I touch up my roots. I always put it off for too long since it always leaves me half-traumatised when I do go. It's just ridiculous that one appointment gives so much unnecessary damage. I don't even brush my hair 99% of the time so for them to wash it like that and then rip through it honestly makes me nauseous. But the next time I'm coming armed with the lhc artillery.

[Hairitic]

i used to be a stylist and i think the main reason they tend to be rough on hair is time constraint. the amount of time stylists are allotted for each service is usually not enough to treat hair the way it should be treated, in my opinion; and there's a lot of pressure to stay on schedule and avoid getting behind. long or thick hair tends to get the worst treatment because the time slot is set up for an 'average' service. if you have more hair than average, the stylist will likely end up being in even more of a hurry, and there just isn't time for careful, gentle treatment.

for people with long hair who get highlights, a huge rats nest often results when the foils are taken out simply because in order to get all of your hair to fit in the foil and get saturated with color, the strands usually have to be folded onto themselves several times. combine the resulting tangles with rough combing and you're in for some damage!

to avoid rough treatment at the salon, there are a few things you can do. first, if you feel your stylist is rushed or you wat to be sure s/he has enough time to baby your hair, when you make your appointment, ask them to schedule you more time than the standard service. this usually costs more, but it's worth it. be direct with your stylist about what you want. let him/her know that you want extreme care to be taken when washing/detangling/etc. you can also ask that YOU be the one to do the detangling. while salons frown upon this because it makes it look like your stylist is lazy, if you want to detangle yourself you absolutely have the right to. YOU are paying for the service, and you should be given what you want. if your stylist is too rough with the dryer/irons/etc. you can ask that you skip the styling and go home with wet hair. this is also frowned upon by salons because stylists are discouraged from letting clients walk out looking 'unfinished', but again, this is about you, not them. YOU are the customer and if that's what you want, then by all means, you have the right to do it. never be afraid to be direct with your stylist about anything you want. their job is to make you happy!

Thanks Cremenoir;
Your advice sounds sound . I'm just brushing waist now and I promised myself that once I reached waist, I would start trimming to thicken up my hemline and to let my bangs catch up with the back. So, I'm treating myself to a professional trim on my birthday May 18th . I will request and pay for a
"double" slot. I'll use my WEN Conditioning Cleanser and coconut oil just before I go. I'll also take along my wide-toothed horn comb, Tangle Teezer and detangling spray. I'll ask the stylist to start combing/brushing at the ends and to work up slowly and gently. I will show her the amount of hair I want removed and emphasize that when she is done, my hair should be waist length. Hopefully, this should result in a positive experience with the desired end results .

[Freija]

I find that hinting and subtle suggestion rarely works. Ultimately, you are paying them to deliver a service of your own stipulation. It is their job to ensure that you are satisfied, and to tailor their own expertise to your request.

If you aren't happy with the way your hair is being treated, tell them. Whenever I went to a hairdresser for a wash and cut, I would tell them that I don't have product buildup and I never shampoo twice, so could they also shampoo only once, please? I've asked them to CWC before, explaining that my curly hair needs a bit of special care and extra moisture or it just looks frizzy! I don't hesitate to ask them to turn the water temperature down if I think it's too hot, and I will ask to comb my hair myself if I think they are being too rough. If you don't like the way a hairdresser is treating you, or they are not listening and responding to your wishes, it is your right to walk out.

I don't understand it, really. In any other customer service industry, people walk in assertively, knowing their rights and with a clear idea of the quality of service they will accept. I saw it all the time when I worked in a restaurant, and it was great! But far more often than should be the case, a hairdresser will decide for themselves what the customer must want, and completely override their wishes - and all too often, the customer lets them. If I'd behaved towards customers the way hairdressers often seem to, I'd have been out of my job by the end of the day.

[tamchronic]

My mother used to be a hairdresser, and she has trimmed my hair for my entire life. Now that I've been employing LHC hair care strategies, I've noticed just how rough she is when she cuts my hair. The last trim she gave me was the final straw -- she ripped through my hair with a brush so hard that we ended up having quite an argument about it. So, I decided that for the first time in my life, I'd go to a salon to get my hair cut by a good family friend of ours.

To my amazement, she was marvellously gentle with my hair. She used a lovely wide-toothed comb and carefully detangled it after washing. She did blowdry my hair after trimming it, but gently, without causing damage.

With hairdressers, you simply have to be firm and clear about what you want. I told my simply to add some layers, and not to trim the ends at all. She did EXACTLY what I asked her to. She also told me what she was planning to do before she did it, and asked me if what she was doing was okay.

[Tisiloves]

I would say speak up, or do it at home.

The at home kits are pretty easy, especially if someone can help. Even on your own, as long as you can arrange mirrors to see the back of your head you should be fine.

[nobeltonya]

Gawd, the last time I was even considering going to the salon, I was thinking to myself that I'd go RIGHT after washing my hair.. I'd probably leave it in a wet bun so it'd still be wet enough and detangle it myself. The last time I ACTUALLY went to a salon was YEARS ago, and they don't seem to know what they're doing... most of them, anyway. That's why I cut my own hair.

[Diamond.Eyes]

I don't understand why so many people makes these posts and ask the same thing but never say anything at all to the hairdresser?

I always alert the stylist as to what I want done with my hair, I always go with clean hair, usually damp. But even when I had my hair washed by someone in the salon, I never had a rough experience, if they were rough at all, I tell them, if they continue, I stop them and either do it myself or I would leave.

I don't understand why people allow these stylists to treat them rough, do crazy things to their hair, cut their hair in a way that they don't like and then tell everyone that they did these things. Why don't they just tell the stylist immediately?

This always confuses me.

This. ^
I am going to comsetology school and we are definitley taught not to ball the hair up like the OP mentioned and definitely taught not to be rude to clients. Sometimes I wonder if people make up salon horror stories for attention, because seeing it first-hand, behind the scenes, hair dressers really aren't as stupid and incompetent as some people seem to insinuate. As a hair dressing student, I am pretty offended by everyone's assumptions. It's pretty small-minded.
P.s. Hair stylists aren't mind readers. If you don't use heat on your hair, don't like silicone, prefer your brush, or if you are growing out your hair, it is probably a good idea to say something.

[Emy Sue]

I was just at the salon today, and it was actually a beauty school, not a "real" salon. The woman doing my hair was very gentle indeed. She is a long-hair affectuendo, but fails at growing it herself. I told her about this website, and how much she could learn from it. I hope she joins! Anyways, she combed it properly, and used correct products, and correct techniques for everything from combing and washing to the style-finish. Maybe it was a benefit to go to a currently trained modern hair stylist (student).

Today was the first time in 5 years I have cut my hair. We had to take off 3 inches to rid the split ends and damage, but she said my hair was in extremely good condition otherwise. She told me 6 months to a year between my trims would be fine. Yay!

I thank my hair sisters in this community for helping teach me the proper ways to care for my hair, and inspiring me to be patient and supporting me along the way. I love you all!

[shutterpillar]

I've had horrible experiences with hairdressers. I finally found one that I love. She is my mom's friend, but she is very expensive and its just not worth it now that I am growing my hair out.

But in the past, I have always had problems with them tangling my hair during washing (I don't have them wash it anymore. just spray with water and cut), running the comb over my ears (which hurts like $&%^ when you have multiple piercings in your ears... one time I actually had a woman almost rip my earrings out. Now I don't wear them when/if I get my hair cut), yanking through tangles with flimsy plastic combs, scraping the nails on my head during washing, and then there is the multiple times that my hair didn't end up how I asked it to be trimmed.

edited to add: in response to a previous post, if you screw with my hair, you WILL know. You better bet I let every hairdresser know if I dont like something they are doing. And usually I dont go back. I give them very thorough details about my hair care and how I would like things cut, and how I plan to have my hair in the future.