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View Full Version : Hair salons - Need advice for just getting a trim.



lovinglocks
August 21st, 2013, 02:54 PM
Hey everyone!

I'm in dire need to get a trim, at least an inch of hair. No special style, no added layers, nothing fancy. It's been two years since I've had someone else cut my hair, I’ve been doing trims myself once in a while at home. What I’m looking for in having a professional do it, is that I’m hoping they have super sharp scissors, and so they can even out any flaws I may have created by trimming it myself. I just don’t know if I should go to a more high end type salon to get a trim, or if I should do to some salon that charges $15-$20 like a Great Clips.

What do you guys think? Do you have any preferences? Or have you really noticed any difference as to where you go?

breezefaerie
August 21st, 2013, 03:06 PM
I have had good luck with the walk-in type places like Great Clips.
They do exactly as I ask, and I show them what I mean by an inch.

knhess
August 21st, 2013, 03:12 PM
I've had really good experiences with Great Clips and Supercuts! They have never tried to push me into getting more than what I want.

emilyann
August 21st, 2013, 03:15 PM
My worst hair cut ever was at a high end salon. I would say the place of business doesn't matter as much as the stylist. You want to spend a little time shopping around. Tell them you want an inch cut off, and SHOW them 1" on the end of your hair. Make sure they agree with you on what you want before you sit in the chair. Ask when the last time they had their scissors sharpened was. There are companies that drive around salons sharpening scissors and knives for them, so it's likely that the stylist will have a sharp pair.

CurlMonster
August 22nd, 2013, 01:14 AM
A friend of mine who has a gorgeous straight-across hemline says that she goes to a beauty school to have her hair done. Since the people there are new to hairdressing they're pretty nervous and never try to do anything fancy that you didn't ask for. I think it's pretty clever and it certainly works for her. Plus it's cheap to get it done at a beauty school because you're helping the students to practice.

Flor
August 22nd, 2013, 01:29 AM
My worst hair cut ever was at a high end salon. I would say the place of business doesn't matter as much as the stylist. You want to spend a little time shopping around. Tell them you want an inch cut off, and SHOW them 1" on the end of your hair. Make sure they agree with you on what you want before you sit in the chair.

THIS!! Do your negotiations before you agree to have your hair cut there ;) If you're greeted by receptionist, ask to talk to the actual person that will be cutting your hair. Also, if you have a specific washing regime and don't want your hair washed there (or want your products used), talk about it in advance too. You're the customer, they're there to accommodate you, not the other way around.

breezefaerie
August 22nd, 2013, 06:26 AM
Great advice you have gotten here.

I wanted to add that the walk-in places don't ask to wash my hair and let me detangle which I appreciate. The last cut I had was in a walk-in place geared toward men and she did a great job on me!

lovinglocks
August 22nd, 2013, 07:43 AM
Thanks for the advice! I'm still traumatized from about 8 years ago I went to a great clips type of place and asked for a trim. I told the woman what I wanted andtthat I was growing my hair out and how a couple years before I had my hair cut to chin length (at that point I was bsl). While sje was cutting my hair, she grabs a big chunk and cuts all the length off, long story short, I was back to chin length...

And then the last time I went to an actual salon was my last cut when I donated my hair. The end result was good, I made some adjustments at home, but she tried to charge me for drying my hair and styling my hair, which I didn't ask for, she didn't ask if I wanted it, so I argued it and definitely did not pay for it all.

Ugh I'm getting anxious just thinking of someone else cutting my hair...

Hairitic
August 22nd, 2013, 09:19 AM
I found a perfect BARBER to cut my hair EXACTLY as I asked. 1" and no more off. I can go with freshly washed hair and they don't expect to do any Blow Fries or special styling. She charged $11.00! I was so thrilled, I gave her a $20.00 and told her to keep the change. I will do the same when I go back for my next trim. ;)

Hairitic
August 22nd, 2013, 09:26 AM
Oops! Sorry about the double post. 0:

fairview
August 22nd, 2013, 09:57 AM
You take your chances and you get what you pay for. Think about it. If your being charged $10.00 for a cut, how much do you you figure the stylist gets - less than $4 per head. We aren't on an hourly wage; we work on commission. How many $10 haircuts does a person have to do during the day to put food on the table. What is their skill level and if they are that good why are they working for so little. There is not a shortage of average stylists, there is a shortage of quality stylists that have passion.

I fix many $10 haircuts for $40, my guests are grateful and I have a 100% rebook on those guests I want to rebook. Good Luck.

spidermom
August 22nd, 2013, 10:35 AM
I've been known to go into a salon and pretend to look through styling books while I'm actually observing the stylists. I tell the receptionist that I am interested in doing something new with my hair and will book a consultation when I find something I like. They've always let me sit there with the styling books.

fairview
August 22nd, 2013, 10:50 AM
I've been known to go into a salon and pretend to look through styling books while I'm actually observing the stylists. I tell the receptionist that I am interested in doing something new with my hair and will book a consultation when I find something I like. They've always let me sit there with the styling books.

Outstanding idea!! Whew, if they ever watched me, they'd think I gone insane. LOL Where I work, we are provided black capes. I've always wondered why someone other than myself hasn't figured out it is nearly impossible to set a reasonably accurate perimeter on dark hair on top of a black cape. I'm not allowed to use my branded Paul Mitchell white cape so I put the salon cape on first and then use my white cape inside out and backwards. I now have a white background for dark hair. If the hair is BSL or longer and the woman is of average height I will have her stand (I'm 6-1 without shoes) with both hands on my work station, feet shoulder width apart looking down at her feet. I tell her not to do that girl thing with her hip by throwing it out. I then move my chair behind her and I sit down. I have a stable base and I get great straight perimeters each time.

If you want to know if you have a good stylists or not, when you sit in the chair cross your legs. Cardinal sin to cut hair on an individual who has crossed their legs. It shifts the body and results in an uneven cut. The first thing the stylist should to tell you is to uncross them and keep them that way throughout the entire process.

Olafwa
August 22nd, 2013, 10:53 AM
LOL at spidermom I want to do that now, just because it sounds like fun! ;) -- While I don't go to hairdressers, like ever, the girls I know who do swear by barbers or hairdressers geared toward men. Men's fashion is very conservative, so they aren't likely to push you into what's 'now' today. They also probably don't know much about dying etc. so can't really even offer you that much less push you into it. I liked the student idea! That sounds like it would work great as well. Just get to know the person some before you decide. Most scissor happy people will out themselves. Good luck! :D

patienceneeded
August 22nd, 2013, 10:55 AM
I actually just trimmed my hair on Tuesday! I walked into the SuperCuts near my house and got exactly what I wanted. The lady was very nice and listened to what I wanted.

My hair was in-between waist and hip, but the last 3" or so was very damaged. Splits everywhere! I had a lot of damage from many years of dying my hair, plus I did a bleach and dip-dye last May. So, I walked in planning on losing about 3-4" of hair, I wanted the damage GONE. (On a side note, I think I may now have all virgin hair!) My hair is now BSL, which DH says isn't short. It feels a little short to me though...but I have NO regrets.

When I sat in the client chair I told the stylist (who was also the manager) that I was growing my hair out, trying to get super-long. She said, "So, basically, don't cut too much?" I laughed and then showed her on my hair what I wanted. I told her that I needed (wanted) to get rid of the leftover pink/red ends and get rid of the damage. I said to go about .5" above the red. She nodded and showed me where she planned to make her cut. I agreed. I then told her I had no layers and she responded, "And you don't want any either, correct?" Correct. Simple cut, blunt ends, about .5" above the red color. Excellent. She washed my hair with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree and then conditioned it with the matching conditioner. She combed my hair gently, from the bottom-up then sectioned it and started the cut. When done she use the blow-drier on cool for about 1 minute to get out the excess water so she could check for evenness on the hemline. She asked if I wanted her to dry it more, so I wanted walking out with wet hair, but I declined. I told her that I go out with wet hair all the time. I paid $20. $16 for the cut and $4 for the wash and condition.

My hair looks much nicer now, and feels great. I can find no split ends anywhere, which is awesome. Now that I have taken off the damage and (I think) reached all virgin hair I can grow it out again and not deal with a snarly tangled mess full of splits from BSL to almost hip. I plan on going back to SuperCuts next time I need a trim. I got exactly what I asked for. Love it.

jacqueline101
August 22nd, 2013, 01:15 PM
I used to go to a barber. He passed away so I went to the local beauty shop.

YamaMaya
August 22nd, 2013, 01:22 PM
Invest in a good pair of shears, and keep them away from husbands and children. They should last a long time and stay razor sharp. There are ways to sharpen your shears as well. If you are set on going to a hairdresser, meet with them first and have a very frank and thorough discussion about what exactly it is you want before they even get NEAR you with a pair of shears. Explain to them your hair goals, and you only want a very small trim. Don't let them try to talk you into layers, or fringe, or "giving it style" because it will take ages to grow back out. Make sure the hairdresser understands completely and then and only then let them trim your hair.

Leeloo
August 22nd, 2013, 01:52 PM
It depends on a stylist. Expensive salon or not, there are always stylist that just won’t listen.

Chromis
August 22nd, 2013, 02:11 PM
Why not keep trimming yourself? You said if there are any flaws. If there are any, they must be pretty slight for you not have noticed them! No need to second guess yourself, I'm sure you are doing fine. Many of us here have trimmed our own hair for years and that's how I got where I am now. :)

Mesmerise
August 22nd, 2013, 08:33 PM
I find a cheap walk-in salon usually works well for a trim. The only thing is to be EXTREMELY clear on what you want done! If I go to get an inch off I show them what I mean by an inch and make sure they're very clear.

I've had some bad cuts over the years, but often that was when I was going for something a bit different, and the hairdresser interpreted what I wanted differently from the way I meant it! When it comes to trims, I don't have an issue usually. There are times, however, they will ask "are you sure you don't want layers?" or something, which tends to annoy me ;) but as long as they do what I ask it's all good!

Flor
August 23rd, 2013, 12:05 AM
I've had various occasions of going to a salon and asking to just take an inch off the ends and getting full-on layered haircut. In their defense, they would only take an inch off the longest layer LOL

A lot of "trendy" salons these days don't understand the concept of trimming altogether, but it was also my fault. I used to have this fear of speaking up and demanding clearly what was it I wanted. Sort of "I'll ask, but they probably know better, right?" sheepish approach. However I'm yet to test my newly found hair salon confidence, because now I just don't want to pay for something I know how to do myself ;)