PDA

View Full Version : There are good hairdressers, obviously but...



chen bao jun
January 27th, 2014, 11:52 AM
this article about behind the scenes is very interesting.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-things-hair-salon-won-143537923.html

dulce
January 27th, 2014, 12:19 PM
Good points! Glad I don't go to salons anymore..

RitaCeleste
January 27th, 2014, 12:24 PM
Yeah, my daughter got a really nice cut at Walmart (Douglas Georgia) of all places. But I put a brown rinse on mine and stopped coloring it as much. (I do love red) I haven't let anyone cut my hair in years. I am spending less on my hair than usual. Pantene is my biggest expense lately. Henna. Temporary color, and oils are in there. At any rate, I probably spend as much on my hair as people with shorter styles. More when I color it, myself of course. I don't think I'm really saving money just because I don't go to salons for cuts. I do think I have saved lots by never getting my nails done though. :cheese:

muddblood21
January 27th, 2014, 12:29 PM
No. 9's bit about having a trained poker face rings true for me. I have asked a stylist if she was insane after getting super orange highlights in faded orangey auburn hair...I knew it looked awful. Neither she or her supervisor would admit it looked ridiculous, just that "it was too warm for my skin tone" :disgust: Good thing I am loving my natural color as it grows out. No more bad dye for me! :)

Unofficial_Rose
January 27th, 2014, 12:31 PM
The last sentence of the article is so funny!:rollin:

Liz_park
January 27th, 2014, 12:34 PM
Good points! Glad I don't go to salons anymore..

My thoughts exactly. Ever since I learned to self-trim I haven't seen a salon. And thank goodness too, my hair is healthier and has a better cut than any stylist ever gave me.

YamaMaya
January 27th, 2014, 12:47 PM
This is why I don't go to salons. I don't want some fake sense of intamacy with someone I barely know and only in a professional setting. I'm not your buddy, I don't want to talk, I don't want your overpriced products.

melusine963
January 27th, 2014, 01:11 PM
This is why I don't go to salons. I don't want some fake sense of intamacy with someone I barely know and only in a professional setting. I'm not your buddy, I don't want to talk, I don't want your overpriced products.

This is exactly why I've always felt uncomfortable going for a haircut, although I've never quite been able to put my finger on it before. Thank you for spelling it out so well. :)

RitaCeleste
January 27th, 2014, 01:24 PM
lol! I always feel bad going in for haircuts because I usually come out looking like crap. Sometimes its a bad cut. Sometimes its a great cut that just doesn't suit me at all. I decided I have a plain face, plain long hair just works for me. But my daughter is having a lot of fun with her new shag. I'm happy she got a good cut and feels happy with her hair. Not happy enough to run chop mine but happy anyway. Its great when it actually turns out well for someone. My hair is now past my waist and I am starting to think its long. But I know I use a lot of product to do my hair every time I wash it. I like to play with oils. I like to play with colors. If I wanted to be cheap I'd just shave it off.

JellyBene
January 27th, 2014, 01:41 PM
Hmm interesting article... I'm a hairstylist myself and I have to admit we do mess up but for me personally if I do make a mistake I'll offer to fix it for free. That's my name on their hair and I want it to look great :) and I've certainly never heard of a salon making people wait on purpose, I get anxious when people are waiting for me and over booking is a good way to lose clients if you ask me

JellyBene
January 27th, 2014, 01:47 PM
Oh and it is true that cosmetology licenses are based on hours. However, it's extremes hard to find a job in this industry without talent. I've found that lower end places are much more eager to hire just about anyone. Nicer salons tend to be far more selective and even if a person has a license, the nicer places will often make new employees be assistants for sometimes a year or more to further train them before they allow them to take clients.

chen bao jun
January 27th, 2014, 01:49 PM
Yes, JellyBene, obviously not everybody does these things.
I appreciate the stylists on LHC.
I have no luck getting one near me though.
Last time, I went to a barber (wrote about this in another thread), was so happy.
And the cost couldn't have been better. He trimmed me for free!

YamaMaya
January 27th, 2014, 02:24 PM
This is exactly why I've always felt uncomfortable going for a haircut, although I've never quite been able to put my finger on it before. Thank you for spelling it out so well. :)

My pleasure :D

Dovetail
January 27th, 2014, 02:27 PM
Things like this are what make me so glad my aunt is a stylist. She does work in a salon, and I can't vouch for the other women, but she's been so respectful of my hair growing. This last visit she did take off a good 1/2 to 1" to make the ends nicer, and that was ok because they really did need it. She never uses the hairdryer if I don't want, and she doesn't rip too hard with the comb <3 I adore her.

martyna_22
January 27th, 2014, 02:44 PM
I'm going for a trim very soon.. Let's hope I won't end up with messed up hair. But I just want to change my hemline so much. And the last time I did it by myself.. let's just say I spent an awful lot of time regretting it..

molljo
January 27th, 2014, 03:12 PM
Oh gosh reading this makes me so nervous. I've promised myself a professional shape up when I hit shoulder, and I think I've chosen a good salon and stylist (I haven't been there yet, but his portfolio online looks super promising), but you just never really know.

divinedobbie
January 27th, 2014, 04:17 PM
I'm sure there truly are good hairstylists with good intentions but mistakes can happen to everyone. I myself have never had a great experience at a hair salon. Because my hair is fine I'm always told that the only way to make my hair look good is to cut in a lot of layers which only thins out my hair and makes it look terrible. I refused to go to another hair salon after a fourth hair salon in a row made a mess of my hair cut.

On that note, I did go to a salon to have my hair styled for grad. She did a good job, but I was charged $140 for her to curl my hair. I'm not kidding you, all she did was spray hairspray, and curl my hair. It took half an hour and I got charged $140.

I've also been to two hair salons who dyed my hair and both of them messed up, admitted it didn't look right, but didn't offer any discount or to fix the hair. You can bet I've been dyeing my hair at home since then!

spidermom
January 27th, 2014, 07:08 PM
I love my salon visits.

chen bao jun
January 27th, 2014, 08:00 PM
Some disatisfaction may stem from hair type. I went with a friend this week to an Aveda salon. (I drove with her there--did not even go in!) she loves her visits! She also has type i hair. Hairdressers tend to suck with curlies and also with people with very thick hair and from what I hear, people with very fine hair, also.
I guess they are trained for the 'norm'.

bunnylake
January 27th, 2014, 09:56 PM
That article is just catty and nitpicky.

RapunzelKat
January 28th, 2014, 12:13 AM
I think there are probably a lot more good hairdressers than bad. In all my life, I've had only one bad haircut that I can remember, and I really enjoyed my cuts and colors when my hair was short.

Hair salons are businesses, so of course they're going to try and sell you products, and raise prices to stay competitive. And of course they can make mistakes, and newer stylists may be less skilled than experienced ones. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to retain customers. :shrug: (Obviously the examples given in the article are rare and extreme.)

Like any other business, there are good ones and bad ones :)

clioariane
January 28th, 2014, 03:42 AM
Who spends "$800 and $900 a year" on getting their hair done?!

Avenie
January 28th, 2014, 04:23 AM
Recession-proof... it's true, people don't stop getting haircuts. I might consider a new line of work.

I've had a terrible experience at a Toni and Guy salon, but once I found my current place I've been more than impressed. I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with my fine hair and some length.

Tini'sNewHair
January 28th, 2014, 05:21 AM
I personally love my hair to much to let someone else do a mistake with it – all I asked for was a blunt hemline the last time I had my haircut and instead I left with a choppy layered at the back bob!!! I was so upset because I really needed to start growing my hair and that’s why I wanted a simple plain cut – so from now if I do a mistake it will be by my hand, no money wasted either!

Making a mistake with a colour mix is understandable but if a hairdresser cant trim a hair to the specified inch or even just a simple blunt cut, then I think that they should REALLY smack themselves in the face and GO HOME, quit the job!!!

Rosetta
January 28th, 2014, 05:46 AM
Uhh, like many here, I'm so glad I don't go to hairdresser's anymore, and haven't for over 10 years... No need to.
Thus I find some things hard to understand even in the first chapter - how are haircuts at a salon an "essential service"? And I don't consider that I'm "skimping on a good haircut", even if I don't go to salon... :confused:

chen bao jun
January 28th, 2014, 06:15 AM
yes--the 'essential service' thing is odd. Well, a lot of people think they can't look good without a stylish hairstyle. I always thought I looked worse with one though! That is, stylish haircuts are always somehow impossible to keep looking the same without going to the hairdresser again and again for the upkeep they need--which I suppose is the point.

Mya
January 28th, 2014, 06:41 AM
That article is just catty and nitpicky.

I think it's just one of those articles that try to sell a stereotype. Like those articles that go with "we women are like this!". Then they let readers make it popular, because there will always be a discussion between those who find it relatable and those who don't.

I don't go to salons anymore, as I find most hairdressers very unprofessional and most products just wrong for my scalp. But I don't see how they could gossip about me, since I like to stay silent even if they try to make me chatty. :D

Nightshade
January 28th, 2014, 07:27 AM
That article is just catty and nitpicky.

It is to an extent, but some of the things are true, like the margins on product being the reason that they're pushed so heavily. There are some good hairdressers out there, but I think there's a lot more that wind up driven by the realities of their profession (wanting a customer to look "good" and by "good" I mean "stylish" because it is their work others see, the margins on products, etc.) and sometimes meeting those financial goals for the salon are going to cut into customer service. Not for everyone, but it's a reality in every business, not just hairdressers.


Who spends "$800 and $900 a year" on getting their hair done?!

Have you SEEN some of the LHC hair toy threads? :lol: (I know that's not what you mean, I'm just teasing.)

Sofialu
January 28th, 2014, 07:55 AM
No. 9's bit about having a trained poker face rings true for me. I have asked a stylist if she was insane after getting super orange highlights in faded orangey auburn hair...I knew it looked awful. Neither she or her supervisor would admit it looked ridiculous, just that "it was too warm for my skin tone" :disgust: Good thing I am loving my natural color as it grows out. No more bad dye for me! :)

Haha I'd love to have the confidence to say that to a hair dresser!! Each and every time I go to have my hair coloured they get it soooo wrong, I say I don't want a brown with red tones in, so what does she choose to put on my head? Then she puts an almost black on my hair with platinum blonde highlights?????? So I looked like a striped skunk! I sorted it out myself in the end and am now growing my natural colour so I don't have this happen anymore.

muddblood21
January 28th, 2014, 09:50 AM
Haha I'd love to have the confidence to say that to a hair dresser!!

I wouldn't say it was so much confidence as much as it just kinda...well...fell out of my mouth lol

Sofialu
January 28th, 2014, 10:00 AM
I wouldn't say it was so much confidence as much as it just kinda...well...fell out of my mouth lol

LOL that's the best way :D

veryhairyfairy
January 28th, 2014, 11:16 AM
As someone who has never once even stepped foot into a salon, I can't really speak to the veracity of all of that... but man, if people are spending over $500/year on their haircuts and color, then I've saved thousands over the years! :lol: Gotta say, if I wasn't so opposed to breathing in hazardous chemicals all day, I'd consider getting into the hair business while I'm in school for nursing.
Over the last two years I've settled into a routine that costs me about $60/year TOTAL. (not counting hairtoys, lol! I just spent $60 in one go on some sticks!)
And I'm lucky to both be able to cut my family member's hair for them, and also get mine cut by my Mom.

velorutionista
January 28th, 2014, 01:05 PM
Boy, I think the headline should have been: "Writer Makes Shocking Discovery: Hair Salons Are Businesses!" I mean, all of that stuff is probably quite true (i.e. the margins, the oversharing, etc.), but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, really!

Sofialu
January 28th, 2014, 01:40 PM
Veryhairyfairy you are lucky if your mum cuts your hair for you - I am pretty good and tend to do my dad, son and daughters' hair for them. I was doing my own but now its as long as it is I can't reach. Wish I could trust my mother with my hair and a pair of scissors!

veryhairyfairy
January 28th, 2014, 02:40 PM
Veryhairyfairy you are lucky if your mum cuts your hair for you - I am pretty good and tend to do my dad, son and daughters' hair for them. I was doing my own but now its as long as it is I can't reach. Wish I could trust my mother with my hair and a pair of scissors!

I feel lucky! It must be both worrisome and frustrating to have to trust your hair to someone you don't know!
I don't know what I'll do when I move out of state in a few years. I should start trying out the various self-trim methods, and I bet you could find something that would work for your length, too. I've also heard here on LHC that Creaclips (I think that's what they're called) help with getting someone else to give a good trim.

Sofialu
January 28th, 2014, 03:19 PM
I used to always give the hairdresser the benefit of the doubt but each and every time I trusted that they knew best I'd end up chopping away once home and in effect re style it! But that was more when I had it in a choppy bob style, now it is long they really can't get it wrong. The one I go to knows I won't let her near with the scissors unless she just takes off the ends so it just looks fresh but not shorter.

Loviatar
January 28th, 2014, 03:32 PM
I have been to good salons and bad ones - and had good and bad experiences. The worst was Toni & Guy - rough handling, rude staff, and they ruined my hair bleaching it twice. The best was Aveda. They are expensive but I never had a bad experience there.

Carolyn
January 28th, 2014, 05:46 PM
I have been to good salons and bad ones - and had good and bad experiences. The worst was Toni & Guy - rough handling, rude staff, and they ruined my hair bleaching it twice. The best was Aveda. They are expensive but I never had a bad experience there.I've had good experiences other places including Walmart Smart Style and the local beauty school but Aveda has been the best for me. I've been to 5 different styles at 3 different Aveda salons and all have been great. I think the emphasis is on making the client happy so she comes back again. I have never once had an Aveda stylist want to get creative with my hair. That's worth a lot to me.

bunnylake
January 28th, 2014, 06:48 PM
Boy, I think the headline should have been: "Writer Makes Shocking Discovery: Hair Salons Are Businesses!" I mean, all of that stuff is probably quite true (i.e. the margins, the oversharing, etc.), but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, really!

This! I don't get what's so shocking or unusual about this article. If you don't like hair salons, don't go to them. Who cares?

tigerlily.
January 28th, 2014, 10:47 PM
I've never been kept waiting in a salon. If I was regularly kept waiting for 20 minutes I would think they were unorganised and go somewhere else. If it happened once I wouldn't complain as I can understand the odd mixup, but as I say every hairdressers I've been to has seated me as soon as I got there.

One of the best haircuts I ever got was from a girl in college training to be a hairdresser, it cost £6. The place I go to now is great though. My hairdresser really listens and takes her time doing my hair. I haven't been in over a year, I have self trimmed a bit, I sort of fancy a trip to the hairdressers now!

UltraBella
January 28th, 2014, 11:10 PM
I own two busy salons and not much in the article rang true for my experiences.
The stylists I have are talented, professional and very kind. No one likes to keep a client waiting, no one is a product pusher - if you like what's used on your hair then they will happily sell you some to use at home, but our mark up isn't that much and no one is getting rich off selling products. People return because the stylists listen & they are good at their job.

clioariane
January 29th, 2014, 01:35 AM
I have been to good salons and bad ones - and had good and bad experiences. The worst was Toni & Guy - rough handling, rude staff, and they ruined my hair bleaching it twice. The best was Aveda. They are expensive but I never had a bad experience there.

I also go to an Aveda salon and always get great service. My stylist has long hair too and understands what I want :)

MandyBeth
January 29th, 2014, 02:12 AM
Once I said EXACTLY what I wanted, I've never had any issues. My current woman is fantastic, and I happily give her $75 a month not including tip. My bangs are perfect. My hair is thick and glossy with no rough ends. My hair is wonderfully blue black via Manic Panic that she applies. She loves the GVP Biolage knock off more than I do. She doesn't push products on me, but I do use the silicone argan oil mix she has. I use mostly my plain argan, then two or three drops of serum to run over my ends. I have clarified, I'm not hiding split ends, but cones seem to help prevent splits and snapping on my hair. Because I'm slightly wurly, she won't cut my hair wet. My curly girls are never cut even damp and only conditioner washed.

I can afford my appointments. I like my scalp massage. I love not applying MP to myself.

To me, a lot of issues start with unclear requests or accepting of bad service. I literally saw a young lady say she wanted 2" off. Was shown on a ruler 2". Threw a snit showing her 2". Which was more like 9". And if whatever is terrible and not as clearly requested, it's a breech of contract, you can refuse to pay. Another issue is unreasonable expectations. You have black box dye, it's not easy to strip out, you'll get damage. If your hair is curly, the Friends (extremely ugly) shag cut won't work.

Besides, she loves BPAL, R+ & NIN. I like our monthly visits. We swap imps and snicker over current gossip magazines.

Michiru
January 30th, 2014, 09:22 PM
What I wouldn't spend in going to a salon I would spend on shampoo and conditioner and hair toys so I guess it evens out.

Hypnotica
January 31st, 2014, 12:45 AM
Going to the salon to get a trim is my birthday present to myself every year and I always book with a specific hairstylist. She is awesome and I let her put whatever in my hair while washing and blowdrying (I can always wash again. No big deal.) In return, she happily take all the time in the world to detangle and actually sits on the floor when she is cutting....!

She is currently working in another salon then her usual and this salon is quite small which makes my visits a bit awkward for her as she is almost ending up in the washing station while combing my hair :D

inanna
January 31st, 2014, 01:52 AM
Boy, I think the headline should have been: "Writer Makes Shocking Discovery: Hair Salons Are Businesses!" I mean, all of that stuff is probably quite true (i.e. the margins, the oversharing, etc.), but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, really!

Yes, how dare those hairdressers try to make a living! The outrage!

My view is probably skewed by the fact that I've had some kickass hairdressers do my hair over the years. It's really back-breaking work, standing all day performing repetitive motions and using hazardous chemicals.

blue_eyes
January 31st, 2014, 12:52 PM
Because my hair is fine I'm always told that the only way to make my hair look good is to cut in a lot of layers which only thins out my hair and makes it look terrible.

I've gone thought this exact same thing all my life. Layers only made the bottom of my hair look extremely thin and stringy, but every stylist I've ever met has insisted that this is the only way to give my hair any volume. I'm never getting layers again.