Hairstylist appreciation

[Entangled]

Hairstylists have a decidedly negative reputation here on TLHC. Though much of that reputation has been earned from countless stylists adding unwanted layers, cutting off too much length, perpetuating hair myths, or simply making negative remarks, many of us still see stylists and love them. So, I thought I'd post a thread for all of the positive experiences we've had with our stylists.

My hair stylist coaxed me out of a hair-insecurity fit. The last time my hair was this long, it was unhealthy, and I hated it. I could never make my hair look the way I wanted it. When it was finally long enough to donate (a life-long goal of mine) and I didn't know how to take care of it. So, here I was, wanting to cut my hair, but also tied to a goal of growing it to tailbone. I wanted to change my hair, but wanted it the way it was. She looked at me in the eyes and told me how my hair was unprocessed, the only kind of hair that would be accepted. She told me my hair was perfectly fine in its undyed state, but that someone could benefit from it. She convinced me to cut it, but not in a pestering way. She could have done whatever I asked, but took the time to curb my hair hate. Thanks to her, I got a fresh, healthy start! Now, when I ask for a trim, she cuts off a tiny snippet to make sure it's the right amount, before trimming.

As a sign says in her studio, blessed are the hairstylists, for they make the world beautiful. Share your hairstylist love!

[MINAKO]

As a sign says in her studio, blessed are the hairstylists, for they make the world beautiful. Share your hairstylist love!

I'm glad you found someone who is working thing out the right way with you. It's really rare to find someone who just gets it and is realy trustworthy.
So ya for your positive expirience.

as for me, i gave up the hope to ever lose my hateful feelings i have devoloped towards stylists over the years, maybe i was just unlucky but those i visited i despise for calling themselves professionals. No love from me in this thread, but im curious about more stories on the bright side. :)

[heartgoesboom]

i LOVE my hairstylist! i feel bad coz i haven't seen her in a while though since i started self trimming again since my hair is long again. i'll probably see her again when i get to my goal length so she can fix it up. i love her coz she has nice long hair herself so she knows to cut only as much as i ask or even less sometimes! lol and she loves my hair, she says i have hair for 2 people :D i miss her... she actually had surgery on her hands so i hope she's doing ok!

[angstroms]

I loved my hairstylist when I would actually go to her. She asked me every step of the way "is this okay?" "What do you want to do with x part of your hair?" etc etc. Last time I went in I asked for a very small trim and she did just that. Told her I wanted to grow out my layers and she respected that. I don't think I've seen her for over a year, which is too bad, because she was amazing. I love cutting my own hair though! I'm not as good with my bangs as she is, but I don't really feel like paying her prices just to get my bangs done. She's good, and she charges like it! I don't hold that against her, I just have different hair goals now, and they don't really require going in. I feel good about cutting my hair maintenance costs down.

I feel like a lot of the stylist hate on here isn't really justified. Most people want their hair to look good, and don't care as much if that requires product, styling, damage etc. We care how it looks, sure, but our standards are totally different from the average person. Add our healthy hair concerns on top of it, and it's just a totally different world. I guess that's just how I see it. More different goals than anything.

[woodswanderer]

My mom is my hair stylist and I certainly appreciate it. She has spinal stenosis and it is getting harder for her to cut my hair. As is, she sits down to cut it. I will probably need to find someone else in a couple years.

[DweamGoiL]

I love my stylist, also. He does what I ask and charges a reasonable rate although most places around me charge extra for hair my length. I have been lucky to have found 3 really amazing stylists in my life. The first one I had for about 3 years and then we lost contact, the second I went to for about 10 years and then he moved away, and I consider myself lucky to have found my most recent stylist. He totally gets my hair!

[Entangled]

Yay! I'm happy to see that not everyone here has been scarred by stylists. I've had some bad cuts by different people, but also some very skilled ones (by said stylist.) I hope to hear more!

[kitana97]

That's great you found someone you can trust!

I've been with my stylist for 3 years. After so many bad experiences he's the only one I trust with my hair. The last time I put color on my hair was 2 years ago and I wanted to go blonde. Instead of putting bleach on like most stylists would have done he used color and said that I would have to be patient and let my hair fade lighter with time. I ended up not putting on any more color, so I've been growing out the highlights, but they look very natural and I really like the look of them. When I go in for a trim he is honest about how much needs to come off - usually 1/2-2 inches - and doesn't pressure me to cut off anymore than what I feel comfortable with.

[patienceneeded]

I love my stylist! Actually, I have never had a bad experience in a hair salon that wasn't 100% my fault. I only go about once a year now, but my stylist is wonderful! I don't understand why so many people here have had such negative experiences.

[Entangled]

Kitana, that's great! It's wonderful to find someone who does what's best for your hair and focuses on their clients.

Patienceneeded, it's nice to known you've had good experiences. When I was little, my mom took me to the barber (previously, she had cut our hair) and he, being inexperienced in the ways of long hair, took a good six inches off of me and four off of my sister! I wasn't upset, though, because I secretly wanted to imitate my mom and her bob, but, needless to say, he never cut our hair again. :) I was a lot more resilient hair-wise as a child.

[Nesoi]

I have always hated going to the hairdresser, but it was never anything personal against the stylists! For me I hated it the way other people hate going to the dentist. Sitting in a hot, chemical-smelling environment for an hour while a stranger touches and talks to me as I stare at my giant, floating, unflatteringly-lit head in the mirror. No thanks!

I have always been a home cutter/dyer what have you. Some of my experiments have been more successful than others ;) And I have trained my DH to do a really nice job of trimming my hair. But I did go to a professional to get my mullet cut off last year. It was exactly as terrible as I remembered!

I will be reading this thread in complete fascination with people who enjoy going to the hairdresser ;) It takes all sorts to make the world go 'round!

[bunnylake]

I LOVE MY STYLIST SO MUCH. Because she's an amazing stylist and also because she's my little sister, lol!
Seriously. When I was doing the super long hair thing she was so awesome with the microtrims. Now she and I are having fun doing different things with my shorter hair. She helps me henna also, which is great because it's such a pain in the butt. She's a great stylist at an upscale salon and some of her clients have super long hair, so she's respectful about making sure she doesn't hack off six inches when they ask for only an inch. Honestly I wonder WHY any stylist would do that? No one at her salon is like that as far as I know. Anyway, yay for good hair stylists!

[spidermom]

I've liked most of my stylists. I've only had a couple of bad experiences, but I don't think it was all the stylists' fault.

[restless]

3 years ago was the last time I went to a salon. I had been dyeing my hair black for a couple of years and decided I was done with the upkeep and wanted my brown hair back. First I had tried several home remedies (oils, deep treatments, Head&Shoulders shampoo, you name it) in an attempt to remove the dye on my own, but I wasnt getting anywhere with it. I eventually gave up, walked into the salon and said "please help me blend the dermacation line". I was kinda expecting them to pour bleach all over, but instead this lovely hairstylist said it was a better idea to make small highlights here and there to keep the damage to a minimum. While the bleach was my on my head, she was so careful, making sure it wasnt getting too light and she even offered me a cup of coffee while I waited :)

When the highlight were done she asked me if I wanted her to trim the ends, but I told her I was trying to grow my hair long and Id prefer if she didnt. She accepted my answer without any further ado (even though Im sure it must´ve been very tempting to trim! My hair wasnt in its best shape...) and instead she made me a cute updo and off I went.

Best salon experience/hairstylist Ive ever had :D

[Johannah]

I've had such a bad experience with my last hair stylist, I don't dare to go to another one. But I really hope I find someone like you all did. I know there are good stylists out there, I'm sure!

[höpönasu]

I don't have my own stylist and in the past when I went to get my hair cut in a salon I always wanted to try a new one. Nowadays I've managed to create myself a hair dresser fear, I'd love to get my hair trimmed by a professional but I am so scared I'll leave with tears and shorter hair. I can't trim my own hair as I'd like to but I don't want to go to a salon...

[shutterpillar]

I've been having my mom's friend cut my hair for about seven years now, and I love everything she does. I trust her enough to confidently say I could ask her to do whatever she likes with my hair and she would send me home with something amazing that I loved.

Since I have been actively growing my hair out, I've only had her do bang trims since I've been trimming my ends on my own. However, I will be going to her sometime this week to have my overall length shaped and maybe have a couple inches taken off. I've decided hair past waist is just not for me. :)

[ChocolateBubble]

Admittedly, i'm a bit scared of hair stylists myself! I've never really been to one for a couple of years so i've forgotten how they act etc, but my mom had one when i was younger and her hair was always a beautiful colour because of her stylist :)