Time for a trim

[Amberlee]

Any thoughts on how to go about finding a salon? I don't dare go back to my last place - the stylist there didn't really let me have a say - and I put up with it because I always looked nice and didn't really care that I was two shades darker than I would've picked. This time around, I do care - I'm loving my longer hair and want to keep it.

I don't know anyone I feel comfortable asking - all overstyled overcolored, overcut as far as I'm concerned and I did a google search (yes, I'm a rocket scientist) and didn't come up with anything helpful - a couple of salons that want to sell me on their long hair processing techniques is all.

I'm thinking I could just walk into a great clips or similar and get a feel for someone, but if there are tricks out there, I'd like to hear them.

Thanks.

[Addy]

I'd call and ask for a consult. I know that my friend will do that for nervous customers.

It's hard to find someone you can trust to trim long hair. Call around and see if you can speak to a stylist and go from there. I would say the best quality in a stylist for me would be that they listen to what I want!

Good Luck! :cool:

[Eireann]

If you're willing to say where you live, I think there are probably some people on this forum who might know a long-hair friendly salon or stylist in your area. (If you aren't willing to do so, that's totally cool, too, of course. I'm usually pretty cautious about giving out personal info on the web.)

[Amberlee]

I'm in the Baltimore/DC area. Thanks!

[patissegrietje]

Do you all go to salons for a trim? I usually do, but always end up with an extra layer in my hair, which i don't want.
My ends really need a trim as well, and was thinking about asking a friend i trust to just cut 2 cm...
or might this be a bad idea?

[Eireann]

I'm in the Baltimore/DC area. Thanks!

Me too! I just PM'd you.

-e

[spidermom]

A stylist with long hair is likely to understand. I've had very little trouble over the years and have received services from unknown stylists as a walk-in many times. You have to be very clear. Tell the stylist what your long-term plan is ("I am growing my hair to classic length"). Tell the stylist that you want a tiny bit trimmed off of the very bottom. Show her with a ruler or your fingers. It's a good idea to say half of what you will accept, so if you think you need an inch trimmed, say 1/2 inch.

You might also consider spending some time in the salon observing the stylists while you pretend to look at style books. If you hear somebody ask for a 1-inch trim, then walks away with 4 inches gone, you can scratch that stylist off your list. If somebody else is chatting away with other stylists and talking on the telephone instead of focusing on the customer, scratch that one off your list, too.

Oh, and it's useful to know that "a trim" doesn't mean the same thing to every person. A lot of times you might ask for "a trim." The stylist might then ask you how long it has been since you had a haircut. You say, for example "8 months." The stylist will then calculate 1/2 inch times 8 months means that you need to have 4 inches cut off. This is because he/she might assume that, by saying "a trim", you want to return to the length you had at your last haircut.