Hairdresser Help!

[Gertlush]

:confused:Heeeey (:

I know this may sound completely strange to most of you!
I usually trim my hair myself but it ALWAYS turns out wrong,too long on one side so I try and correct it which ends up in me cutting even more off. I would ask family and friends to trim it but I know that they would cut off a lot more than needed as they prefer me with shorter hair!
So I have decided to go to the hairdressers and get a trim. I know that this way I will only get an inch or so cut off as when my mum had long hair she used to go there and get exactly what she asked for. Thing is I don't have a clue about what I do when I go in there. From making an appointment or anything.
As I said before I know this will sound strange to many of you lovely people but I've NEVER been to hairdressers
someone help?
(:

[Madame J]

If you're going to the same place your mum goes, can you ask her how to go about making an appointment? Generally, you can just call them and ask for an appointment. They'll want to know what stylist you want to see and what day and time you want to come in. You can also just walk into the salon and ask for an appointment there. My hairdresser is downstairs from the yoga studio I go to, so I would frequently run down the stairs before class to make a hair appointment when I needed one.

I actually, never made my own hairdressers appointment until I was in grad school. I generally just tagged along with my mom (if I needed a fringe trim), or else went to the barber shop or a shop that would take me without an appointment. So it's not so weird. Good luck!

Oh, make sure you ask the stylist to show you the length you want off before he or she cuts. My mom's stylist had a ruler on her comb, so she always took the right amount off, but a lot of hairdressers (and people) make mistakes when estimating lengths without a ruler. So if you ask for a half an inch off, ask the hairdresser to show you what she thinks a half an inch looks like.

[heatherdazy]

Make sure you're clear during the consultation. You might say something like:

'I've never been to a hair stylist before. I love my long hair and do a lot to take care of it. Up until now, I've been nervous that a stylist might try to chop too much off. I'm really looking to find someone I can trust with my hair and keep coming back to. I want this amount off the ends (show with fingers) and please, no layers or thinning.'

[Rohele]

Madame J and heatherdazy both had good advice.

I usually call when I make an appointment, and ask for the stylist I want. I don't know if your mom still goes there, but you should ask to see the same stylist she does, if the stylist is still working there. The salon I go to is part of a larger chain, so when you call they sometimes ask you what location you want to visit (the calls are routed to a call center for booking, not to the actual salon).

The stylist will probably give you a consult before they wash and cut your hair. Be very precise in what you are asking for (don't say "an inch or so" - give an exact measurement - I always say less than I really want, since I can always get them to cut more if it's not enough). They will make suggestions (that's their job), but don't feel like you have to follow them if you don't want to, just say that for this appointment you're just looking for "x amount of inches off". Don't be afraid to ask questions during the cut if you are unsure as to what they are doing.

Good luck!

[Gertlush]

Heyyy
thankyou for your help guys (:
At least now I kind of have an idea of what to do when I go in, Still so nervous as I havn't ever had anyone cut my hair. It is really damaged though due to straightening. Sometimes I wish I could just start fresh with it and get all the damage cut off. So far I have resisted temptation though! Any other help? As you can probably tell,I need all the pointers I can get!
Thankyou for what everyone has wrote so far though! (::D