Bad haircut experience rant

[Blueneko]

I have been an LHCer since 2007. I have gone from chin-length to past BSL and it has been a great experience. I trim about every 6-9 months. I have been growing out layers as seen in my photo album.

So I go in for a TRIM. One inch off the back only. As I am sitting there, chitchatting away as one does at a salon, I am going on and on about growing out layers, not liking them in the back, only chopping a "bang" to my chin as a layer, etc.

She is cutting, I am not really paying attention. The hair falling is in fact about 1" or a teeny bit more.

She layered my hair. All around. She relayered what I just grew out from 2009. So... I am just past BSL with ALL NEW layers all over. The shortest later is shoulder length. Part of me wants to chop. I won't, but I think about it a lot now.

I know it will grow. I know I should have been more aware. I am not a hairstylist, so hair held overhead or off to the side means nothing to me in terms of "that is how you hold hair to layer it!"

I guess "I am growing out my layers" was not a good indication of what I wanted. I guess the answer of "one inch off the back" was not a good answer to her question of what I wanted.

Le sigh. :(

[apynip]

Sorry that that happened to you hun. Probably be a lil more agressive next time with what you specificly mean. I find that it works a whole lot better.

[Wanderer09]

Gah, I'd be furious. Growing out layers is such a long, tedious process, and now you're right back to where you started. :(

Wishing you best of luck in finding a hairdresser who will listen to you in the future!

[pepperminttea]

Urgh, that sucks. :( Every time I went in I'd say I was growing my hair, I wanted as little off as possible... and always I'd end up with a layered long bob that barely touched my shoulders.

Hopefully it'll grow out quickly. Something to think on next time you need the ends evened up; self-trim (http://community.livejournal.com/feyeselftrim/)?

[Kiraela]

I hope you find a stylist who listens to you next time!

[WyrdWay]

Oh no, I would probably be so mad I'd just chop those layers off, or have a friend do it, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it possibly happen again.

That was really horrible of that Hair stylist, why would she do that if she was talking to you about growing your layers out.

At least it will grow back. *hug* hang in there!

[UltraBella]

That is just rediculous ! I am so sorry. I own two salons and I would be furious with my stylists for not listening, there is no need for dumb mistakes like this to happen :(
On a positive note..... I think layers are very very beautiful. That probably does not make you feel better but it is true. Do you have a current pic ?

[HikerTrash]

Be more assertive? What part of "I'm growing out layers" and "Only 1 inch off the back" can be mistaken for "give me layers"?

[Mexibeach]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's the same story.... and you and I will both be looking for a new hairstylist........ Yes it grows again but it doesn't make you very happy to have that wait again....

[Night_Kitten]

I'm so sorry this happened to you :grouphug:

That stylist should never have done such a hideous thing, especially after you told her you are growing your hair out, and that you definitely don't want any layers... Why on earth would a stylist do something like that?! :mad: I mean, this definitely won't add a happy client to her list, and might cost her several potential clients (your friends and everyone on this board)... I just don't get it :crazyq:

Can you complain to the manager, or get your money back?

[x0h_bother]

This is a nightmare experience! I feel for you. I hope it will be some consolation to hear that my layers seem to grow faster when cut as opposed to not cut. I would agree not to chop it all off because you will lose length. Good luck!!! I'm so sorry to hear. :blossom:

[Carolyn]

I'm so sorry that happened to you. Find a new stylist and next time pay attention to what she is doing. I hope you bitched and didn't pay.

[Blueneko]

Thank you all for the kind words. It isn't the end of the word. Luckily, my waves behave prettily when I have layers, so my husband is happy that I will have waves. It will grow, it is still past BSL, I just need to ignore the "short" layer past my shoulders and pretend it is exactly as I would like it.

Next time I will be assertive. Very assertive. DO NOT CUT ON MY LAYERS, THEY ARE GROWING OUT. TRIM THE ENDS ONLY. ENDS OF THE VERY BOTTOM ONLY. Then I will smile so she/he does not think I am loony.

[spidermom]

And remember - pulling hair out at an angle = layers. I think we all have to pay attention every time. Even somebody who has been cutting your hair for years can forget/mess up.

[Blueneko]

Live and learn. I consider a haircut a social call, so I spend too much time talking when I should be watching.

P.S. My hair is up in coils to maximize waves. I will post a photo when it is dry this evening.

[JenniferNoel]

I'm sorry to hear about your awful experience, at least it serves as a good eye-opener to be more observant and assertive towards the hairdresser. Although growing out layers is unbearably tedious, it does pay off and it's nice to not have to lose length all at once. Find some cute up-dos that work with layers, try different styles, headbands to keep the shorter ones back, whatever floats your boat. There's a lot of wiggle room as far as wearing your hair goes when it comes to a bad batch of layers, and trust me, they'll be gone in no time.
If you do decide to get a chop, I've done it twice, and believe me, ignoring/making the best of it really helps.

[Fiferstone]

One of the lefthanded benefits of being broke as a joke when I first moved here was that I simply couldn't afford to get my hair cut on a regular basis, and that stretched out into...not going to a salon for 12 years. I figured out how to cut my own bangs (which were hideous, by the way) and to trim the ends, so it wasn't too horrendous by the time I actually made it back into a salon and had someone who knew what they were doing have a go at my hair.

I always say "Blunt cut, please" when I say I want a trim. Blunt cut = all of the hair the Exact same length, no layers. Any stylist who doesn't know what a blunt cut is should not be cutting hair, IMHO.

[aksown]

Sorry that happened but at least your husband likes it. :p I think what often happens is, you put your grown-out layers in their chair and their brain goes into repair mode instead of listening to the goals of the person under the hair. "Growing out" and "only 1 inch off the back" are not re-cutting the layers so they just don't hear you say it. :grouphug:

[Sunsailing]

Is this a stylist that you've gone to in the past? Did you have good experience with her before?

Finding a good stylist and consistently only let her/him cut your hair is the only way to secure a good cut every time. I've gone to the same stylist ever since I began growing mine. I've always gotten exactly what I wanted at every single hairtrim for the past 10 years.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I'd be furious.

[Peggy E.]

That is just rediculous ! I am so sorry. I own two salons and I would be furious with my stylists for not listening, there is no need for dumb mistakes like this to happen :(
On a positive note..... I think layers are very very beautiful. That probably does not make you feel better but it is true. Do you have a current pic ?

Well, your hair is gorgeous and I would hope your salons would treat the customers as they deserve to be treated - not ignored and abused.

And, I suppose there are plenty of people who like layers, and all. But there's no "positive note" here because she absolutely, positively did NOT want layers - she told the stylist she didn't want layers, she told the stylist she was growing them out and was getting just about there.

It was not much consolation for the stylist to assault her head and then tell her that she (the stylist) happens to think that layers are beautiful!

The customer should not have paid for this and she should contact the owner/manager, whoever's in charge there and let them know how very angry you are and how you will never return to that salon and will tell everyone not to take their business to that salon, either.

There's just way too much of this "ignoring us and doing whatever they want" garbage that's taking place in these salons and the only way it's going to stop is if those hurt by these practices finally start making the loudest possible noise, demanding apologies and warning off potential customers.

They just seem to keep right on doing whatever they want and the injured customer is left to suffer in silence. I mean it - just look at all the people here who have posted about the 1" trim turning into a drastic cut? There's not excuse for this blatant disregard for those they are hired to serve!

GGGRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

[Misso]

This happened to me back in January but it was after 4 years of growing. Went for a rounded end haircut only to end up with heavily layered hair, with a weird haircut that left a tail of a thin long layer at the bottom which to me looked awful.

So I know how frustrated that is.

[PrincessBob]

I agree that she was inconsiderate. It appears to be another case of "I'm a hairdresser who knows what the client really wants more than the client does. She'll thank me when she sees how much neater and in-fashion her hair looks, now."
It bothers me a great deal that people have that attitude about other peoples bodies. It's like going in to have your appendix out and getting a nose-job that doesn't suit you. (Yeah, hyperbole is fun, but illustrates my point.)