Stylists say the darndest things!

[Igor]

A spinoff of oh so many other threads and of course the legendary Dumbest hair comments you've received? (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=26513)

Let’s have a thread on the weirdest advice or truth a stylist ever presented to you!

One stylist right away assumed I had dandruff. “Oh you have long hair, so you have a bad scalp” was what she said as soon as I sat down in her chair. Then she started parting my hair here and there and prodded my scalp with her fingers in search for my dandruff. After a few minutes she stopped without a word on my imaginary dandruff. Guess she just decided I was the mutant exception to her truth? Following that logic, does it mean that if you’re very tall, you have foot fungus? Or maybe its one of those “human hair is like plastic” assumptions that also brought us the concept of singeing? That if you have a lot of (plastic!) hair it will naturally keep your scalp from breathing and give you dandruff?

Another stylist told me that the hair colour you have by the age of 12 is your one true most flattering colour and you should always dye it that one. Okay. By the age of 12, my hair was a platinum blonde. In the 17 years after, it went golden blonde, light brown and finally back to golden with a lot of red in it. Bleaching my hair back to platinum blonde would take some heavy, heavy bleaching sessions and I would have no colour left in my face. I would be white on white. Like an onion with ears!

Stylists must have some bizarre obsession with the age of 12: A third stylist told me that the length your hair is at the age of 12 is the longest your hair will be able to grow. Ever. At 12 I had mid-back, imaginary BSL-ish hair.
*Looks down on golden, braided anaconda-snake resting in my lap* Right…

:p

[rhosyn_du]

I have also heard the "one true haircolor" thing, although the age I heard was 15-16. I was also blonde when I was younger, and, wow, is blonde ever not a flattering color on me. Even my current natural color, a medium ash brown with some dark gold highlights, looks too pale on me.

I think my favorite weird stylist thing is the assertion that thick, wavy hair must be layer or thinned to look good. Unless "just electrocuted chic" is a fashion trend I've missed... :tmi:

[kschr2004]

One time years ago, when I was in my early twenties, the hairstylists at the salon next to where I worked convinced me to let them cut my hair as a model for a show they were doing.

The stylist who cut my hair that day told me that cutting one side of my hair with a razor and the other side of my hair with scissors would give me the same results. Needless to say, that was not true, and they had to give me another cut just to even it all up later. I think I lost about five or six inches of hair that day! :rolleyes:

[christine1989]

Once my regular stylist was visiting family on the east coast and rather than waiting I went ahead and saw someone else. I asked for long (below eyebrow length) bangs. Then the new stylist informed me that the word "bangs" only applys when they are above the eyebrows. I said "ok" kinds weirded out but he proceeded to give me his 5 minute long lecture on what defines bangs. I thought it was hilarious that he was so serious about such a stupid little distinction.

[luxepiggy]

I was getting my hair "done" for a wedding when I saw the stylist pick up a flat iron.

Piggy: Um, excuse me . . .
Stylist: Hmm?
Piggy: Are you going to use that on my hair?
Stylist: Yes, the style looks better if we straighten your hair first
Piggy: . . . but my hair is already straight
Stylist: Well yes, now it is because it's wet, but when it's dry, it won't be anymore. Plus it will get frizzy if we don't use the flatiron
Piggy: Um . . . no it won't. I promise if it is frizzy at the end, I won't complain
Stylist: Are you sure? It really won't look that good otherwise
Piggy: YES I'm sure! '8(>(oo)<)8'
(1 hour later)
Stylist: Huh! I guess your hair is pretty straight!

:doh:

[luxepiggy]

Once my regular stylist was visiting family on the east coast and rather than waiting I went ahead and saw someone else. I asked for long (below eyebrow length) bangs. Then the new stylist informed me that the word "bangs" only applys when they are above the eyebrows. I said "ok" kinds weirded out but he proceeded to give me his 5 minute long lecture on what defines bangs. I thought it was hilarious that he was so serious about such a stupid little distinction.

So what is it called if it's below the eyebrow? A really short layer? (^(oo)^)

[kschr2004]

Stylist: Huh! I guess your hair is pretty straight!:doh:

That made me laugh out loud! I loved the way you told that story! And good for you for not letting the stylist at your hair with a flat iron.

[Coan-Teen]

A stylist once told me I needed to dye my hair to improve the texture. According to her it was too fine and smooth. She then tried to explain to me why having hair be a little damaged was good for it in the long run. I sat there stunned trying to decide whether she was an idiot or trying to make a hard sell on her services as a dye technician.

[TinaDenali]

A stylist once told me I needed to dye my hair to improve the texture. According to her it was too fine and smooth. She then tried to explain to me why having hair be a little damaged was good for it in the long run. I sat there stunned trying to decide whether she was an idiot or trying to make a hard sell on her services as a dye technician.

I also had a similar experience, a stylist telling me that doing a full head of bleached foils would give me more body. :P

[Dragon]

They are saying a little damage is good but there excuse for cutting off to much is because of damage :confused:

[ilovelonghair]

Most of the time I got very sensible advise from hair dressers, the best tip was: anything you do extra on your hair is bad for it (meaning: coloring, lots of products, blowdrying etc)

The one thing I heard a lot was that henna was bad because it made it impossible for chemicals to enter the hair during chemical treatments. Uhm...isn't that a good thing, hair being protected?

[TrudieCat]

I've had several stylists over the years suggest I get a few bleached foil highlights because it would make my hair color look more natural. :confused: Huh??

[Lady Mary]

Well, let's see... I haven't been to a hair stylist in a bit over ten years but I'm sure I can remember a few things I never quite agreed with.

"Henna is bad for your hair."
"You need to cut your hair every 6 weeks or it won't grow."
"Long hair makes you look old/Your hair must be short to be stylish."
"Heat isn't damaging (or, it is but use this great product to protect it!)"
"Hair dye is good for your hair (or, THIS hair dye is good for your hair, did I mention it's expensive?)"

Thankfully, I never listened to any of it. Happily been cutting my own hair for the last ten years instead. :p

[Dragon]

Cutting your hair makes it grow faster.

[JulietCapulet]

The dumbest thing a stylist ever said to me was that I needed to dye my hair because i had a single gray hair. Seriously I really couldn't stand her.

[UltraBella]

What's with the idea of starting a thread mainly to make fun of or discuss how idiotic some stylists can be ? There are many of us here and we are long hair friendly. Not so sure this forum is very stylist friendly though when I read threads like this. I totally understand if someone has a bad experience and needs to vent, but I am sick of the random threads started just for the sake of causing more animosity between stylists and long haired women. Even the title of this thread irritates me. It's condescending. You know darn well that there are many regular members here, who post often, who are stylists.
If we started a thread about ignorant things long haired clients have said to us it wouldn't go over well. And trust me, there are plenty of people walking around with long hair and nothing but air between their ears. However, I recognize that it would be in bad taste for me to point and laugh at them.
There is nothing kind or constructive about this thread.

[Igor]

Uh wow. So far I haven’t seen such hostile negativity in this thread as your reply has. As far as I can see it has been nothing about “idiotic” stylists like you so nicely put it, but about some very weird hairdresser-science that I think we have a right to laugh at. But to each their own if that’s how you chose to see it. I can only shrug and say I have seen threads that are directly stylist-negative that didn’t result in a post like this. I think your reply was unnecessarily unkind seen in that light so I can only guess you are feeling personally attacked


What's with the idea of starting a thread mainly to make fun of or discuss how idiotic some stylists can be ? There are many of us here and we are long hair friendly. Not so sure this forum is very stylist friendly though when I read threads like this. I totally understand if someone has a bad experience and needs to vent, but I am sick of the random threads started just for the sake of causing more animosity between stylists and long haired women. Even the title of this thread irritates me. It's condescending. You know darn well that there are many regular members here, who post often, who are stylists.
If we started a thread about ignorant things long haired clients have said to us it wouldn't go over well. And trust me, there are plenty of people walking around with long hair and nothing but air between their ears. However, I recognize that it would be in bad taste for me to point and laugh at them.
There is nothing kind or constructive about this thread.

[christine1989]

@luxepiggy: He said that if the "bangs" are long they are called long pieces. That's not very descriptive. Long bangs is much more fitting.

[UltraBella]

I don't understand why you feel the need to "laugh" at anyone, Igor. That is what seems unnecessarily unkind to me.
I do not feel personally attacked because your thread is not about me and my self worth is not dependent on your opinion of stylists. However, when another member emails me because she is a stylist too and this thread hurt her feelings, it makes me mad. That is how I found out this thread was even here. She will not post for fear of being more upset afterwards and she has anxiety so she is avoiding it because she is afraid you won't care how it made her feel. But I do care, and I stand behind my original post.

[rymorg2]

I was just getting ready to post something similar as I was also offended by the post. Usually I ignore these threads but I just can't anymore. Granted, I don't feel attacked but it's just not right.

One bad apple does not a bushel make. I know lots of us have had bad experience with cuts and stuff (stylists included wouldn't you agree Ultrabella?)...in fact I'd venture to say I've had more bad experiences than some here due to the fact that I am a stylist, and one that teaches other stylists as well. But I'm tired of the stylist bashing too. There are times where I get so frustrated with it that I can't linger on the site for more than a few mins so I stay away. I know it's not about me personally; none of you have ever sat in my chair, but this is my LIVELIHOOD you're talking about. A career that I absolutely love.

Why don't you guys USE the knowlege of those of us that are here for your benefit, instead of lumping us all into one group? I teach other stylists now, and they all have information that they've gotten that are taught as true that are "hair myths". Doctors have medical truths that THEY'VE been taught that are Medical myths. Believe me I have to correct a lot of things in my advanced color and cutting seminars that they've been taught.

But there are stylists on this board too, and we're people with feelings too.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Hang in there and let me give you some layers. You'll thank me later.

No i didn't. I fell for that trap twice.

[BranwenWolf]

Stylist (doing my mom's hair, I had dropped in to visit) looking in pure horror at my then-classic length hair: "She needs a haircut!" Seriously, she was looking at it like I had just confessed to bestiality or something. Then her expression changed to a sneer. Classic, wavy, natural-blonde hair must be just awful, in her mind.
I wanted to add "Oh? Like yours?" She had one of those bizarre spikey cuts... roots were black and tips were bleached.


To be fair, the ONE stylist who actually trimmed my hair loved it, combed gently and was a pleasure to talk to. I almost wished I could have hung around longer; it was really relaxing.

[willowcandra]

This thread is being closed pending mod discussion.