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BeachBabe91
November 19th, 2010, 07:29 PM
What's yours? :P

I have a few.. the last one is that I went to First Choice (been there a few times in my life to get a cheap hair cut, NEVER AGAIN) to get the ends of my hair "thinned" out (not that my ends are super thick, I just liked the wispier look then), and in my head I thought "don't do this! it's an impulse, you'll regret it later, she's going to take off too much length.." etcetc, but little stubborn me went ahead and did it anyways. So she chopped the ends of my hair to "thin" them, but really it ended up in being thinner in some places, and a blunt trim in others. I was nooooot impressed.:mad: I looked at the floor and saw two/three inches of hair on the ground.:confused: This was in August and since my hair has grown about two/three inches... never, ever, ever again!!

aenflex
November 19th, 2010, 07:42 PM
I'll admit I've had a few. But I am not here to stylist-hate :) I've been to the salon what must be hundreds of times now. At least one hundred. And the number of bad experiences I have had is very, very low. Like maybe 3 or 4 at most, and a couple of those were my fault.
I learned over the years to always bring a photo of the cut/colour/style that you want - this helps the stylist so much. I've also learned that if all I need is a trim, I aint paying 40 dollars :) I will go to a 10-15$ salon for a microtrim.
The one bad experience that actually caused me to deny the charges on my Mastercard -
Went to a cheapie salon for some foils. My mistake number one. Got a stylist whose native tongue was not English which was my mistake number two. Nothing against non-English speakers at all, it's just I found it hard to communicate with her clearly. I wanted some face-framing shockingly red streaks. She ended up leaving me under the dryer with bleach foils for so long my hair went platinum. Not so bad in and of itself. But after everything was said and done, she gave me 4 foils along my part, from the front to the back. The EXACT opposite of face-framing highlights. It looked so ridiculous. Arhg. I paid with my card and then denied the charges with the card issuer. I did not make a scene in the salon because I am better than that, but I never, ever went back to that place. Adding insult to injury, the red faded after like 3 weeks and left me with bright pink streaks. Hard to hide when the rest of my hair was brown/black.
And as you can see, I had 2 mistakes that I made that really led to this. Communication both verbal and visual with a stylist makes all the difference :)

Lamb
November 19th, 2010, 07:54 PM
OP, there are so many stylist-bashing threads on here. Do we really want another one? :flower:

The way I see it, you went in to that appointment knowing it would be a bad idea, and it did turn out to have been a bad idea. I don't see why that was the stylist's fault. :shrug:

BeachBabe91
November 19th, 2010, 08:03 PM
It's not a stylist bashing thread... it's a thread to post bad hair cut experiences, regardless of whose fault it is. :pinktongue:

Roseate
November 19th, 2010, 09:04 PM
It's not a stylist bashing thread... it's a thread to post bad hair cut experiences, regardless of whose fault it is. :pinktongue:

Maybe you should ask a mod if you can change the title then? "Bad hairdresser experiences" makes it sound like it's the hairdresser who's bad.

Now, "Bad haircuts", that's another story! I'll bet you could even get some entertaining pictures in a thread like that....

GrowingGlory
November 19th, 2010, 09:08 PM
Let's not become entangled in a disagreement over semantics.

Mairéad
November 19th, 2010, 09:13 PM
I've never had a truly horrible haircut, but I hate that every time I go to get a trim she (my regular trimmer) tries to sell me all these products with ingredients she knows I haven't used in years. All the SLS and -cone stuff. And all the styling products. Bleck. Of course I get the, "Oh, this will help your hair so much, blah."

Every time I go in she tells me my hair is dry and damaged but I don't know what she's smoking. My original hair dresser told me I have the kind of hair that's virtually indestructible.

yellowchariot
November 19th, 2010, 11:37 PM
Let's not become entangled in a disagreement over semantics.

^ I agree, it appears that KNIT has been forgotten in this thread, and what a wonderful way to welcome a new member to the forum!

The OP was only wanting to share her experiences, and receive some back from those who were willing to respond. Not be criticize about the topic of the thread nor the "assuming" purpose as if it had an underlying agenda to fulfill.

BeachBabe91, back in the late 90's I was trying to go for the short spiky look that was very popular. My mom offered to cut my hair. She did an excellent job, but she wasn't skilled with using clippers. So I went to a saloon, and met a lady that my family had known, for quite a while. I told the woman, exactly how I wanted my cut. She nodded and made the motions of acknowledgment, then began cutting and clipping away. Finally after 10 minutes. She holds up a mirror and tells me . . . "Ok! You're done!" Well the haircut wasn't what I wanted, but I decided to deal with it. I pay the lady and walked out. No big deal.

Ok 2 months ago by. I want the same haircut. So I go back to the same stylist, I tell her and even gives her a reference of who I'd like my hair to look like. I repeated myself 2 times, which I thought was plenty. . . well. . . the same thing happened. . . She told me that I was finished, so I pay the lady, that haircut was "good enough for me". I am a guy, I just need to rub soap and water through it then I'm done. Nevertheless, I would have wanted THAT EXACT CUT that I told her.

OK 3 time is a charm. . . My hair was shabby again. I brought a picture of what I wanted. I go back to the same stylist, and I look her in the eye and said "Can YOU do THIS to MY hair?!" She took 1 look at the photo and said "Sure!" OK! I think to myself, FINALLY I've got this all issue straightened out!! So I watch her, in the mirror, cut my hair with each step. Then I stopped her and asked, Why did you cut that part? In the picture, that is suppose to be longer than this, is it not?! She replies, "WEeelll. . . . With your hair. . . it would just look better!" I responded back with. . . that's not what the picture said! I want my hair cut EXACTLY like this! If you can't do that, then I go find someone who will. Then she tried to tell me that with my hair and texture it may not work :rolleyes:. I told her that this was NOT a LIFE OR DEATH situation. . . My hair grows like a weed! What is the issue here? So once the concept was past her mind. She actually cut my hair the way it finally should have been done to begin with.

Her final words were. . . "Ya know, I'm surprised. . . that style looks really good on you! ;)"

I've never been back to her since.
I wasted $45 to get the hair cut that I wanted in 3 months LOL :o

lundmir
November 19th, 2010, 11:37 PM
I have never had a good experience in a salon, but mostly because last time I went to one I was 8 years old and was a timid creature so I never asked them to do what I actually wanted. I always hated the cuts, so I learned to style my own hair.

Oh wait, the last one was actually in Italy and left me with a mullet when I asked for a bob. I even had a picture! I'm still not sure how that happened. At least the lady took off all of my sun/sea bleached hair.

I have nothing against hairdressers, I actually would love to study to become one once I get my engineering degree.

Dragon
November 19th, 2010, 11:49 PM
I think it’s better to watch some you tube clips on how to cut your own hair and learn to do it your self if your worried about it. That’s what I have done and I have also practised on some hairdressing head blocks. There are even clips on how to layer your own hair. There are some good hairdressers out there and I have been to one, but most of the time I haven’t had a good experience so I don’t take the risk any more. The bad experiences I’ve had is it cut uneven, more taken off then I want and layers I haven’t asked for.

UltraBella
November 20th, 2010, 12:10 AM
Yellowchariot, I don't think anyone gave the OP an unwelcoming response. I think a few kind members are well aware that we have had some very hurt feelings over some "bad stylists" threads recently and the truth is, there are many of us here in the hair industry. And these threads become about the stylist, not necessarily the experience, very quickly and it gets unfriendly. So when it is started with a title that seems encouraging of stylist bashing, many of us cringe. My heart sank when I saw the title considering what happened with the last similar thread and one of our members who has not been back since, to my knowledge.
I realize we all have had bad experiences at one point or another, it's just that sometimes these threads only serve the purpose of making some members here end up feeling unwelcome for their choice of career.
I, personally, am far too stubborn to let any particular thread about stylists or salons make me feel less than fantastic, but I know that is not true of everyone.

rymorg2
November 20th, 2010, 01:14 AM
I agree with ultrabella. I roll my eyes at the threads but it doesn't affect how I feel about myself or my career. I didn't get to be an educator by not having skill at what I do.

MinderMutsig
November 20th, 2010, 01:15 AM
A couple of years ago a hairdresser cut off my BSL stick straight blond hair into a pixie and dyed it a warm brown color with golden highlights.

She took the time to really talk to me about what it would look like, what I wanted, what might look good on me and she actually told me she was kind of nervous about the whole thing because it was such a drastic change. In the end she gave me the best haircut I ever had in this area. I've had a great hairdresser back home but hadn't been able to find one here so I was over the moon.

It was a very cute haircut with funky uneven bits that made it look stylish and fresh. Unfortunately as I kept going back for regular trims the cut gradually turned into the typical soccer-mom cut so I decided to let it grow again. That was not what I was going for!
I asked them to put in more and more blond highlights every time until the brown faded enough to let it grow out and then I stopped going and let it grow again.

But that first cut... I was so pleased!

ilovelonghair
November 20th, 2010, 01:59 AM
I had a lot of bad hair cuts as a teen, including one my mother did :D. I used to pick pictures from magazines and the hair cuts were really cheap and ended up looking different from the pictures. I guess my hair wasn't the same type as the models' hair and I think because I also hated to have short hair that even if it was done properly I never could like it.

Lemur_Catta
November 20th, 2010, 02:50 AM
First, I would like to say that I really respect good hairdressers, and that I considered going to beauty school before I changed my mind :D
The problem is that there are SOME hairstylists that are so crazy that they make the entire category look bad. My mother and my sister used to go to a salon where the stylists were very good with cuts, but awful with color.
It took them 3 bad color jobs to fully understand that. The first time, my mother went to color her hair (she dyes her hair blond to cover grey) but her roots stayed silver in some places. She went and they fixed her hair for free, but it's not nice to have to go twice. Another time, my sister went to get highlights. They bleached her hair first, then they applied a toner on all her hair. But they forgot some strips in the back, who were whitish. :D My sister didn't notice this at first because it looked fine from the front.
But the worst thing was what they did to me. I was supposed to have my hair dyed brown with golden highlights, but it came out red with orange highlights.
I told them I had henna in my hair, and it wasn't a good idea to try and chemically strip the color out, but they said it was ok, and I didn't know better at the time.
The point is, I actually liked the color :D but my hair was left so damaged, and there was practically no color change! Even today, the sections there were bleached splits and break like crazy.
I started using henna again soon after that. My mom now colors her hair at home, and has it cut at a different salon. My sister still goes there, and they haven't make any more mistakes on her so far.
I don't know if I will ever have my hair cut at an hairdresser again. If I wanted bangs, or layers, I would go, but it seems to me a waste to spend money on a blunt cut that I can do myself.
I still hope to find a good stylist that can style my hair wavy the way I want to. My sister once went to a place where they make her hair just like porcelains dolls, with big hard spirals...it was creepy °_° but I hope I find such a place because I want wavy hair for New Year's Eve :D

ilovelonghair
November 20th, 2010, 02:59 AM
I had another time where I wanted a perm and I ended up with a whole section where the perm hadn't worked, so it had to be done twice. Well that taught me a lesson: never get a perm!

UltraBella
November 20th, 2010, 03:14 AM
"The problem is that there are SOME hairstylists that are so crazy that they make the entire category look bad."

One could say the same for many many things : waitresses, lawyers, teenage drivers, women with long hair.........

Igor
November 20th, 2010, 03:20 AM
In my humble experience it seems like the low-end salons are better at listening to you, where the high-end places seems to be more about showing off the fancy things they can do with your hair :shrug:
I have a near-blunt hemline and have good results with going to drop-in places: They don’t try anything fancy because they know you wont be a regular and they wont make money off your upkeep, so they just do what you ask and can focus on the next costumer
I never had any bad actual cuts using that approach but I have been told some seriously bizarre advice while sitting in the chair… :lol:

MandyBeth
November 20th, 2010, 03:22 AM
I always have a bad cut at the good salons, as they are always bent on giving me layers and razoring my ends. I can't see without my glasses, so thus they do what they want. School or cheap places only for me.

Lemur_Catta
November 20th, 2010, 03:23 AM
"The problem is that there are SOME hairstylists that are so crazy that they make the entire category look bad."

One could say the same for many many things : waitresses, lawyers, teenage drivers, women with long hair.........

Yes, of course :) In fact, you will probably hear a lot of bad things about lawyers (they always lie, they are not honest) that are not true. So it is about teenage drivers.
I guess this is because there are some categories of people whose choices and way of doing things affects the others a lot. A bad lawyer can ruin you, a reckless teenage driver can wreck your car in a accident, a bad hairdresser can ruin your hair and we all know how much time and effort we put in growing it long.
So I think bad feelings arise when there is a lot to lose, especially if it's something that can't be fixed at all. If you go to jail because your lawyer was bad, apart from appeal there's nothing you can do. If a teenage driver hits someone you love and he dies or remains disabled for life, there is nothing you can do.
I am making extreme examples because I know there is a lot of hatred and bad feelings about many categories of people, including the one I will be a part of once I graduate (I'm in med school) and I think this is the price to pay for being in a business where what you do can really affect people.
A bad waitress can spill coffee on your shirt or bring you cold food maybe, but it's not really a big deal (for most people anyway) so it's unlikely to say very bad things about it.


The same way, I read a lot of people on this thread (including myself) complaining about bad color jobs and bad cuts, but no one complained about a bad blowout, because it isn't a big deal, if you don't like it you just go home and rewash your hair.
On the other hand, losing months or even years of growth, or seeing virgin hair damaged by bleach and dye, can be very upsetting, because all the money in the world could never fix that, only time can.

I'm sorry if I wasn't really clear, I don't want anyone to be offended by what I said, I was just trying to explain why, in my opinion, some things happen.

UltraBella
November 20th, 2010, 03:48 AM
Yes, of course :) In fact, you will probably hear a lot of bad things about lawyers (they always lie, they are not honest) that are not true. So it is about teenage drivers.
I guess this is because there are some categories of people whose choices and way of doing things affects the others a lot. A bad lawyer can ruin you, a reckless teenage driver can wreck your car in a accident, a bad hairdresser can ruin your hair and we all know how much time and effort we put in growing it long.
So I think bad feelings arise when there is a lot to lose, especially if it's something that can't be fixed at all. If you go to jail because your lawyer was bad, apart from appeal there's nothing you can do. If a teenage driver hits someone you love and he dies or remains disabled for life, there is nothing you can do.
I am making extreme examples because I know there is a lot of hatred and bad feelings about many categories of people, including the one I will be a part of once I graduate (I'm in med school) and I think this is the price to pay for being in a business where what you do can really affect people.
A bad waitress can spill coffee on your shirt or bring you cold food maybe, but it's not really a big deal (for most people anyway) so it's unlikely to say very bad things about it.


The same way, I read a lot of people on this thread (including myself) complaining about bad color jobs and bad cuts, but no one complained about a bad blowout, because it isn't a big deal, if you don't like it you just go home and rewash your hair.
On the other hand, losing months or even years of growth, or seeing virgin hair damaged by bleach and dye, can be very upsetting, because all the money in the world could never fix that, only time can.

I'm sorry if I wasn't really clear, I don't want anyone to be offended by what I said, I was just trying to explain why, in my opinion, some things happen.

I really totally get what you are saying, and I am not bothered by your own personal opinion, so my issue is not with you. My issue is this : a stereotype is a stereotype. It's a much bigger picture for me personally, it's either okay to stereotype others, or it is not. It may not seem like a big deal because it is just stylists you referred to. But substitute something else in the sentence.

"The problem is that there are SOME _______ that are so crazy that they make the entire category look bad."

Insert a religious belief, a race, a minority group and you suddenly have a whole different ballgame. Yet it is exactly the same.
I really dislike stereotypes.

ktani
November 20th, 2010, 04:25 AM
I really totally get what you are saying, and I am not bothered by your own personal opinion, so my issue is not with you. My issue is this : a stereotype is a stereotype. It's a much bigger picture for me personally, it's either okay to stereotype others, or it is not. It may not seem like a big deal because it is just stylists you referred to. But substitute something else in the sentence.

"The problem is that there are SOME _______ that are so crazy that they make the entire category look bad."

Insert a religious belief, a race, a minority group and you suddenly have a whole different ballgame. Yet it is exactly the same.
I really dislike stereotypes.

I agree 100%. There are bad professionals in any profession. Hair stylists are singled out here because this is a hair care forum. There are cases though (and I could not locate the excellent thread that exists on the topic) where a client comes in unable to communicate well about what they want or with an unrealisic concept about what their hair needs.

While an excellent hair stylist can work with that and still accomplish the task well, it is really all about human error on both sides of the equasion, and that is life. We all make mistakes. It is about learning hopefully, not to make the same one twice.

Barniie
November 20th, 2010, 04:35 AM
I just realised how much I love this forum :) Just from reading this whole thread xD

mrs_coffee
November 20th, 2010, 05:07 AM
I think I'm just too picky or not good at getting my point across because, save for one stylist who I loved but could not afford very often, I've never left a salon without going home, washing my hair, and redoing it myself. I haven't been to a salon in 10+ years. Over time with lots of research and trial and error I just learned to cut and style it myself.

Yozhik
November 20th, 2010, 05:09 AM
I've given two really bad haircuts in my life! :p Luckily they were to understanding friends and relatives who didn't hold it against me.
(I'm in no way a professional)

The first one -- one of my friends in college said she wanted to get her pixie shortened and wanted to get the sides buzzed shorter with the top still longish. I volunteered to help. End result -- fairly decent until I decided to clean up her neckline with the clipper guard off . . . then I forgot the guard was off and buzzed a nice bald line up the middle of the back of her hair when I decided to go over my work. Oops!

Second time -- my mother wanted me to give her a trim. How hard could that be? :rolleyes: Well...I kept on cutting unevenly, so her hair ended up getting shorter and shorter . . . until she was just like -- "leave it uneven." :o

Granted, these instances were long before I found LHC -- I'm sure I'd be more careful and have a better idea of what I'm doing now! Plus, when I trim now, I plan to practice on my own head -- so I can only butcher my own hair. ;)

Igor
November 20th, 2010, 05:14 AM
Adding to what Ktani said:
I think another factor is that people come here because they had a bad stylists-experience of the type “My hairdresser chopped off 12 inches, how do I make it grow back faster?”

A lot of people come here with a bad experience fresh in their minds and they just want to be allowed to vent about it. They want to be heard and they want a pat on the back so they can move on. Telling them it’s not politically correct to do so, only adds to the frustration.

People know there are good stylists in the world. People also know there are bad stylists in the world. “Unfortunately” a lot of the bad stylists will drive traffic to LHC so we are not getting the statistically average of people and their satisfaction from visiting stylists.

leslissocool
November 20th, 2010, 05:25 AM
Adding to what Ktani said:
I think another factor is that people come here because they had a bad stylists-experience of the type “My hairdresser chopped off 12 inches, how do I make it grow back faster?”

A lot of people come here with a bad experience fresh in their minds and they just want to be allowed to vent about it. They want to be heard and they want a pat on the back so they can move on. Telling them it’s not politically correct to do so, only adds to the frustration.

People know there are good stylists in the world. People also know there are bad stylists in the world. “Unfortunately” a lot of the bad stylists will drive traffic to LHC so we are not getting the statistically average of people and their satisfaction from visiting stylists.

Yep! :cheese:


That's why there are so many post that are not-stylist-friendly here. Not to gang up on stylist, but it does get frustrating trying to communicate. They use a complete different lingo than people who didn't study to become one. It personally took me years to find out what technique I preferred on my hair and how to express it to the stylist, and on top of that the recommendations most gave me where really misleading. Their vision didn't match with mine. After many bad haircuts, I decided to do it myself, and I sucked at it until I found a way to do it right. Now I'm happy and stylist free, although I do consult a friend who is an amazing one.

ktani
November 20th, 2010, 05:53 AM
Adding to what Ktani said:
I think another factor is that people come here because they had a bad stylists-experience of the type “My hairdresser chopped off 12 inches, how do I make it grow back faster?”

A lot of people come here with a bad experience fresh in their minds and they just want to be allowed to vent about it. They want to be heard and they want a pat on the back so they can move on. Telling them it’s not politically correct to do so, only adds to the frustration.

I came here as a lot of others have looking for good hair care ideas.

I have had my share of bad hair salon experiences. However, hair stylist bashing is not just politically incorrect. It is wrong, period, in that it does create a stereotype and it is grossly unfair in my opinion.

I have no problem with people venting about a bad experience. Everyone needs support at times. The venting needs to have perspective though. There is no defence to me for condemning an entire profession.

enfys
November 20th, 2010, 05:53 AM
I did a trim using Feye's self trim method for a straight line and it came out diagonal. I've been extra careful to keep my neck straight since then. DH had two bad barber experiences, and is now convinced not to let anyone but me cut his hair. I think really short hair is less forgiving of miscommunication.
I haven't ever been to a hairdresser but if I couldn't trim my hair myself I would. With my trusty ruler and witness.

BeachBabe91
November 20th, 2010, 05:54 AM
Hey, I apologize if I offended anyone by making this thread, but my intentions honestly weren't to bash hairdressers. I hope that's clear.
Thanks for sharing your stories, guys :)

Dragon
November 20th, 2010, 05:54 AM
Why can't we complain about a bad experience with out some one getting annoyed at us. When something is bothering us, it can help to talk about it. It took me years to get over my last bad hair cut from a hairdresser and my very last one which my Mum did to me. Its only this year I have been able to move on from it so I know it has defiantly helped me move on from being able to talk about it. And what has also helped me move on is learning from this site, how to cut your own hair.

ktani
November 20th, 2010, 06:06 AM
Why can't we complain about a bad experience with out some one getting annoyed at us. When something is bothering us, it can help to talk about it. It took me years to get over my last bad hair cut from a hairdresser and my very last one which my Mum did to me. Its only this year I have been able to move on from it so I know it has defiantly helped me move on from being able to talk about it. And what has also helped me move on is learning from this site, how to cut your own hair.

There is nothing wrong with complaining about bad experiences here. Everyone has had them. Venting can be very healthy. It is great to get support for that. It is about how the complaining is done and what form it takes.

When something sounds like prejudice, it very often (not always though) is and there is no excuse for that, again, in my opinion.

Toadstool
November 20th, 2010, 06:11 AM
I just cut my own fringe - very badly- and while I remember from schooldays how badly wrong cutting one's own fringe can go, I don't remember EVER cutting my own eyebrow before today.
Hairdressers, respect to yoU!

ktani
November 20th, 2010, 06:12 AM
Hey, I apologize if I offended anyone by making this thread, but my intentions honestly weren't to bash hairdressers. I hope that's clear.
Thanks for sharing your stories, guys :)

I was not aiming my comments at you. They are general. Hair stylists often get a bad reputation here and certain ones most definitely deserve that. Not all of them though.

kschr2004
November 20th, 2010, 07:39 AM
So after I had my hair cut for donation purposes (to Pantene Beautiful Lengths), my hair grew out in a somewhat (at least I thought so at the time) uneven fashion. I knew how to cut my bangs, from doing that for years, but I actually tried to trim my fringe on the sides too. That turned into a disaster! I actually had to go to a hairstylist to fix the mess that I made. She turned what was potentially a disaster of my own making into a fairly decent cut. The side layers were a bit shorter than I would have liked, but that was my own doing.

Good thing that I stopped cutting when I did and realized that I needed a professional to fix it. Otherwise, I might have lost a lot more length!

BTW, that experience made me realize there is a lot more to doing an angled cut than I though there was. I will never try to cut anything but my bangs on my own again.

aenflex
November 20th, 2010, 07:53 AM
Beachbabe, look there are other 'bad salon experience' threads in these forums. You are not the 1st to start one and you probably won't be the last. Perhaps a better idea would have been to title the thread 'Hair nightmares', or something like that. But I'm sure there are a couple of threads devoted to that as well.
I'm new here, and I don't want to offend anyone either, for pretty much any reason. But I see your post as that of harmless newbie wanting to share, not someone out to hate on folks. Mistakes happen, arguments over semantics happen, and people get offended. No big deal, we learn and move on.

curlylocks85
November 20th, 2010, 08:38 AM
What's yours? :P

I have a few.. the last one is that I went to First Choice (been there a few times in my life to get a cheap hair cut, NEVER AGAIN) to get the ends of my hair "thinned" out (not that my ends are super thick, I just liked the wispier look then), and in my head I thought "don't do this! it's an impulse, you'll regret it later, she's going to take off too much length.." etcetc, but little stubborn me went ahead and did it anyways. So she chopped the ends of my hair to "thin" them, but really it ended up in being thinner in some places, and a blunt trim in others. I was nooooot impressed.:mad: I looked at the floor and saw two/three inches of hair on the ground.:confused: This was in August and since my hair has grown about two/three inches... never, ever, ever again!!

My experience with hairdressers has been better than my own experience with my mother. I love my mother dearly, but she cannot cut in a straight line to save her soul. She used to cut my hair for me as a child and it never failed that she would, oops, cut too much off on one side and I would have a diagonal hemline.


After years of that, once I had started to get my hair relaxed, I found I like professional cuts/trims better. The stylist my mother found for me is excellent. She always listened to me and did exactly what I wanted. Last September was the last time I saw her for a four inch cut. I stopped going so I could let my hair grow for a while.


Now, if I need a trim, I do it myself. I will still go to her, but only once my hair has reached a point where I am comfortable to go a have my ends trimmed to a nice soft U shape.


In summary, it is just a matter of finding what works for each individual. If a stylist does not please your desires, try someone else, maybe a friend or yourself. :)

CarpeDM
November 20th, 2010, 08:45 AM
OMG I could write a book on bad hair dresser experiences. Let's see um how about the stylist who gave me a perm but rolled my hair so tight that 30% of my hair was ripped out and then the perm fell out 3 weeks later, or how about the stylist that decided to razor cut deeply into one side of my long hair while she was talking on her cell phone but didn't cut the other side (boy was that a fun two years of growing out) or wait how about the stylist that talked me into mini bangs with colored streaks, I could go on but I digress, I think I'm starting to see why I have a fear of hair dressers!

lapushka
November 20th, 2010, 09:07 AM
OMG I could write a book on bad hair dresser experiences. Let's see um how about the stylist who gave me a perm but rolled my hair so tight that 30&#37; of my hair was ripped out <snip>

Well I can't say it was 30%, because that's a lot, but I had a similar experience. The hair dresser rushed to set the perm and rolled the rollers so tightly in the back that yes, hair was ripped out at the back. I had stubble for a while at a number of spots. Luckily it was throughout the back, and in between the rest of the hair so it wasn't noticeable. But OMG!

I also once got a pixie cut and because of my thickness, she decided to thin it out up top. I don't know what was wrong, the technique or the shears, but she actually ripped out hair right at the root (I guess she took the shears too close to the root).

It's because of bad experiences that we decide to search for ways to manage or cut our hair ourselves. These threads, IMMHO, are not directed at hair dressers to single them out as "bad people". It's not about that at all. Hair dressers, I'm sure don't do this with bad intentions. But these things *do* happen and I think it's important to share and learn from these experiences! To ignore it or pretend it doesn't happen and that all hair dressers are competent and all experiences should be okay, because there are hair dressers among us, would be something else entirely!

yellowchariot
November 20th, 2010, 10:04 AM
Hey, I apologize if I offended anyone by making this thread, but my intentions honestly weren't to bash hairdressers. I hope that's clear.
Thanks for sharing your stories, guys :)

^ I really don't think you offended anyone! Or at least the stylists here, that really listen to their clients ;). You were merely sharing an experience that happened to you, and also wanting to hear other experiences as well. "Bashing" comes from people with negative ill-will tendencies. I didn't detect any thing like that coming from your story.

I agree with the previous posts. A lot of members come here after a negative salon experience to kind of vent or seek advice. Also a lot of you are correct their are "Sith" stylists and there are "Jedi" stylists. Just as mentioned above, with the other categories of different professions. I've seen a lot of threads posted in the Friendship forum that "bashed" certain types of "personal". Some that even fell into my category range, but I overlook it because I knew that both, negative and positive types exist.

I have found a "Jedi" hair stylist that I go to on a regular basis :D
I have posted quite frequently on how wonderful she is, and I've even mentioned her name in some of my YouTube videos.

UltraBella
November 20th, 2010, 10:34 AM
Why can't we complain about a bad experience with out some one getting annoyed at us. When something is bothering us, it can help to talk about it. It took me years to get over my last bad hair cut from a hairdresser and my very last one which my Mum did to me. Its only this year I have been able to move on from it so I know it has defiantly helped me move on from being able to talk about it. And what has also helped me move on is learning from this site, how to cut your own hair.

It's completely exceptable to complain, and everyone here, even the stylists, understand and really sympathize when someone has a traumatic experience.

It's just that these threads always end up taking a different turn with a title like this and an open invitation to complain about the person and not the situation. The OP posts about their issue, everyone understands, and then some jerk posts something saying all hairdressers are evil, lying half-wits intent on ruining your hair and your life....... And it goes down hill from there. So, some of us read it and think - Oh boy, here we go again, darn it.
No one wants members here to feel unable to vent, it's just the unkind stereotyping that gets in the way of threads like this being a successful discussion. And it's the only common stereotype that is excepted on this forum.

yellowchariot
November 20th, 2010, 11:39 AM
ETA-line

This thread reminds me of these threads: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=55976

This thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=58943

And this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=57607

:p ;)

All of the topics are different, but one thing remains the same. . . everyone is battling 1 side over the other. . . Threads aren't meant to start wars. . . they're meant to learn and share experiences. . . Gun owners. . . Pet owners. . . Hairstylists. . . and even Dreamers (I am one of them, and mine come true, bad or good)

This is the last post I shall submit to this particular thread, I wish everyone a peaceful discussion.

:flowers:

lapushka
November 20th, 2010, 11:52 AM
It's completely exceptable to complain, and everyone here, even the stylists, understand and really sympathize when someone has a traumatic experience.

It's just that these threads always end up taking a different turn with a title like this and an open invitation to complain about the person and not the situation. The OP posts about their issue, everyone understands, and then some jerk posts something saying all hairdressers are evil, lying half-wits intent on ruining your hair and your life....... And it goes down hill from there.

I agree. Why not just talk calmly about bad experiences and keep the focus on that. It doesn't have to get personal; it really shouldn't. And who knows, UltraBella or some of the other hair dressers on this board could explain what must have happened, why and how certain things were done... to make us better understand or come to grips with what happened. It's not a black and white, us versus them thing.

Watergallop
November 20th, 2010, 12:11 PM
My worst experience was when I got a Carol Brady 1970s haircut that was short in the front, long in the back. Nothing like what I asked for. I didn't cry until I got home because the girl who cut it was about 17 and just out of hair school. In the mirror when our eyes met after the blow-out, I looked miserable and she looked panicked.

But it grew out and I'm sure she's gotten more practice by now...

Oh and also more recently this girl got out a paddle brush that was missing half its little ball-ends and tried to take it to my sopping wet hair. Uh, no! I asked if she had a wide-tooth comb and she said no, and I said I'd rather she not brush my wet hair because it can damage it, and she said, "I heard it's okay as long as you're really gentle." This was in rural Utah, where everyone I talked to said they had a friend or relative cut their hair at home - literally no one I met went to salons to get their hair cut. Anyway - I said, "Never mind, I don't think I need a hair cut, sorry" and got up out of the chair. She was stunned, but what am I going to do, let someone brush my wet hair so her feelings don't get hurt? Nope!

chelles2kids
November 20th, 2010, 12:52 PM
Well actually it was a bad hair cut experience for my now 15 dd., this was almost 3years ago and she went in for a trim and came out about 6 inches shorter.:(

Needless to say I've been trimming her hair since then.

I mean c'mon, I could understand if you go in and say I would like an inch trimmed off please and they cut an inch and a half but 6 inches? That's half a foot lady!:rolleyes:

foggybrooke
November 20th, 2010, 04:25 PM
In the early 90s, I was 17, in my last year of high school and I had a hair cut very much like Chynna Phillips in the Hold On video, only mine was a little shorter. I had gone with my parents out of town to visit relatives for the Easter weekend. On Saturday afternoon my mom and I were wondering around the mall. My hair was driving me crazy. I was in need of a trim, and it was tickling the tops of my ears. (At this point, I will admit, I did have PMS and that may have had an effect on the situation). I saw a salon in the mall, and announced, I was getting my hair trimmed, right now.

I explained to the stylist I wanted just a very minor trim, no more than about a quarter inch. I illustrated what I thought a quarter inch was with my thumb and forefinger. He made the same motion with his thumb and forefinger, and I thought we were good to go. I began reading a magazine.

Some time later, he dropped his scissors. I looked down on the ground as he picked them up, and I started to resume reading my magazine. Then it hit me, why is there that much hair on the ground? Who ever was here before me had the exact same color hair as mine, how unusual is that? They really should sweep before the next client comes in. After all, they weren't even busy, the stylist was sitting in the chair reading a magazine when I came in. I didn't even notice the hair when I came in. Wait, could that all be my hair???

I dropped my magazine, grabbed the mirror off the table in front of me and spun around. Yeah, you guessed it, I had exactly as much hair left on my head, as I had asked to have removed. I was hysterical. My mother came from the front when she heard me screaming and then she started screaming, the manager was trying to calm us both down, promising to "fix it." My only response was "YOU CAN'T FIX BALD!!!"

I stormed out, and my mother followed. Crying we left the mall, got in the car and began to drive back to the relatives house, stopping at every salon we passed to find them all closed. After all it was about 6:30PM the night before Easter. When we got to our relatives home, I was only more hysterical. We were staying with my mom's aunt and she immediately sprung into action. She only wore wigs as she had no hair of her own (until this very moment, I never realized that I have no idea why she had no hair). So, she called her neighbor, who hearing me crying in the background rushed over. She took one look at me hysterical on the couch, grabbed the phone and called her stylist. He had just closed his shop but hearing her frantic voice and my crying, he agreed to see me immediately.

We got in the car and headed over. He met us in the parking lot. I got out of the car, he wrapped me in a big bear hug, and held me for a very long time. I stopped crying, for the first time, in well over an hour, and he said "come on in, we will see what we can do." He stood there and rubbed my head for a long time, without saying a word. Finally, he said "I'm so sorry, there is nothing for me to do but even it out. There is nothing left to style." I nodded my head and he got to work.

I walked out that day with what I affectionately learned to call the Susan Powter (Of the early 90's Stop the Insanity fame) look. Only, I beat her to it by a few years!

I was traumatized, I swore I would sue, cut off body parts, you name it. SOMEONE NEEDED TO PAY, AND PAY BIG! I wore a hat the rest of the weekend. I was going Monday, and buying a wig! Or getting extensions (I later realized my hair was way too short for that to be an option). Late Sunday night, we returned home. I immediately went to see my boyfriend, convinced I would be dumped as now man would ever want to be seen in public with me for several years, so I thought, let's get it over with.

I was greeted with a big hug and a big kiss. He rubbed my head, wiped my tears, and said "It'll grow back." I was so confused, he acted like it was no big deal. How was this possible? I asked question after question, much to fast for him to even start to answer one before the next question left my mouth. Finally, he said "LISTEN! I love you, not your hair. I could care less what you do with it. Long, short, blonde, blue, or anything else, is fine by me. It is your hair, on your head to do with as you see fit. You are beautiful, not your hair, it is nothing more than an accessory. A necklace doesn't make you ugly, neither does a haircut. The only thing that bothers me, is that you don't like it, and some one did you wrong."

Well, long story short, I married that guy several years later. He still doesn't give a lick about my hair and refuses to have any opinion about it. (However, I suspect he likes it longer. It seems he compliments it more then. Although, he does complain more about cutting it of the vacuum more too!) I hated my hair, hated growing it out, but I didn't complain again, and I wore it with pride.

As a side note, I intentionally had it cut into a similar (although slightly longer on top) in 1999. My bsl length hair was driving me nuts (I should note, in all fairness PMS was again in play) in the car to take my grandma to get her hair done. I asked her stylist if she could cut me while my grandmother was under the dryer. She agreed. I got in the chair and said "CHOP IT ALL!" She went to shoulder, I said shorter, then again shorter, then finally grabbed the scissors and chopped the front of hair to about an inch from my scalp. I then said, this is going to be the longest hair on my head. I think I traumatized her! She was really, really upset. (As was my grandma!) I left with a huge smile, that lasted until the next morning. Then I thought, "WHAT HAVE I DONE?" No one to blame but myself.

The lessons I have learned:

NEVER, EVER, EVER go near a salon when you may have PMS!

Don't read a magazine while someone is near your hair with scissors!

And for every stylist that won't listen there is one who will hug you while you cry, and another who will try desperately to stop you from making a huge hair mistake!