On a more positive note

[patienceneeded]

Just thought I'd give a shout out to all the stylists who DO listen and give the client exactly what they asked for.

http://www.forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=7178&pictureid=96413

My hair doesn't look noticably shorter in the after-trim pic, but she DID take about 1/8-1/4" off. I don't have time for a lengthy post right now (what I said to her, etc) as I am heading out for my nephew's 5th birthday party, but I'll add more later.

To all the stylists who do GREAT work, Thank You! There are wonderful stylists and they deserve to be acknowledged. You are awesome!

[krissykins]

That looks lovely! You are very lucky to have had a good experience.

The last person to trim my hair is actually in cosmetology school right now and I've been teaching her to be gentle and communicate with clients ;)

[jaine]

Yay! Your trim looks perfect!
I am also very happy whenever I go to my hair stylist ... she takes the time to double-check and make sure she understands what I want. I've had surprise haircuts in the past (with a different sylist) And that is never fun...but it's good to hear about positive experiences too. I think most stylists do listen and do a great job.

[UltraBella]

Your cut is lovely and I appreciate you starting this thread. It's very thoughtful of you. :flower: There are many talented, careful stylists who are willing to give you exactly what you want. The generalizations I hear on other threads about "all stylists" drive me crazy.

[ericthegreat]

That trim looks wonderful. You didn't lose any significant length, but the stylist was still able to take off your ends in a nice, clean fashion. And I agree with UltraBella, its refreshing to finally see a positive thread supporting good stylists for a change.

[spidermom]

My stylist is awesome! She doesn't particularly even favor long hair, but she takes good care of mine.

[spitfire511]

Yay for this. :-) Your hair does look great, and I agree that there are some great and careful stylists out there!

The few cuts I've had that didn't turn out how I'd like have generally been my fault for not communicating well (like forgetting to add in the fact that I need to be able to pull it back, because if I can't I go batty :D ).

Congrats on a happy trim! :cheese:

[Dragon]

I am glad you had a good experience :)

[smileycat]

Okay, I know I posted earlier today in another thread about my stylist sometimes trimming more than I ask for, BUT I want to point out now that I go to her exclusively and have for over a decade. She gives me the best cuts I have ever had, and my hair is super slippery and difficult to work with. I always liked my color, too, back when I had her color it regularly.

My last trim was perfect and has grown nicely with no splits. Plus she gives the best pedicures ever! AND she lets me schedule my appointments for 7:00AM on a Saturday morning. She rocks!

[RocketDog]

I love my guy, I had horrible trust issues in the past since due to incompetent stylists not working with my hair's natural texture, but Nate does a FANTASTIC job every time I see him! He has always done what I ask, and when I wore my hair shorter and had trouble replicating the salon look at home he gave me a lot of great advice on how to manage my thin, floofy hair. Alas, most of that advice is no good anymore since I never wear my hair down, but still, I adore him and he's totally accepting of my hair quirks and 'funny' requests.

[annieangel149]

my hairdresser was great! she did not trim to much off! she could see that i was a little aprehensive and reassured me! love you m***y :D

[patienceneeded]

Okay, back from the party and DD3 (almost 4!) is in bed so I can play online again.

I went to a salon and stylist I had never been to before. I admit it, I tend to jump from stylist to stylist until I find one I like enough to stick with for a year or so, then I move on again.

I have RARELY ever had a haircut that I regreted that was not my fault. My fault being that I used vague terms, or insisted I wanted my hair to be done in a way that was not flattering (yes I DO want my hair cut like ------- celebrity). Totally my fault.

I have discovered that not everyone has the same measurement in mind when you say 1" or 2"-3" or any other measurement. I, in particular, do not estimate distances well. I am ALWAYS wrong when estimating a measurement. I never assume that my stylist (or anyone else) has the same schema in mind when I say only 1/2" please. So, I always SHOW the stylist exactly how much I am willing to lose by showing them on my hair and by showing them the distance I mean by using my index finger and my thumb to measure. I make sure I speak clearly and I repeat myself several times. If the stylist doesn't clarify what I want verbally and show me herself/himself with my hair what they intend I speak up.

When I sat down for my trim the stylist asked me what my ideas were and where I want to go with my hair. I explained my hair goals and what I was currently doing with my hair. She asked how much I wanted taken off and I explained verbally and then also demonstrated what I meant. I also said that, in the end, I wanted the cut to look as if It hadn't been cut at all. She then asked about my current layers. I told her that my eventual goal was to get rid of the layers so I did not want new layers added. However, I was willing to have the ends cut on a slant since at this length no layers = triangle head. Not so attractive. She showed me the angle of slant she wanted to use and I okayed the line. She then asked how I wanted it styled. I told her I'm trying not to heatstyle and she offered to dry it curly on low heat with a diffuser, or to leave it wet if I prefered. I took her up on the blowdry...it was raining out and I didn't feel like having wet hair again. She used low heat and a diffuser, not too damaging. I left very happy and she earned a repeat customer.

I have never been afraid to speak up and/or clarify my instructions. I never leave it to my stylist to determine what I mean when I say 1" (etc), I always demonstrate or show them what I mean. I don't feel I come across as pushy or demanding, but I am confidant and I know how to communicate with others to get the result I want (I think it's what makes me a good teacher). Teaching middle school is all about convincing a large group of hormonally-addled teenagers to do what you want when you want it...while smiling and having fun. Talking to a stylist about my hair is a piece of cake compared to that... :)

[Toadstool]

I have RARELY ever had a haircut that I regreted that was not my fault. My fault being that I used vague terms, or insisted I wanted my hair to be done in a way that was not flatterin


This totally. I have frequently used the wrong terms or been unable to visualise how a cut would look on me.

[Aveyronnaise]

I love my hairdresser ! I told him to cut more last time if it looked damaged and he flat out refused and said my hair looked great. He also always shows me before he cuts.
This is amazing because I went to like 4 different stylists before I found him and the others SUCKED!! They always ripped through my wet hair with tiny combs owww.

I heart you S****E!! Don't ever move ever.