Hair stylist removes 8 inches too much

[whitestiletto]

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. This was really awful.

I moved to a new town and after a while wanted my hair colored and trimmed so I went to a salon and asked for 1-2 inch trim. The stylist cut 8 inches off my hair, blunt across so it couldn't be blended downwards... She also dyed it but the root is still clearly visible... I basically have a mullet now. When I told her I wasn't happy with the cut and it wasn't what I asked for, she told me to leave the salon.

Has anyone else growing their hair out had a stylist cut it all off by "accident" ? I'm kinda upset... My hair was upper back length and now it's chin length.. I had spent 2 years growing it out :(

[whitestiletto]

Or if anyone else has salon horror stories to make me feel less bad :P

[battles]

That is awful. :( I'm sorry that happened to you.

[battles]

I do have a horror story, though. I went in with a photo of a hairstyle I really liked, it was sort of choppy, very short in the back with longer pieces near the ears and short bangs. I thought the photo was pretty straightforward and I explained it. We discussed it, and I thought she understood what I wanted.

I wear glasses, so I couldn't see what she was doing.. When I put them back on, I had a mullet. :confused: I told her that wasn't what I'd wanted and she apologized and said she must have had a different image in mind.. We ended up going for a pretty short cut, about earlobe length all around in hopes of saving it. I hated it, honestly, but it was better than having a mullet.

I later went back in and got some choppy bangs and went a bit choppier all around, and I'm growing out from that one now.

Edit: I suppose it wasn't all bad. It did make me decide to grow out my hair. :)

[UltraBella]

Did this just happen ? How short is the front compared to the back ? Can they be blended together so it doesn't look like a mullet ??
If you post a pic I may have some suggestions for you. You will find quite a few stylists here who are willing to make suggestions or give advice if you would like it.

[TheMechaGinger]

I got a really bad layered cut. I had short layers on the back of my head with all this length hanging underneath them (looked like my niece just took scissors to a chunk of my hair) and little to no layers up front. I had a little longer than bsl at that point. But it was like two completely different styles. I was so upset. I told them I just wanted a micro trim and some long layers but they put incredibly short ones only on the back and it looked so goofy! I wore my hair up until the short ones were about shoulder length and then cut it all up to that layer. I mean it was like 2 years of growing just gone. Horrible.

[Cowgirl16]

I have way too many; but I'll share just a couple.

I moved to a new town in 2001 and was in need of a cut and some highlights. I figured I should find a stylist in the new town and asked a few people at my job. I went to a place one of my coworkers recomended and got my hair cut (it was ok), and highlighted (not ok). I went to work the next day and one of my friends asked if I had gotten my hair colored; I said yes and asked her why she asked. She said because my hair was GREEN. I was mortified; I had to wait for 2 days before I could go back. The lady argued with me that it wasn't green and even went so far as to take me into the parking lot with the manager to look at my hair in the sun! They finally agreed "there might be a little green" and redyed it. My hair was so fried I kept it at BSL until it all grew out.

Ok one more; my hair was between waist and tailbone 3 years ago, and like you I went in for a TRIM. The woman must have gone to school with your hairdresser because she cut it straight across at BSL. When I reached around and felt my hair I said to her "WOW, that is short!", her reply "Oh, you think so?" I was SO upset! I don't think I cut my hair for a year.

Thank God hair grows:cool:

[Mesmerise]

I do have a horror story, though. I went in with a photo of a hairstyle I really liked, it was sort of choppy, very short in the back with longer pieces near the ears and short bangs. I thought the photo was pretty straightforward and I explained it. We discussed it, and I thought she understood what I wanted.

I wear glasses, so I couldn't see what she was doing.. When I put them back on, I had a mullet. :confused: I told her that wasn't what I'd wanted and she apologized and said she must have had a different image in mind.. We ended up going for a pretty short cut, about earlobe length all around in hopes of saving it. I hated it, honestly, but it was better than having a mullet.

I later went back in and got some choppy bangs and went a bit choppier all around, and I'm growing out from that one now.

Edit: I suppose it wasn't all bad. It did make me decide to grow out my hair. :)

That happened to my sister years ago! We had a picture of a "shaggy bob" which was basically a bob with a few random shorter layers around...not too short, just short enough to give it a shaggy look (bear in mind this was back in the 80s lol) and the hairdresser gave her a mullet with hair that spiked on top! I told the hairdresser she may as well cut off the back too...and she said "I don't want to take too much length off" and I was like... "well it's spiked on top so I don't know how much worse you could do!!". Mind you, my sister was about 7... so I don't think she thought too much about it either way.

But yeah...it's AMAZING how a stylist can see a picture and then get it COMPLETELY wrong...

And I also have no idea how they can be asked to do a 1-2 inch trim and cut off a full EIGHT inches!

A few years ago I asked for "long layers" in my hair, that was at least BSL in length at the time... I meant layers that were not much shorter than the rest of my hair. Well I ended up with a really thick blunt chin length layer!! It made the rest of my hair quite thin too... and not long after I had to cut off a few inches from the bottom because it was way too thin and stringy. Again...how a big thick chin length layer could be called "long layers" in BSL hair is beyond me.

I am usually also really specific with what I want too. I will say "I want a one inch trim" and then show her with my fingers exactly how much I mean by 1"... which is generally... 1" unsurprisingly!

This is also why I am now self trimming because I can control EXACTLY how much is cut off!! I may not be able to do a job as good as the stylist could...but if it's just a trim then it's not as if I'm having to do something quite complex that I could mess up a lot.

[Brenda714]

Yes, I had the same thing happen to me except I had damaged hair, but I still did not want her to take off 5 inches! I about died, and now I'm growing all over again. All we can do is move forward. I don't think I will ever go to a new hairstylist again, but only word of mouth hairstylists who have experience and listen to what you say. I'm sorry you are going through this, but you are not alone....

[mustpannkook]

As I've been to a salon maybe 2 times in my life I don't have to share much, but my mother asked the hairdresser to cut my brother's hair just a little, and he ended up with a "hair helmet". I always cut it myself or my mother helps a bit...

[Petite Simone]

I am so very sorry that this happened to you. To have her deliberately go against your wishes is bad enough, but to to go so far as to ask you to leave is even worse. A stylist should remain professional no matter what and that includes when a client expresses their displeasure. This woman seriously needs a good scolding and a lesson in serving the *client's* wishes and not her own.

[Tuntenut]

:grouphug: I'm so sorry about this. Did it happen recently? If it did, I hope you tell everyone you know about it. What happened to your hair was disastrous and her behaviour was unacceptable.

Imagine if one had spent years working on making the perfect rose bed, and one day decide to enlist the help of a gardener. If that gardener then drove a combine harvester through your roses and planted dandelions instead, they would be sued out of exsistence within a week!
I'm not suggesting that you sue the salon, but it sounds to me as if you're well in your right to at least name and shame them in your social circle.

[Kathie]

I cant believe she asked you to leave after she made a mistake. Is she the owner/manager of the salon? If no, I would complain to one of her superiors.
I’m use to hairdressers asking if I like a new cut before I leave and often they even say that I’m welcome to come back in a few days if I get home and style it myself and don’t like it.

[Fufu]

This is really awful. 8 inches.......is so much so much.

[lora410]

Yup, I went into a salon once with shoulder length hair and ask for a re-layerand came out with hair 2" all around. That was my last salong experience.

[pepperminttea]

If you hunt around, there's a lot of similar threads; you're by no means alone. If you can't find a good stylist that you trust for your next trim, perhaps try a self-trim (http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/)? You need good scissors, but you can use the same pair for cutting off individual split ends too - aka. 'search and destroy' (S&D) - so it's not a bad investment. :)


I cant believe she asked you to leave after she made a mistake. Is she the owner/manager of the salon? If no, I would complain to one of her superiors.

Ditto.

[christine1989]

:grouphug: 2 inches too much is a mistake but 8 inches has to be deliberate. No one could possibly "misjudge" by 8 inches :rolleyes:. I found a good stylist when I was around 4 and no one else has ever cut my hair. When he inevitably retires one day then I guess I'm going terminal because I don't trust other stylists. ;) My best advice is if you ever find an honest stylist who listens to you and cuts the amount you specify then hold on to them for dear life!

[woolyleprechaun]

Im soooo sorry! i cant believe she did that to you! What a b@. I hat TBL hair when I was younger, and came out with a chin length helmet. Wore it up for two years! Also, I a hairdresses put in highlights that she bleached for 2 and a half hours!!! (my hair was its natural dark blonde) and whenever I washed my hair, I was left with this weird ball of candyflosss on the top of my head. Ive never had a happy salon experience because they never seem to know what an inch is. Ive trimmed my own for years now because Im TERRIFIED of hairdressers. You can find excellent Trim-Your-Own-Layers guides online, and I use the 'U-shaped' trim guide here for my rare full-trims. Oh, Ive also had hair chemicaly straigtened that wrecked my hair so much I had to shave my APL hair and start from scratch.....

[HoneyJubilee]

Oh, yes. I don't think I ever got a good haircut in the town I used to live in.

One time I asked for some kind of shaping around my face but not bangs...I came out with very heavy chin-length bangs. They were just the right length to refuse to stay tucked behind my ear and it drove me crazy.

Another time I went in for a trim and a spiral perm. My hair was midback length and I wanted and inch or two trimmed off before the perm. I was horrified when I saw 8+ inch chunks falling to the floor. The stylist chopped my hair to somewhere between APL and shoulder (I think she whacked so much off so she could get away with using less perm solution but still charge me for a long hair perm :(). After the perm my hair was only at shoulder length. And then all the curl fell out within a month or so.

Trims where I live now have been fairly uneventful and I'm rather grateful for that. The worst that has happened is just a stylist trying to convince me that if I don't come in for a trim every 4-6 weeks and buy overpriced salon hair products my hair will be damaged and look terrible. My hair was in much better condition than this "expert's" hair so I chose to disregard her advice.

[jojo]

I had waist or nearly waist layered hair in 2005. I went to a salon to get a cut upto the shortest layer which was around bsl. By the time I realized what they where doing a big chunk was already cut from the back. I walked out of there with a cross between a bob and pixie (it was cropped at the back). Although at the time I was mortified, my hair prior to this was in terrible condition, so it gave me a fresh start but I was very upset at the time and even then never said anything I was that shocked.

I did however again venture into a salon in 2009 (my first time since the incident) as soon as I saw the stylist had hip length hair, she would listen and she did but she has since left so its home trimming from now on!

[Jezerellica]

You are, "Kind of upset". :slap:OMG. I would be furious then start to cry. Yes, I had something similar happen. I had temporary insanity told my stylist (for 8 years, so I thought she got me)to do whatever she felt like. She cut at east 10" off and permed it. When I asked what she was doing, she replied it was a subtle body wave. All the pictures from that time period have been thrown away. I looked hideous. :scared: But learned an important lesson. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm wondering what part of the US your live in. WHO would give you a mullett without asking if you wanted it. I would , and did, focus on what I could do to make my hair acceptable as soon as possible. Mine took months. Wow, it was a long time. I wish you patience while you wait for it to grow out. I have some cool hats I wear when I must go out while oiling. Maybe that will help. I love that I can trim my own hair now. It is so great. No more anxiety about those situations. I hope the same for you someday!!:flower::

[Lilmissdirty]

When I was about 10 I had hair about waist lenth or close to. My mom decided I needed a "professional" haircut so went to a *cough* lady who I very clearly told that I only wanted it trimmed up a few inches.. OK,, thats fine, site down lets take a look.. Gathered my hair back in a ponytail and WACKED it of in one snip above her hand!. ended up with a short bob that I couldent do anything with, wouldent behave and lay flat.. to shot to put up.. AUGHHH Hated it.
Havent let a hairdresser near my hair since untill a few years ago when I needed it trimmed & Hubbys scared to death to touch it LOL..
I now have a haiirdresser I can trust be we have an understanding.. If she cuts more off than I ask , I ...WILL...SIT...ON...HER...AND....SHAVE...HER...HE AD... I was very clear on that point when I first talked to her.:D

[whitestiletto]

I'll post pictures as soon as my account is upgraded.

Her mistake wasn't deliberate, it was unskilled. She had only been cutting hair for 3 months, and during my cut she saw her next client come in and started talking about how she needed to hurry up so he wouldn't have to wait. She cut the first part not too badly, but it was only after she became distracted she took the extra length off... That's why it's extra short in the front only!

I used to cut my hair for a long time, self-trim, and have nice hair-cutting scissors for it. I even gave myself a really cute pixie cut a few years back, with longer bangs in the front ... adorable. However it's getting (well.. WAS getting) really long and I'm trying out this "take pictures of my face for money" thing so I wanted a professional do with perfect long layers.

In fact I am suing them in small claims court, which is only semi-reasonable because I just started doing modeling and lost a client due to the haircut. Haven't had the date yet so I don't know if I'll win. The judge might say "it's just hair" but who knows.

[whitestiletto]

One time I asked for some kind of shaping around my face but not bangs...I came out with very heavy chin-length bangs. They were just the right length to refuse to stay tucked behind my ear and it drove me crazy.

Argh that's basically exactly what I have! The entire section hair in front of my ears is heavy bangs that HAVE to be pinned up or they just explode all over my face in a geometric triangle of hair! And I asked her to bring the very shortest layer to cheek length to frame my face.

[whitestiletto]

You are, "Kind of upset". :slap:OMG. I would be furious then start to cry. Yes, I had something similar happen. I had temporary insanity told my stylist (for 8 years, so I thought she got me)to do whatever she felt like. She cut at east 10" off and permed it. When I asked what she was doing, she replied it was a subtle body wave. All the pictures from that time period have been thrown away. I looked hideous. :scared: But learned an important lesson. I'm so sorry this happened. I'm wondering what part of the US your live in. WHO would give you a mullett without asking if you wanted it.

:flower::

Oh I cried... Just the first day, I feel better now.

And you want to know where I live... for the past 2 yrs I used to get my hair cut in Seattle, in the center of hip trendiness downtown, but a couple months ago i moved to NORTH CAROLINA and yes it is in North Carolina that I received the mullet.

[spitfire511]

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience. I would post pics when you can and let UltraBella see if she has any good advice for blending it etc - she's full of good advice! ;)

I think many of us have had bad cuts/color in the past (I know I have, and they can be SO upsetting! I actually got stuck with the nickname 'fruit stripe' for a while from a really bad highlight job.)

But I can't say that it's been relative to any particular part of the US for me. I live in South Carolina and have had the best cut of my life here - and one of the worst ever at a VERY expensive salon in Philadelphia.

I hate this happened to you, and I hope you're able to find some way to make it more palatable while it grows (and fingers crossed that it will grow quickly!!)

[Guenhwyvar]

I finally had mine waist length a few years ago. Mum convinced me to get layers to give it more volume. The first time a had it done it turned out great! Very thin layers that didnt look obvious but made my hair look more styled and still long and thick.

My friend was a student hair dresser.

I asked her to do the same thing. I could tell she didnt quite get what I meant. I stopped her twice, but she told me to trust her.... Anyway I ended up with a very nice layer cut, shoulder length with one very long thin layer to my waist! I almost cried, but she was a friend and it was a nice cut, except the bottom layer. It took me so long to get it to that length, I still regret it.

Ive only just cut off the last of the thin bottom layer and after 2 years it is almost the same length.

I know it is horrible when it happens. I cried that night (and whenever I though about it). Also because I feel guilty that I hated it and a friend cut it for me...

[Cleopatra18]

I had the same experience back in February this year, Here's the link (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=65848)
Don't worry though, it will grow back better than before. Good luck :flower:

[ifthemoonsmiled]

That is terrible! I would be so upset!

I have had so many bad salon experiences. For the last few years I've just been cutting my hair myself--I was nervous to do it at first, but I'd always end up trimming up & trying to fix whatever they did to my hair at a salon, anyway. They never seem to understand what I want no matter how carefully I explain it. And they are trained to cut in this weirdly even, symmetrical way that just doesn't suit my messy unevenly-textured hair at all.

The worst, though, was before I went (very) short. I just wanted a trim for my hair that was then at mid-back. The stylist was new & was raving about how trimming hair with razors was the hot new trend or something. So she took a straight razor to the ends of my hair, swished it through 'em, & next thing I know my hair is at chin length & she is mumbling something about how she didn't mean to go quite that short.

[CrystalStar]

How rude to just ask you to leave the salon.. You're paying for a service and if you aren't happy with that service then she doesn't have the right to ask you to leave the salon.

I once got talked into having red and brown highlights in my hair to give my hair 'more dimension'. The result? Bright orange hair with brown stripes. :laugh: And people ask me why I colour and cut my own hair!

It can be gutting to lose so much progress, but it will grow back with time. :grouphug: I suggest you go speak to the manager of the salon about it. No-one deserves to be treated as you were, especially after the hairdresser has not done as requested!

[heartgoesboom]

once, i wanted my hair cut to my shoulders - just slightly grazing the shoulders... he cut it up to my chin. ick. another time, i asked for shorter layers on top... she cut every layer but the bottom layer, oh, yea, that was really a mullet :( the good news from all of that is i found a very competent stylist to fix and cut my hair.

[UltraBella]

May I ask when this was ? Recently or quite a while ago ?
I only ask because of the thread you just started about spending the last month combing out your dreadlocks. I assume that the hairdresser didn't cut your hair while having dreadlocks but I also can't picture your now chin length hair with them either. Plus, I would assume it would be recently if you are taking them to court over it. Maybe I missed something....... Help me out ?

[dulce]

My hubbie cuts my hair,as I have had too many disappointments/nasty surprises with my hair trims[they always cut way too much off] at the salon.My plan is never to step in one again.I even had a pair of jeans ruined when they dropped toner[used to get streaks years ago] on them.I even had my hair burnt off at the roots on my forehead, as they left the perm solution on too long[my only perm]years ago.The perm timing bell rung but she said she was busy and would be back shortly,she wasn't.I had thick healthy non processed hair when I went in.Had to get a pixie after that mistake.So never again to a salon,love my long hair,so easy and cheap to care for.With all the money I save I can treat myself to lots of hair toys and have healthy hair that I can style many ways.Seems a no brainer to me.I realize there are great stylists out there but I wasn't lucky enough to find one.I don't miss the worry of going in,explaining exactly what I want[I used to even draw pics] and being upset when it came out not even close.

[Nymphea]

Oh, so many salon horror stories!!!

I quit going to salons when I was 12. I've always had bad experiences in hair salon (I wanted and inch trim, and it always ended up as 3-inch trim!), but that time it was horrible. I was near classic and my hair was quite damaged, but I remember that damage went only from waist down. In my opinion it would be quite enough if she cut it to hip or even TB, and then I could have maintained it there as long as the damage would grow out, but... The stylist cut it at first to BSL, and then she realized that she cut it unevenly, so she tried to correct it, and once more... And I ended barely SL. I cried for years and never came back to any salon.

I'm so sorry this happened to you. My advice: start self-trimming. It brings back the self-confidence and even the joy of trimming, for the hair will look nicer with a small trim if it's needed. That's what trimming should be for.

[Happymoonlight]

Well, I went to an overenthusiastic hair dresser as well, told her to cut only the split ends, and she had cut of the half of the length of my hair.
When I told her that this is not what I actually said she should do, she replayed, oh well you should better cut off the whole lot, and start all over again.

After this expires I didn’t go to a hair dresser again for about 5 years and now I’m cutting my own hair, cos you never know ;-)

[Zesty]

I've always had a lot of anxiety about hairdressers -- so learning to trim my own hair is next on my to-do list. When I was 14 I decided to get red streaks put into the front of my hair, which meant bleach and then dye, and left that part crunchy... and the color faded to orange in no time. I got it re-dyed twice and then gave up, went to a different stylist, and got a pixie with the red part dyed to (close to) my natural color. And I've been growing that out (with minor trims) ever since. I wasn't that anxious about it then, mostly because I wasn't that attached to the length of my hair anyway. But now the thought of going into a salon for a haircut makes me go shudder:. I'd much rather S&D.

[faerielady]

After the great hair debacle of 2010, no salon employee/hairstylist/cosmetologist will be getting ANYWHERE NEAR my hair.

If I need a trim, I'll do it myself.... as I replay the "go in with waist length, come out with fried/broken chin length hair" over and over again.

[1953Diygal]

Wow. That sucks. I had my hair cut on Friday by my good hairdresser friend Roger who is incredibly pro-long hair. I went in asking to have four inches cut and he cut two and my hair looks and feels amazing!

My point? Not all hairdressers are anti-long hair or have evil intentions.

[MonaLisa]

You are right, not all are evil or anti-long hair or whatever makes them do these things...just not all of us are as lucky to find good ones, and when you love your long hair, natural thing to do is give up on searching and risking it :)
I posted my horror stories in another topic...

I'm so sorry it happened :(

[1953Diygal]

True. Point taken.

When I was in my early 20s, I was growing out my hair and it was at collar length (an all-time length record for me at the time). I was working at a trendy retail store and a woman approached me and asked if I'd like to be in a hair show. I made the mistake of saying yes. She told me she'd only take off a little bit but she whacked the heck out of it leaving me with a hairstyle that only looked good if I spent an hour curling it every morning. I was so sad.

[lw8666]

Your situation sounds disturbingly similar to mine. Last year, I asked for a one inch trim. I had 10 inches cut off instead. I was given what looked like a mullet and I had to go to my original stylist and have it cut to a chin length bob.

What happened was I asked a friend to cut it, but she didn't have very much experience. She was fresh out of hair school. Worst hair situation I have ever gone through. I have gained back most of my length, but Im still not where I want to be. Patience is key.

Im so sorry you had to go through this. What an awful situation.

[beez1717]

I've always thought that it is best to go to a place which has a good BARBER. I think that those are the people who really get it. They may not have gone to school to learn what to do, but when they cut your hair they CARE. It isn't for all barbers though, but hey, that's my experience with them.

I think that more people who cut hair have to learn that if the customer doesn't want something "trendy" or "short enough" or something the barber doesn't like, then tough. It's not your own hair, so just do as the customer pleases and make em happy, so you can make more of the money.

[strangemeow]

my mom is a hair stylist and has done all my hair cuts from childhood. when it started getting long and id ask for a trim, she almost always take an inch or more what i wanted off, sometimes alot more. eventually i got sick of that but i put up with it for a long time because she IS my mom and would be very offended if i went somewhere else. i started doin my own trims. a few weeks ago i had her trim it to even it out , but this time i took a friend with me to watch her and i had no problems, but i had to make a big obvious deal about it so i wouldnt leave 3 inches shorter. hers wont grow past her shoulders because she abuses the crap out of it so i think its some kind of weird jealousy thing in my case, i dont know, but very frustrating

[Mesmerise]

Honestly, there are two things I can suggest if you're going to a hair salon for a trim... okay make that three things!

1. Find a salon that has long haired stylists who are more likely to be sympathetic to you having long hair! I mean, you'd let someone who looks like Ultrabella cut your hair, wouldn't you :D?!

2. Bring a friend with you who can watch the whole process and who knows exactly what you want and who will speak up if the stylist looks as if she/he's cutting too much off.

3. Be prepared to be very specific about how much you want off. Don't just tell them you want an inch off...show them with your fingers EXACTLY how much you want off.

[HoneyJubilee]

Honestly, there are two things I can suggest if you're going to a hair salon for a trim... okay make that three things!

1. Find a salon that has long haired stylists who are more likely to be sympathetic to you having long hair! I mean, you'd let someone who looks like Ultrabella cut your hair, wouldn't you :D?!

2. Bring a friend with you who can watch the whole process and who knows exactly what you want and who will speak up if the stylist looks as if she/he's cutting too much off.

3. Be prepared to be very specific about how much you want off. Don't just tell them you want an inch off...show them with your fingers EXACTLY how much you want off.
Absolutely! If she was closer to where I live I would totally go to UltraBella for my trims. A longhair AND a hair stylist AND a LHC-er AND a fellow Montanan? How could I not annoy her with all my silly little hair questions/problems? :D

Plus, I think I could trust her to not get that "OMG I can't wait to take my scissors to that hair" gleam in her eye as soon as I walk into her salon. I have seen this look WAY too many times when going into a salon just to inquire about a nail polish.

[UltraBella]

Absolutely! If she was closer to where I live I would totally go to UltraBella for my trims. A longhair AND a hair stylist AND a LHC-er AND a fellow Montanan? How could I not annoy her with all my silly little hair questions/problems? :D

Plus, I think I could trust her to not get that "OMG I can't wait to take my scissors to that hair" gleam in her eye as soon as I walk into her salon. I have seen this look WAY too many times when going into a salon just to inquire about a nail polish.

Well, I have already had one fellow LHCer as a client ~ and she traveled from very far away ! It was awesome. But it wasn't for hair, it was for permanent cosmetics.
You all are welcome in my salons any day. I promise you will not leave unhappy, or bald ;)

[luxepiggy]

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

[spike316]

I really just can't wrap my brain around how someone could make that big of a mistake and then have the nerve to tell you to leave. I work in a hair salon (as a massage therapist) and I know that the owner wouldn't let any of our girls (or token gay :0)) get away with that.

[agoddess2die4]

I've always had struggles with choppy layers and gaps in the layering, maybe it's because my hair is thin, not sure, but those are hideable. The worst I'd dealt with was when my hair was shorter (about shoulder length) and I decided to splurge and get a cut and color (professional coloring was a rare present for me because I never had money, it was always bottle). I went with a specific picture with different angles because I screenshotted a tv show. It was "Buffy" season six when she gets a cute bob with flipped out ends. I pretty much just needed a trim with it slightly shorter in front, no layers, and I asked for similar styled highlights, but instead of dark blonde with light blonde highlights, I wanted a dark chocolatey brown with honey-ish highlights. I ended up with red hair with platinum highlights (though the coloring in the salon made it look more brown than it was so I didn't realize until later). It looked horrible against my skin because my skin has very yellow undertone. The color made me look jaundiced. That annoyed me, but was fixable. What really made me upset was that he butchered my hair. The front was ok but when I got home and started playing with it I realized I had layers as short as two inches in the back for no reason whatsoever. And they charged me over $200 for this! When I spoke to the manager she said if I was unhappy with it I should've said something then and I couldn't have my money back because I already paid and left and therefore agreed that the price was acceptable. They offered to have someone fix it at no charge, but all she did was put a dark brown color over top, then informed me after that it was demi-permanent because "my hair was far too delicate for permanent color" (despite having it permanently colored there already and having dyed it for over ten years at that point) and would have to come back every 2-3 weeks to get it touched up. Arg! Was so irritated. Dyed it black a couple months later (from a bottle...and it didn't fall out or anything!!) and stopped dying after that. Just gave up.

[Mexibeach]

Yup, I went into a salon once with shoulder length hair and ask for a re-layerand came out with hair 2" all around. That was my last salong experience.

I second this - same experience and same outcome :)

[HairFaerie]

Sorry this has happened to you. :(

I have never had them take that much off but I must say, my last visit was not good. I swear she did THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what I said.

I was getting a pixie and I told her I wanted "wispies" all around my face. I told her to please leave the area right beside my bangs a little longer because those are spots where my hair is thinner....

I have very bad eyesight and I took of my glasses which instantly rendered me blind as a bat. She proceeded to cut the pixie and style.

I put on my glasses and....uh....no "wispies" and the sides that I told her to leave longer were actually SHORTER than the rest of my hair! WTF?!?!?

Since I have a tendency to not be very nice when I am angry, I took a deep breath, thanked her and got the heck out of there. All in all, the cut was not bad and looked good, it just irritated me that she didn't listen!

Needless to say, I haven't been back and since then, I have been doing self trims and doubt if I will go to a salon any time soon. I am OK with doing the trims myself now, especially as it gets longer.

So, I feel your frustration!:grouphug:

[akuamoonmaui]

I've shared this story before... I had been to this hairdresser once before and she'd given me a decent cut, she even worked with my uneven curl pattern to get it looking even. So I felt I would go back to her. I had a picture and we were chit-chatting and she gets a phone call. She comes back distressed and proceeds to tell me her niece, friend of daughter, I don't remember, had just got arrested for shoplifting, and as she's telling me this, she's chopping all my hair off to about 2" all over my head (it was supposed to be shoulder length), by some small mercy she left the hair around my face a bit longer, so I didn't look like I was in the military. I had also just started a new job, like 5 days into it. I don't look good with short hair so I was very uncomfortable getting to know my new co-workers. I really almost wore a wig.

[kyandii]

:(
Mine did this the other day! No where near as much as 8 inches.
I spent the past two days feeling really angry and upset about it, but I just uploaded a new picture to my album, and looking at it now she hasn't actually cut that much off.

I'd be so angry if I was you, but I'd probably just of cried if mine took off 8 inches. Well done you for being a strong person

[MrsMc]

I am trying not to cry right now. My hair grows so slowly and my stylist this morning asked me if I wanted a trim or a drastic cut. I told her a trim - that one inch would be good. I went from between hip and waist length to bra strap length. Needless to say, I am livid and in shock. Merry Christmas to me! :( There's a good two years worth of growth just GONE.

[Amber_Maiden]

How horrible!!! :(

Yes, I have horror stories... When I was a kid to the time I was a teenager when i got my hair cut they would give me really short hair cuts. Horrible. Made me look like a boy. When I cut my hair from hip, I wanted it at mid back- she cit it to my chin. This summer, most of the stylists I went to cut more than I asked for off. Recently I wanted my hair dusted and the stylist cut 5-6 in off...

[kaiakai]

And now whitestiletto is gone... I wonder if the case went to court!?

[MrsMc]

How horrible!!! :(

Yes, I have horror stories... When I was a kid to the time I was a teenager when i got my hair cut they would give me really short hair cuts. Horrible. Made me look like a boy. When I cut my hair from hip, I wanted it at mid back- she cit it to my chin. This summer, most of the stylists I went to cut more than I asked for off. Recently I wanted my hair dusted and the stylist cut 5-6 in off...

Thanks, Amber. Welcome to the club, huh? :) I'm *trying* to stay positive. It is "just" hair and will grow back, but come on! On a positive note, I have a lot less damage/split ends.

[ktani]

On a positive note, I have a lot less damage/split ends.

I am so sorry this happened. Stay positive though and baby your hair. With damage gone you have a good chance that you will not lose length to breakage and just maybe you have a better growth rate than you thought.

ETA: And change stylists!

[MrsMc]

I am so sorry this happened. Stay positive though and baby your hair. With damage gone you have a good chance that you will not lose length to breakage and just maybe you have a better growth rate than you thought.

ETA: And change stylists!

Thanks! I completely agree and have been taking notes, having lurked around here for awhile. Too bad it took this, to finally get me to post!

[ktani]

Thanks! I completely agree and have been taking notes, having lurked around here for awhile. Too bad it took this, to finally get me to post!

You are very welcome and try and enjoy the fresh start no matter how it happened.

[spidermom]

I really don't understand how this happens. Don't people pay attention to what the stylist is doing?

[dulce]

All I can say is check out the CREACLIP so you can cut at home or check out FEY"S method which has been described on this forum multiple times.If you value your length never entrust your hair to a stylist that you do not know well.I have had many horror stories also ,so now I always cut mine at home.Some stylists are great but a lot aren't and it pays to be wary.

[ktani]

I really don't understand how this happens. Don't people pay attention to what the stylist is doing?

I have had it happen to me, not drastically though. The stylist can start at the back and it can be too late once you realize what has happened. It is a matter of trust - betrayed.

[dulce]

For me it happened as they asked me to remove my glasses,after I explained exactly what I wanted,I even drew a pic.I am blind as a bat without them so when I put them back on,got a nasty shock when I could actually see in the mirror what they did.I did get lasik on my eyes so now no longer need glasses.But I've lost my basic trust in hairdressers.

[ktani]

There are many great stylists out there who do listen and care. They are treasures to be treated with as much care as the length one wants to keep.

It is like any service industry though. If the service is not there and customer service involves listening to a client and if need be agreeing to a request they ETA: (the stylist) - may disagree with from their point of view. If there is no urgent reason to cut more length than requested and I cannot see that happening, a stylist should just do what the client wishes.

Chemical processing is another matter. A stylist trained in that has more obligations to the client.

[supbanana]

I really don't understand how this happens. Don't people pay attention to what the stylist is doing?

I've had this happen twice, so I can speak from my experience. The first time I had a 'horror story' was when I was 15. I had been growing my hair out for three years and it was finally at waist and gorgeous. I went to a stylist and asked for a trim, not knowing any better, and he assured me it would be an inch or so. I walked out with shoulder length hair. I didn't even think to check his work, I just felt snips and thought he was putting in layers or something.

So I grew my hair out until I was 18, with my grandmother trimming it every so often, until it was waist again. I went to another stylist (only later did I find out she was still a student, so totally my fault) and asked for slightly longer than shoulder hair, and showed her with my hand where I wanted it, then made her touch the same place. Of course the first cut was mid-neck length, and there was no saving it. I walked out with a hideous haircut where the longest layers were jaw-length. For the first time in my life I wanted to :hatchet:

Ironically I found an excellent stylist about a month before I joined LHC and no longer needed one.

[jacqueline101]

Poor hair. I know how the wrong hair cut makes you feel.

[MrsMc]

All I can say is check out the CREACLIP so you can cut at home or check out FEY"S method which has been described on this forum multiple times.If you value your length never entrust your hair to a stylist that you do not know well.I have had many horror stories also ,so now I always cut mine at home.Some stylists are great but a lot aren't and it pays to be wary.

You can bet I will be checking that out - needless to say, I am feeling quite leery about hitting a hair salon, anytime soon.

Thanks for all the positive feedback, gals.

[MrsMc]

I really don't understand how this happens. Don't people pay attention to what the stylist is doing?

All I can say is that I was paying attention, but it was too late to do anything at that point. She didn't take off a little and keep going up. She started chopping up high and I was basically screwed at that point. There was no miscommunication. She asked if I wanted a trim or to do something drastic. I specified a trim and said one inch at the most. She repeated it back to me, washed my hair, combed it out and then did her hack job. To add insult to injury, when she was washing my hair, she commented on the fact that I had "super long hair." So much for that!

[shackleford]

In Paris, a stylist cut my top layer up above my ears, put an upside-down V-shape in the back of my hair, and shagged out my curly hair. From almost BSL length hair. He also didn't know I speak almost fluent french, so I heard him talking all kinds of crap about me as he gave me the most hideous haircut of my life.
It gets better. Stay strong dear, and take care of your hair :) good luck to you!

[missoj]

I'm sorry that was terrible work and service. It's understandable if a stylist misjudges the length by 1inch, 2 inched tops, but eight whole inches?! I'd be furious in your position.

[Hollyfire3]

I have been told by a hairdresser that my curly, thick hair was too thin to grow past BSl because the curls woud look bad and that i just needed to except it. I want to prove her wrong. I know my hair is thick because i have measured it plus i have to deal with it. I think the stylist was just jelous because her hair was chin length and half my thickness. It really dicouraged me because i was thinking that curly hair cannot grow long. Then i came here, i am so ready to prove that stylist wrong.

[jeanniet]

I'm thinking it would be a good idea to not only be clear about what you want up front, but also to tell the stylist you've had disasters in the past and will tip very well if they do exactly what you want. I haven't had any problems with stylists in the past, but I would be upset if I asked for something specific and got something drastically different instead.

[MrsMc]

In Paris, a stylist cut my top layer up above my ears, put an upside-down V-shape in the back of my hair, and shagged out my curly hair. From almost BSL length hair. He also didn't know I speak almost fluent french, so I heard him talking all kinds of crap about me as he gave me the most hideous haircut of my life.
It gets better. Stay strong dear, and take care of your hair :) good luck to you!

My word - that's horrific! Hearing all these stories puts things into perspective. It *could* be worse. I would have been beyond furious in that situation. Oh well, I'm counting my blessings. Life's good, I have my health, a roof over my head, friends and family. What more can a person ask for?

[MrsMc]

I'm thinking it would be a good idea to not only be clear about what you want up front, but also to tell the stylist you've had disasters in the past and will tip very well if they do exactly what you want. I haven't had any problems with stylists in the past, but I would be upset if I asked for something specific and got something drastically different instead.

That's a fantastic idea!

[ladonna]

At church there's a lady who give free hair-cut's. I told her I wanted the damage cut off but not too short. So after my visit with her I had layer's under the hemline and layer's on top, plus some wierd butchered fringe. I was talking to my friend about it and she saddly told me how the lady had butchered both her daughter's hair, they both had long pretty hair. The whole time I was with the lady she was telling me how bad long hair is and that hair should be short and styled.

[MrsMc]

At church there's a lady who give free hair-cut's. I told her I wanted the damage cut off but not too short. So after my visit with her I had layer's under the hemline and layer's on top, plus some wierd butchered fringe. I was talking to my friend about it and she saddly told me how the lady had butchered both her daughter's hair, they both had long pretty hair. The whole time I was with the lady she was telling me how bad long hair is and that hair should be short and styled.

Wow. There are no words.shudder:

[alxardnax]

Stylists always cuts off more than I ask but last time was the worst. I went in also asking for 1-2 inches off. She also cut off over 8 inches of my hair and added some weird layer thing.

Hair stylists continually 1). always try to pressure me to donate it all 2). cut off inches more than I ask and 3). act like I have long hair because my family forces it on me which is definatly not the case. They act like I am a weirdo for wanting long hair or that it must be something that is forced upon me. Some "normal" people just happen to like long hair and my hair was always long to some people but compared to many LHCers really wasn't that long. I'd say about tail bone or a little less. Now I have been trying to grow it all out again.

I understand what you are going through but supposedly there are many "long hair friendly" salons you could look up. I just have been through so many bad experiences that I never want to step into a salon again.

[Dragon Faery]

Wow. So many awful stories! :(

I learned my lesson very young. At age 2 or 3 I had cute 3b curls down to my shoulders. My mom took me in to her stylist for my first trim and asked for her to take just an inch off. Of course she totally chopped it. I had a boy's bowl cut and it no longer curled. My mom was pretty mad. She always cut my hair herself after that, until I took over doing it in middle school.

Now she has a different stylist who's totally awesome, very sweet, super-anxious to give everyone EXACTLY the cut they want, AND she's cheap. I live in a totally different state and intend to cut my own hair, but I still go in for a token trim when I visit my parents, just to keep her in business.

Hugs and good luck to everyone, both with growing out horrible mistakes and with finding better stylists (or learning to self-trim)!

[Kelikea]

Has anyone ever had the opposite happen? I went in to a salon and asked for a trim and long side bangs. My hair was all one length and probably close to hip at the time. The stylists flat out refused to cut it because they said I would freak out or something. I guess they had had another woman with long hair come in and freak out over her cut, I guess she was traumatized, so they refused to cut mine. I told them no, I really wanted to try the long side bangs. They smiled and said I wouldn't like it, so no. Huh?

[julliams]

I really don't understand how this happens. Don't people pay attention to what the stylist is doing?

I always thought this too but my last salon experience had mirrors that were only showing from collarbone length up, so I could see how one could lose a whole bunch without noticing. Plus if every time they take a piece, they cut around an inch off, but then they do this repeatedly, the inches come off pretty quick in trying to even it out.

[julliams]

I have been told by a hairdresser that my curly, thick hair was too thin to grow past BSl because the curls woud look bad and that i just needed to except it. I want to prove her wrong. I know my hair is thick because i have measured it plus i have to deal with it. I think the stylist was just jelous because her hair was chin length and half my thickness. It really dicouraged me because i was thinking that curly hair cannot grow long. Then i came here, i am so ready to prove that stylist wrong.

That is so crazy Hollyfire. I had someone in a hair store/salon tell me "that with my thin hair..." I looked at her with my mouth hanging open. "Well, noone has ever told me my hair is thin" This was after someone in another salon had just told me that "with your hair being dry and brittle..." I said "thanks and walked out. I was looking for a BBB and after all that poor advice I gave up and bought at a pharmacy.

[alxardnax]

I really don't understand how this happens. Don't people pay attention to what the stylist is doing?



Well once they take a nice big snip, its a little too late to do anthing about it. and personally my hair was always so long that the stylists would have me stand when they cut my hair and I can't really see what is going on back there then.

[Hollyfire3]

That is so crazy Hollyfire. I had someone in a hair store/salon tell me "that with my thin hair..." I looked at her with my mouth hanging open. "Well, noone has ever told me my hair is thin" This was after someone in another salon had just told me that "with your hair being dry and brittle..." I said "thanks and walked out. I was looking for a BBB and after all that poor advice I gave up and bought at a pharmacy.


Yeah i could not believe mousebrained stylist told me this! I was like, really? My hair is thin? Well i guess i'm a natural blonde too! (sarcasticly of course:D) But seriously, with hair so thick it looks like a cape and is certainly iii, how could they say that? (to either of us) I just can't belive some people, then the stylist insisted i have liek 2 inches cut off and it took nearly 1 hr for me to convince her i wanted AT LEAST WL hair, not BSL only and that she was NOT to cut it all off because she wanted it! I saw your thread on your new haircut, absolutly stunning and amazing! I love it!

[Carissamarie08]

Im lucky to say I have never had a salon horror experience. but I also dont go to them much.

[Maraz]

This thread convinces me to either learn to cut my own or at least leave it to grow however it wants to rather than ever visit a salon again. Or at very least, I'll wait until the mullet goes back out of style. I ended up with one of those hideous things the first time it was trendy, and I hated it.

[Henna Princess]

Because of a bad hair dresser I ended up with hot roots and 12 bleaches/shampoos + bleach in a three day period. :(

The hair dresser's excuse? My hair was too problematic and the reddish base of my natural hair made it impossible for her to color it without getting a red/copper tint.

I decided to try henna afterwards and don't regret it at all. I just washed out a hendigo application and went back to my natural medium-light brown hair color without chemicals or maniac hair dressers :p


I know you feel bad about your hair now, but it will grow and this experience will keep you from going through the same experience again.

[BeautifulSoup]

From my experience, hair stylists never do what you want. It's like they don't listen or just don't care. I always ask for a trim that's less than I actually want; that way it doesn't matter too much if they over-trim.

[auburntressed]

When I was in college, a girl on my floor said she could "trim" my hair for me. She was a trained stylist, so I let her. I made it clear that I wanted no more than an inch at the most taken off. She disagreed, because she said my long hair was ridiculous, and it would look much better short. I told her thanks, but no thanks then. Then she apologized and said she'd still do it, no more than an inch, promise.

So she ripped through my hair with a brush, which alone was enough to make me want to get up and leave. Finally, after yelling at her loudly about it (because she wouldn't listen when I used a softer voice. My volume increased steadily until I was shouting, which was when she finally acted like she heard me for the first time), she stopped with the brush and gathered my hair in her hand. She ran her hand down the length of it to a certain point across my back, and I said, "That's too short. I said no more than an inch." She replied that she knew, she wasn't cutting it there, she was just getting a feel for it.

Next thing I knew... sliiiiiiiice. She had cut straight across where she had her hand held, right where I had JUST TOLD HER it was too short. My hair was now BSL, and I was missing about 14 inches.

I didn't even let her finish "evening it out," because I was terrified she would take off even more length. The stupid dumb butt planned it, then she tried to act like it was all a mistake.

NO stylist is so stupid that they accidentally cut fourteen inches off of a trim that is supposed to only be one inch off the bottom.

[duchesswannabe]

I always thought this too but my last salon experience had mirrors that were only showing from collarbone length up, so I could see how one could lose a whole bunch without noticing. Plus if every time they take a piece, they cut around an inch off, but then they do this repeatedly, the inches come off pretty quick in trying to even it out.

Yes, it can be that quick. When I was a shorthair my stylist suddenly started cutting off a lot of hair by the ears where he hadn't done so during my previous haircut before I even knew his intentions. He was not exactly wrong because I sometimes give him free reign when I want something rather different than what I have been wearing. I ended up enjoying the cut, but frankly it would have given a lot of people heart failure to see that happening in front of them. As it was, I was transfixed with temporary panic.

(Once he even didn't want to give me a trim I requested, but he acquiesced, and I loved it.)

[piffyanne]

Has anyone ever had the opposite happen? I went in to a salon and asked for a trim and long side bangs. My hair was all one length and probably close to hip at the time. The stylists flat out refused to cut it because they said I would freak out or something. I guess they had had another woman with long hair come in and freak out over her cut, I guess she was traumatized, so they refused to cut mine. I told them no, I really wanted to try the long side bangs. They smiled and said I wouldn't like it, so no. Huh?
I've found a stylist here like that. I walked into her shop with my (then) TBL-length hair un-bunned, neatly combed, and ready to go. She took one look at my hair and begged me (in broken English--her family are Greek immigrants) not to make her "cut all your beautiful hair off.":D She cut off EXACTLY what I wanted, and that was that. Careful, though, she's heavy-handed with the hairbrush, and pullllls harrrrrd. ;)

ETA: I only went in for a short trim (1-2 in max), so she didn't have to flat-out refuse, but I thought the anguish in her face fits in with your question.

[Amiblue]

Yep. Had one take my waist length hair to shoulders when my back was to the mirror and I couldn't see anything. When my hair dried and curled, I almost killed him. He didn't have the balls to come out of the back room once he disappeared there. AND, he was the owner of the salon. Needless to say, I never went back.
Later on, had another take off too much and now, I am not going to let anyone touch it. I could have been to classic by now if I had wanted to be there.
Hair does grow. So, keep your head up and smile through it.

[Sunny Elf]

I've only been to a salon once, and this was to get a few layers in my hair. My hair was shoulder length at the time and I clearly told her I wanted my shortest layer at least jaw length. Well, she went about cutting and i couldn't see what she was doing because she had me take off my glasses. After she was done I saw that she had cut my shortest layers so short that they didn't even reach my ears! :( and there was a HUGE pile of hair on the floor, way more than I'd wanted off...It also wasn't a good cut for my wurly hair. It would have been okay for straight hair, but wurly hair, no way! She also took about an inch off the bottom that I didn't want her to. I'd probably be at APL if not for that...

[gothicchick]

this really is terrible. I'm training to be a hairdresser and i couldn't imagine doing this to anyone. I think it's because my hair is long myself (mid-back) that i appreciate the effort into growing it. My co-workers keep telling me to cut three inches off mine (they all have short hair)

asking you to leave the salon is also terrible. you do have a right to complain. Leaving the salon with roots visible means they hadn't taken into account the best colour to use to cover both roots and exsisting coloured lengths

i am so very sorry to hear this :(

is it possible for you to go back to the shop and make a real fuss? because this really is terrible

[Sunsailing]

From my experience, hair stylists never do what you want. It's like they don't listen or just don't care. I always ask for a trim that's less than I actually want; that way it doesn't matter too much if they over-trim.

I've only had one bad experience, back when I was in 6th grade (and my hair was short).

My stylist takes off EXACTLY what I ask for. I've talked to her about these discussions over stylists "doing their own thing" and not listening to the client. She said that she has never heard of that, since it is a customer service industry.

Some of these problems stem from a person going to a different stylist every time. Once you find a stylist you like, stick with them! ONLY go to that person and tip them well!
If you just walk into salons and take any available stylist, well then you're just spinning the wheel of chance. I ask yourself..."Do I feel lucky today?"

Moving to a new town would be hard. Don't be afraid to ask strangers where they get their hair cut. I believe most people would find it complimentary.

[Celtic Morla]

I have had many bad haircuts. I have a wide round face and everyone think sit should be short and losts of layers. During the 8-'s they kept chopping it into a Princess Di! Worst part was after a car accident I had hair that was about mid back and went for a shaping to feel better-ended up with th eP.D haircut again!. Then I chopped it all off to get rid fo dye and in the late part of 2008 decided to start growing it bacl, Sometimes went for trims and got too much taken off decided to stop going to stylists as they never listened! As a Dog Groomer I find it hard to not try to do exactly what a customer wants! I ahve cut my DH and DC's hair for years and now I just want someone to dust my hair! Going to ask DD to try aftermy next wash!

[coffinhert]

If you can cut dog hair, you can cut your own hair probably. Start with cutting very small amounts off, like 1/4", and you'll figure it out. There's lots of tutorials online.

[NaiadOreiad]

I just went in to an old favorite salon (in a town i am visiting) and the bangs that i got I LOvE but she wet cut the back and ended up hacking off more than 2 whole inches. I asked for 1 cm. URGH! But I guess I needed to remove damage anyway. Le sigh.

[Artsygirl71]

Sorry that happened to you :(
I haven't had an experience like that, but...
when my sister was in beauty school I agreed to let her cut my hair. Long story short, I had mid back length and ended up with a pixie. This was the late 80's so Pixie wasn't the "in" style.....I was in high school.....it was terrible....
Needless to say, I have not let my sister cut my hair again even though she is a great stylist now......I guess I am scarred for life..LOL:cheese:

[Leseratte]

My mom got her hair layered a few years back, and then again last year. Thankfully the people at the salon were more over cautious, where they would stop cutting before the top layer was as short as we wanted it. They did gradually shorten it, until it was just right. It looks great on Mom! That was a salon in Walmart. As a funny side note, almost every other person (except the people who were cutting Mom's hair) had a wacky hair cut/color! Mom wasn't quite sure she wanted them cutting her hair!

[sarah061]

I love reading salon horror stories, it always convinces me that I really do not need to go back there for a "trim"!

Now that my hair is long enough I'm totally cutting it myself, foreverrrrrr :)

[InkBones]

I don't have a personal horror story, but I can share my mother's.

I kind of feel guilty about it, because it was my stylist who did the deed. Now, I started with my stylist the day I decided to do a big chop to remove damage so I can grow my hair out healthy. He was fantastic, did evddything to a T and gave me the perfect bob I asked for.
Fast forward three months. My mother, who has type iii, white chocolate waist+ length hair (so gorgeous people stop her on the streets daily), decides she needs a trim and face-framing layers. She decides to go see my stylist because he followed my directions so perfectly. Long story short, the man turned her gorgeous blunt hemline into strandy shreds, and chopped it a good 6-7 inches. I came to learn that this man has a personal angst against long hair. He told my mom that it was good that it wasn't so long anymore. When I tolf him I'm growing out to hip, he answered in an almost revolted tone, ”Why in the WORLD would you want that?!!!”

Needless to say, after complaining up a storm and shedding quite a few tears with my mom because I felt so bad, we will never be returning to a salon again. I will be trimming her locks from now on. I'm even sharing growth secrets from here with her. In due time, her hair will be back to its beautiful self.

[InkBones]

Oh my! I apologize for the typos. My tablet is a bit sensitive...:o

[kidari]

I cannot believe that a one inch trim became an 8 inch chop! That's almost unbelievable, seriously. The only reason why I don't go to salons anymore is because it's like playing Russian roulette. I've had the most amazing stylists I regularly saw living in a different state as well as some monsters who seemed to hate me for no reason and tried their best to butcher my hair: the worst was when they heated up old fashioned curling tongs way too hot and literally burned pieces of my hair. Even the best stylists on a bad day will not do a great job on your hair. They're human and it's just impossible to read your mind or remember exactly what they did for you the last time, etc. I know that when I do my hair at home I do it on a day when I'm not tired, I'm in a good mood, and I have a lot of time to myself to do it right.

[Mai Gloeckchen]

Two stories:

1.
I was 14, my fringe was growing out and had reached chinlength. The rest of my hair was about BSL. I went to a hairstylist und asked her to make it fit. I wanted a deep V-shape. But she cut off everything below chinlength straight across. I got a bob and I really hated it. :(

2. Close before I learned to trim myself. I wanted a "trim", just to keep the hemline neat. I showed her exactly the length (1cm / ~1/2 ") and told her, that I wanted to let my hair grow longer. She cut off about four to fivetimes more and was really busy to broom the cut off tips into the bin. Nevertheless a saw how much was missing. As I was angry she only shrugged and said: "Still long, or not?"
Yesssss, still long! :mad: But you have killed my growth of almost half a year, you nasty...!
I did not swear at her, but sometimes I think I should have done so. I should have gone straight out of the shop as I saw the filth on the floor und the black curly hairs left in the brushes... but it was a cheap cut and I did not have so much money then.

That was the last time a hairstylist put his/her fingers on my hair. I trim on my own now for two years and it works very well. :) And it is much cheaper.

[MonaLisa]

Indeed a great reminder never to go back to that...it's such a risk..

I have several stories..well 3 that I sure will remember..
1 of them was pretty neat, I went for a trim with hip length hair..said I want an inch off...and walked out with BSL hair or a bit shorter, she even said ' i cut off a bit more than you asked for', just like that....
I didn't care too much then, I wanted waist/hip length, not more.. but it did feel sooo bad..
like someone stole something valuable...

the 2nd is..about getting bangs and a bit of layers, I said I didn't want whole hair to be layered, but just the very top layer a bit shorter...she cut it to my ears..no blending in no nothing...I wanted to scream when she did that..
However, it actually looked ok and it was fun to have fake bob for a while...I didn't hate it, but definitely not what i told her/wanted..

and the 3rd...most recent..i just wanted a small trim and the previously mentioned layer was around shoulder length..rest was almost hip length..she decided on her own..to do *proper* layers..so layered everything from shoulder to almost hip...ye, she spared the length...but literally it looked like 10 hairs were in my longest layer..it looked so thin and damaged... I had to cut 2 inches off, 2 times...to make it look decent.

[diamantenstaub]

I will never ever go to a hair stylist again. I haven't been for almost a half year and then in late January my friends recommended me this amazing stylist. So I made this appointment and everything was good first. Then he started to comb my hair but he could not. As he was not carefully enough, he made lots of knots and really pulled and pulled and soon there were 100 of hairs in his comb. I had almost tears in my eyes as it hurt so much... I told him to stop - of course :o After this appointment my hair was really really in a bad shape! :rolleyes:

[noelgirl]

I've found a stylist here like that. I walked into her shop with my (then) TBL-length hair un-bunned, neatly combed, and ready to go. She took one look at my hair and begged me (in broken English--her family are Greek immigrants) not to make her "cut all your beautiful hair off.":D She cut off EXACTLY what I wanted, and that was that. Careful, though, she's heavy-handed with the hairbrush, and pullllls harrrrrd. ;)

ETA: I only went in for a short trim (1-2 in max), so she didn't have to flat-out refuse, but I thought the anguish in her face fits in with your question.

Is this stylist near Chicago by any chance? :cheese:

[hairyfan21]

Well, I'm a guy and I've never had my hair that long at all. But I can imagine that would be a sad thing to happen if I were a woman and I had long hair and they cut too much hair.

[styric]

I'm another who says very slowly and clearly to a stylist that if they cut more than I ask, I will shave their head, not pay, and then stand outside the store with a sign calling them butchers. And if they cut it right, they'll get a minimum 50% tip.

I had to start that when I had a couple butchers. I think they either hated long hair, or they saw it as a virgin canvas for their artwork. I've had a few BEG to cut mine short in the latest style and wonder at my expression of horror.

[melusine963]

That's terrible! I get my hair trimmed once a year, and last time was right when I discovered the LHC and decided to start doing things right. I had quite a bit of damage and a rather dramatic braid taper at the time. I asked for four inches to be taken off, but the stylist took it upon herself to cut 8. I know my hair was a lot thinner at the ends, but I really wanted to keep it long and trim the ends off gradually. So there went a whole year's progress in one fell swoop. I think this year I'll show my sister the self-trim instructions from this site and ask her to trim it for me. She can't possible yo a worse job than that hairdresser...

[Swan 92]

I don't understand why they do this. A month ago I wanted a trim because the ends were looking really thin. It was going to be the first trim I had all year.

I told the stylist this much with my fingers: One inch.

I came in with about 32 in length then left with 29. Sure it's not a lot compared to what you had to go to..:( But I started my hair journey with 27 around aug 2011.

[Swan 92]

:D *through.
Sorry.

[Rosethorn]

These horror stories are so sad. Now I'm even more paranoid about salons.

[gretchen_hair]

Did anyone else but me realize that this thread was started in May 2011 and that the OP is no longer a member?

[icallitbliss]

I asked for an a-line bob one time, and ended up with practically a little longer than a pixie. During the cut, I found out the stylist was someone I knew from high school, so by the end of it I felt like I would have been a bitch if I complained.

So I just lived with it, and was miserable for about 6 months.

But 8 inches?? I would have called and spoken to the manager/supervisor about that woman. There's no reason to take off that much hair. I don't know why stylists can't do what they're told to do, and if they can't do it, tell them, so the client can find somewhere that can. But I realize they want their money...so they'll tell you anything.

Luckily my stylist now is someone that's been a family friend for years, and I trust her immensely.

[Avital88]

it sounds bad!
But were you sleeping while she was cutting you?
I dont want to be rude or mean, but i cant understand how you can not notice someone cutting your hair to chinlength:s

[Bunnysaur]

Last time I went for a cut, in early August, I told my stylist I wanted it chin-length. I walked out with a pixie on one side and chin length on the other!

[ladyshep]

Awwww, so sorry to her about your terrible experience. :(

[ladyshep]

Did anyone else but me realize that this thread was started in May 2011 and that the OP is no longer a member?


Huh, you're right!

[heidi w.]

The original poster's account has been closed, it appears. But I'm still going to reply for the benefit of other readers.

I would imagine that most know to complain to the manager of a salon that hairdressers behave this way in. They're offering no service, and the service provided will affect everyone's chair that is rented in the salon and affect the money the salon makes.

This hairdresser is inexperienced. If one does not wish to confront or complain in person, then taking the name of the hair dresser, and the address of the salon is suitable and then write a letter of complaint.

This does happen and it's most unfortunate when it does, and it further is why I think that interviewing the stylist and coming to an understanding BEFORE sitting in the chair is super important, even if you say a measurement for a "Trim". You want to be sure that someone isn't scissor happy!

Ask to speak to other long haired clients.
Ask if they have any other clients with long hair.
Ask in regards to their personal experience with long hair.

Ask lots of questions. The more you talk the more you get a feel for the "Who" that stylist is. And even if they're giving you lip service, you can feel if they're trustworthy or not. Go with your gut. Do not risk the loss of years of growth with your hair.

heidi w.

[dragaica]

bad experience - but a common one - even 8":(
DO IT YOUR SELF - I could never control how much they chop - the hair dressers.
the more hair I have- the more they cut - and by split or damaged... they understand a lot, because you have alot of hair....- that happened to me.
I"m finally going to mid length -because I trim myself - with care.:p
don't worry -it will grow.

[piffyanne]

Is this stylist near Chicago by any chance? :cheese:

Yes my miraclestylist is near Chicago. I'll PM you. Sorry I didn't notice your question until now.

[pocketfulla]

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. This was really awful.

I moved to a new town and after a while wanted my hair colored and trimmed so I went to a salon and asked for 1-2 inch trim. The stylist cut 8 inches off my hair, blunt across so it couldn't be blended downwards... She also dyed it but the root is still clearly visible... I basically have a mullet now. When I told her I wasn't happy with the cut and it wasn't what I asked for, she told me to leave the salon.

Has anyone else growing their hair out had a stylist cut it all off by "accident" ? I'm kinda upset... My hair was upper back length and now it's chin length.. I had spent 2 years growing it out :(

This is terrible! I hope you didn't pay for it! :(

Pretty much every time I go to the hair dressers I get a cut that I'm not happy with! Nothing this extreme, though.

[Messyhair]

When my 3" trim became a 12" trim, I had to wait until the manager was back off vacation to complain. When I did, she just said that the particular hairdresser involved is the one that cuts her hair and she always does a good job. That's all she would say. So that was pointless.

ETA: I do all of my trims myself now. I can't get the shape I had previously, but I keep my length!