Comments on: How Many Red Flags Does It Take? (The Very Bad Haircut)

By: K

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 21:14:58 +0000

I too now know what it feels like to cry and cry after a bad haircut. The worst part of the whole experience, which I still can’t seem to get over even after almost 3 months, is that this is the same hair stylist that I have been going to for almost 13 years. I have never been one, especially after 2 kids and bills etc. to pamper myself a lot, especially when it costs over a $130 per visit . In fact, because I have always worn my hair mostly long and it is so thick that I used to only get it cut about 3 to 4 times a year. This stylist has always been nice and I almost go to sleep when I am in her chair. I am not very much of a complainer of my hair and have never ever called a stylist back and complained after a hair cut. I just deal with it if it’s a little to short or the color of my is a little off, it will grow and I will adjust. Back in May of this year I decided to do cut my long hair to shoulder length and put more blonde than brown in it. I haven’t had blond hair in 20yrs because my husband liked brown on me and plus blonde is more expensive to keep up. My husband ended up loving the blonde and he said I needed to start pampering myself more so I went back every 6 weeks and it got blonder and blonder. I was getting compliment after compliment on how much better I looked with blonde hair. I had not felt this good about my hair since before I had children. I even sent a few referrals her way. So from May to October I had seen her 4 times. I always try to get my apt at 8 am on Sat morning with her, because it usually takes her 2 to 3 hours to do my hair, because she works in other people in between other clients and I got tired of using up vacation time from work during the week. Yes, she is slow but I keep going back because I have never been really been disappointed in her work, until 3 months ago. #1. She works in another client at 8 (my time slot), thisperson was going for pictures at lunch that day and was in desperate need of a haircut and color….which put me 45 mins late getting in the chair. I sat quietly on the couch for my turn. She asked me like always was it just going to be a trim and color and I said yes. I told her that I loved the color my hair was now and I had had so many compliments on it and I hadn’t felt this good about my appearance in a while. She always writes down my color in her apt book so she got the colors together and started foiling my hair. By the time she is finished I have 75-100 foils in my hair and find out that her long distance boyfriend of several years is moving in with her the next day. She seems very pre-occupied with everything she has to do over the next few days. I didn’t think anything about it though, that is just her personality. She rinses foils out and says, “oh yes this color looks great”. No worries, right? Then comes the cut. She has always cut my hair the John Freida way, by flipping it over and cutting it upside down, because my hair is so thick. No worries, right? While she is cutting my hair I can hear her talking to someone, so when she finally flips my hair over I can see an older woman sitting in the chair next to her. This is her next client….that came 30 minutes early for her apt….So instead of respecting me and my time that I am paying for and sitting on the couch in the reception area, she feels the need to invade my time. Not happy with older lady but all should still be good with my hair, right? She proceeds to dry it and I reminded her I don’t like hairspray again and to just blow dry it wavy. I am almost asleep by the time she is finished drying it and I smell hairspray…I said “Remember I don’t like hairspray….” She soon finished and turned me around. Let me just say that it was all I could to not bust out crying right then and there, must less speak. I think it was several long seconds before I could speak, but I am sure my expression and my eyes said it all. I finally mumbled out “It’s…It’s BROWN AGAIN and I have BANGS!…..I guess I caught her by surprise with my reaction because like I said I never complain about my hair. NEVER… This was totally not even close by a long shot to what we discussed in the beginning, nor what she had been doing for the last 6 MONTHS with my hair! I told her it was a combination of an 80/90’s haircut and was so high with hairspray. Then she after knowing she screwed up I am sure, said Isn’t this what you asked for? I said I told you when I came in here how much I LIKED MY BLONDE HAIR NOW. Then she finally admitted that she must have done 2 brown foils to 1 blonde foil. I guess the girl that got worked in that morning, helped with that, because she was sitting in the next chair chirping in on our conversation the whole time she was foiling my hair. Then the old lady was chirping while my hair was getting cut. My hairstylist started saying we will get this fixed before you leave…I have already been there 3 hours! At this point I ready to get up and walk out. She insisted on making the color right but had no explanation for the awful cut.(I still cannot get my bangs behind my ears and it’s been almost 3 months.) She said she would get another stylist there that she really trusted to put blonde on all the brown pieces. I reluctantly said ok and sat there for another 3 hours for him to try to fix the color and for him to restyle it and hope that the little curling iron he had to use was not going to burn my forehead because, yes my bangs were that short. I was there for 6 hours and I, by the grace of God, didn’t bust out crying until I got in my car. My hair has gone from thick, fast growing and tamable to THIN, SLOW GROWING and A FRIZZY MESS. I finally got calm enough to call her around Thanksgiving and show her what my hair looked like. I told her in all the years she’s been cutting my hair that I have never been so disappointed and I don’t know what happened that day but my hair has went from wonderful to nothing but stressful. I now have to curl my bangs every to get them to lay even halfway decent because I too have a cowlick in the front and that’s why BANGS don’t work on me… I guess I just want her to come out and say “Yes, I had too many things going on that day and Yes, I screwed up your hair. I know everyone makes mistakes, but she’s been in this business for over 25 years and knows how I wear my hair and how I DON”T. I have cried many tears over this and when people ask me why I cut my hair so short it gets me worked up about it again. I do apologize for such a long comment but when I checked on your blog and read about what happened to you, I had the urge to vent. Again I am sorry for such a long comment and I really like the pixie hair cut on you and your pics are always so nice. I know its hard to find just the right fit with a hair dresser but maybe you will find it soon. God Bless!

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 16:43:02 +0000

Shan! I love your blog! WHY did I not see this before! I have to weigh in here because this is close to my heart. Since moving to Prosper in 2010, I have been through NO LESS then 12 hair stylists. I went to high dollar, small & cozy, big chain, you-name-it salons, and never could find the right fit. I would show them pictures and the cut never looked like the picture, or I would give instruction (please don’t use the razor thing on me, my hair is thick and I want a cut that shows off and flatter the thickness, do not try to thin it out, it doesn’t work just makes it harder to lay down. I know this because I’ve had this hair for 45 years!!…and then they would try to do it anyway. ugh!) Then I started to wonder if it was me because I was the common denominator in all these bad, boring, un-flattering haircuts. You would think in North Dallas/Frisco you could find a great hairstylist!
I finally broke down and decided I was going to get a good cut no matter the price. I was tired of spending money and being disappointed. I paid a LOT of money for the owner and top stylist at a certain salon in Frisco named “D Magazine Best of” for a cut/color and this was quite possibly the worst of all my experiences. I literally got in my car and cried. I will share the actual details with you later, but I guess my point is, a lot of money and a magazines stamp of approval means nothing.
I just went to a new guy (in Nov) in Plano off the toll way named Gabriel. YES! Four years later I STILL have not found a hairdresser. He looks promising, and I liked the cut/color ok but I usually have to go to someone at least twice, sometimes 3 times, before I know for sure.
I will keep you posted. A girl I work with also just mentioned she found a guy in Dallas trained by Jose Eber personally and she really likes him. But…Dallas from Prosper….every four to six weeks….hmmm.

By: Charlene

Charlene — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 01:58:48 +0000

Oh I really understand a bad haircut. I am dealing with bad haircut #2 in the last 10 weeks, no lie. Haircut # 1 was at an upscale salon. Got one of the “experienced” stylists specializing in French haircuts ( whatever that is). The haircut wasn’t terrible, just not quite right. I gave it 4 weeks, but not leaving well enough alone, I decide it needed tweaking. So I decide to go to the place who does my co-workers hair. The owner ( who I know) isn’t there but another stylist can fit me in the next day (RED FLAG). So, I tell her exactly what needs the tweaking. My sides were shoulder length but choppy where I like soft layers and the back is a longer Lisa Rinna shag/chop. Sounds pretty simple right? Let me tell you what I have now….my sides are now chin length with one side choppy like Lisa Rinna’s and the other side slightly longer and thicker.My back is now at collarbone length and still shaggy/ choppy, just shorter. Kinda like a paint brush squeezed together. And there was something not quite right about my bangs. 5 weeks later I figure out what it is. She cut a chunk of hair in my longer layer. Guess she thought it was supposed to be a bang part. Now I’m a 50 year old woman who has resorted to clip barrettes to look somewhat normal. Guess now is a good time to try to grow out my bangs. And my layers? They’re not soft and movable. Now they are thick & flat at the ends. So…I really sympathize with you. I ended up calling a salon my bosses wife goes to. In 3 weeks, I have the owner try to do something with this vile mess. I used to go to this salon a long time ago and to get an appointment with him was weeks out. I guess all the begging I did, they felt sorry for me. If all goes well I’ll give an update. If not, I’ll be living in a cave for the next 6 months.

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 19 Dec 2014 11:23:33 +0000

I finally found a stylist that doesn’t charge $100 per cut and I really like her. She works from home but the last cut she gave me I did NOT like, she layered my hair which is growing out for a wedding next year without asking me. I didn’t want these silly layers and am tempted just to go back to my pixie I dislike this cut so much it feels clunky and awkward.

My favourite stylist moved away when we lived south a few years ago and I was devastated! It was like a break up! After her I had a string of disappointing haircuts. Ugh!

Hoping you can find someone local that makes you feel comfortable very, VERY soon.
xx

By: Dana

Dana — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 15:32:27 +0000

My hair is really, really difficult and I’ve had so many horrible haircuts I can’t even count. Once I did say, “STOP- and walked out.” It only takes one swipe to get a disaster! Unlike you, my hair does NOT grow quickly and so it takes time to undo the bad cuts. I’ve had stylists cuss at my hair and at least 3 have refused to cut it at all. I had a wonderful stylist in TX who once said, “If my instructor saw me cut your hair I would have flunked” because you can’t cut mine using ‘normal’ techniques. Like you, moving caused anxiety — who will cut it next? Even hairdressers that are highly recommended can’t cut my hair. I almost always have to redo it if someone else does it so finally I learned to cut my own hair. I don’t have a lot of option with the style — just if it’s longer or shorter. If it looks bad it’s my fault — I can live that easier than when I pay big bucks and get a mess. Your hair is so versatile and looks good long, short and in between. Your hair looked really nice in the picture taken with your cousin when she was here for the roller derby. But from the pictures you posted now I can see why you are frustrated. That’s the challenge of a short cut— keeping it trimmed and shaped. Longer hair is a little more forgiving. P.S. I still smile when I see you as a blonde!

By: Cheryl Beaty

Cheryl Beaty — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 03:12:40 +0000

Shannon, I’m sorry this happened to you. I can understand, as I remember one haircut in particular that I had in Branson while we were camping. I really liked the girl but she took a long time to cut it and I figured it was because we were both enjoying the conversation. But when I left, I was appalled and it took a while to grow it out in order to get it shaped by someone who knew what they were doing. May I suggest that you not give up on your pixie haircut since it does flatter you so much. Try someone else first. Keep asking friends for referrals. That is the best way to find someone good. If you like the way one of them wears their hair, that is who you want to get a recommendation from. I suggest that one bad haircut should not do you in. Love you. You do such a good job of styling your own hair, I know you can deal with it until it grows a little more and you can find someone else. Just my 2 cents. Take it or leave it. Just remember, even if you grow it out, eventually you will have to get it trimmed or cut and it will be the same issue then, finding the right hair stylist. How our hair looks is very important to both of us. I have always felt strongly about my hair. My Dad used to fuss at me when I would say, “Don’t mess up my hair.” I will never forget that. I agree with your red flags. It is always easier to see them after the fact. It is a good learning experience for the next shop you go into and start assessing. Love, Mom