What Do You Do When You Get a Bad Haircut?

August 2, 2007

We've all experienced it: That moment when your stylist swivels your chair and you see your new haircut... and it's completely not what you wanted. How do you usually handle the situation?

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43 Comments

2 years

I'm still in shock as I returned to Pro-cuts to vehemently complain about a simple cut that turned into the haircut from hell... the manager denied she cut my hair and insisted I went home and cut it myself... HUH WHAT THE HECK! the whole time I was in the chair I was being recorded by another stylist as I explained what took place the day I went in for a simple blunt cut to the shoulders..."careful not to cut too much because my hair is naturally curly...I said to the MANAGER" to my horror the manager denied the whole thing. apparently there was a camera watching me... IF THIS IS TRUE as god is my witness the manager made a huge mistake on my cut and now I was told I am no longer permitted to step foot on their property... ARE YOU NUTS! OMG my head is spinning right now... I truly feel like I stepped out of a nightmare... WHAT JUST HAPPENED... DIZZY IN NEW MEXICO

josiebean 4 years

some of my best haircuts i actually do myself!

phree2b 5 years

I use to stay quite then go home and hate my hair and myself. I have learned to speak up now especially since my Divorce. Money is hard to come by and People won't like you more if your a door mat. You may as well speak your truth but remember to be mindful of others.

Peyote 5 years

I wish more of us had the courage to speak up! I only recently began doing so, and, needless to say, I've been much happier with my hair. When trying to fix it myself, I usually just botched it up worse.

MamaD 5 years

I've gone to the person to cut my hair for 22 years so we communicate very well. I think that's the reason I don't get bad haircuts! And when I want a change, she doesn't start cutting until we're in agreement of what I want.

baby ballerina 5 years

aghh ! don't try to fix it yourself. unless you know exactly what you're doing. if you don't mind spending more money- then go to another hair-salon and explain everything. if you don't have the time or money to go back - experiment with different ways you can style your hair (or try hair products), and wait until it grows out a little. if you are not sure about a colour, do not ask for permanent dye! ask for semi-permanent at the salon or buy a wash-out from the supermarket and try it yourself at home, before going permanent so you can see if you like it. you have to make sure you tell the hairdressers exactly what you want. find a picture or something if it's easier than to explain. when i did hairdressing, there were so many people who didn't explain properly and just said "yeah" and "i don't know" to everything. it's better to ask a tonne of questions and make things clear, than to just agree to things you're not sure about, and blame the hairdresser if it doesn't turn out the way you want it to!

Chihaz 5 years

I wish I had the guts to speak up afterwards, but I never do. Usually I don't do anything too extreme so as soon as I get home it's fixable. I try to get all my don't-wants out of the way before the haircut is even underway. Par example, "please don't use a razor to cut my hair," "I don't want it shorter than my chin," "I don't want blunt bangs," etc. and I think that's made a significant difference in my hair experiences.

Laleycole 5 years

I usually don't say anything, but secretly wonder how I'm going to fix the monstrosity they leave me with. I recently got a BAD haircut with my normal stylist. I brought in a picture of the hairstyle I wanted, and also pointed out a girl in the salon whose hair was exactly as I pictured mine being. I wanted a cute layered bob, SLIGHTLY longer in the front than in the back; the front of the hair was to be chin length, and was to gradually get a little shorter towards the back of my head. She said she thought it would look good on me and would work well with the texture of my hair. Well...she absolutely butchered me. Not only was it not the style I had been so explicit about, it was about three inches shorter than I wanted. I ended up with a blunt cut, semi-layered "bob" that just grazed the bottom of my earlobes. She had to even shave the back of my neck for this haircut! Plus, the layers (if you would call them that) were uneven and choppy, not the sleek layers I was looking for. It seriously looks like someone just took chunks out of my hair. I was seriously upset, but I did not want to hurt her feelings or raise h*ll about it (how nice of me right?). She has done so well with my hair before, but this time was a total disaster. I really did not say anything because there is no way of fixing it-- other than cutting it much shorter. It's just really upsetting. Guess I'll just wait for it to grow out, but I do not plan on going back to her again.

Laleycole 5 years

I usually don't say anything, but secretly wonder how I'm going to fix the monstrosity they leave me with.I recently got a BAD haircut with my normal stylist. I brought in a picture of the hairstyle I wanted, and also pointed out a girl in the salon whose hair was exactly as I pictured mine being. I wanted a cute layered bob, SLIGHTLY longer in the front than in the back; the front of the hair was to be chin length, and was to gradually get a little shorter towards the back of my head. She said she thought it would look good on me and would work well with the texture of my hair. Well...she absolutely butchered me. Not only was it not the style I had been so explicit about, it was about three inches shorter than I wanted. I ended up with a blunt cut, semi-layered "bob" that just grazed the bottom of my earlobes. She had to even shave the back of my neck for this haircut! Plus, the layers (if you would call them that) were uneven and choppy, not the sleek layers I was looking for. It seriously looks like someone just took chunks out of my hair. I was seriously upset, but I did not want to hurt her feelings or raise h*ll about it (how nice of me right?). She has done so well with my hair before, but this time was a total disaster. I really did not say anything because there is no way of fixing it-- other than cutting it much shorter. It's just really upsetting. Guess I'll just wait for it to grow out, but I do not plan on going back to her again.

zc 5 years

ill say something but aftre that attemp id leave it and wait for it to grow.

angel0950 5 years

i've been unfortunate with my haircuts and have always left displeased. usually, i'd just wait until it grows out or go elsewhere to get it fixed (not always the best solution). however, my coworkers encouraged me to speak up about my most recent haircut and i had the stylist try to "fix" what she couldnt do and what she did do. it definitely came out better than the first cut but still not what i wanted. i think it's a definite must to speak up or else they dont know what went wrong. can they really fix the damage they've done? most likely not. deeeep sigh.

JaimeLeah526 5 years

I always love my haircut when I leave the salon but once I get home I have serious regrets. My last haircut was just horrible. I don't dare let anyone go near it to fix it in case I end up with shorter hair. I'm going to cosmetology school in the fall and I'm definitely going to keep people away from my the hair scissors unless I just get a trim. They can try color and styling on my hair but not cutting.

ktownpolarbear 5 years

i got one bad haircut almost 4 months ago, and i didn't speak up. didn't know what to say other than to just smile and vow never to step foot in that salon. sigh, 4 months later, i'm still waiting for the damage to grow out.

bandages 5 years

When I first started to go to salons I took the advice of my friend to go to this place. The first time I went there the lady did a good job. I kept going there because of the friend's suggestion and she said that, "all of them are good," and I totally trusted her. I got a few different people after that, but I persisted with this salon. Finally the last straw was when I went there to get my hair cut and I showed him pictures of what I wanted. He didn't even look at them and he made me look like a douchebag newscaster. Some things I learned about hairdressers: 1. If they have ugly hair, don't go to them; the have shitty taste. 2. See someone your age. If you're young and you want a pob, they will make you look like your english teacher from high school and be completely proud of that. 3. Look for a Salon that fits your style. If you are sleek and sophisticated, find a place like that. If you are punky and quirky, find a hairdresser who shares a look like yours. 4. You get what you pay for. You can't complain if you went to some crappy place for $15. 5. Trust your gut more than your friend. If you think the place is going to suck, it probably will. Luckily, I ended up finding a great place to fix my hair and I have been going there ever since.

bandages 5 years

When I first started to go to salons I took the advice of my friend to go to this place. The first time I went there the lady did a good job. I kept going there because of the friend's suggestion and she said that, "all of them are good," and I totally trusted her. I got a few different people after that, but I persisted with this salon.Finally the last straw was when I went there to get my hair cut and I showed him pictures of what I wanted. He didn't even look at them and he made me look like a douchebag newscaster.Some things I learned about hairdressers:1. If they have ugly hair, don't go to them; the have shitty taste.2. See someone your age. If you're young and you want a pob, they will make you look like your english teacher from high school and be completely proud of that.3. Look for a Salon that fits your style. If you are sleek and sophisticated, find a place like that. If you are punky and quirky, find a hairdresser who shares a look like yours.4. You get what you pay for. You can't complain if you went to some crappy place for $15.5. Trust your gut more than your friend. If you think the place is going to suck, it probably will.Luckily, I ended up finding a great place to fix my hair and I have been going there ever since.

dancingbarefoot 5 years

I've only had one bad experience and normally I'm not one to say anything. But I was really sick, it was the summer and my long hair was making everything hurt (Not physically but I couldn't cope with the feel of it brushing my skin when I was sick as a dog)worse. So I went to the hairdresser and happened to see a photo of the old haircut of Victoria Beckham's (the short hair cut like Demi Moore's Ghost haircut). I brought the magazine with me and said please this one. The woman cutting my hair was larger than me and rudely said "With your facial shape, I wouldn't do that." all fine and good, it's what hairdressers were supposed to do. But in the mood I was in and the fact hers looked like a rusted weedwacker had taken everything off of her head, I just lost it. Once she was finished talking to me, I smiled very nicely then said "And I thank you for your advice, but when you're able to deal with your hair, i'll listen to you. But in the meantime, I want my hair that short and as I'm paying for it. This is what I want." My mother's jaw hit the floor because normally I don't say boo, but morale of the story, don't be snippy with someone who's sitting there with a long running case of summer cold tinged with an ear infection LOL The manager just laughed while this went on, but when I went back a few weeks later for highlights, I did notice that the woman was no longer there.

kelli07 5 years

I just got a bad cut and am depressed. I wanted to get it layered but keep a longish length. Now half my hair is cut short in the back, and half is long.

sugarbecky 5 years

I've had two horrible haircuts- the first one was just so badly done that I didn't want the stylist to try to "fix" it, so I went to another stylist who said she couldn't imagine how the first stylist had gotten a license (it was cut jaggedly, uneven layers- it was a total mess). The stylist who fixed the disaster cut was actually my stylist for about a year until I moved. The second was not in itself a bad haircut, but I specifically told the girl that I wanted a bob, but not shorter in the back than in the front; well, the front was shoulder length and the back was so short, it was practically shaved. There was no salvaging that 'do, so I had to let it grow out. I was scissor-shy for about two years, and have since found a stylist who never let me down.

smp7328 5 years

i went to a place that i had gone to several times and had my hair really short, but this time the chick decided to give me bangs. what the hell?!?! it was on my birthday and i was totally freaking out. i was in tears when i left and i had my best friend help me try to fix my hair differently in the bathroom because it looked like crap. i was totally horrified.

nikkih 5 years

I've had a problem recently that wasn't the stylist's fault, but mine. I told her I wanted bangs (trying to be trendy) and when she finished, I remembered why I haven't had them since junior high...they look silly on me!! I just thanked her for doing what I asked her to do. Now I'm styling them back to blend in with the rest of my hair until they grow out to a more decent length.

anony1111 5 years

i never got a bad haircut, my hair is simple, long with some layers. but if i did get a bad haircut, i would definitely speak up and never go to that stylist again.

quietriott 5 years

i always try to talk it out and ask questions while they are doing it so to avoid having some sort of disaster. my hairdresser always has me facing the mirror and he moves around the chair in order to cut it, so that i can see what is going on. i always make sure i explain what i am looking for in the cut and what type of styling i am capable of doing (this took a while) and asking honestly if what i want will look good on me. though i've given pictures of celebrities whose hair cuts i have liked, they rarely are good for my hair. i've learned the hard way that i will never have long pin straight hair and that i need to work with what i have.

liliesandlyla 5 years

I'm always so scared of hairdressers (don't ask me why), so i'll keep quiet, go home and salvage the situation. But again, if i'm looking for a new hairstyle, i usually bring my own photos to tell them what i want.

katlovesclothes 5 years

I post honest assessmants on www.yelp.com, www.citysearch.com and craigslist.com: that way, GOOD places get new and increased business, and BAD places can either improve their issues and/or I can spare others the pain of my experience. P.S. I work at a place where maybe 30% of the clients this past month were referred from yelp.com... it's pretty accurate!

sweetrae80 5 years

i go home and try to mend the damage!

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43 Comments