Who hates going to the hairdressers?
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free skin care · Sat Aug 18, 2007 8:39 pm

I would rather have teeth pulled than go to the hairdressers! It all started on my first visit. It was the sixties, I was 17 and going to a formal dinner. The rage at the time was for a bouffant with a corkscrew curl in front of each ear. I ended up with hair higher than Marge Simpson, one spindly curl in front of the left ear and what looked like a bunch of grapes in front of the right ear. I looked like a reject from a Roman orgy! I ran out of the salon and into the nearest ladies room to pull it all out.

In my twenties and thirties I avoided the hairdressers by growing my hair very long and wearing it parted in the middle. However, by my forties I was starting to look like a witch -some styling was called for. This is when all my problems started. I now have an urchin cut with blond streaks. This requires allot of upkeep, cutting and colouring every month. Oh, how I've suffered. I have fine hair, and when its chopped into too much, I end up with bald patches in the back. I'm not sure that any hairdressers have a grasp of the English language, because they never do as I ask. Therefore, for the last 18 months I have been cutting and colouring my own hair, and really it didn't look too bad. Last week, though, I decided that I needed a new look and a more professional looking cut. Although I'm in my fifties now, I still like to look "edgy" so I wanted my natural colour as a base and blond tips. I gave the hairdresser explicit instructions on how I wanted the cut but, of course, none of it eventuated. He just blonded all of my hair and as for the cut, it looked like rats had chewed it - it was so uneven. The finishing touch was when he brushed all my hair skywards and cemented it with gel - I looked like a clown who'd suffered an electric shock. All of this nightmare cost AUD$220.00 and what annoys me most was that I didn't complain. I just fled out of the place feeling sick and hating myself.

Which brings me to another issue: why is the lighting so unflattering in hairdressing salons? There's nothing worse than sitting there staring into a mirror that highlights every wrinkle and blemish.

Am I alone in my misery or have any of you suffered too?

free skin care · Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:44 am

Keliu, I know what your talking about Very Happy

My main gripe is that once you become a regular customer the stylist's work seems to slip. Subsequent styles never look as good as the first time Sad

I usually end up paying around $100 just for a cut and I'm at the point where I'm thinking "Quick Cuts" for $10 might be just as good!
I have fine straight hair which I usually wear in a blunt bob - can't bethat difficult, you'd think Confused

I do my own colouring btw.

free skin care · Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:04 pm

Oh, the misery! Not to mention how disheartening it is to get all excited about getting a nice haircut only to leave the salon looking worse than when you came in Mad

I do my own hair now and it looks better than it has in years Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:59 am

Poor you, that's a horrible experience. Some really don't seem to listen and you're pretty helpless once they've started. It might look a lot better once you've fixed it yourself though. I always hate the way I look when I leave the hairdresser no matter how good the cut is.

I'm not as brave so when I'm trying a new hairdresser (only happened twice in the last ten years Laughing

) I've found that an initial trim is a good way to see if you like him/her without risking too much.

And yes, the light is awful Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:41 am

Well I'm glad I'm not alone! I really would love just to walk out of a salon feeling like a million dollars (considering that I've probably paid close to that for the "do"!) But when you really think about it, don't hairdressers have the worst hair ever? Have you ever looked around at the girls and thought, Oh I'd love that cut? The other issue is that if you ever do find a stylist that's great, next time you visit the salon, they've left for greener pastures.

free skin care · Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:29 pm

Keliu wrote:

All of this nightmare cost AUD$220.00 and what annoys me most was that I didn't complain. I just fled out of the place feeling sick and hating myself.

I forgot to say that I think you should go back and have them do some damage control. You don't have to complain at once - you were there last week, so it's totally ok to do it now. I actually did it with my current hairdresser. It was first time for me to do something like that and it felt uncomfortable. But it took her about 15 minutes to fix it and we were both happy I complained instead of just being unhappy. I still use her 3 years later and couldn't wish for a better one.

Your guy might not make you feel like a million dollars, but at least you have a shot at getting pleased and surely get better value for your money Bad Grin

free skin care · Tue Aug 21, 2007 12:48 pm

I so relate to this topic! I have not had a good haircut for about 4 years now. Always trying new salons and always leaving disappointed.

This last cut was the ultimate. I arrived at the correct time for my Saturday appointment with a new salon. A few minutes later the stylists (male) came out and said it would be a few minutes more because he was getting his hair done. I waited and waited and finally he came out about 15 minutes later. I was not impressed, as he put his own needs before that of a customer. I put my thoughts aside, hoping for a good haircut which we discussed at length as I indicated what I liked and what I didn't and what problems he would encounter with my hair (waves in odd places, etc.). Sadly, none of our discussion seemed to translate into the final product. I got home and had to use my own scissors to straighten the lopsided bits, and cut bits that had been forgotten about and were inches longer than the rest of the hair around it. ARGGGGHHHHH.

free skin care · Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:56 pm

I guess I am not the norm. I LOVE LOVE LOVE going to my hairdresser. She does exactly what I ask for and since she knows my hair, she tells me when I bring in a picture, yes we can do this, but we also need to do this if you want it to look like the picture. I bring in celeb's pictures and walk out with a dead ringer of their hair. She gives me styling tips while she is doing my hair and tells me to wear it up for this look or back for this look. I wish I could go to her more often, but I do like my hair longer, so I stay away otherwise I would probably have her keep cutting it. I reccomend my gal to everyone in the office and they to LOVE her. I have given her so much business, I should get a cut. Sorry for everyone else's woes...I could only imagine what it would be like to not have a person you can count on

free skin care · Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:02 pm

ME, I hate the hairdressers and after having seen the same one for over 8 years I really went and dropped myself in it yesterday! I went out to lunch with a (sort of) friend and was moaning about my hairdresser and the way she cuts my hair and my friend asked where I went, well it turns out my hairdresser is her sister! Great! What's the chance of that happening?! Now I think I better change hairdressers before she gives me a really dodgy haircut for slagging her off!

free skin care · Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:11 pm

This topic makes me sweat just thinking of getting my hair cut. I've had so many bad cuts I can't count them all. The worst was when the stylist (butcher) cut my hair in two different styles in the back. Mad

I had to go to a more expensive salon in another state to have it fixed. And another time when long pieces were left and not cut. I have very baby fine, thin hair that's hard to cut. I think I've found someone who can cut it now. She told me not to get it cut for at least twelve weeks so when she cuts it again it will be even again.

free skin care · Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:11 pm

I love my hair stylist. I went last week for highlights/lowlights, etc... I gave him free reign. It took over 2 hours to foil my hair with the women standing around watching how he did it using 7 variations of color Deep Auburn to Gold Blonde and how we wove the colors througout my natual hair color. He trimmed it and fixed it and I was good to go.

I have had many compliments on my hair cut and hair since last week. It is very neat and will be uber easy for me to cover the gray.

Deb

Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:42 pm

I wish I could say that I loved going to the hairdresser's, but alas, it's not to be. I LOVED her the first time I went to her but it's been a sharp and steady decline ever since. Last I went, I showed her a picture and asked if it would be something that would work for my hair and facial structure. Oh, yes! she says. So I settle in thinking, ok, great. But as she starts my hair she proceeds to go on and on and ON and ON AND ON to the entire salon about her latest string of very off and failed sexual escapades. My growing worry that she is getting distracted intensifies with every twist and turn in her sordid story that corresponds to multiple taps on my shoulders that are to confirm that I am indeed paying attention. Next thing I know, I have layers from the top of my head to the bottom and instead of highlights/lowlights, stripes. STRIPES! Sigh. As she is styling my hair she says, It looks identical to the picture, doesn't it? Meanwhile I am thinking, not a remote chance in HELL that it is even close. And as I look in the mirror, $200 later, I see hair sticking to my face. rofl

OMG. All I can say is Poor DH by the time I arrived home--it's what he would describe as his worst nightmare.

I feel your pain.

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:50 am

Aw, havana, that sucks! I used to sort of hate and sort of love going - I used to have a hairdresser with whom I had sort of power struggles. She'd want me to do treatments and stuff that I'm just not into, and she would always ALWAYS try to cut my hair with it parted on the side, even though every single time I told her I switch up my part regularly so I wanted it down the middle. After a year of steady cuts every 2 months I can't think she possibly just "didn't remember" - tit was like she'd try to sneak it in without me noticing! Awful.

But fast forward to a couple years later, after I'd gotten only cheapo haircuts for a full year after finally ditching that old gal. I decided I was back in the game for a real, regular stylist, so I followed an old reference from a friend in the industry. At my first appointment with her, she too tried to get me to cut it parted on the side, and also to get some sweeping side bangs that kind of framed my face. I hadn't had bangs in YEARS and I was super-resistant to the idea of becoming more "high maintenance" by having something I had to straighten every morning, but she persisted and convinced me very gently and lovingly but still badgeringly that I would look more modern and updated and would not be any more "high maintenance" and that I was just being silly and overly timid.

And she was TOTALLY right, and I so appreciated her standing up to me and bulldozing though my needless wussiness! I look incredibly hot with the new cut, if I don't say so myself, and it was just the kick in my step that I needed before I started my new job. Now, whenever I go in, I trust her to take matters into her own hands, and she sometimes adds more layers or cleans them out or does more face framing or makes my bangs a bit shorter or whatever, and it's always totally cute and easy to deal with. Except the one time when she did some thinning and it wound up making it much harder to style - I told her about it and she said, "OK, no more thinning for you!" and that was that, no power struggles. SO refreshing.

Oh, and the old gal would always push product, chemical relaxing services, and coloring on me, even though she knew I was a) someone who had NEVER treated her hair chemically and never wanted to, and b) super-picky about the chemicals and ingredients in my products. Not to mention c) already paying an arm and a leg for her, haha. The new gal will occasionally nudge me towards a product in the salon, but never anything overboard, and she'll also secretly recommend me stuff from lines that the salon doesn't carry, which she's not supposed to do. But I so appreciate it! And the new gal never tries to get me to color or relax my hair, ever.

Plus we just have fun. The stories are of her and her husband's new house, not her sexcapades - not that I'd probably mind the latter if it were tasteful, since we're pretty friendly, but havana it doesn't sound like your gal's tales were anything but tacky, and I can't imagine having to hear all that if you're not particularly close! I dunno, I just feel so refreshed that I no longer DREAD my appointments on some level.

OH! And the last thing - my old salon was in a super-trendy neighborhood by night, but it was a super-sketchy and kind of dangerous area by day, where for some reason all these drunk Hispanic homeless men would congregate (and yet parking was still impossible). I know that sounds weird and oddly specific, but it felt bizarre, as normally there isn't anything so oddly specifically segregated here! Anyway I always made early Saturday AM appointments so I'd have the rest of the day free, and I would always get extremely creepily leered at, harassed, and once even grabbed at on my way to my appointments. And the worst part was that they'd say horribly foul demeaning dirty things in Spanish thinking I couldn't understand, but I'm fluent and I used to live in Mexico City, so I totally got all of the creepy slang they were using about my "tight white ass" and whatnot (I'll spare you the details of the less tame stuff). Very flattering. The new place, however, is in a nice quiet but still accessible neighborhood, and walking distance from the best (outdoor) mall in Seattle IMO. Very Happy

Can you believe it took me a year and a half before I decided to get on out of that place?! It shocks me sometimes - but it was still REALLY hard for me to sever that relationship, I think I wound up doing it with a thank-you card and a fake excuse that I was going to pinch pennies for a while. I don't know why the heck I have such a hard time just "breaking up" and moving on, but I can't help it! God help me if I ever have a fight with my new hairdresser, because I doubt I'd survive the "divorce". If any of you ever decide you want to break up with your stylists, we should start an EDS support group to help keep you strong!!! I guess that's assuming you're as wussy about it as I was though.

Ooooh my God, I swear all my EDS posts have been longer and longer in the past few weeks (leading up to today, which was the last day at my old job). I promise I'll ease up from now on now that I have to bust my ass and prove myself at the new one! Very Happy

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:27 am

That is true, ginnieliz, about trying to break up with a stylist... LOL.

I had one, this lady who looked like a drag queen for real, and she did great things with my hair BUT she changed salons (not her choice usually) 9 times before I finally decided to quit following her around. All of her conversations were about the size of the last man she went with (and each one got bigger - I was amazed she could continue to date).

I ran into her a couple of times and she would always tell me to come get my hair done. NO WAY!!

It was hard to finally decide to quit following her around. What a trip.

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:32 am

damblues wrote:

All of her conversations were about the size of the last man she went with (and each one got bigger - I was amazed she could continue to date).

Charming! I guess I should feel lucky that both of my stylists talked about their new husbands, but left out the X-rated details. I'm not a TOTAL prude, I'm fine with discussing that over happy hour drinks with a close pal or whatnot, but it seems a bit weird for someone you just have a business relationship with to start giving you length and girth measurements. I'd feel so uncomfortable, but of course I'd sort of just smile and not and go with it, because what else do you say!? "My, that sounds lovely, you lucky girl you!"? Laughing

Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:11 am

That's funny, ginnieliz! Laughing

I can believe it! I've been considering breaking up with mine for the last year and while I have jumped out to another stylist every now and then, I still haven't officially "broken up".

Damblues, it sounds like our stylists have been dating the same men!! ha haha. Yeah, it's all been about the men she meets on the internet combined with endless talk on how beautiful she is for her age, how a man is a loser if he doesn't go on about how beautiful she is for her age, Embarassed

etc. She always chooses the same kind of man with what always turns out to be a fictitious life so the stories inevitably end in some seriously off, disappointing or freaky way. I guess she likes the drama...

Oh well, at least hair grows back! Razz

Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:13 am

sarahb wrote:

ME, I hate the hairdressers and after having seen the same one for over 8 years I really went and dropped myself in it yesterday! I went out to lunch with a (sort of) friend and was moaning about my hairdresser and the way she cuts my hair and my friend asked where I went, well it turns out my hairdresser is her sister! Great! What's the chance of that happening?! Now I think I better change hairdressers before she gives me a really dodgy haircut for slagging her off!

OMG, Sarah! rofl

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:38 am

sarahb wrote:

ME, I hate the hairdressers and after having seen the same one for over 8 years I really went and dropped myself in it yesterday! I went out to lunch with a (sort of) friend and was moaning about my hairdresser and the way she cuts my hair and my friend asked where I went, well it turns out my hairdresser is her sister! Great! What's the chance of that happening?! Now I think I better change hairdressers before she gives me a really dodgy haircut for slagging her off!

OMG, Sarahb, I totally missed this, that's so awkward! But at the end of the day, maybe you're doing her a favor if it gets back to her and she realizes she needs to pay more attention to keep clients happy? Gah, though, that must feel awful - good luck making your switch!

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:54 am

ginnielizz wrote:

damblues wrote:

All of her conversations were about the size of the last man she went with (and each one got bigger - I was amazed she could continue to date).

Charming! I guess I should feel lucky that both of my stylists talked about their new husbands, but left out the X-rated details. I'm not a TOTAL prude, I'm fine with discussing that over happy hour drinks with a close pal or whatnot, but it seems a bit weird for someone you just have a business relationship with to start giving you length and girth measurements. I'd feel so uncomfortable, but of course I'd sort of just smile and not and go with it, because what else do you say!? "My, that sounds lovely, you lucky girl you!"? Laughing

Exactly!! I just sort of looked at her and thought she would get the idea. The last time she grabbed a can of hair spray and said "no kidding it was this big around" I was stunned. I am no prude either but there is a place,time and level of friendship you should have before that happens!! LOL.

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:00 pm

sarahb wrote:

ME, I hate the hairdressers and after having seen the same one for over 8 years I really went and dropped myself in it yesterday! I went out to lunch with a (sort of) friend and was moaning about my hairdresser and the way she cuts my hair and my friend asked where I went, well it turns out my hairdresser is her sister! Great! What's the chance of that happening?! Now I think I better change hairdressers before she gives me a really dodgy haircut for slagging her off!

Ooh I missed this, too!! Yikes! Too funny. Well there is your motivation to find a new hairdresser.

The hairdresser I have now is gay. I love him and this may sound terrible but over the years, the best cuts, etc.. I have gotten have been from gay men!!

Two weeks ago he "foiled" my hair with 7 different tones of auburn and light strawberry blonde. It took two hours to put the foil in and all these women stylists were standing around watching and ooohing. It turned out awesome!! I am auburn, naturally, but have grays attacking me. I wanted to oomph it up a bit and make it so I did not have to color all the time. This should make it easy to blend those grays away!!

By the way, 3 hours and 15 minutes there and my bill was $85!!! I gave him a nice tip!!

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:38 pm

I thought I was the only one--for years I found going to the hairdresser a special form of torture. I never seemed to know how to describe what I wanted or to figure out how to style it once I had it. I felt like I must have been absent when all the other girls learned this skill.

Then a few years ago I heard about this salon that was a no-tipping salon because they pay their stylists a salary and provide them with terrific benefits (including subsidizing tuition if they want to go to college.) When I heard they supported lots of great charity initiatives (like providing free haircuts to women in battered women's shelters before job interviews and free cuts for kids in homeless shelters to start the school year), I thought, why not? And it turned out that I really liked the cut I got. (They always call a couple of days later to make sure you really liked your cut. Once, I wasn't so happy, and they told me to come on in and they'd fix it for no extra charge.

So I've gone from haircut-phobic to haircut-philic. And that reminds me, I need another appointment right now...

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2007 5:37 pm

Wow, flitcraft, that sounds really incredible! And I'm glad to know you found something good.

Deb, your hair color job sounds really exquisite!

free skin care · Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:17 pm

oh thank god I thought I was a freak! when I was young I just never did understand why my mum and sister loved going ....I never had any luck with hairdressers anyway..in my own country then in tokyo it was beyond a joke! I have fine and very curly hair two things you just dont see in asian hair so I was doomed as soon as I sat in that chair! I have started getting some grey so I use a mix of henna and indigo (lovely!) and trim the ends myself...well its curly I can afford uneven hair.....lately I have tied it up nearly everyday and that has really helped to keep the ends from splitting (plus I dont wash it everyday as I used to)
The best hairdresser ever was my aunty but shes in italy...runs a little salon mostly with older women as clients...you just cant tell .....going to trendy glitzy places can sometimes be the worst! a small salon with an experienced hairdresser who understands HOW to CUT hair is more important than the latest frosting techniques......

free skin care · Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:00 am

bergquis wrote:

I guess I am not the norm. I LOVE LOVE LOVE going to my hairdresser. She does exactly what I ask for and since she knows my hair, she tells me when I bring in a picture, yes we can do this, but we also need to do this if you want it to look like the picture.

Me too! It's important to have a dialogue with your hairdresser and not be afraid to tell him or her what you want even it may sound silly that you want a mane like Jennifer Aniston. At least they'll get the picture. I've tried a couple of times suggesting styles and showing pictures and only once did she say "No, that would not be such a good idea because....... da da da..." and she's usually right. Smile

free skin care · Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:00 am

When my regular haridresser raised her prices for the second time in a year a while back, I decided to give one of the $12 places a try. I have a fairly basic nape-length cut, I'm course & curly, and I just have to have the frizzies cut off every now and then, so what's the point of paying someone upwards of $40 for that? It works out o.k. for me sometimes, but occasionally I'll get someone who seems like they just got out of beauty school or just doesn't know how to cut thick hair. Then, I'll go to a more expensive place, usually on the recommendation of someone whose hair I like, and get it fixed. That usually happens once a year, and then I take my chances again and get it trimmed at Great Clips. As much as I'd like to say this strategy is working out for me, I'd love to find a more permanent relationship (no pun intended!)

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