Hairdressers. Why do you do it? Anyone else?

I would rather go to a dentist than a hairdresser. Finding one of the former that will even take you on the waiting list and one of the latter that is any good is a mission.
For my hair it is a health and safety pony tail. I also hate, after telling hairdressers that I dont want anything that involves horribly complicated styling (because I am pants at styling, I have explained I use my straighteners for making sugar shapes for cakes and I don’t know where my hairdryer is), they then whack out the dryer, round brush and the whole shebang.
My hair never looks like it is styled that day ever again.

Here's one of my bad cuts
I cried a lot, then grew it while looking for another hairdresser. He gets that most people with wavy hair have had bad cuts and understood why I was so nervous
Second pic is the cut he gave me. I am NEVER leaving him

They also don't understand products - I need hard hold gel! Not serum or creams with no hold

I have found a hairdresser who knows my hair and cuts it well. If I ask for anything it won’t do well (like a fringe) she just refuses 😂 which is fine with me.

costs me an arm and a leg but I’ve been happy with my hair for nearly 20 years. I dread the day I have to change.

And what is with the obsession with bouffant hair drying? I like my hair dried straight. I don’t want ‘big’ hair with lots of volume. However, many times I say that, I leave with high volume hair. I have to go home and flatten it down. I look like I’m about to perform on a cruise ship.

The recommended hairdresser is close to J11 off the M40! Not J10 as I said, but actually not that far from J10 either. Feathers!

I can recommend a hairdresser who always listens and never ever scissor-happy "because I had it done to me once" and she is close to J10 of the M40. Very nice personality too.

Moving a lot before settling up here I suffered with maybe 30 different hairdressers chopping off too much, the desire to give my fine hair and fat face "a nice bob" surfaced many times often overrode my preference for a light trim, and it took two decades to get it shoulder length. Once I even had to grab the cutting wrist in a "cease or desist" move as she wouldn't listen. Cor. Why do they do it. Restraining techniques should not be necessary!! I remember I noticed once that after going round taking off the 1cm I asked for, a previous hairdresser then started all over again, round 2 if you like, which is nuts as it must take
twice as long.

OP did ask WHY...? All I could think was that being not naturally gorgeous, I do smile a lot which makes me look better and the longer I was in the chair (ie the more hair was coming off) the more I smiled and looked better so somehow taking off more hair got associated in the hairdresser's mind with improving my looks. It sounds barking but I used to puzzle over this so much too, and it's all I ever came up with.

Anyway please DM me if you would like the details of this hairdressing haven salon in North Oxfordshire.

I think it says a lot about hair cutting that I have very fine hair and 50 percent of hairdressers will say it needs layers to add volume and 50 percent will say it needs no layers to add weight to the ends.

This is why I've cut my own hair for years!

I moved from the north east to the midlands ten years ago and had no idea where to go, went to the best rated one on google and turns out the girl who did my hair was a trainee but being trained by family (who were barbers) do be a hairdresser! I also have long, thick, brunette hair and she hacked the life out of it, thinned it so badly even though I asked her not to, she kept insisting my hair was too thick. She cut so much off and none of it was even the same length. I cried for days.

Never again. I bought myself some nice hairdressing scissors and do my own now and cut my mams for her too.

YES! I found Brad Mondo during lockdown. I was growing out my dyed red hair (that I couldn’t be bothered to keep dyeing) and his YouTube channel kept me looking reasonably OK.

The best hair style I had also evolved into the worst.
I went to a local hairdresser who had a salon at home, she was highly recommended and the idea of it just being me and her made me feel more comfortable (I’ll explain later). I wanted a spiral perm. My hair was long and I fancied the idea of corkscrew curls. It looked bloody lovely.
There is one photo of me like this. It was meant to be a studio photo of our dog as a present for my husband, but no matter how many dog treats we fed him, Bill wouldn’t stay still. The photographer suggested I sit in. I look a mess grinning, in scruffy jeans and a work shirt, grinning and holding the dog (who was always such a handsome boy!), but my hair is fantastic for once.
Then the roots started to grow out. The hairdresser who had done the original perm had moved house, to god knows where. I went back to the one that styled my hair for my wedding , we had barely lived there two years and I spent 4 months of them in a hospital, I didn’t know anyone else. Stupid, stupid,stupid.
I explained the problem and they told me they could fix it easily.
My long corkscrew curls and straight roots came out looking like I had shoulder length tight dreadlocks, and to make matters worse we were getting our passport photos taken.
The hairstyle amused my stepsons no end. But I was so glad when my passport expired. I had it chopped to a pixie cut before they were fashionable.
The other thing that annoys me is the fact that I have a bald patch on my head (the hospital time) from a burn. And I have yet to meet a hairdresser who doesn’t ask how I got the bald patch.

I live and work in Cardiff. Id love to restore your faith in hairdressers, but sadly you are too far away... I'm totally old school. I was very fortunate to have an excellent training.. no gadgets to hide crappy haircuts. I learned to cut hair properly and I love the whole experience for me and my customers. Nothing more delightful than seeing someone trot out of the salon with a smile on their face . A plee to all excellent hairdressers. Make yourself known and let's restore faith in the women commenting on this post😊

Btw .. I live in Cardiff and would love to restore your faith in hairdressers. I can cut hair and I do listen and never pick up a pair of tongs or straighteners. Totally old school.had an excellent training , which has sustained my 40 yr career. My customers return every time.

Have a look at Brad Mondo ?
Some of his videos are funny but he does also show how to do some cuts

Time for a new hairdresser. Mine is absolutely amazing and it's like a day out for me. 6 or 7 months after my ex left I went to her and said give me something new and shorter ( he demanded I have long hair) she put me in middle of room so no mirrors and was very patient when I started crying when she cut and did it inch by inch . You need to find someone who listens to you

Made me laugh 😆 sorry xx 😘 my hairdresser is perhaps too “ safe “ for want of a better word .
if I want 2 inches off then I might get a half inch ..they really really like long hair at my salon and the girls ( no male stylists at all ) are all alike , all long hair

HAIRDRESSER HERE!!
I posted on the other hair post too,

I spent all last night reading this thread and am pretty shocked.

I never ever do any of the things mentioned here,

I have had clients with mega thick hair ask me to thin it out, I always explain that you cant thin it out, thinning scissors should never be used on long thick hair, most of my staff don't even know how to use them , i use mine on short hair sometimes,

I always , always listen,
my salon has around 200 5 star reviews on google ,and a lot talk about how happy they were because we listened, gave them what they want and cant wait to come back .
I have had lots of clients who always said they hated coming to the hairdressers and now they love it ,
My clients book 6 months ahead , and im fully booked 38 hours a week without fail , i very rarely get a cancellation because they know they wont get back in ,if my client cancels if they are ill or accident then i will stay behind or come early to do it.
Can i say that i absolutely love virtually all my clients, and will do anything to make them happy
I will remember what drink you like,and have it sent over while you wait , if you like one biscuit or two ,if you like peanuts or kettle crisps with your G and T !
if you are vegan and want oats milk , your kids name, if you don't want the massage chair on, which flavour can of pop you like

Im up North too in Newcastle , and we are not the cheapest, and when ive put prices up every year nobody leaves.

We are not all terrible ! You just need to find the right person
My apprentices get loads of training, we all go on courses,
There are some terrible hairdressers around, but lots of good ones too
Younger stylists often don't like cutting short hair , and like doing long wave styles

I was taught to blow dry well before GHD time , and often don't need to use the straightener's at all

The very odd time a colour is not perfect, we will tell them we are not 100% happy , and ask if we can tweak it to get it perfect , free fringe trims in between

I advise my clients if they move away when looking for a stylist to tell them what they DONT want, as well as what they do want.
Lots of clients dont actually know how to describe what they want, and it takes experience to work it out

Im very sorry you've all had these experiences, it makes me sad,

ps, we are not all imbeciles….

I haven’t been to the hairdresser in four years since she accidentally shaved the side of my head. She insisted that’s how she usually cuts my hair when that’s never been the case! After I’d said that and was fighting tears and in shock she went to shave the other side to even it out and I pulled away half way through. I left in tears without paying still had the gown and everything. I had a friend’s dad fix it as best he could (he’s a barber) but still looked awful, mostly because I still have bald patches from illness. I’ve only ever had two hairdressers listen to me and cut my hair beautifully. The rest have done what they want. Usually too busy chatting to listen properly. I’ve given up now and trim it myself and it’s not perfect but I don’t care 🤷🏻‍♀️
I can really empathise with you, having great hair is a big deal and being postpartum you want to feel as good as possible. Sending you huge hugs 🥰

As above, I too have long come to the conclusion that it’s a weak apprenticeship structure that’s to blame. Same as in so many industries where the standards have gone downhill; all part of the decline in education and training.

I like that @MTPF has customers too, because that’s what we are, not bloody clients.

If you’re in the north west please message me @MTPF , I’d like to join your (no doubt extensive) waiting list.

I gave up on hairdressers in the end and my hair looks much better, my bank balance healthier. I just get a family member to cut it straight across and sometimes do the sides (or even whole thing myself). I have wavy hair and hairdressers love to put layers in which just made it look even frizzier. I love not having the faff of going and having to look at myself in the mirror and make small-talk. The very last time I went, my hair was cut so short and looked so dreadful, I missed a big birthday party of someone who subsequently died. I regret not going so much but I felt shit and just wanted to hide

I've got very thick, very coarse hair. Had layers by choice for 30+ years, ace hairdresser for the last 25, no razors, she's the only one I trust. Great at cut/colour. Have grown chin length bob out recently and she actually suggested no layers at the last cut. And she was right. I have moved away but still travel 30+ miles back to her, she just "gets" my hair.

If anyone is near Wigan DM and you can have her details.

Oh I hate that style, I’ve only had a hairdresser try it once and I asked her to stop. Bring back rollers!

I've yet to find a hairdresser who advocates good hair health.
I have long hair and find that when they wash my hair, they scrub in lots of knots, then casually rip my hair when brushing out the mess they made. I have started taking a tangle teaser to gently tease out all the knots - while the staff look at me like I am mad.
My hair rarely knots when I wash it myself. Why do they insist on breaking my long hair which I lovingly treat like silk?

Don't get me started on that half curled with straighteners look. That's fine if that's what you want, but it's as if all the hairdressers I've been to recently can do nothing else. Even well I tell them I want a nice bouncy blow dry, they can't resist getting those straighteners on it. I think they do it just to disguise the fact that the cut isn't very good

This is what I said - it’s a simple as lots of bad hairdressers.

I feel your pain… I refused to pay a previous hairdresser, I told her how upset I was that she hadn’t listened and asked her if she’d be happy looking like a poodle. I just got up and walked out. Hairdressers make me so angry when they project their own idea of what they think will suit us and go right on in with the scissors then it’s too late… chop, the hair is gone. I’ve had so many bad cuts over the years because my hair is curly.
I’ve finally found a hairdresser who cuts my hair the way I want it, she never shuts up talking the whole time, and I feel less than relaxed by the end of it, but I put up and shut up for a decent cut.
If it happens again don’t pay, just walk away, they need to learn how to listen to their clients.

I have short hair. Brown, short hair. The sort of hair you'd think you would struggle to get wrong.
Last hairdresser must have misheard my "cut it around my ears, slightly longer on top, I last had it cut 6 weeks ago" as "I've been cast as a male extra on Peaky Blinders next week"
I've had to buy a Bakers boy cap and everything