To think that hairdressers should be legally obliged to warn you before commiting topairy ...

[UsedtobeFeckless]

I'd take my specs off and had my eyes shut against the snippets and she was holding forth relentlessly about her cousins dog and by the time I realised what was going on it was too late and my once magnificent fringe was layered to buggery and now my head looks all pointy and it'll take months to grow back ... Wail!

Just wanted to vent, really ... Anyone else got any hairdresser-related horror stories to take my mind off it?

[JennyOnAPlate]

I have had many hairdressing disasters over the years. My hair is very thick and very curly and I can only imagine that when hairdressers train they don't actually get taught how to deal with curly hair.

I bought some proper scissors, watched a few YouTube videos and now do my own!

[AlisonWunderland]

I was growing my hair out from the short style i've had for years.
I repeatedly reminded my hairdresser that we're aiming for a chin length bob- cue lots of hand gestures to jaw line.

MIL rings up to speak to DH -"I'm in hairdresser, ring his mobile"
Then rings again.
I ring DH to ask him to ring MIL.

I look up and hairdresser has cut my hair above my ears!


DH and MIL held responsbile for the next 2 months.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

Only DH trims my hair for religious reasons, but I've had this problem with DS. He's now trying to grow his hair back after 3 years of its being cut too short. He's only 4, but I've always wanted to keep it long and around his last birthday I said he was old enough to choose and he likes it long too. It's all fine until we go to get a trim about every 8 weeks, then it's back to square one again.

[Mari50]

I hate hairdressers. My hairdresser gave me a fab cut, went back to same hairdresser and asked for a tiny trim cause I loved it so much. She scalped me and my mum actually cried real tears when she saw it! Didn't get my haircut for 4 years after.
I also remember being asked by a hairdresser 'who did your hair last time?' And the reply was 'he's usually quite good, must've been having a bad day', great! Story of my life!!

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

no matter how many times I ask them to use clippers they insist on just using scissors on the back as "using clippers doesn't look feminine"

Oh, I am so with you there. What is it with them deciding this?

I am a curvy-bodied woman who wears dresses all day. I sincerely doubt anyone is going to think I don't look 'feminine' just because you've cut my hair short!

[iamaboveandBeyond]

I'd be temtped to answer that with "why would that be a problem, im a man " just to see what their answer to that was

[Mercedes519]

This just confirms what I have always suspected that you cannot pick hairdressers at random.

There was a terrible perm incident in the early 1990's, PP I feel your pain - you want curls and they give you horizontal hair.

I now am lucky enough to throw money at the problem - although PP demonstrate this doesn't always work. I go to the salon owner and know that I can trust him after I take my glasses off!

Cut and colour next week - what can go wrong?

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

iama, I must do that next time. Brilliant.

[RoboticSealpup]

Oh, this is a real pet hate of mine. I usually keep my hair long, because I've never met a hairdresser who does what I ask instead of suggesting something "more suitable", which I suspect generally means "whatever I can be bothered to do / have time for".

Last time, I asked for a long, straight bob. My hair is all one length so I had plenty to work with. The guy left it longer in the back (who the fuck wants this? Apart from Agent Scully from the X-files, circa 1996?) and for some inexplicable reason, he ruined my chances of getting it fixed by cutting some wispy bits around my face that looked like a half-arsed grown-out fringe. Even DH told me it was 'very Kurt Cobain'.

I had to wait a week with shit hair to go elsewhere and salvage what I could (I wasn't about to give this guy a second chance), and this time told them to please make sure it definitely wasn't longer in the back (apart from those tiny wispy bits around the face, about which nothing could be done). Also decided to treat myself to some way too expensive highlights to make up for the bad haircut. Second hairdresser agreed that the haircut was very bad and said they could easily fix it. When they were done, they showed me the back for about two seconds in a mirror. I didn't have time to check again because I was breastfeeding and about to explode and DD was at home refusing the bottle.

I got home and looked in the mirror, and discovered that they had taken a tiny fraction off the long bit in the back. Which was now ever so slightly shorter. But still way fucking longer than the front.

The highlights were invisible.

[BabyGanoush]

Robotic

Gutting

[BabyGanoush]

I have contemplated running up to women in my town with goid hair cuts, asking them who cut their hair.

They would probably think I was a nutter, but also be flattered? Worth a try?

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

i am very bossy at the hair dressers...very clear at the beginning there are to be NO layers, I have masses of very fine hair and it just sticks up if there is no weight to it. AND "no" to the thinning scissors as well.

I am also very strong over the blow drying....NO BOUFFANTING, I do not wish to look like a slightly younger Gloria Hunniford.

Current hairdresser is getting another chance as she nearly got it right last time...I have a longish asymmetric pixie, but she is very reluctant to go short on the sort side.....third time is the charm. AND she doesn't make too much small talk.

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

I have had several hair mishaps. Worst was Toni and Guy - I swear they just give people the haircut of the month/ year/ whatever, regardless of what you actually ask for. I looked diabolical after my trip there with my hair about an inch long on the top and styled all spiked with wax My colleagues howled with laughter when I went back to work - it wasn't remotely 'me' or anything close to what I'd asked for. I also had a trainee dyeing my hair once - I wanted strawberry blonde and ended up jet black

[Octopixy]

I was feeling rather adventurous as a 13 year old and decided to have my hair cut short. I went to my regular salon and asked the woman to cut my hair quite short at the back but longer at the front. She clearly didn't listen as I ended up with hair short at the front and longer at the back.

I didn't mind too much (hair grows after all), until a couple of weeks later when I was watching Back to the Future on TV and realised I now bore more than a passing resemblance to Marty McFly. I burst into tears and vowed to find a new hairdresser!

(I have also made sure that there are no photos of me in existence during my Marty McFly days....)

[emwithme]

BabyGanoush that's how I found the wonderful hairdresser I now trust implicitly.

If anyone in the Bristol-ish area wants a hairdresser, I can give you his details.

[LittlePie14]

OP! They do clip in fringes - my friend uses it for 'going out' because she likes the look but can't be arsed with maintaining one every day!

[MaitlandGirl]

I've got very thick hair with barrel curls so needs to be layered and thinned out or it just turns to frizz.

Had my haircut 2 days before a very important job interview and told them I'd be straightening my hair for the interview.

1/2 hour before I'm due to leave for the interview I discovered my hair wasn't level at the back :( DP had to take 3 inches off it to level it up.

I don't go to a hairdresser now - DP cuts my hair (with no training but heaps of you-tube videos and she dyes it for me as well. How someone with no training and dodgy hands can get it looking better than a trained hairdresser is beyond me.

[BuggersMuddle]

Honestly, I've had about 3 hairdressers who listened.

The others well were mostly about right and cut well, so tolerated. Didn't listen and shoddy finish obviously binned. Did listen but still made an arse of it only happened once.

I am currently looking for a new hairdresser and at 34, thinking forward to when I may want a colour and it's difficult (and mildly scary as red can go so wrong).

Going back to your OP:

• I had a bad dye job at uni and am ginger. I went to a hairdresser who assured me they could correct it, but hair ended up a pinkish red.
  

• Prior to this, I was a bit young and alternative, so decided I fancied some black and burgundy highllghts in my hair (in some ways, yeah, was young, but in others, not dissimilar to many older people in my office). Anyway hairdresser on touch up didn't get the memo and managed to turn most of my hair black, with a touch of auburn and ginger roots. Like shit it did look. I didn't pay.
  

• Like others had the uneven cut. Being curly haired, I didn't notice immediately with drying, but it became obvious. For ages after that I used to insist on a straight blow dry after cutting, as I thought it was harder to hide shite cutting in a straight finish.

[TheMissingSock]

AND "no" to the thinning scissors as well.

Oh goodness me that struck a chord! I also have fine hair and the awful awful things those damn thinning scissors have done to my hair over the years is beyond belief .

It stands to reason fine hair doesn't need thinning out but still so many hairdressers hack in to it with them. I also speak up now if I see them wielded.

Yes yes a thousand times over to a Tripadvisor type of site for hairdressers. That would be hugely helpful preferably with before and after photos. Name and shame the culprits.

[RoboticSealpup]

I got a really good colour one time, so I went back a second time to the same place to have it re-done. You know how they record the colour they use in a database, so they can just go back and use the same one again? Yeah, they had written it down wrong so I came out ginger instead of ash blonde.

The stylist then proceeded to tell me that "actually with your skin tone, you need some warmth". The stylist who had peroxide yellow hair, black eyebrows and dark brown eyes. Take your own advice, dearie.

He then added a toner that was supposed to "knock out some of the gold, but it won't make it darker". It went brown.

I've also ended up dark brown with purple tones when I asked for dark blonde. I'm a natural medium blonde. How is it so difficult to go one tone darker?

[sufferingfromcraft]

So, what we need is a review site for hairdressers.
Let's call it snip advisor.

[IsYourNameMichaelDiamond]

DH popped to a different barber as his was unexpectedly closed - rang me afterwards saying how bad it was. I'm thinking it can't be that bad, it's just a men's short back and sides longer on top cut. Then he got home...

[TheMissingSock]

Invisible highlights: yep had them. So next time I asked for them to be a little less invisible. Came out looking like my whole head had been bleached blonde (which also destroyed the condition of my hair). I don't bother with highlights now.

Then last year's disaster was the graduated bob from hell. It was graduated all right, just the opposite way round...short at the sides and long at the back. It was hideous. My Dh and dc politely coughed and changed the subject when I got home. Even my lovely dd who always tries to say kind things was speechless. It took me a year to grow it out.

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

oh oh oh SNIP ADVISOR

sufferingfromcraft wins the internet today! AND there's the next MN campaign right there.

[OpheliaMoo]

OMG someone start Snip Advisor!