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?

In my entire life I have only ever had one cut that I liked sadly the hairdresser moved abroad.

Every single other hair cut no matter where I go has always been exactly the same despite being exactly the opposite of what I have requested.

I ask for longer round the back and sides than on the top, nothing at all that goes into my face near my cheekbones and I even take a photograph of me with the cut I want.

What I get ever single time without fail is shorter round the back and sides than on top with stupid bits that jut forward to rest against my cheek bones EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I despise this cut it makes me want to cry and I spend weeks until it's grown out having people look at me with shock on their faces. I could pick pretty much salon anywhere in the south of England and I would get this disaster cut, or at least that's what it feels like.

I even once started a thread about it and was told quite firmly that perhaps I was wrong and the cut I end up with did suit me as obviously that's why they all do it.

I am in dire need of a cut now because my fringe is annoying me but I just can't bring myself to go to a hairdresser again

I've stopped going to hairdressers, cos they just don't listen! I've been trying to grow my hair really long, but would go for a trim and ask for half an inch off, to get rid of split ends, and every time, they'd take 2-3 inches off. Hairdresser Cold Turkey now.

Yes to snip advisor! Someone do it please!

Yes to SnipAdvisor! Someone start it please!!

Refusing to use clippers at the back on a short graduated Bob has got nothing to do with looking like a man. If I saw a hairdresser clippering the back below the occipital bone, I'd assume it's because they're not very good at precision cutting.

It's fine to use a trimmer to trim off the tiny hairs on your neck below your hairline, if you have a short style.

If the hairdresser only has their level 2, chances are they're only competent in the very basic cuts. I agree with a PP about asking random folk with lovely hair for recommendations. I work freelance during school hours and my clients are all from word of mouth.

I don't trust anyone with scissors any more. My first salon experience as a teen was that I went in asking for a short layered look, wanted it clippered at the back.
Came out with a ear lobe level bob. My hair doesn't do sleek and straight, hence me wanting layers if it was going to be short. It looked good for about a day before returning to its usual mess, which was worse at it now had no weight.
Grew it out. Went for a long feathery layered look for a while. Fine the first few times, but the last occasion the hairdresser spent the whole time pointing out how the previous person had done it "all wrong" and then cut it shorter than I wanted. I wanted about three inches off, leaving it reaching the small of my back. She took six inches, leaving it bra strap length.
Its long now, waist length. I can't be bothered with the time it takes to maintain a short style and the bother and expense of hairdressers.

It's funny about the thinning scissors, isn't it? My sister and I have thick hair and to have a short style that looks good, our hair needs to be thinned. My sister used to go for chin level bobs as a teen that I called doorsteps as the hairdresser never ever thinned it. They looked awful. As an adult she insists on having it properly thinned out, she no longer has hair that looks like Alice from Dilbert.

I think whoever said upthread that a lot of hairdressers have one style they cut is quite accurate and they try and inflict that cut on you even if it doesn't suit you. Needsasockamnesty - every hairdresser I've been to tries to cut/style my hair so that it comes over my face. It's uncomfortable having fluffy hair on your face so the first thing I do is tuck it behind my ears. I don't want hair on my face, I hate it. I'm another that cuts her own. It's honestly no worse. Thankfully it's wavy so hides a lot but at least I don't have to put up with £40 worth of disappointment every 2 months.

I think it's quite appalling that in theory anyone can set up and open a hairdressers in the UK, as unlike in other countries the industry isn't regulated. Arpund ten years ago I was on holiday in Majorca and decided to go and get my hair braided at the salon on the complex we were staying on. I can clearly remember that there was an official looking certificate on the wall, obviously in Spanish but it had the local authority's name on it.

Why can't the industry be like this in the UK? I know of at least one un qualified hairdresser who runs her own salon, she trained but never passed her exams yet can still open a shop and cut people's hair!

Good point glittery. Gets more concerning when you think about the chemicals involved in colouring hair. Bad cuts and colours are great in comparison to chemical burns!!

My theory is that each hairdresser has only one cut. All of their clients will look the same

Think this could be true. My aunt is a hair dresser. My mum, other aunt and myself had all went to her at seperate times to get our hair cut. It wasn't until other aunt and I coincidentally called into my mums one afternoon 10 minutes after each other, that we realised we all had exactly the same hair cut. (That was of course quite different from what we'd asked for, but hadn't the heart to tell her). There's a photo somewhere (taken by younger sister who thought this was hillarious).

I've stopping going and my hair seems to be better and healthier for it, its long though so not much can go wrong.

Oh, and why are they all so obsessed with razor scissors these days? Looks fine when they dry and and style it for you, but when you do it yourself all wispy and fly away, awful hideous things.

Really posh salon in kensington, took ruddy HOURS to do highlights and trim... Kept doing one tiny bit of scissor work then would piss off for 20 mins, I complained and finally got someone to take me seriously, turned out they were short on staff so decided to do other people's hair in between mine. Ridiculous and they could have got me out of the salon ages before, instead of running backwards and forwards.... I was very young not very swish, and they clearly thought they could behave badly to me. Grrrrr.

I finally get put into the daylight and ohhhh, the real reason they'd been being so weird was revealed. My hair was green. I think they'd decided to make me so desperate to get out that I'd rush off and not notice. However I did notice, it was really green (!) and then had to go back in and suffer their rude incompetence for another 2 hrs whilst they fixed it.

Eventually I spent a whole day in that crappy salon, which was supposed to be a morning appointment before meeting a friend for lunch, afternoon of gallery & clothes shopping before a great night out after... I was tired, achey, dehydrated and ravenous, friend came to the salon (it was her that noticed the green), but as friend was just visiting London she couldn't stay and have them ruin her day too, and after I came out with straw like bleached blonde hair, ended up going home to bed with a headache. Fuckers.

I am currently sitting in the hairdressers because she has literally shaved a BALD SPOT above my ear this morning. About two inches square.

The manager said FUCK and started tearing up.

They have suggested bleaching it so you can't tell so much of a difference.

I am pretty much traumatised. I hope this reassures you...

Many years ago (ahem) I asked a hairdresser to cut my hip length hair to bra strap length: it was only when he hacked a huge hunk off, I realised he had thought I mean shoulder straps, when I was talking about the back... Then he dried it with flicky out bits: my work colleagues wet themselves laughing, and spent weeks telling me I looked like Nice (the Velvet Underground one).

On the up-side, at least I've never been precious over my hair... it's been everything from hip length to an FBI buzz cut!

Oh, and there was also the time Toni and Guy gave me badger stripes instead of highlights: the day before I flew overseas for a year for work...

Iklboo I must have had the same hairdresser. I had the same hairstyle. Wanted a loose perm. Went home with granny perm which I couldn't do anything with. I tried combing it with one of those special combs and it just snapped. I was nearly crying and covered it up with a hat. I was 13/14.

I once had a haircut SOOOOOO bad (I mean shockingly awful) I almost sued. Since then I have found one hairdresser I trust and she will never, ever retire or move or I will track her down. I bloody hate getting my haircut, it's traumatic.

As a 15 year old my DM volunteered me as a model to her Birmingham hairdressers. I have never been or wanted to be trendy but as a model you get no say in the haircut. The hairdresser was a 'name' up from London and told me I looked just like one of his fashion models and would give me the same cut as her. I left with a pixie cut, incredibly short fringe and big flicks going down in front of me ears and back up my cheeks. It was horrible, I still shiver when I think about the tortuous train journey home.

I once went in to Toni & Guy, as a treat as it apparently had a good reputation. had blonde hair at the time and asked for blonder highlights. Somehow, after 5 hours in the chair, she finished and began to blow dry my hair. as she blow dried (blew drew?) my hair I actually began to cry as the colour was clearly dark grey with a mix of green. I was quite shy and feeble back then (9 years ago) so paid the £80 and just left.

DH went nuts when he saw it and complained to T&G head office, who told me to go back and the hairdresser would re do it for free. Even though I specified I didn't want he numpty who cocked my hair up, out she came. She couldn't see what the problem was and reluctantly put a toner on it, which helped slightly but it only took the green out not the dark grey. I went elsewhere to get highlights put in and despite lodging a formal complaint never saw my £80 again.

Also when I was 17 I asked for a long bob, with the hair resting on my shoulders. I got a pixie cut with random long bits at the back, my friend had to cut a four inch strand of hair after hairdresser randomly left It at the nape of my neck. I cried for days, it looked horrendous.

The worst part? It was my stepdad who cut my hair. He is a hairdresser, I'd only ever gone to him for a colour and trim, but he did an awful job of my cut (which he thought was funny and spent weeks laughing at me every time I walked past him ). He's a massive twat though and an adulterer and I'm so pleased mum has now left him! I should have known really, we never did get on and I strongly suspected at the time he did it on purpose to upset me