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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Hairdresser left me with wet hair

118 replies

Goodlookingcreature · 18/06/2019 22:04

Am I being unreasonable because I feel super bad? Each week I get two blowouts. Usually on a Tuesday and a Saturday. There is an awesome salon nearby who work mostly with walk ins, but you can make appointments. I never make an appointment because I don’t usually mind waiting.

I went in this evening, no appointment and two stylists were busy. That’s fine, there’s one person in front of me and one lady behind me. I am currently on anti biotics for a nasty chest infection and sinus infection.

A 3rd stylist arrived and asked me to go to a wash basin so he could wash my hair. He then directed me to take a seat until the lady was finished with the client next to me.

I sat waiting about 20 minutes, with my hair sogging wet. The man who washed my hair took the client he washed after me and was half way through her blow out.

The stylist next to me, upon finishing the blowout, started to painstakingly curl the clients hair with the ghd. I proceeded to wait but it was taking quite a while because the clients hair was very long and thick. It looked like it was going to take a while still. I roughly dried off my hair and approached the corner to pay, just for the wash. Two of the stylists approached me and asked me to sit down, I was really embarrassed I was caught on time and I was sick so I didn’t want to stay there longer with my hair wet. The man offered to leave his blowout to start mine and I felt so embarrassed because his client apparently had an appointment. I just said I didn’t want to make a scene, it’s okay, I’m just in a rush and could I pay for the wash.

The lady I regularly go to looked quite hurt (it’s her salon) and refused to take a payment.

I am thinking about it all evening, I didn’t want to cause a scene but I felt at the time
I was justified. Now I’m not so sure.

OP posts:
Expressedways · 18/06/2019 22:21

Blow out is American for blow dry.

I think you’re being a little contradictory to say you don’t make an appointment because you don’t mind waiting, and then say that you did mind waiting albeit with wet hair. I agree it’s annoying though, just probably not to the extent that I would have walked out. Could you not have asked for someone, even a trainee to rough dry it (or even ask for the hair dryer to do it yourself if you were really desperate) and then you could wait with dry hair for the stylist?

Disfordarkchocolate · 18/06/2019 22:22

I think leaving was fine, why did he wash your hair if there was no one to dry it?

SecretWitch · 18/06/2019 22:23

I was left with a very wet head of hair when I had a full appointment for highlights, cut and blow dry. This was at a salon I had been going to for years. My stylist made my appointment and certainly knew I have thick hair ,halfway down my back.

He stopped drying my hair to take another client as “my appointment had run over time”. I was early to my appointment and early in the chair. I haven’t been back since.

Sugarformyhoney · 18/06/2019 22:26

No idea why you’d visit a busy salon with a chest and sinus infection? Seems a bit strange tbh and very selfish 🤷‍♀️
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect to wait with your hair presumably wrapped in a towel?

stucknoue · 18/06/2019 22:28

Never heard the term I admit, blowouts happen to tyres! And twice a week? I would suggest making appointments though. How the other half live ...

Cryalot2 · 18/06/2019 22:28

I think there has been a misunderstanding. They should not have washed your hair if there was no one to finish it.
You could have booked an appointment or as you didn't perhaps asked if they had time .
Never worry go back and take some buns and just check for again. The buns will will be an ice breaker..

Grumpos · 18/06/2019 22:29

Why are ppl so weird?!
This is a salon you regularly go to - twice a week - and appointments aren’t always necessary, nothing wrong with you just turning up.
Of course YNBU for not wanting to sit for a long time with wet hair.
They shouldn’t have washed it until they knew the stylist would be free in the next 5/10 mins.
However if this is just a one off I’d not worry too much, just pop in there tomorrow or maybe drop the owner a private msg on Facebook to say “sorry about today, I’ve not been feeling well and the wet hair made me feel really cold and I just couldn’t wait any longer - hope I didn’t upset anyone, it wasn’t personal. See you Saturday”
It’s not like you ran out without paying ffs. I’d have done the same - my hairdresser always leaves me sitting waiting for something or other, hence I’m trying a new one next month Smile

Otterseatpuffinsdontthey · 18/06/2019 22:35

q

BoomBoomsCousin · 18/06/2019 22:37

I don't think you were unreasonable to leave. It's pretty poor service to leave you sitting there with wet hair for so long. I'm not surprised the owner refused to take payment she was probably embarrassed they'd treated you so poorly.

MyNewBearTotoro · 18/06/2019 22:40

You were not being unreasonable to leave as they shouldn’t have left you with wet hair.

But honestly, it is so selfish to go to the hairdressers when you are unwell. The staff are working in close contact with you and so you are likely to pass your illness into them. I don’t see how a hairstyle could be so urgent you couldn’t wait until you were better?

Surfingtheweb · 18/06/2019 22:40

YANBU

givemesteel · 18/06/2019 22:43

How much does it cost you to have someone else blow dry your hair twice a week, have you added that up over the course of a year?

I think you need to maybe rethink your priorities if you think it is wise to go out to get your hair blow dried when you're obviously feeling pretty ill.

But no they shouldn't have tried to fit you in if they didn't really have time. But it is also really annoying that styling with ghds has now become a part of having your hair cut when salons don't allow enough appointment time for it. It annoys me when my appointment is running 20 mins late because of the previous client getting their hair tinged, that used to be z separate service you'd have to pay for.

HiJenny35 · 18/06/2019 22:43

Yabu going to the stylist whilst unwell, no one wants to be styling hair whist you are coughing and snotty. Yabu to go there all the time and never book an appointment, how annoying!
Don't book you'll be fitted in whenever. You did make a scene and should have just sat there and waited for the people with appointments to be completed.

Lottle · 18/06/2019 22:44

20 minutes is too long to wait with wet hair. YANBU.

RosaWaiting · 18/06/2019 22:45

If you were short on time, you should have told them when you arrived

I hope you recover soon but honestly hoping no one caught it off you, seems odd you went at all.

QuickQuestion2019 · 18/06/2019 22:46

Blow out??? Urgh. That's worse than 'lay-in'.

ethelfleda · 18/06/2019 22:47

I’ve just wasted ten minutes of my life reading that.

saraclara · 18/06/2019 22:48

They shouldn't have washed your hair until someone was ready to dry it. It was okay to leave if you were becoming cold or uncomfortable. I don't think you made a scene. You just towel dried and went to the desk to pay.

But I have to agree with the others, that going to the hairdresser while still actively ill with a chest infection was unfair on the stylists who are in such close contact. I know it infuriates me if a stylist is sniffling or suffering with a sore throat when they're doing my hair.

RedPink · 18/06/2019 22:48

I think it was ok to leave but I'd have just asked someone how long they would be before they got to me and asked for a towel to wrap my wet hair. They should
Have let you know there would be a delay though.

Shelvesoutofbooks · 18/06/2019 22:55

A) everyone here moaning over the term Blowout - would you have been equally as annoyed if she used vacation instead of holiday? No, so stop picking at something that really wasn't the point of the post
B) the poster giving the OP shit for getting a blowdry twice a week - again none of your business and stop picking at something that the post isn't about
C) if the salon usually has walk ins for blow drys and she normally does it - why would she make an appointment. If you have a gp that does walk ins and appointments would you bother making an appointment if you van wait
D) yes she was fine to wait. But that's BEFORE it started. I would be annoyed if I came somewhere to get my hair washed and styled and then someone leaves me there for 20 minutes with wet hair - it's not on and no salon I've ever been in would do that - most hair would dry down quite a bit naturally and get frizzy - definitely not what I pay for when I go get my hair done. So no OP YANBU

I mean imagine getting your nails done and your nail tech doing only one hand and then leaving you there waiting while they do someone else. You'd consider that rude and unprofessional, how is this any different?

RosaWaiting · 18/06/2019 22:57

Local salons here advertising blowouts rather than blow dries.

I got told Brexit wasn’t a word when I joined MN!

Marriedtomyjob · 18/06/2019 23:00

Yanbu - they obviously couldn’t really fit you in and they should have been upfront about that instead of accepting a walk in they didn’t have time for and leaving you sitting freezing your tits off with wet hair.

Yabbers · 18/06/2019 23:01

No idea why you’d visit a busy salon with a chest and sinus infection? Seems a bit strange tbh and very selfish

Yep.

I wonder who gets their hair blow dried of an evening? Surely OP wasn’t going anywhere special with a chest infection.

MitziK · 18/06/2019 23:05

I want to be financially comfortable enough to go to a salon twice a week for perfect hair. I'd be pretty miffed if I was left waiting for something I paid for on such a regular basis.

BentBaastard · 18/06/2019 23:15

Blow out is the oddest phrase I have ever heard.

It’s a blow dry, surely.

Blow out is binge eating to me or a car tyre exploding.