What is a wet cut at the hairdresser?

[Lilyamna]

I’ve been silly and asked for a wet cut but realised I don’t know what that is! Am I supposed to turn up with wet hair? Or will I leave with wet hair? I feel so dumb!!

I paid 80 pounds for a colour and cut. She asked to style - I said no, thank you. I left with wet hair. On a freezing day. Me, less than impressed. I feel a wet cut you should still leave with dry just not those 10 mins sessions with a brush and product.

I've never had a wet cut that wasn't washed beforehand. Having your hair sprayed with a bit of water to dampen it before a cut would be considered a dry cut everywhere I have been

I’m sitting in my hairdresser now having a wash and blow dry. Yes with product.

My hairdresser is half horrified with the comments on here and half laughing.

Whether a wet cut or a dry cut the client’s hair is washed by him or a junior at some stage in the process with products suitable for that client. That is unless the client specifically asks them not to wash it as they’re in a hurry.

Nobody would leave with wet hair as how would he know that the client’s hair cut achieved what they wanted? It would always be finished. Might not be a full blow dry but certainly dried and with product.

His question being why are those washing their own hair or leaving with wet hair happy paying for half a job? Or in fact paying for an unfinished job at all.

They wash it, they cut it and then you leave with wet hair; I do it a lot as I think I blow dries are expensive and I let my hair dry naturally - it looks better.

@BlueLottie

As some people have said, they like to dry it themselves or wait until they’re hope.
Really just personal preference.

This thread

For what it's worth I always thought a wet cut was a wash, cut but no blow dry.

I always imagine ladies wet cuts to be a service at more, ahem, downmarket type hair salons (although they are sometimes the little gems!) rather than the posh expensive Toni and Guy type places.

BlueLottie - that's your hairdresser; lots of hairdressers will let you leave with wet hair, if that's what the client wants. But it clearly means different things to different people so it's not embarrassing to ask, OP.

It shocks me that so many hairdressers take wet cut with no blow-dry so literally. My hairdresser asked me why I always booked a blow-dry as without it would save me money, I answered that I didn't want to leave the salon with wet hair, and she looked at me like "No no no! I would never let you leave with wet hair. No! It will still be dry just not properly heat styled or blow-dried like you are going out"

Yeah if you leave with wet hair how do you know if you like it? I would imagine it's only suitable if you have been to the same hairdressers for years and get a really regular trim of the same thing.

I mean I'm sure she'd let you leave with wet hair if you wanted though...

At my salon they wash, cut and a very quick rough dry.

'Nobody would leave with wet hair as how would he know that the client’s hair cut achieved what they wanted?'

Lots of women on here have said exactly this! They aren't all making it up!

OP as others have said. You get a wash and cut, rough dry and go.

I did it when I was young, i had pretty long hair cut to one length and never blow died it myself, and it was expensive. It was also in fantastic nick and looking back I think it was probably because I never blow dried it!

Now I have short hair and am middle ages I wouldn't do that though!

A wet cut is when they cut your hair wet (most wash it but some just spray it wet, but I’d say that was unusual)
Some places will then ‘waft off’ - lightly blow dry just while wafting the hair with their hands, some will leave it wet but lightly towel dry it, it depends on the salon and how much time they allot the cut and how long the cut takes.... most will at least half dry it though so that they can see how it looks.

They will only blow dry (with a brush) and style or ‘finish’ the hair if you are having a cut and blow dry, it’s a longer time slot, costs more and takes longer.

I worked in several hair salons when I was younger so know most of the lingo.

How on earth can you tell if the cut’s right if it’s not blow dried? I feel really sorry for all the hairdressers being asked to do half a job.

I have curly hair that looks bloody awful if it's blow dried. I sometimes let them rough dry it but as I don't like their products I then have to wet it again when I get home to sort it out.

One thing if you ask to leave with it wet for your own reasons but it not being part of the overall service just seems like them doing half a job.

Straw poll in here just now is that none of the stylists or juniors or clients have ever been in a salon that lets you walk out with wet hair unless you’ve specifically asked for it.

I don't use products with silicone or shampoo and I've had hairdressers that don't know how to diffuse hair or there isn't a diffuser hence leaving with it wet. Sometimes they sit me under a dryer for ten mins

His question being why are those washing their own hair or leaving with wet hair happy paying for half a job? Or in fact paying for an unfinished job at all.

At various stages I had:
a) a layered pixie type cut, which really didn't need any blow drying (and was on an incredibly tight budget, so why would I spend on it?)
b) such thick curly hair that blow drying just didn't work for it
...and even now I choose never have 'product' in my hair once it's been washed.

My hair has usually mostly dried naturally by the time the cut is done anyway. It's not as if you have your hair shampooed and leave two minutes after.

Wet cut here = wash it, cut it, usually give it a rough dry with hairdryer before leaving (hairdresser always says this in a 'bit blustery today, let me just take the worse out' kinda way, so it's clear she's doing me a favour, and it's not part of the service).

Seems to be a lot of confusion here.

A wet cut is: they wash it, cut it and you leave with it wet.

I’m at the hairdressers now and just asked.

It depends on the hairdresser. Some leave it wet and some roughly dry it

Never ever heard of a wet cut. It's just a cut.

I have a wet cut. It means you don't get the full on blow dry with brushes etc. Fro my hair it's better to rough dry it anyway. Ive never left with wet hair.

Where I live, a wet cut is when they make your hair wet to cut it but they don't wash it. They still dry it afterwards! You don't see people leaving with wet hair :-)