To hate going to the hairdressers?

[SebastianTheCrab]

I just hate it. I don't find it relaxing at all.

I hate being trapped in the chair for hours, having to make awkward small talk with the receptionists, assistant and hairdresser, staring at myself in the mirror, having to fob off the endless attempts to flog me products and expensive treatments, smiling and nodding at the end while they gush about how great my hair looks (are they complimenting me or themselves? I mean, I've just been sat on my arse scrolling Mumsnet for hours while they've done all the work?) and then fiddling about with tips for everyone at the end.

But today took the absolute biscuit. I went in for my once-yearly colour and ended up there for five hours. It killed my entire day. I had so many errands I was supposed to run today and had to bin my entire To Do list. I literally walked out in the middle of the blow dry so I could be on time to pick up my son from nursery.

I have no idea what they were doing for so long. They kept putting goop in my hair, washing a bit out, adding more goop, putting me under the heater thing, combing through, adding more goop etc etc. After 3 hours I asked how much longer it was going to take and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when they said 1.5 hours. It ended up taking a further 2.

And my hair looks almost exactly the same.

Dear hairdresser, this is massively obvious who I am if you read this - I'm sorry. I just hate going to the hairdressers!

You just need a new hairdresser. Pick the one or two women you know with frickin awesome hair and ask where they go.

It should only take all day to colour in 2 situations:
1- you fucked up your hair eg dyed it bright pink or orange, or tinted your highlights green, and they were correcting it, or
2- you have one of those modern colours eg pastel where they have to bleach it white before the colour goes on.

Were you one of these?

Five hours?! That's odd - what exactly did you have done? I have highlights, a half head, a few times a year. Takes about 1.5 hours

"Literally the only thing I complained about on that list is how long it took.

Is 5 hours a normal amount of time for a hair appointment? Genuinely asking! I don't think I would have been so irritated if they'd warned me how long it would take. (And if they had I would have asked if there were any other options)."

Well it's the only thing you complained about, but it didn't take long for others to take the opportunity to stick the boot in as is often the case with these threads.

And how long is a piece of string? I suppose the length of your appointment is entirely dependent on your hair/what you're having done to it/a hundred other factors. I can be in and out in about an hour but I only ever have a cut and blow dry. If I were having it coloured then of course I would expect that to take longer.

I hate it. The chat, the mirrors, the trying to drink your complimentary cup of tea whilst not moving your head, the complimentary head massage as you stare at the ceiling wondering whether or not you should be shutting your eyes, the inevitable feeling of despair as you realise you don’t like the cut AT ALL but you are far too polite to admit to it so you brightly say ‘lovely thank you’.

I have just managed to make a booking, so very happy!

I stopped having mine coloured years ago, so a cut only takes around 40 minutes. I'm quite happy chatting to the hairdresser, but I think five hours would be tedious.
I used to have Brazilian blowdrys, that meant a lot of sitting about between stages, but used to take a newspaper or magazine (can't bear the glossies in the hairdressers full of ads, impossibly thin vacuous models and designer clothes).

My current hairdressers has posters up saying you don't have to chat if you don't want to, just let them know (even pre-covid), similarly don't have to sit towards the mirror.
I also have a semi-dry cut, which speeds things.

I don't enjoy it either but have to say I went to a new hairdresser back in September, really hit it off with her and had a laugh (and she did an amazing job). I LOVED wearing a mask, I really hate having to stare at myself in the mirror, it's why I don't like going but with a mask, fine!

Sorry no offence meant to any hairdressers.

I enjoy a trip to the hairdressers about the same as going to the dentist or as Op says having a smear! Sometimes necessary but sort of dread it.

My friend is a hairdresser and comes to the house (lockdown permitting) every 6 weeks to do all of us. When I win the lottery she's going to come and blow dry my hair every day ... I love someone else doing my hair.

It's a 4.5 hour job for me every 10 weeks.

They also make me open the meche sticky things as she puts them in my hair whilst hair hangs over my face and I can't breathe and we make awkward small talk and I pay £135 for this privilege.

Hate the hairdressers.
I tend to try out different ones to see if there's one I hate less. But no luck so far.
I mostly hate the small talk and having to look at myself in the mirror whilst I'm talking. After a while there's always uncomfortable silence too as the conversation comes to a natural end and it's just too taxing to keep on going.

Those of you who hate going to the hairdresser why don't you change your hairstyle to something that needs less maintenance? Also, why don't you take a book/kindle/get your phone out and say that you aren't feeling talkative.

TBH I don't understand why you put yourselves through some thing you hate this much, go grey gracefully or colour it yourself, and grow your hair into a style that just needs a trim.

The hairdresser I go to just gets on with it and colours, washes, cuts and blow dries my hair. I don't get a head massage as it isn't offered. I'm in and our in under 2 hours.

Say no to drinks, say no to head massages and be more specific about what you want and don't want. It isn't difficult.

@Ginfordinner

Those of you who hate going to the hairdresser why don't you change your hairstyle to something that needs less maintenance? Also, why don't you take a book/kindle/get your phone out and say that you aren't feeling talkative.

TBH I don't understand why you put yourselves through some thing you hate this much, go grey gracefully or colour it yourself, and grow your hair into a style that just needs a trim.

The hairdresser I go to just gets on with it and colours, washes, cuts and blow dries my hair. I don't get a head massage as it isn't offered. I'm in and our in under 2 hours.

Say no to drinks, say no to head massages and be more specific about what you want and don't want. It isn't difficult.

I do all that. Still prefer to have nice hair.

For some reason even when I say please do not massage my head, please be very fast, do not wash twice I still think come on! But I really dislike it.

But yes hair is good. Highlights are excellent. So I’ll go and then talk about how it’s a bit of a pain when generally we’re supposed to see it as pampering. So what it’s just chat.

There must be a real gap in the market for hairdressers that plonk you down in front of an old film, give you a cup of tea and crack on with your hair without conversation.

I hate going and am delighted that over the last few months I've learned to give myself a half decent haircut. Nothing fancy, but nothing embarassing. I may never go again.

I love my hairdresser but I find getting my hair cut stressful because of the forced social aspect. She's very talented and so lovely but I hate the feeling of being trapped there; you can't exactly run out mid-cut.

I used to be the same, so I have had a mobile hairdresser, and I hate her coming too, but I can put up with it, as I only have a cut, dont let her wash or dry it, I do that myself. She's a lovely girl, I just hate being messed with !

I would love to choose the same level of cut but do a no frills version.

I haven't gone in... I don't know, probably more than 15 years. It's nothing against the hairdressers themselves, just that I don't enjoy the awkward small talk (or having to get the point across that you don't want to talk, without seeming rude). I also hate anything where I'm expected to tip, and since I'm usually only getting a boring trim (not interested in anything too elaborate), it feels like fuss and expense for little reward.

I don't have beautifully dyed, cut, and styled hair, but I wouldn't bother styling it every day, anyway. It's good enough, in my opinion, and I save a lot over the course of a year by doing it at home. I don't think I look any worse than the average woman. I'm not glamourous, but I'm presentable.

Those of you who hate going to the hairdresser why don't you change your hairstyle to something that needs less maintenance
I only go about 3 times a year. I've never had a colour, just get a load of it chopped off until it gets unbearably long and thick again. I still hate it!

Find a hairdresser better suited to you?

I used to go to a guy who worked out of an annexe to his country cottage. He was quite introverted himself so his way of working was:

Only one client at a time
Brief chat on arrival about what you wanted
Apply colour
Leave you on your own with magazines and a coffee or some homemade soup whilst he popped back into his cottage
Sometimes his friends dog was around (he dog sat for her a lot) and wanting a clappie
When it was developed he came back, washed it and then did a blow dry very quickly and efficiently as he was very experienced.

It was a bit too hands off for me in the end, I prefer more of a chat, but my point is horses for courses really.

He wasn’t cheap because he was very good and had over 20 years experience and he was working on his own so limited number of clients. But he wasn’t that expensive either because he was working from home so no premises to pay for. He had a very loyal following.

Phew! Thought it was just me ! I have long thick hair and I like to get it coloured full head tint washed and bow dried straight every 6-8 weeks ... it typically takes a solid 3 and half hours each time. I find I’m out of chat after the first hour and then I zone off ... towards the end I kinda run out of patience and probs look rather grumpy but you do just get to a point of having enough! That’s not the hairdressers fault thought I always tip cos my hair is hard work... I’ve had hairdressers say to me ‘ your quiet aren’t you !! ‘ erm ... maybe ... or maybe I can’t think of any idle shit to talk about after the first hour ... 😄😂

My hairdresser doesn’t speak. I travel 90 minutes for her, she’s done my hair since my very first baby haircut.
A brief chat at the start; and that’s it.

Whenever I’ve used another for ease - they’ve ruined my hair and tried to chat the whole time.

In my entire adult life I don't think I have been to a hair salon more than 20 times, probably less.
Special occasions or if I just wanted to treat myself have been the reasons but mostly I cut and colour my own mop. If I have saved a fortune not spending it in a salon then I must have spent it somewhere else because I can't think where that pile of cash is sitting.
I think the most I ever paid was around 18 years ago and I wanted a nice array of highlights. If memory serves I paid £50 ish and it looked nice enough but nothing special.

Semi permanent home dyes and my scissor skills are quite adequate now.

I absolutely detest it! It's boring, hot, inconvenient and takes so long! However I go because I like the end result.

God I hate it too. I only go about twice a year but I get relatively complicated colour so it takes about 2.5 hours. I do like how it looks after but the whole thing is so awkward.

They don't care what I'm doing for Christmas, I don't care what they are doing for Christmas - why are we even talking about it?!! I do go to the same hairdresser mainly but beyond her doing a good job and me being polite towards her and paying her for her work, I have no interest in developing the relationship.

I am terrible for really hating any personal interaction with random strangers I don't care about though. DH will chat away merrily to the taxi driver or the plumber or whatever and I'm always standing there like 'what the hell is the point of this?!'

@Ginfordinner

Those of you who hate going to the hairdresser why don't you change your hairstyle to something that needs less maintenance? Also, why don't you take a book/kindle/get your phone out and say that you aren't feeling talkative.

TBH I don't understand why you put yourselves through some thing you hate this much, go grey gracefully or colour it yourself, and grow your hair into a style that just needs a trim.

The hairdresser I go to just gets on with it and colours, washes, cuts and blow dries my hair. I don't get a head massage as it isn't offered. I'm in and our in under 2 hours.

Say no to drinks, say no to head massages and be more specific about what you want and don't want. It isn't difficult.

I hate long hair and hair grows so it needs cutting! Not much I can do about that. I can't cut it myself because I'm rubbish at that sort of thing and it would look socially unacceptable impacting the way I'm viewed, the way my kids feel about me being any where near then and my professional life.

Being in and out in under 2 hours is hardly quick! I would find that dreadful. My hair rarely takes more than 45 minutes and that bores me to tears (not literally!). It doesn't have to be difficult to still be something you don't enjoy.