Hair chopped off and I'm upset.

[Rollintodarkness]

Disclaimer. I know I should have spoken up when sitting watching my hair being cut off but I was in shock and even by that time it would have been too late, it had been cut.

My regular hairdresser has relocated so I had to find somewhere new. I saw someone looking for models, all fully supervised so I thought I'd go for it. Long hair down my back. Asked for a bit below my shoulders with some shape. What I got was midway between my shoulders and chin, no shape. I hate it. My face is fatter than it should be and longer hair let me hide a bit. Now I can't. The supervisor came and kept chopping more away too. I can't look at myself in the mirror. I keep telling myself it will grow. I think it may be uneven too, but I can't look long enough to know for sure.

Yeah that sucks. You do need to be more assertive next time though, 5 minutes of feeling uncomfortable is better than living with a bad haircut!

Get some heated rollers try to give it some bounce, try new styles. You will get used to it.

Ok lesson learnt speak up- for now remember hair grows, you’re gonna have to own this style for a bit though- now you could find a hairdresser to even it out, maybe wave it and try a new look.
It will grow though!

Go back to the salon, ask to speak to the salon manager and repeat what you've just said here.

I've been a hair model for over 30 years, they should either put it right (probably not possible in this situation) or get a stylist to repair it as best they can and help you regrow it (layers, shaping, regular trims).

You are not a Girls World doll.

Maybe look through Pinterest for some styling ideas

Nothing you can do. You will get used to it and it will grow. Think positive - cooler in summer, less drying time etc

As horrible as you might feel about it, it's only hair and it will grow back. I have zero emotional attachment to my hair and just lopped a load of inches off and dyed it almost black (I'd only booked for a trim so it was very spur of the moment) I always think that if I don't like it, then it's not a big deal because it's a temporary problem.

If it's uneven then maybe see if someone can tidy it up for you as it might make you feel better about it.

I'm sure you look better than you think x

Completely empathise and am in a similar position. Hair was down my back and really thick but didn't have much shape. I asked for long layers to give some movement and texture. I recieved...a mullet. The length was kept in a few straggly bits down the back, the fringe was cut too far round and I hate it so much that I've already taken the scissors to it. Cutting the weird long bits off at the back has actually made me feel slightly better and I honestly think I can cut my own fringe better than any hairdresser I've been to. I'm not advising you do this but if you really hate it, you should consider what you can do to make it liveable with because once it's in a crap cut, even growing it isn't going to solve the problem.

Oh you're all being so lovely. Thank you. I figured once it was cut there was nothing they could do because it was gone. I don't want more hair cut off, so I don't know that going back will help at all. Such a mess!

YANBU to be upset. I've always had longish hair and 'bit below my shoulders with some shape' is what I ask for - and get, though usually there's a sensible tendency to err on the side of caution. I'd be upset and mightily pissed off if someone was so incompetent as to cut it above my shoulders. I still cut my DDs hair and can manage not to do that, even a trainee should be able to get the basic length on a simple cut close enough.

It will grow, of course but that's not much consolation right now.

Oh I’m sorry. I’ve had this experience, asked for a sort of short bob haircut and ended up with an awful pixie. People say it grows, and of course it does, but at snail speed.

I’m sure it doesn’t look as bad as you think! Maybe some hair bands until it grows on you a bit?

I did that when I was younger, although I asked for it to be chopped off. I was only about 14 but I cried for days. Couldn't look at myself in the mirror either.
I would say have a mess around with it put it into different styles. Try half up/half down if it's too short to put up completely. It will grow back, and probably faster than you think. Sorry OP.

I had someone turn back on a haircut before after the first snip. Depends on the first initial cut obviously and placement but I had the first section, by the nape and it was about 3 inches wide and I cut it from near bum length to bra strap length (what she asked for but backed out when she saw it drop to the floor)

I started to panic inside. I managed to disguise the first bit (thankfully I didn't do the ponytail chop) obviously she knew it was there but when straightened or in a low ponytail it wasn't that obvious. Sorry OP useless I know but just encouraging people to be speak up when at a hairdressers. A lot of things can be salvaged, or at least disguised or advised on. In your case it sounds like they were inexperienced and the manager went for the "cut it all off" approach rather than having the awkward conversation with the client.

This sort of thing is why I now cut my own..... But it's also true, that at least hair grows back again eventually.

This has happened to me a lot. So many times I've asked for shoulder length and got a very short graduated bob!
As others have said, it grows back and it will probably grow out quite quickly. Try and see it as it's had a good cut.

A hair dresser told me once never to refer to "shoulder length" in any description..it's really ambiguous apparently. People mean lots of different things. Anywhere from where your neck ends and shoulder begins (kind of directly under the ear IYSWIM) down to shoulder blades.

Ironically we had this conversation after I'd asked for shoulder length, so I then explained more specifically and still got a cut that was too short!

I never say it now.

I bet it looks much better than you think!

Go back and see if they can get it into something you are happier with. My hairdresser is a total dream and he and I are very good at communicating, but I know he would be absolutely gutted if I walked out feeling unhappy, and even worse if I was telling people. He owns the salon, customers are his advertising! A good salon will bend over backwards to get it sorted for you. They can’t put the hair back but they can do the very best they can to make sure you are not wincing at the mirror.

@Psychonabike

A hair dresser told me once never to refer to "shoulder length" in any description..it's really ambiguous apparently. People mean lots of different things. Anywhere from where your neck ends and shoulder begins (kind of directly under the ear IYSWIM) down to shoulder blades.

Ironically we had this conversation after I'd asked for shoulder length, so I then explained more specifically and still got a cut that was too short!

I never say it now.

I say 'a bit below shoulder' and then put my fingers on my hair in front of my shoulder where I mean.

@errolthedragon that is exactly what I did. Showed the length front and back. I thought I was pretty clear. Clearly not. I'm most upset that the person who was supervising just wasn't very present. She started at the back so by the time I could see what was going on it was waaaaay too late.
@judystilldreamsofhorses I am reliably told by my family that it definitely isn't better than I think.

OP, If you have even a little bit of length, try pinning it up. At least then when you catch sight of yourself you will just look like a long haired person with hair up.

Had the same situation as you many many times when younger and this was what I always did until I got a little more length on it. Some people don't seem to mind but if you like a bit of length in your hair, having it chopped off is heartbreaking. 💐💐

It sounds like you were clear, but neither the cutter nor the 'supervisor' was paying sufficient attention.

Every hairdresser I have ever gone to has no concept of inches or centimetres, or anatomy (mid back, shoulder, etc). I'm a long hair person and they've been anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet out (that was a bad one!). They can't all be like that, they really can't. If you are a stylist on MN and have skills when it comes to getting this, please pop on and tell us where you are! We obviously need you!

Went in for a trim. My hair was about where my bra strap was and I left the hairdressers with it north of my shoulders.
I had just started senior school and was devastated. I really don’t suit short hair. Felt so pressured by my mother and the hairdresser when I realised the amount that was cut off.
I cried for weeks. All my mother would say is how lucky I was that I got to go to the hairdressers
It took me 40 years before I ventured into a hairdressers again and that was only for a hair dye.

A hair dresser told me once never to refer to "shoulder length" in any description..it's really ambiguous apparently. People mean lots of different things. Anywhere from where your neck ends and shoulder begins (kind of directly under the ear IYSWIM) down to shoulder blades

Ironically we had this conversation after I'd asked for shoulder length, so I then explained more specifically and still got a cut that was too short

Why would shoulder length mean the bottom of you neck? That doesn’t even make sense That is neck length.

.

No idea what the relevance of that was supposed to be to this thread about incompetent hairdressers.