Skank or normal to go to hairdresser with unclean hair?!

[louloubellamozzarella]

Got hairdresser appt tomorrow. The same question which occurs to me everytime I go popped into my head this morning: do I wash hair tonight or leave it unclean (NOT dirty :) - only go max of two days without washing I hasten to add).

I always get my hair washed so seems a waste of time to wash the same day before they will do it. But is it useful for the hairdresser to see your hair clean?!

Interested to hear what everyone else does or whether you actually think stress about this at all!

I think they prefer if it is unwashed don't they? I wouldn't bother, as you say they will wash it for you.

I once went to the hairdresser with nits when I was a kid :( (I didnt know I had nits though!)

If it was really manky then yes I'd wash it but it's usually only a day or two since the last wash, and mine goes too fluffy if it's washed more than once every three days.

I wouldn't bother

I stress about this.

I used to go with unwashed hair (usually wash every third day - long, thick hair) until I was utterly humiliated by hairdresser who announced loudly to the salon at large, after my hair had been washed, that it was 'still too dirty' and she couldn't possibly deal with it until it had been shampooed again. Stupidly, I let them do it, and let her cut my hair and paid. But I never went back.

Now I always wash it on the same day as a trip to the hairdressers but I don't style it so that they can see what it's really like before they cut it :)

I have been told that for colour it actually takes better on dirty hair so they prefer it....

That's awful! I went yesterday with 3 day old hair but whenever I've apologised in the past I've been told the foils slip off freshly washed hair.

Also, lots of older ladies go once a week for their shampoo and set 'whether it needs it or not!'

As a hairdresser myself am appalled at the one you went to youonlygetonelife I no longer work in a salon but would never treat anyone like that. And no I don't wash my hair first.

That all makes me feel better thanks :)

It's just one of those things that only hits me just before hairdresser trip and leaves me feeling slightly paranoid when I'm there!

I always wash my hair before going to the hairdressers, in the same way that I also clean my teeth before going to the dentist.

I know I'm mad but I do wash my hair before I go to the hairdresser.

I do this as I think they might not be so particular if they think my standards aren't great! ( My hair does need to be washed daily as it is exceptionally fine/greasy).

This sometimes mean that I wash it a couple of hours before I go to get it washed/cut/brown dry!

I don't worry as long as I've washed it at least the day before! Just because I know they'll wash it thoroughly when I get there, and it goes dry and frizzy from too much washing (normally I do it every 2-3 days).

PJ that is not quite the same thing is it? You won't get hair decay and follicle disease from irregular washing and have to pay more and suffer physical pain as a result of poor hair hygiene!

Mine has explicitly told me not to wash it before I come in even if I've gone for a run that morning, but that might be because I have it coloured.

Lies my point was that I do it out of courtesy.

I wouldn't present a hairdresser with stinky/greasy/flaky hair, I wouldn't go for a manicure with dirty fingernails and I wouldn't go for a smear test without freshening up first. And though I clean my teeth twice a day, I would still clean them again before going to the dentist even though I know that they're going to be polished anyway.

Normal - but I'm quite skank, really

'Washing and drying on the day you're going is utterly barking IMO.'

Yup.

Foils can slip of freshly washed hair. Colour can "burn" more a scalp that doesn't have an oily film on it. Bleach in particular but doubt you are scalp-bleaching.

For just a cut, its not a problem, they have seen it all. They have (no offence to them) old ladies who have a wash and set once a week if that coming in (depends on the salon, the more urban the less they probably have but most hairdressers have seen it all) and apparently some of them have hair that smells of bacon fat and fags as the steam rises up

I plan to do just the same in my grey and bristly years

The only thing I'd say is I often go there with a semblance of the "style" I like to "wear" day to day (whether its clean or not) so they know how I wear my hair when they cut it. This is particularly relevant if you have long layers or whatever...

I am a bit anal about this. I wash my hair, blowdry it and straighten it then go to the hairdressers. I like my hairdresser to see my hair and the style etc before it is wet so he can see how it falls when it is dry and what needs doing. If I just wash it and tie it up (shoulder length hair) then it looks a mess when he unties it and doesn't fall right.

If it's a wet cut I don't wash, if it's a dry cut I do.

I must be real skanky then because yesterday I went for a ten pound blow dry in a granny shop because I couldn't be bothered to wash it myself!!! I see it as a treat. I've never understood those people that go home afterwards and wash it either! Why would you?

Haha @katkitya, I might be tempted to do that

Ended up not washing; didn't have time .

Thanks for your comments though, it did get me thinking that it'd be a good idea next time to go in the style I've been wearing it in, to give the hairdresser a better idea of what needs doing. When it feels dirty I usually tie it back which results in a bit mass of thick 1/3 wavy 1/2 not very straight (and slightly drrrty) hair to hack through; nice.