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Original poster

What are the secrets to a good haircut?

24 replies

NothingsLeft · 07/12/2013 18:08

I had my hair 'restyled' today and its a disaster. I have come away looking like a shaggy dog, which is very far from the look i was going for!

This is not the first time this has happened. Ive had several hair salon mishaps. I just dont know where i go wrong. I did my research, took a photo in, explained what i wanted but I made no difference. It looks awful.

I now need to restyled my restyle. If you have nice hair, how do you do it?!

OP posts:

roadwalker · 07/12/2013 18:39

Did you go on a recommendation?
I have tried this but realised, too late, that the person had such different hair to me it made the recommendation useless
If anyone uses straighteners they too are useless for recommendation as straighteners iron out most mistakes
Most small salons have not been good for me
I've had good hair cuts at vidal sassons and good and bad at tony and guys
The big, city centre salons keep up to date with training and styles
You could hover outside some and see what the clients look like coming out

Original poster

NothingsLeft · 07/12/2013 19:42

It was kind of a recommendation. I went previously and had a bog standard trim & colour which was fine. Not so fine for a restyle.

It is a small, local salon and ideally I would like to support local businesses. May be that's where I'm going wrong!

I did have a great cut at Vidal Sassoon once but don't have that life style anymore...

OP posts:

plentyofsoap · 07/12/2013 20:06

Always go to one who people you trust recommend. My last one was via a friend and she was amazing, however very expensive.
I go to a lady who works from home now its 20 pounds cheaper and still very good. A few of my friends have been going for years. A good sign is that they are always busy and booked in advance.
I had to go local recently and she was awful.

plentyofsoap · 07/12/2013 20:07

I also worry if they have rubbish hair themselves....

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 07/12/2013 20:20

I used to go to Tony and Guy (years ago) but the music was disco level. I found it hard to explain what I wanted. And when my hair was very long ( below my waistband of my jeans) I had to stand up to have it cut.
Surely in this day and age they have seat that can go high enough to prevent me having to stand

I've been to recommended ones.

I've been to "No Appointment Needed" ones.

Main thing for me is that they can hear me, they listen to what I don't want ( I need to be able to keep my hair back. I don't have time to blow dry for example)

I'm not a hairdresser trip fan.

Original poster

NothingsLeft · 07/12/2013 21:24

Think will ask around from people with good hair for a recommendation. Will wash & style it tomorrow to see if its salvageable - I really hope so.

OP posts:

TwerkingNineToFive · 07/12/2013 21:29

This isn't much help but I find it impossible. My friend from my home town does my hair and I have tried in vain to get it done in the city I live in now but It always looks awful. I say I want it exactly the same but shorter and they still mess it up. [RAGE]

cloudskitchen · 07/12/2013 21:47

I do think you get what you pay for with a haircut. I think a lot of the larger salon chains and franchises are constantly training staff in current trends etc. I know Headmasters used to have an academy for their staff. possibly still do :)

RandomMess · 07/12/2013 21:50

You have to know what will work with your hair and face etc. Then you need a good hairdresser which is tricky.

plentyofsoap · 07/12/2013 21:55

I must say the best hairdresser I had was the most expensive. It was an amazing cut.

nickEcave · 08/12/2013 11:17

I really agree that you get what you pay for. When I can afford it (about once a year) I go to the hairdresser near my mums who is fantastic and really knows my hair. She charges about £60 for a cut and finish which I accept is a huge amount (this is London but not central London) but I always come out knowing my hair looks the best it could possibly look and the cut stays looking really good for at least 6 weeks. Anywhere else I've been, even places which charge around £35-£40 for a cut and finish have been hit and miss. A good hairdresser should be able to tell you if what you want will actually suit your face shape and they should be able to do lots of fancy techniques like cutting through and thinning out layers.

roadwalker · 08/12/2013 11:56

I agree
the only haircuts I have had that I would consider to be very good have been expensive
I like to do nothing to my hair so I need a good cut
If you blow dry, straighten, like to spend time, then a good cut is less important
And my hair is shoulder length curly/wavy and I like it messy so you would think it would be forgiving but a good cut makes such a difference

MrsMarigold · 08/12/2013 12:07

I don't think it's about cost - I think it is about experience and passion for the job. I used to have brilliant haircuts from a guy who just loved it. I always gave him free rein to do what he wanted as I maintained if he enjoyed cutting it and it was challenging for him chances are I'd get a good cut. Also it's worth going in when it is quieter rather than on Saturday when it's a production line. I think mid length to long hair is incredibly boring for hairdressers so I can see they don't put their best efforts into those jobs. I always tell hairdressers about my lifestyle, discuss my face shape, sense of style and take my specs.

In terms of colour go to someone recommended rather than experienced it is about having a good eye for colour

Original poster

NothingsLeft · 08/12/2013 16:12

I've washed and style it, still no better. I'm seriously bummed.

Sounds like a cost issue then. Will have to dig deeper for my re-restyle!

OP posts:

bishboschone · 08/12/2013 16:43

I do think you are either lucky with your hair or not . Some people just have fab hair , others not so much .. Bit like the genetic lottery ..

RandomMess · 08/12/2013 16:47

My hairdresser is amazing and very inexpensive but very experienced but like I said above you have to be aware of what works or doesn't work with your hair and realistic about how much maintenance the style you want is. I have to have either really short or long. Have loads and loads of thick but smooth and shiny hair that is too heavy and limp for most styles.

Original poster

NothingsLeft · 08/12/2013 17:16

I think part of the problem random is I'm totally clueless with what works for me. I have been hoping a hairdresser might point me in a direction but hasn't happened yet!

Where do you get this info?

OP posts:

RandomMess · 08/12/2013 17:24

Hmmm a good hairdresser - LOL!!!

Get a hair dresser recommended, stick with them for several cuts but before the first cut tell her what you've had done before that DIDN'T work and what was ok?

They have magazines with hundreds of haircuts in so choose several styles you like and ask which they think will work best on your hair?

Some chain salons have their staff trained in about 7 hair cuts at their own training centres - you need to go somewhere that the staff are properly trained in all basic cuts.

Be honest and ask them what do they think will work well with your hair as you keep having disasters?

Is your hair straight, wavy, curly or near straight with kinks in it? Is it silky smooth and won't easily hold a pony tail or textured? Is it easy to wet and then quick to dry or not? Does it hold perm and colour well? Being able to answer those questions would hel the hairdresser know what your hair will/won't do easily I should think?

Elliptic5 · 08/12/2013 17:54

I don't think it's always down to cost - I had a very good hairdresser that cost ££££ but they gradually got more and more complacent, cut my hair faster and faster, and stopped listening to me. Their prices continued to increase and I felt I was not getting value for money.
After getting a recommendation on MN I have swapped to another hairdresser - he is great - he listens to what I want, makes suggestions and spends ages getting it right. He is cheaper as well. Dd and OH have also swapped to his salon.
Getting recommendations and being prepared to try them out seems a good way to go, it's only hair and it grows back unlike my teeth ruined by some fucker of a dentist when I was a teenager

bishboschone · 08/12/2013 18:05

I also think people try and make their hair do what it doesn't want to . I have thick curly hair and I have it cut in a style accordingly . My hair wouldn't suit a fringe or being straight looks odd so I work with what I have.

whereisshe · 08/12/2013 18:06

It's so difficult to find a hairdresser who can cut hair well AND listen to you. I get mine coloured more often than cut, so I use that to get new hairdressers used to my hair before I let them cut it (and also to try to explain to them how I care for it, ie I don't own a hair dryer and I don't know how to style it, so it needs to style itself).

I always try to pick hairdressers who have hair similar to mine, so at least they understand wavy frizz/mess in a fundamental way (as opposed to hearing me say "I don't blow dry it" and then interpreting that as "I'm willing to spend half an hour every morning on my hair"). Then I start with something simple (basic trim etc) and work my way up to a restyle. It means I have very boring hair and changing hairdresser is a loooong traumatic process, but at least I don't hate it most of the time.

varigatedivy · 08/12/2013 18:09

I think getting the right hair cut is a mixture of having a great cutter and also working with the hair you have. I've been told by hairdressers that they sigh when a client comes with a photo because often they don't have the right hair to cut into that style.

As a rule, I always ask for the creative director at a salon or a very senior stylist- not someone who has just come out of college and is 18. I know this is stereotyping but in general it's a guide.

You also need to be REALLY clear about what you want and communicate this and be prepared to butt in mid cut if it's looking a bit dodgy.

Good cutters are worth their weight in gold- I'm lucky because a friend of mine owned a salon and hand picked a few cutters and they had to show her first what they could do!

I pay around £65 in London which is actually very cheap for London ( not west end though) and I only need it cutting every 12 weeks.

RandomMess · 08/12/2013 18:17

I'm in the south east and she comes to my home, I think it's £8 each for a cut and when I had a fringe she would pop in and do it for free between cuts!

I do keep telling her to put her prices up btw!

JoanRanger · 08/12/2013 22:09

Hunt for photos of celebs with similar hair/face structure and take those to the hairdresser. And only go to someone who is recommended by friends whose hair I really like.

Am slightly out of love with the current hairdresser though. The last one (who left to do a degree) was more openminded and less "I will tell you what suits you."

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