Will my hair ever grow back

[sparklychops]

I just had a cut from a terrible person. I asked them for a trim. I've never had short hair as an adult and I like my hair a lot.
My hair was down to my bum. Somehow after asking for a trim the hairdresser chopped the lot off and it's resting below my shoulders.
I think she tried to cover up the job by leaving the front long?!

I am really sad at my new length but also don't know what I'm supposed to do with my style now. At the back it looks like someone went nuts with an axe, it's been hacked off at all different lengths.
The problem was as she curled it at the end I didn't notice how bad it was at the time.
I'm very upset at it.

Was this at a hairdressing salon/with a hairdresser? If so, then you should be able to get the issue corrected.
If it was an acquaintance with scissors you will have to either put up with it, try to fix yourself or get a professional to sort out the worst.

Sounds awful but why are you unsure if it will grow back?

I don't know, maybe because I'm older now and I've never had it short I'm worried it won't grow back healthily because I don't have the benefit of being young and don't want to turn into straggly old witch style long hair . I absolutely hate it now though. And it keeps going curly (but bad curly) where so much weight has gone from it.

It was not a salon but someone recommended?!! I think she knew she'd mucked up because she couldn't wait to get out the door at the end and by this time it was too late because it's only once she left I saw the back (the front is similar length to before!)

I think I will have to see a professional which I am happy to do but I'm dreading them making it even shorter. I know probably sounds daft but my hair was like a part of me that I looked after and liked about me. And now it's gone I'm quite sad about it all.

Hey, I can’t comment on your specific hair situation as mine is short but it does sound horrendous and I do understand how a bad haircut can really affect how you feel.
What I wanted to add was some reassurance that professional hair dressers can be magicians. I am growing out a pixie and my last cut somehow managed to make my hair look much longer. So don’t worry about cutting a little bit more off to fix the overall style.

Thanks for all your kind and helpful words. My dh says it's only hair and whilst I do appreciate that, my hair was my 'thing' about me that I liked and now it's been ruined, I keep feeling the blunt different lengths at the back and feeling awful about it all.

I've always gone to professionals and that's also got me feeling really foolish for allowing this to happen. Unfortunately my usual hairdresser is not working at the moment as she's not gone back to work since Covid and it had been a long time since my last cut.

Hair grows no matter how old you are.

How did it go from “just a trim” to cutting so much off?

I’d go to a hairdresser and get it cut properly. They can do a style which will make it grow out better.

I’m sure it doesn’t look as bad as you think. Not keen on “hair down to the bum” personally, it doesn’t always look as flattering as you might think.

@PuppyMonkey I think because I've always had it I've always had it everyone knows me by it. I got complimented on it all the time. I'm quite sure not everyone liked it as with all things but because it was different people made comments. Now I highly doubt there's much to say about it other than wtf happened !

I will have to go to a salon and sort it I suppose. I have no idea how a trim basically ended up into a giant cut. That's the bit I'm most upset about. It was the shock at how it could go so so wrong.

I grew mine back at age 45 from bald after having chemo. It took a year to get to a short bobbed length and 2 years to past shoulder length. I had trims in between to cut off dead ends and style.

Thankfully I like hats

Really honestly and truly if it was bum length it probably needed a decent cut. Now is a great time to do it as you’re not out and about as much. It will grow really quickly and be even more beautiful and healthy.

I can understand how you feel. I had a disastrous perm many years ago and had to get lots cut off the length. Lots of hair was falling out as well.

I think you will feel better once you have been to a good hairdresser. You might get used to the length and find you like it. If not, you could put it up in a pony tail or bun or try clip in hair extensions.

Let us know how it goes

If your hair was ‘bum length’ and you have ended up with it just past your shoulders, it’s not a trim and I’m surprised you didn’t see how much hair was falling on the floor?
I would have and had stopped her at first snip & asked what she was doing!

There’s nothing that can be done now, I understand you must feel deflated, how much did she charge you? Are you on FB? I’d post a pic & title it ‘Asked for a trim’ then she can’t ruin anyone else’s hair & have a word with that person that recommended her to you, I don’t think they were your friend?!

Yes your hair will grown back, don’t get it cut every 6 wks like hairdressers recommend. Just get the back sorted by a professional & then let it grow.

I'm finding it hard to imagine how she left the front a similar length to before, but the back is just below your shoulders ( a photo would help), but it does sound as if you need to get the front cut to the same length as the back, so a trip to a proper hairdresser for a decent cut is needed now, then let it grow again.

That’s a really horrible thing for her to do to you and must be a shock. I hate that sickening feeling you get when you realise your hair hasn’t been cut the way you wanted and you have to live with it. Going from bum length to shoulders is a huge change and there is no way she could ever justify it as being “just a trim”.

I’d agree that you should take an after picture and show it with a before picture and complain.

In future always specify EXACTLY how much you want taken off (an inch, three inches) etc and demonstrate with your fingers AND you can even say, can you show me the piece you just cut?, when they make the first guide cut.

Did she cut it all off in one go, like in a ponytail or something? She didn’t take the hair with her did she? The only reason I ask is because there is big money in hair harvesting and selling. She must have cut at least 16 inches off! That’s quite a “sellable” amount.

Was this person even a trained hair dresser?
If she’s in the Federation, complain to them.

In the meantime take Biotin supplements, watch your diet carefully and include lots of seeds, nuts and good fats, also try using Castor Oil on your hair.

I’m fuming on your behalf!

Also, I’m a little confused as you say the back is shoulder length and the front is the same length as before? So has she left you with bum length hair at the front?! Or was it layered/grown out fringe?

Photos please! I can't imagine it to give you proper advice.

I am honestly feeling extremely stupid about it all. I have a dc who never sleeps, and just come back off of furlough and exhausted back to work and everything else I'm blaming that on my stupidity!
The one thing I wanted was this 'trim' to tidy up my hair. I have regular trims and actually as a result of having even longer hair previously my bum length hair was a result of a cut and therefore not in bad condition at the ends but had the usual wispy effect when you don't get your hair cut in ages.

I am feeling dumb and agree how on earth could I not have noticed? Looking back the hair dresser asked me for something to clear up the hair, I got the broom out she then snatched it out my hands told me to go look at my hair in the other room where the mirror was and she'll clear up. I feel utterly stupid. I looked at the front as I don't have the mirrors to look at the back properly and shed curled it so it was shorter anyway. I was in a rush to return to my wfh so didn't check the back properly and when I returned she had cleaned up the hair and left by the time I thought about.
Truth be known I actually went through the bin to see how much she'd cut off I was so upset!

I think it's a bit outing to post pictures but really it's been a disaster.
@veryvery thank you I really appreciate your post and it's nice to hear such positive words I feel awful feeling the way I do as I know there's more to life etc!

No, problem, your welcome, OP.

If it makes you feel any better OP I cut my own hair last month. Gave myself a unicorn haircut and ended up with a mullet they would put an 80s rocker to shame. I chopped the mullet ends off after a week and had a hideous uneven bob. It's long enough to tie up again now, thank God!!

It's only hair, it will grow back and in all honesty, mine needed a good chop anyway because the ends were ratty. I have naturally curly hair, but I tend to imagine that any hair longer than shoulder length probably needs a good chop to get rid of the split ends etc. I was always told having the dead hair chopped off helped it to grow, don't know how true that is though.

@veryvery mine similar age 55. Took a couple years for a full head of hair and some body hair never came back!

@Sooverthemill, ha, ha! Yes! I've got one underarm that doesn't need much of a shave! I think the radio blasted that, I don't recommend it as a beauty treatment, tho!

I feel for you, I got sick of hairdressers, they never listen, I go in for a trim and come out with hair much shorter than I like, I now trim my own hair, I go on YouTube there are lots of people showing how it's done, take it slowly a tiny bit at a time, been cutting my own hair for two years now, my hair is fine but lots of it ( that's what the hairdresser said ) and straight style with face framing layers , similar to Jennifer Aniston. Not quite as long,

@lindyloo57 once this has been sorted out I'm going to get my dh to continue trimming it until it's back to a length I'm happy with.
My hair is actually really really thick which is making even harder to manage now as it's springing up now the weight has gone.
I tied it up today and the whole top of my head is frizzy. I can't plait it either without it just looking like a stumpy sausage of hair because it's so thick and now shorter. Ahhhh. Oh well.

No understanding how you couldn't tell that it was just below the shoulders from bum length. You don't need back mirrors for that.