To be annoyed and offended at what this hairdresser did, and what she said about my hair? And should I complain to the owner, or just not go back?

[ILoveAGingerCat]

So I have been to this particular hairdressing salon, 4 times before, (I go every 3 months for a dry cut, and 'Julie' usually cuts my hair.) My old hairdresser retired so I started going to this new one about a year and a quarter ago...

This time I had Lisa. (Julie had rang in sick.) For context, my hair is about 6" below my shoulders, and wavy/curly. It's thick and blonde and I love my hair.

I got into the hairdresser chair to sit down for my cut, and Lisa got the hair straighteners out, then spent about 15 minutes straightening my hair within an inch of its life! Several times I kept smelling burning hair, when she kept them on for too long!!! I kept saying 'my hair is burning, you need to stop.' She carried on, and didn't remove the straighteners for another 10 seconds, and kept chatting shit to her colleague who was a few feet away from her. She barely made eye contact with me, despite me trying to chat - several times!

Then - when it was all straight - she said 'that's much better now it's straight.' I said 'what? Why is it better?' She said 'it looks much better on you than the curly hair.' I said 'but that's my natural hair, it's curly and wavy.' She said 'yeah but it looks better straight.' It was 100% flat and straight because she's fucking fried it with the hair straighteners!

She then started chatting shit to her mate again, and proceeded to cut about half an inch off my hair, and a quarter inch off my fringe. No layering or feathering or any attempt to style it. She spent 5 minutes cutting it... And as I say, she cut it very little! Then she said 'all done' and walked to the till... (I could have done that at home, cut that tiny bit off! In about 2 minutes!)

And I don't believe she straightened my hair to make it easier to cut because it's wavy/curly, as every single hairdresser I have ever had, just sprays it with some water, and combs it through, to make it a easier to cut it properly. The silly mare didn't even cut it properly! And she charged me £45 for it. A shitty, non-cut, and half my hair fried!!!

AIBU to never go there again, and should I make a complaint? About the poor cut, her frying my hair, and her basically telling me that my wavy/curly hair is shit?! 2 pics included are 1) what my hair is like, and 2) how she MADE it look!

Anyway, I spoke to the hairdresser - the one who can actually do the job (Julie.)
She couldn't apologise enough, and said Lisa is a bit rubbish with curly/wavy hair, and shouldn't have been assigned to cut my hair in her absence. She refunded my £45, and booked me in with her, for a proper cut, for next Tuesday morning.

She will be having a word with Lisa, and telling her not to just get the hair straighteners out, and ask first in future, and to not ignore the customer! She doesn't have to spend the whole time chatting to them, but don't ignore them for 95% of the time they're there! She also said she will assign some training to her, as she only cut a teeny tiny bit off my hair!

Result.

So yes, I will be going back. But if anything like this happens again, I won't return. I won't complain or anything, I just won't go back.

Thanks to the people who have been really helpful and nice, but the vitriolic and mocking posts on here from about half a dozen posters soured my thread and ruined it. Mumsnet is a great place, but there are always a few on every thread who try and ruin the thread - and sometimes succeed. As I said earlier, a handful of posters never gave help or advice or any empathy or anything, they just banged on about the photos, being 'silly' and 'ridiculous' and moaned about them being AI. 🙄 Their only reason for posting on here was to mock and berate me, and laugh at the 'stupid' photos.

So I won't be back to it on the thread again. As I said, it's all resolved, and thank you to everyone who was kind and helpful and showed some empathy.

Hiding the thread now.

.

Sorry but you should have said at the time. You don’t need to be polite and wait till she meets your eye.
I went to the dreaded Toni and Guy years ago and said I wanted a blunt fringe. She said “yes sure” and came at me with the scissors held vertically to cut a feathered type fringe. I put my hand on her hand and said “no, a blunt fringe, straight across”. Took 2 attempts but she did eventually do what I asked.

Didn’t see your reply OP but glad you got your money back. You’re paying, you don’t just have to accept what they dish out.

That's brilliant OP, well done.

I completely understand fear paralysis. As a teen, I got my hair permed (in my desperate longing for curls like yours; I took along a photo of Kate Bush). She left the lotion/curlers in under a hot drier for about a million years. I think she forgot about me. When she took them out, half my hair broke off so I had a kind of 2-inch Mohican all over the top of my head. The rest looked like Bride of Frankenstein after being plugged into 900 volts.

I thanked her, tipped her, and then went home and cried! It took months to grow out.

And I went back next time I wanted a haircut!!!! 🤡🤣

(Mind you. there weren't many hairdresser's around back then. But still.)

Yet another peculiar post (which may not be true, mumsnet is an odd place)

Forgive me for stating the bleeding obvious, but why didn't you have a consultation at the beginning of your appointment? All good hairdressers do that, especially with a new client.

I also find it odd that you have a dry cut. Why? I don't know anyone who has a dry cut. A wash an dry is normal, with an appropriate drying for the type of hair. This is normal after a consultation agreeing what finished effect is required.

You are at fault for not telling the hairdresser what you require and allowing her to do something you didn't want.

I also find it odd that you have a dry cut. Why? I don't know anyone who has a dry cut. A wash an dry is normal, with an appropriate drying.
Curly hair is always cut dry by a hairdresser if they know what they are doing (although clearly this one didn't).