Continuing Hair Romance’s Salon Advice series to help you navigate the hair salon and love your hair.
So you’ve found a great salon, and you asked for the hairstyle you like but it didn’t quite turn out as you were expecting…
What do you do?
First of all, breathe – it’s only hair and it will grow back.
Next – don’t leave the salon without saying something.
I’ve been there. It’s like you’re in shock and you just nod, get out of the chair, pay and leave. It’s only once you’re outside your voice comes back and you wonder why you didn’t say “is it really supposed to look like that?”
If you take a moment to breathe, you can work out why you’re in shock.
Dianna Agron freaking out during her haircut, but she’s pretty happy with the result. In fact, she started a trend!
Problem 1: They did what you asked but you hate it
A dramatic change can take some adjustment time. A big colour change will also mean you need to tweak your makeup and wardrobe too. Make sure you tell your stylist you’re still not sure about the new style before you leave but give yourself a day or two to see how it feels on. Head to the beauty counter and ask to try makeup colours that suit your new hair. Play around with your wardrobe and try on different combinations.
If it still doesn’t feel right, call your salon and discuss what can be done to change it. They can also give you styling tips to help you work with your new hairstyle. As it’s a change of mind and not an error, they will probably charge you but if you explain they may give you a reduced price.
Problem 2: You had a consultation but they weren’t listening
You said one centimetre and they took four inches.
Maybe your hairdresser is too snip-happy or maybe you had a lot of split ends and were in denial about it. Ask your hairdresser for an explanation. If it was because your hair needed the chop they probably did you a favour. If they can’t measure, it may be time to find a new hairdresser. At least you have time to find a new salon while your hair grows back. Try some Twist & Pin hairstyles in the meantime.
You said no layers and now your hair is all feathery
Either your hairdresser is stuck in the 80s or you didn’t have a clear consultation. You’ll know to be really clear next time, but what to do with your feathery hair now? If you’re happy to lose some length, ask for the salon to cut your hair again into a blunter style.
You said blonde highlights and they gave you tiger stripes
This is a hard one. Look around the salon, are there a lot of awful hair colours and obvious highlights? You probably picked a bad salon and you have to ask yourself if you trust them to fix it. Tell your colourist you’re not happy with your hair and ask what can be done to correct it. Maybe finer highlights/lowlights can be done to disguise them, or a toner can help too. Ask for a more senior staff member to do it if you’re not comfortable with your original colourist.
Your colour looks way too strong
This may not be an error at all. Talk to your colourist, but as strong or dark colours fade very quickly, they often dye your hair a little darker than the colour you want when it’s first done. Your hairdresser wants your hair colour to last 6 weeks and still look good, so often it can be little strong in the beginning. Discuss it with your colourist and see how your hair looks after the first wash. If you still feel like the colour is too strong call your salon and ask for a colour correction appointment.
Bad haircuts happen, we’ve all been there and although it feels awful now, it will grow back. As a positive, you’ll learn some new styling skills trying to tame your mane into a style you like while your hair grows back. Hats can help you through lots of bad hair moments too.
A lot of bad haircuts can be avoided. It all comes down to expectations and communication. Make sure you have a proper consultation with your hairdresser and ask them questions. Be confident they can achieve the look you want, or agree on a compromise that is better suited to your hair type.
Don’t be afraid to speak up and tell your hairdresser if you’re not happy. You can just go elsewhere, but most hairdressers will want to help you and correct their hairstyle rather than lose you as a client.
If it’s really over, I’ll tell you how to break up with your hairdresser in the next part of the Salon Advice series.
Tell me about your worst hairstyle. How did you cope?
Photograph by Camilla Akrans, collage by Hair Romance
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55 Responses
Great tips! I’ve always visited hair salons being totally confident. I usually say, “I want a modern short haircut; least volume possible. Do whatever you think will suit me fine”. So far so good, except for one time :/.
I am now trying to find a good hair salon in California. I’ve never had my hair cut here.
Hope you’ve started the week off with a smile! ;D
Miki.
Miki recently posted..What makes you smile?
I don’t really get that problem because when I go to the hairdresser I just tell them to do something nice to my hair. Then they just do and if I don’t like I say which parts I don’t like and they fix it. Sounds quite brave as I write that now…
Well I recently had a bit of a nightmare, and being a stylist myself luckily I could correct it at home.
However great advice for anyone who’s sat in the chair and wanted to cry. We’ve all been there.
xx
Kelly recently posted..Get Shorty!
Oh my worst ever cut was in 9th grade when I was a freshman in high school. I had shoulder length hair and wanted to go short-ER but not SHORT-short. I tried a new salon and wound up with some awful middle ground between a bob and a pixie. I have naturally curly hair and at the time I had no concrete grasp on how to manage it at a GOOD length – let alone in Fraulein Maria form. I cried and cried and cried. I have a short/slow growth cycle too, so it felt like FOREVER before it grew out again. I’ve kept my hair pretty long ever since then!
A friend of mine recently had a disaster with her hairdresser. She asked for 1 inch of the ends but instead the hairdresser took 4! She was heartbroken because she had lovely long hair but instead of saying anything she just ran out crying! I think she could have done with your advice!
Edel recently posted..Yum yum yum in my tum!
I’ve gone home and finished the job myself using nail scissors more than once…. i have no fear of scissors! I once had a hairdresser leave a heavy clump of hair to hide a hole she’d cut in the side of my short hair. After chopping it myself I found why it had been left in heavy clump, then moaned all over facebook! a week later I paid a barber £8 to correct it! The barber did a lot better cut than the hairdresser who charged £35 and no one ever guessed a barber did it!
Tell us how to break up with our hairdresser for someone in the same salon! Please?
Definitely covering that – I’ve done it before and stayed on good terms with both stylists!
Recently had a nightmare like this. Went to a salon I’d never been to over Christmas to bleach my roots. The hairdresser ended up toning it, it turned out yellow. Another hairdresser toned it again, it was still yellow. The woman who was the head of the salon clearly saw that there was a problem and told me to come back a few days later and bleached my hair to an inch of its poor life. Thankfully she was very sweet and gave me world class hair treatment, but still. I like to think that when i come to a salon, people know what they were doing. The hairdresser should clearly have seen that my roots were too dark for “a bit of toning”. Have now thankfully found a hairdresser who gives the most thorough consultations I’ve ever seen. Explaining everything as she goes along etc. I think that’s very important and it makes me feel reassured on so many levels.
karina recently posted..glossybox
I think I’ve only had 1 hair cut I was unhappy with and that was when she got a little too carried away and a top layer way too short. I survived for a couple of weeks until my hair grew (thanks to hair clips and whoever invented the ponytail)!
Cheers, Fiona @ AcumenCreative
Thanks Miki! Sometimes letting your hairdresser do what they want works because you don’t have any expectations, and if your hairdresser is creative you can get a great result. Except when I’m growing my hair I let them do what they like too
Haha thanks Elli, you’d be surprised how many confident people are scared of the hairdresser
Thanks Kelly, I read your post, pretty terrible service. I thought you handled it well and lucky it was a freebie
Oh I did something similar Maggie, and I know the feeling, especially at that age!
Oh no! poor thing x Send her over here for some hairspiration!
That’s awful! Lucky you’re so sharp with the scissors. My MIL is a barber and she is one of the best cutters I know
Thanks Karina, I so agree that a good consultation makes all the difference. It puts you at ease and you know what your hair will look like at the end
You’re lucky Fiona! Huzzah to the ponytail, it’s a hairstyle saviour for sure x
EXCELLENT advice girl!!!!
As a hairdresser, I know that communication is so vital for a great haircut.
Thanks!
http://www.jennyleighsblog.blogspot.com
Hair*Beauty*Inspiration
Thanks Jenny Leigh! I agree, every hairdresser want to hear “I love my hair” from their client but you can’t manage those expectations without communication.
I was 18, and wanted to spice my natural blonde a little bit, make it colder and a bit brighter, and specifically asked for a cold shade. They made me chicken-yellow, and I really didn’t cope the way I should have. Just like you said, I was in such a shock, I just payed and left. I can’t believe it now, but I actually cried(!) for many hours till my friend came in the evening and dyed my hair herself, with a simple and cheap Loreal hair dye, and it actually helped the color.
That’s what friends are for! I’ve cried over bad hair too Katerina x
I consulted with my former hairdresser a few years back to get my hair done for my aunt’s wedding. I wanted her to pin curl my hair and have a 1940′s style. I kept trying to explain to her what I wanted done, but I don’t think she could understand me and kept rambling on about how she would do my hair, which was the complete opposite of what I wanted. It wasn’t the first time she didn’t listen to me. So instead of going back to get my hair done for the wedding I done it myself.
Break up with a hairdresser? I just don’t go back.
I like your style Odette, you gave her a few chances but then took your hair elsewhere!
I mean now I’d have probably used this bad one to dye hair pink or chop it off, or both)
don’t you just love it when hairdressers say” it will grow back” yes maybe but when it’s taken years to grow it, and they just hack it off in a few seconds well thats it, all those years of caring and looking after it and keeping it healthy are gone.i felt i just wanted to spend the next 5 years behind closed doors so noone would see how bad it turned out i was a recluse for weeks i had my son do the shopping and i just stayed at home and did the housework i was lucky in that i’m a stay at home mum and hubby went to work it has takenn me weeks to get out of this place as my hair has started to grow a bit and it doesn’t look like a horror story as much now,.i’d love to sue, but i heard you can’t, i will just stay away from hairdressers permanently and get my sister or hubby to do it from now on.
oh Lynda that sounds like a horrible experience! I hope it doesn’t take 5 years to grow back, and I hope you find some styles you like in the mean time. Not all hairdressers are bad, in fact most pride themselves on making their clients look good. Good luck and hope you start to love your hair again x
I agree with Lynda. I recently went to get highlights and a trim and I had a little breakage and was told to cut some bangs or cut it even needless to say the stylist chopped my hair and it looked like a mullet haircut. It took me years to grow my hair to the length it was and I felt completely violated when she just whacked it off like it was nothing.
That sounds awful Leigh!
When i was going into 7th grade i told my hairdresser to give me long layers and side bangs. I guess she decided that what she wanted was better so i got eighties feather / hardcore scene hair. I balled my eyes out for two days. it sucked! LOL at least now i know to the person exactly what i want!! (:
Eek, lesson learned there for sure Anna! My awful haircut was in 7th grade too, such an awkward time and bad hair makes it worse x
I have just had a bad hair dye. my hair dresser didn’t fully understand and did it more to her taste but I don’t know how to tell her that I don’t like it. I’m going back on sunday to tell her but I’m unsure how to explain to her without her blaming me. I didn’t want to complain there and then because she was happy with her work and I didn’t want her to be upset but my hair is literally what I imagined the worst case scenario to be. I even starting panicking and shaking in the chair. could you please give me some advice on how to complain when I know my hairdresser will try and convince me that she did what I wanted. thanks x
I STILL have my hair salon nightmare which really sucks. I asked for platinum blonde highlights the hair stylist dyed my whole head bright platinum blonde. It’s sucks because my mom wont let me change it back because it’s too damaged. ):
I got recently got my hair cut medium length. I also have short layers. Its like a long shag or flip, I’m not sure how to describe it. It used to be long and wavy with not much of a shape, but it did frame my face. Now I really hate it and want it to be the same as before I cut it. Do you think it will grow back with the same shape???? And how long do you think it will take to grow back in the same way? Thanks!
Don’t worry, it will grow back! But you may need trims to re shape it in the same way as before. Hair grows around 1cm or more a month so you can work out how long it will take to be the same length. In the mean time, twist & pin it up!
Hi there,
I just recently got a what I thought was a lovely hair cut when I got out of the salon but when I went to style it a couple weeks later bam it wasn’t good. My hubby assured me it looked cute but he will admit liked it longer. My mom likes it better than what I have but me nope! The hair dresser cut off too much I wasn’t expecting so much and she put layers in that she assured me I would still be able to put up in a pony tail which I can’t very easily now. I had long straight hair all one length but she had cut funny layers around the sides that don’t go up into a pony tail
I am sad about it as I had lovely long all one length hair a few weeks ago and now layers. When she was done with the cut she said oh and I put a few more layers than I was going to. I was was a bit shocked because she she layers would be minimal! and she cut it so it’s in the in between stage not long but not short which is hard to style now! I always have to blow dry it now when before I could just wash and go. I always told myself no matter what a hairdresser said I wouldn’t get layers stupid me, I didn’t listen to my inner voice.
Now to wait for it to grow put again
Oh no! I can’t believe she cut more layers “than she meant to”! Twist the side layers back and the the back up into a chignon and you’ll have an easy style that beats a ponytail any day. A few pretty clips and headbands will help the time pass while your layers grow back x
omgeee ok so i wanted to dye my darkkk brown hair a lighter brown, but the hairstyler said it would look bad when my roots grew back, so she just bleached sections of my hair and put the dye on my whole head. it looks so bad!! itjust looks like my regular hair color with brown/ blonde hightlights. I LOOK LIKE A FRIGGIN’ TIGER ZEBRA MIX. all i wanted was an even light brown hair color. and i have this hot mess. i should have told her i didnt like it when it was done, but she seemed so happy at her work. i want to get it fixed, but i dont know what to do!!!
That sounds awful cupcake, but it can be fixed. Call the salon to discuss the situation, or see another salon recommended by someone you trust. They should be able to add in additional highlights/lowlights to blend teh stripes, and achieve a colour closer to what you want. Good luck!
So I went yesterday to my usual girl who for a hair cut and highlights. My hair cut looks great, but the highlights not so much. I wanted 2 colors a dark brown and almost a white blonde. Well as I leave the shop yesterday I found myself thinking “it looks very blonde, I don’t see much of the dark brown like I normally do.” I thought that maybe it was the way she had styled it.
Went home and washed out the hairspray, and low and behold my hair is mostly blonde, and parts of it close to the roots look brassy!!!! I am so upset about it. I am either going to call and see if she will fix it, and if she won’t I will have to go somewhere else or get a home kit to put more brown in there.
Hi Lee, you should definitely let the salon know and they should correct the colour for you. Good luck x
My hair was done two weeks ago to my horror. I was not only shocked by the hair itself, but by the $220 it came out to be! I paid and left, thinking maybe it was the light and that I will appreciate it when I got home. Nope! Hate it. My highlights look ashy-green. I called to tell her and was told that since she used a bleach product, this was impossible. She said she would have to see it. I told her to let me know when she has time, and I haven’t heard back.
What do you do when they hand you a tab for more than what your hair is worth, and what do you do when they just don’t care to fix the color?
Hi Callie, that doesn’t sound great at all. They should have a consultation with you at the start and give you an idea of what the price will be. I think you need to go back into the salon to fix it up. Better to go sooner than later. It sounds like they don’t care about building a loyal clientele, but if you trust that they can fix the colour for you, I would insist they make an appointment to see you. Unfortunately if you don’t think they care, and don’t trust them to fix it, you’ll need to pay to go to a different salon. It won’t help for this appointment, but next time make sure you have a consultation with your hairdresser at the start and ask for a quote for what they are suggesting. Good luck, Christina x
I wish I had read this thismorning! It’s 2 weeks until my wedding and I wanted to get the bronze out of my hair (it tends to pick up warm shades over time) so I asked for a light ashy brown or a dark ash blonde, she also recommended a trim I agreed to 1 inch, I know have 4 inches off my once long hair and it is dark brown
have just spent the afternoon crying! Will call her in the morning to see if she can lighten it without putting hideous tiger stripes through it! So annoyed at myself for even going this close to my big day!!! And also for not speaking up immediately.
Hi Shannon, definitely call and it will be possible to change it in time for your wedding. Don’t worry, it will all work out. Best wishes for your special day xx
I live in Jacksonville, Florida, and after 12 years of searching, I am convinced the stylists here only know one haircut for short hair, one for medium hair, and one for long hair. They have no idea how to style hair, they have no idea how to cut hair, but they are all great at petting the customer, nodding their heads and saying “yes, yes, uh huh, I understand”. They do the only thing they know how to do and what you say doesn’t mean a thing.
I have flown to New York just to get a haircut I loved. I have flown to San Francisco, just to get a haircut I loved. I can’t afford to do that anymore, and I am soon to join the majority of women who live here, who allow their hair to be long and straight, or short and home cut BECAUSE there’s no alternative.
Why go to a salon and pay for a bad haircut, when I can do a mediocre haircut at home?
Hi PJ, that sounds awful! There must be a good hairdresser somewhere. I’d be on the lookout for someone with good hair and ask them who cuts it x
Hi, I got hightlights put into my hair yesterday and the colour is very bright blonde like i feel like i need to get it toned down a bit i wanted to brighten up my hair but its way to bright. But the worst part about my hair is the sides!! they dont look the same like there is hightlights more on one side than the other and the highlights don’t even go down to the roots…
plus i asked for a half an inch to be cut off and she cut way more i mean its very short now and i cant barely tie it up but i guess this will grow back i can live with this part.. I don’t No if i should go back and ask can she fix it for me or go somewhere else but then I’m thinking i did pay alot of money and I put my trust in her so she should have done it correctly in the first place.. What should I do??
Any Advise would be good:):)
Thanks
Hi Libby, I would definitely call the salon and tell them your concerns about your uneven highlights. If you’re nto comfortable with the same stylist, you can ask for someone else to correct it. Unfortunately there’s not much they can do to make your hair grow faster, but ask them to show you two easy styles you can do in your hair to make it easier to look after. Good luck x
Glad I found this. I just left the salon about an hour ago. I told my hairstylist what I want and even texted her pictures I found on pinterest. But, what I have now is nowhere near what I wanted. I just want to cry and I refuse to go outside! She told me to wait a couple of days and see if I like it better, but I know I’m not going to! I don’t know what to do…I’m real close to going and buying a box dye and dying over it….
I just went in for my first appointment with a new salon tonight, for highlights. I normally get a light ash blonde color, since it looks really natural on me and works well with my skin tone, but this time my color came out a very golden blonde, a much warmer color than I’m used to, and the more I look at it, the less I like it. It looks completely unnatural and not good on me at all! I really don’t know what to do. I’m scared they won’t even be able to fix it, or all they’ll do is put stuff in to tone it down, which’ll leave it looking like a very dirty, dark, mousy blonde, when I was trying to go lighter and brighter for summer =( I just want my lovely light ash blonde back! But I don’t want to hurt my new hairstylist’s feelings, either!
Hi Amanda, I would contact your salon. Your new hairstylist won’t be offended, they’ll feel worse if you never make another appointment with them. They can tone it which can remove the gold tones and will give you a good result. Perhaps adding a few lighter foils around your face will give you the lighter color you’re looking for. Good luck!
I hope you’re ok! Be careful of putting a box colour over the top, it could lead to a bigger nightmare. I agree to give it a day and then go back and ask them to correct it. Good luck x
I think that your comments about confidence being one of the main things is correct and this comes from knowing your hairdresser and knowing what you actually want from your visit.
Some hairdressers can be quite overpowering with what style they think is right for you but just remember its you that have ggot to stick with that style or pay someone else to put it right..
Thanks Britney, it’s important to have that trust wit your hairdresser. It’s ok to say no if you’re not sure as it can be costly to correct x