9 Mistakes We Make at the Hairdresser’s That Can Ruin Our Haircut

Human hair grows at a speed of 0.35 mm (about 0.13 inches) a day. If you have 2 inches of your hair cut and you don’t like it, it will take almost 5 months to grow it back. A lot of people that have had negative experiences with hairdressers know how unpleasant this is. But not everyone understands that, very often, it’s not the hairdresser’s fault, but ours.

It was really interesting for us at Bright Side to read the opinions of hairdressers. And in the bonus, you will find a life hack that’ll help you wash your hair less often.

1. Choosing the wrong hairstyle

Some haircuts are only good for a certain type of hair. For example, an even cut is good for thick hair, and thin hair should be cut in layers. Hairdressers know about all these things which is why it’s better to listen to their professional advice instead of insisting on getting a haircut like a famous model or a favorite actress. In real life, it won’t look exactly the way you want.

• For example, many bridal/special occasion styles have hairpieces added or the girl in the photo already has thick, luscious hair. If you have short and or soft/fine/thin hair, you probably can’t get the same effect. The same thing goes for certain cuts. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get something somewhat similar, but not all pictures can be done exactly as they are. © iliketostilst / Reddit
• Designer hair color looks awesome on Instagram, but for most people, it does not work in the real world. It is expensive and time-consuming. You cannot get “rainbow waterfall peek-a-boo highlights” on black hair in one session, usually. And you’re wrong in thinking that bleach alone is going to give you your “perfect blonde.” Hairstylists mostly have no idea how your hair is going to react to the process. © ItzLog / Reddit
• If you like a cut on a model, cover his/her face with your finger and make sure you like the hair and not the face. © Theemperortodspengo / Reddit
• I had a client named Frieda. She was 90. Every week she came in with a picture of Jessica Biel and said, “make me look like her.” And I tried, but she always looked mildly disappointed. © pugthug_ / Reddit

2. Wearing the wrong clothes

Hairdressers recommend coming to them in the clothes you wear most of the time because the hairstyle should match your look. If you mostly wear casual clothes, wear those instead of a dress you put on once a year. Some hairdressers will ask you not to wear certain clothes at all.

• Don’t wear a hoodie or a turtleneck, if you can take it off, fine. But they both get in the way a lot if I’m trying to cut/color your hair. © Leidylike / Reddit
• Gentlemen, those button-up shirts with ties? Real classy and all, but really hard to not get water on. If possible, avoid them when you come in for a haircut. © chocolatebunbun_arts / Reddit

3. Not being able to sit still

When a person is constantly moving in the chair or looking around, it’s really hard for a hairdresser to work. If you sit in the chair with your arms or legs crossed, the cut may end up being shorter on one side. And when a hairdresser is using a razor, it’s better to not move your neck at all.

• A pet peeve of mine is when clients are always moving their heads around when it’s time to cut. You tell them to sit straight, get their head straight, and then look slightly down, you even push their head gently into position if needed. Then you see them looking up at the mirror to see what you’re doing, with their head down, and their natural tendency is to get their head up along with their sight. Then you put their head back in place and it happens again and again. Also, people that lift and/or rotate their head when their hair is being washed “to help.” You’re not helping. At all. You’re getting your shirt wet. © chocolatebunbun_arts / Reddit
• Keep your head still! Learn to speak without bobbing your head around. Warn me (if you can) if you’re about to sneeze or something. © SnailMassacre / Reddit

4. Being emotional

Women often go to hairdressers when something bad happens in their romantic lives. By changing their look dramatically, they want to let go of the past and feel more confident. But painful emotions after breaking up are not something you should rely on when changing your look.

• Do NOT come to the stylist in a raging fit because your boyfriend hurt your feelings, so now you’re going to cut your long hair into a pixie to show that you have control over your life. No matter how awesome it looks, you WILL hate it, you WILL cry, and you will HATE us for allowing you to do it. This is why stylists will always try to talk you down off that ledge, and many will offer a slower transition or refuse to accommodate you completely. © megferno / Reddit

• I call this my bangs rule.
  “I want bangs”
  “Great, have you ever had bangs?”
  “No”
  “Ok, how long have you been thinking about getting them?”
  “Oh, I just decided today”
  “Any major life changes?”
  “I just got out of a relationship.” © bphairartist / Reddit

• Several customers would tell me they need a change and that I had total artistic freedom to modernize their style. 99% of the time they cried and yelled at me. 85% of the girls came back and apologized, it took them a month to get used to the change. I thought I lost a regular, she came back after 6 months and said she loved it. That was my first year as a stylist, I wised up and advised them to give me examples of what they like. © kazphantom / Reddit

5. Coming in with gel on our hair

If a client hasn’t washed their hair for a few days, it will be hard for a hairdresser to estimate the actual state of their hair and recommend a hairstyle. The grease makes their hair heavier and the hairdresser just doesn’t know what it will look like when it’s clean. Gels and other styling products have the same effect.

• Don’t put random things on your head because it’s “natural” coconut oil. A lot of times those things either do more harm or nothing at all and I have to shampoo 29 times to get your hair to stop feeling greasy cause if I don’t, you’ll think I didn’t do a good enough job. © Konst93 / Reddit
• I had a client once who came in wanting a 0 fade and he said “I don’t want anything done to the top.” Why? He seemed to have styled his hair with some kind of glue. There was no way the stuff he had in his hair was for hair. Even so, I finished the fade and didn’t do anything on top, I asked him if all was good, he said yes all is good, but can you take some off the top, just a bit? I said no there is no way that’s possible with what’s in your hair. He insisted that I try. So I tried, knowing it wasn’t going to work (but to prove a point). And ended up telling him if I was to try it would be a lot more expensive to cover the cost of new scissors. © TenebriRS / Reddit
• Coming in with clean hair, NO HAT, and no product is helpful. You will cut the work in half if we aren’t spending time trying to blend out a line created by a hat. © Cynthia_NotCyndi / Reddit

6. Not estimating the length correctly

For many hairdressers, the state of your hair is more important than the length, so they cut off all the damaged hair. If a client doesn’t warn them that they wanted to keep the length, they might have an unexpected surprise. Problems may also appear when clients give very vague descriptions of how much hair they want to be cut.

By the way, if you just want to refresh your haircut and you remember when you had a haircut last time, just tell the hairdresser. They can calculate the necessary length.

• Please know what inches (centimeters) actually look like on a ruler. Sometimes you think you want to cut that much but you’re not aware of what it actually looks like. © ambersavampire / Reddit

• I’ve been trained in the French technique of haircutting, and one of the things that we learned is to not talk in measurement units. Everyone’s idea of an inch is very different. If you don’t want a lot off the ends, you might say “just an inch!” but really mean half an inch! © FeralMuse / Reddit

7. Not being ready to take care of dyed hair

After dyeing, hair becomes more fragile and needs special care. At the very least, it needs alcohol-free and sulfate-free shampoos. But many women think that a regular shampoo will work fine and then they complain that their expensive dye washed off too fast.

• People who are willing to spend 6 hours and $400+ on a fantasy color like pink, blue, purple, etc., only to not buy professional salon products, are not ready for this type of color. I only recommend to my guests what they absolutely need! The shampoo and conditioner that we have at the salon is made for specific types of hair with special ingredients. If you use Herbal Essences or any other shampoo from the supermarket on a color like that, it will completely wash out the first time you shampoo your hair. They have a higher pH and will strip your hair. © hopecreech / Reddit
• And professional stuff is so much more concentrated so you technically end up saving money in the grand scheme of things. Also, please please PLEASE purchase your professional products from a salon! Product diversion is a huge plague on the industry. © thatweirdvintagegirl / Reddit

8. Not telling them about your hair experiments

Some women are afraid of being judged for using cheap dyes from the grocery store. But if you don’t want to have unexpected hair color or lose your hair completely, it’s better not to lie.

• Don’t lie about the box color you’ve put on your hair (including henna) or the products you use. The stylist WILL find out one way or another (like when your “virgin” hair turns orange instead of yellow in foils) and it just makes it harder and more expensive to correct it later on. © iliketostilst / Reddit
• My mom was working on a new client and asked her about her previous color. She told my mom she had done some browns years ago, bleached it a few months ago, but then slapped some brown back on top. My mom checks the foils and sees that her hair is turning green. My mom said, “Did you color your hair blue when you said you bleached it?!” She admitted she had. My mom had to create a new formula to minimize the green while still trying to give the client what she wanted as well as use more expensive products because she has to start all over again, which then cut into her next client’s appointment!! © f**nugget / Reddit
• A lady came in, swore up and down that she hadn’t used any box dye, wanted a color change, and literally got burns on her scalp because of the chemical reaction with the bleach and the box dye. She lost all her hair. Hairdressers won’t judge you, they just wanna keep you safe!! © hakunaa-matataa / Reddit

9. Arguing with hairdressers

Hairdressers study for a long time to learn everything about hair types, color chemistry, and types of haircuts. This is why telling them how to cut, or how to dye is pointless. But of course, when you see some mistakes, don’t be shy to ask about them.

• Don’t try to use “barber” language. It gets confusing. Just try to describe what you want. A good barber or stylist should be able to communicate with you and navigate to what you need! © ridgewood38666 / Reddit
• If you don’t like something or aren’t satisfied, please tell us in-person rather than 2 days later in a review. We can fix things at the chair or have someone who is more experienced assist. It’s okay to say something... © WeefBistle / Reddit
• The worst thing you can do is bring your girlfriend or mom in... I was cutting a boy’s hair the exact way it was in the picture. (A short back and sides with disconnection and sweep over. But the top short) when the boy’s mom creeps up behind me to tell me to do it shorter. I tell her if I cut it shorter it won’t sweep over to the side properly and she tells me she teaches hairdressing in a college. So I ask the woman, “If you want you can show me how it’s done.” She picks them up and holds them like paper scissors so I grab my spare pair and show her how to hold them. She was annoyed, paid for the haircut, and left it as is. Weeks later the boy came back in and thanked me because everyone she tells to take it shorter takes it too short. © TheOnlyRealWarrior / Reddit

Bonus: Professional advice on washing hair

• Don’t wash your hair every day!!! 2 times a week max is recommended. Our natural oils aren’t dirty or bad, they are actually protective, and if you are using harsh chemicals (any and all shampoos) to strip those oils out that often, your scalp is going into hyperdrive producing oils to combat the impending dryness. On day 2, give your scalp a good water scrub and a little conditioner in the ends without actually applying shampoo. Keep pushing it out another day and over time your scalp will adjust to your new, better habits. © notyourbae420 / Reddit

Have you ever had a situation where you didn’t want to look into the mirror after visiting a hairdresser? Are you happy with your hair now?