"Don’t switch how you’re sitting halfway through the cut! Even crossing and uncrossing your legs can make a difference in how the cut turns out!"
At some point in your life, you've probably had a bad haircut. Whether it involved cutting bangs for the first time or dyeing your hair a brand new color, that one experience may have left you scarred.
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The good news is, haircuts don't actually have to be a traumatic experience. Most of the time, if you communicate clearly with your stylist and prepare for your appointment beforehand, you'll be more than happy with your cut. In one Reddit thread, hairdressers, stylists, and barbers shared the things they wish people knew before coming in to get their hair cut, and it's very important if you don't want to be disappointed the next time you're in the salon chair.
Here are 19 things you should keep in mind:
1. "My friend is a hairdresser and her biggest complaint is unrealistic expectations. People want to go from dark brown to platinum in one session, bright pink hair that never fades, amazing rainbow hair from a heavily filtered photo on Instagram...."
"It's mostly about expectations, e.g., if you want blue hair, then expect bleach damage and split ends, be prepared to spend money on color-safe shampoo, conditioner, and hair treatments, maintain it regularly, change your pillowcases, etc. Don't blame your hairdresser if you go swimming for hours and your hair turns green."
2. "Bring a picture (or a couple of similar pictures) of what you want. Try to match your natural hair texture to the texture in the picture. Be realistic if the hair color is making you love the cut, not the cut itself. Good tipping (hey, being honest). Find a stylist you like the overall vibe of. If making a big cut, tell the front desk that when making the appointment so they can alert the stylist ahead of time. Be willing to sometimes understand a style won’t work for your lifestyle/face/upkeep, and we need to find something else."
3. "Lifting your head in the shampoo bowl! Don't do that...that's how we end up soaking the back of your shirt!"
4. "If your is hair more than two to three days dirty, it is rude to come into the salon like that. I’ve had people come in with so much buildup in their hair, I have to wash their hair three times, and they get offended if I try to put on gloves beforehand."
"I once had someone sit in my chair and say, 'I knew I was coming, so I haven’t washed my hair in a week and a half.' It’s the polite thing to do to come in with relatively clean hair. Yes, shampooing the hair is part of the service, but I just ask that the hair isn’t so filthy it makes me gag to have to touch it."
Priscilla Block / Via giphy.com
5. "You don't have to talk, you don't have to be silent, just know that we are stylists first and not necessarily therapists. If you tell me you are suicidal, I'm not equipped to help you with that. We can have a good chat, I can tell you about my struggles, and you can tell me yours, but really, talk to someone who actually knows how to help and deal with that. It can be very hard for us to hear, too."
6. "My wife is a stylist. Her main complaint is when clients, mostly men but some women, start spouting their political beliefs for all to hear. It's as if they think when they sit down in that chair, all conversational etiquette gets thrown out the window and there are no consequences to what is said."
7. "DON’T WEAR A HOODIE or a turtleneck, if you can take it off, fine, but they both get in the way if I’m trying to cut/color your hair."
8. "Please know what 6 inches actually looks like on a ruler. Sometimes you think you want to cut that much, but you're not aware of what it actually looks like."
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9. "Don’t switch how you’re sitting halfway through the cut! Even crossing/uncrossing your legs can make a difference in how the cut turns out!"
10. "From a former hairstylist, don’t ask to have an inch off all over and then 'we can go from there if I want more.' That’s asking me to do two haircuts, come on."
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11. "Always clean your ears before a haircut you don’t want someone up that close to you with waxy ears. "
12. "I was a barber for seven years — every haircut must be faded. Please do not sit down and ask for a 'fade,' and for the love of Christ, don’t ask us, 'Do you know how to fade?' The answer is yes, and we will judge you."
13. "My GF is a hairstylist. Her biggest complaint is when she tells her clients to have clean hair before their appointment, and they show up with wet hair, especially if they need their hair done by a certain time. Having to blow dry their hair adds about 30 minutes, and now the rest of the cut and style has to be rushed."
14. "DON'T wash your hair every day! Two times a week max is recommended. People always want to know the perfect shampoo/conditioner for oily hair. I always ask what they currently use second, but first and foremost, HOW OFTEN. Even with the best shampoo, it’s ‘too much of a good thing’ to wash every day. Our natural oils aren’t dirty or bad, they are actually protective and if you are using harsh chemicals (any and all shampoo) to strip those oils out THAT often, your scalp is going into hyperdrive producing oils to combat the impending dryness."
15. "My helpful tip, wait a month after breakups, before you take the plunge to change your look. Girls always want to chop off their hair after a breakup."
Jen Atkin / Via giphy.com
16. "I will never understand people who are willing to spend six hours and $400+ on a fantasy color such as pink, blue, purple, etc. Only to not buy professional salon products. 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, Pantene, or tresemme (basically 90% of any shampoo you can find at the grocery store) 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. Also, they have waxes and silicones that will deposit onto your hair strand to make it feel soft, but really, it’s preventing any type of moisture from entering your hair strand."
17. "Talk about your budget; there are things that we can do to work with you for the best price for the service you want."
18. "Don’t blast off at the stylist who tried to 'upsell' products, they hate it just as much as you do. Just be polite to say no if you don’t want it. They’re not trying to spike up your bill, they have to follow selling guidelines, otherwise they’ll get marks on their reports for not selling enough."
19. "Experienced barber here. Do not bring in your girlfriend to lurk around the periphery of my workspace and 'supervise' the haircut. If she would like some input, then she is welcome to join us during the consult."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
