Stopping a bad haircut?

[cheyne]

I have waist length hair.  I have not had a professional hair cut in over 3 years because I simply don't trust anyone to cut my hair.  Every stylist I've been to doesn't know how long an inch or even two inches is.   I've even brought a ruler in and showed them how much to take off my hair-yeah-two inches becomes 6 inches in the blink of an eye and once it's cut it's gone.

I cut my own bangs and my DD or DH trims the back.  I wear it in a braid put up most of the time anyway as it's dangerous to have long hair in my job.  When I do wear it down, it's so curly that you can't tell if it's cut perfectly straight anyway.

[TootsNYC]

Who said anything about yelling?

A simple "Stop cutting." is a good, direct opener because it expresses very clearly that you want them to stop while you "give [them] an idea or show [them] something." It shouldn't be said rudely, but it should be said firmly and clearly.

Once they've stopped, then you can discuss what you want done when the resume cutting.

Sorry, IMO, I take "Stop!", as yelling.  Boy oh boy.

Boy oh boy? Huh?

And further proof of the point that words can mean different things to different people.

[cass2591]

I think to threadjack so early in the thread is not very respectful to the OP. Move on.

[Minmom3]

Clipped***

But I have straight, chin- to shoulder-length hair. Even a bad mistake isn't *that* bad with my length of hair, unless the stylist were to grab a handful and cut it down to the scalp.

DH and I woke up one morning to hear giggling coming from the dining room.  He said, "they're having too much fun, go see what they're doing"  (Dunno WHY it's my job to check on them, they're his kids too...)  So, I walked out to the dining room, and DD#2 and DD#3 were sitting under the table, cutting each others hair.  #2 was in 2nd grade, and #3 was nearly 4 years old.  There were two fistfulls of curly red hair sitting on the floor under the table.     I sent them to their room and told them I would hurt them if I saw them again before I left for work - in an hour).

Got home that night, having cried a little at work and laughed a little at work, to find that #2 sort of gave #3 a monk's tonsure - the hair around the front was fine, she had reached around to the back of the skull and chopped curls off.  #3's hair was mostly about 6 or 7 inches long, except the center back where it was about 2 inches long.  Her beautiful curls on the floor!  I took her to the hair salon a week later and got it trimmed and she looked like Little Orphan Annie.  I cried more.

#3 had shorter arms, however, and gave #2 a mullet.  A REALLY short and ugly mullet.  Like, some of the hair at the front hair line was 1/4 inch long!!!     She cut all the hair from the front to above her ears.  The longer hair remaining was nearly to her collar bones.  The hair in front had scissors marks for months because it didn't grow enough to trim it for at least 4 months - the only thing I could have done at that point was shave it to the scalp.  The cutest kid!  The ugliest hair cut! 

Apparently, cutting each others hair had been a recent theme at #3's preschool, there had been a few episodes of it when I went in to talk to the teacher and warn her that #3 looked a little bit odd today, and here was the reason.  I have pictures of that year I'm not allowed to post.   

[SamiHami]

I have waist length hair.  I have not had a professional hair cut in over 3 years because I simply don't trust anyone to cut my hair.  Every stylist I've been to doesn't know how long an inch or even two inches is.   I've even brought a ruler in and showed them how much to take off my hair-yeah-two inches becomes 6 inches in the blink of an eye and once it's cut it's gone.

I cut my own bangs and my DD or DH trims the back.  I wear it in a braid put up most of the time anyway as it's dangerous to have long hair in my job.  When I do wear it down, it's so curly that you can't tell if it's cut perfectly straight anyway.

I learned how to cut my own hair, partially because I have been cutting expenses since I lost my job a while back, and also for your reason-I wear my hair long and I've had the same experience of telling someone to take off just an inch only to end up with much shorter hair that I intended. I cut it straight across for a long time, but I recently learned how to put in some long layers-it's amazing how easy it is and how good it looks! Now I see getting salon cuts (for me) as a big waste of money since I can cut it exactly the way I want it for free!

You can learn to do anything on youtube!

[Emmy]

I think saying "stopping cutting" is appropriate.  Because this is a matter where a second of delay can mean months or more of suffering with a bad haircut, I think the patron can saying firmly enough to get the hairdresser's attention. 

[doodlemor]

The book Curly Girl, by Lorraine Massey tells how to cut curly hair properly.  Ms.  Massey is the founder of the Devachan salons and product line dedicated to curly hair.  According to the book, curly hair should be cut dry, and be cut curl by curl.  There are videos on line showing this, I think.

If you google up "curly hair" there are many websites available.  Some of them have salon finders and reviews.

When you go to get your hair cut you should explain very carefully what you want, and how much can come off, and from where.  Take the hand mirror, if necessary, and watch. 

If the person tries to turn you away from the mirror completely, as happened to me as a teenager, leave the salon.  If something is done that is very contrary to your explanation, then tell the person that you just have different concepts, and that the session is *over.*  Don't let anyone cut more than one curl wrong, because with curly hair the shorter curl would have a good chance of blending in with the rest.

[greencat]

I've never had a problem saying after the cut was supposedly done that I wasn't satisfied with it - whether that was because of ragged edges, asymmetry, or it wasn't quite the right shape.  I've even gone back the next day when the style the hairdresser put in it washed out and it was obvious that the hair wasn't cut evenly across the bottom.

I've never had to stop a stylist in the middle of a cut though - the one time I wish I could have, I was actually working as a hair model, and had agreed to have the cut done based on a sample photo - and as it was being done in front of an audience on a stage, I didn't get to see it until after it was done, and even then the styling disguised how asymmetric the final cut was.

[sweetonsno]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'm probably going to wind up trying to cut my own hair. I didn't know there were tutorials on the internet. It sounds scary, but I may have to try it. Let's hope I don't botch it!

It's pretty awful to be sitting in that chair and then realizing that the stylist is about to mess up your hair. I don't mind a bad style too much, as I can wash it out, but taking too much off of curly hair is just awful.

[LazyDaisy]

I have long straight hair so it is extremely noticeable when a haircut goes awry. I have the stylist hold up the first lock of hair for me to see, pinched between her fingers as she's about to take the first cut, since that's usually the baseline that she'll use for the rest of the cut. If it's too much or too little, this is the time to say. If I notice that she goes back to that spot to take off more, that's where I stop her and ask for a mirror because she must have gone off course. Something like, "Before you cut anymore, may I please take another look" Also, I always inspect the haircut when she's finished but while it's still wet. Any good stylist should be fine with these requests. If they huff and puff about it, it's time to ask, politely, for another stylist to finish.

[otterwoman]

I have hip length straight very fine hair. After one very bad haircut, I now have a Pre-Haircut chat with whoever is cutting my hair. The very bad haircut, I asked for 2 inches off, and straight across. She spun me so I wasn't facing the mirror and started snipping away. After a bit I could feel that my hair was lighter, a little too light. I reached around a felt my hair. My previously hip length hair was now above my waist.  I told her to stop cutting. She replied that she wasn't done yet, it wasn't even. I told her at the rate she was going I'd be bald before it was even. She had taken off 5 inches. I walked out.

Now, I explain my fears to new stylists, not in an accusatory manner, but more "I've been burned in the past, please be gentle" tone. I ask each stylist to show me what they consider 2 inches. I insist on facing the mirror. I haven't had anyone give me grief about it, and I haven't had a bad haircut since.

[BeagleMommy]

I have wispy-thin, straight hair that I currently wear in a pixie cut.  Back in the 80s I was addicted to perms.  I went to a chain salon and pointed to a picture on the wall stating that was the look I wanted.  The stylist insisted I didn't need a perm for that style and all I needed was to gel my hair and use a curling iron.  Okay, great I'll give my hair a break and it will be easy.

Then she started cutting.  I couldn't see what she was doing (she had turned me away from the mirror and I didn't have my glasses on).  She had cut my hair so short I couldn't get even the thinnest curling iron in it.  When I got home DH's eyes got really wide and he said "What the ehell did they do to you!?"

I wish I had told the stylist to stop when I kept seeing hair falling around me.  I think you should do this if you think the stylist is cutting too much.  What I do now is point to an area on my body and say "I don't want it any shorter than here.".