How to survive a bad haircut
We all look forward to a trip to the hairdressers right? Whether you have a regular haircut or an annual splash out, getting your hair cut and styled isn’t cheap these days, often involves the giving up of much time and therefore we want to darn well enjoy it. Due to the fact I have a ton of hair (like, so many many strands) and I have highlights, I am often in the hairdressers chair for around three hours every eight weeks on a Saturday. For that amount of time investment (lets not even talk about the money), I want to look bloody spectacular when I leave.
It’s a look…
But for some, (probably more of us than we would admit) a trip to the hairdressers fills us with dread. We are putting our complete trust in the hands of someone we actually don’t know that well, to chop and bleach and blow dry our tresses into submission. A STRANGER WITH SCISSORS NEAR MY HEAD. When you put it like that, it sounds a bit crazy. But we keep going back, despite the disasters we sometimes come out with.
I recently had a haircut which left me in tears for days. I was distraught – but as a functioning adult I had to deal with it. How? Well, it went a little like this…
Keep totally calm
I threw one mother of a tantrum once I’d got home, seen it under natural (not salon) lights and run my hands through it. Half the colour was a muddy brown colour, the cut was too short and blunt and I was devastated. I’m not vain, but it is surprising how much I rely on my mane of blonde to keep me confident.
So I cried. A lot. I shouted at Mr S when he said it looked fine. And then I cried some more.
And then really, I had to sleep on it, and come at the issue a little more relaxed. By all means, when nightmare scissors attack cry your eyes out until you have no tears left if it makes you feel better. But then try and be calm about it. You’ll get a lot of “well it is only hair” type comments, and working yourself into a fluster won’t change your haircut. Keeping a cool exterior and interior will also stop you from doing something silly. Rash home dye job anyone?
Give it a wash and a week
I’ve heard people say that the difference between a good and a bad hair cut is a couple of weeks. And those are very wise people, because it is true. Sometimes your hair needs a good couple of washes for a colour to settle (I’ve found this is especially true of blondes), and I’ve never found a hairdresser who doesn’t style my hair like I’m in early 2000′s GHD heaven. Volume is not something that appears to exist in the vocabulary of many salon hairdressers.
So give it a wash and play around with the style. Try blow drying yourself. Wait a week or so and see how you feel. If the colour really isn’t right then you’ll know straight away, but sometimes just letting the dust and the hairspray settle will help change your perspective.
Be prepared to complain
In the UK, we are just not very good at doing this. But, if you want it rectified, you are going to need to. I called into the salon the next morning so I could show them the issues with my hair, and explain what I would like changed.
And I was scared witless.
BUT. Most good hairdressers and salons will be horrified that you walked out unhappy with their haircut and will want to do something about it. I explained really carefully that the colour I had asked for was a golden blonde, and instead I had muddy brown streaks. Sometimes mistakes happen and my hair absorbs colour strangely. Without fuss I was rebooked for the following week for a complimentary colour, treatment and blow dry. And they put it right.
What are your top tips for avoiding meltdown after a salon trip?
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