Thursday, June 16, 2011

Surviving a Bad Haircut . . . It's Just Hair . . .Right?

I was so excited to get my long hair cut short for a cool new do for Summer. My hair was mid back length and I wanted something that just touched my shoulders with some layers added in.


In trying to save a little money, I decided I would go to MasterCuts to get a trim. So they are not a "high end salon". How bad could they mess up my hair right? They would just be shortening it up a bit anyway. Why spend $40+ to get a trim? What could go wrong?
To put it lightly, last night I could have died. We've all had it happen. A haircut gone horribly, horribly wrong and it's a living nightmare. What makes this an earth-shattering event is that you can't do a thing about it, and for women especially, a bad hair day can throw the universe out of whack.
If it was a bad poodle perm you could have the hairdresser relax the curl. If it was a bad dye job you could try to dye it again. But once those scissors have sliced through your hair - even crazy glue can't re-attach it (After an uneven cut last night, trust me, I've tried.).
Now, OK, it isn't THAT bad. I will even share a picture with you to prove it.
 

My longest length is the length I wanted it to be, right at my shoulders/collar bone. My problem is the layers that frame my face are uneven. On the left, my shortest layer is even with my mouth. On the right, my shortest layer is more so even with my nose.
OK, was the hairdresser who was working on my hair that was supposedly "their best" drunk? How does that happen?!

A little tuck behind my ear and no one is the wiser, but I HATE how the fabulous feeling of looking great with your new do was left on the salon floor with the four inches of my locks.
So what to do? I've turned to my fabulous hubby who thinks I just look adorable. He's so supportive, bless his heart. I've turned to my friends who are very supportive and feel my pain; understanding my displeasure.
Here are some tips for dealing with a new (unwanted and unflattering) 'do that I loved from, wait for it KidzWorld (One of the best articles I found when Googling bad haircuts).

Hate it - Say It
If you went in for a trim and ended up with less hair than Mr. Clean or you wanted a body wave and ended up with a fro Justin Timberlake would envy, say something. The worse thing you can do is smile, nod and pay for it without so much as a whimper. If you don't tell them you are unhappy they don't know. Most hairdressers don't want you to be unhappy - they'll lose your business. They should be more than willing to discount you or fix the situation, if possible.
See here is my problem. As she was cutting it, it looked fine, I didn't truly realize the horror until I was home, showered and drying my hair. That's when the OMG moment happened. Too late to say something and I would be even more unhappy if she cut the longer side to match.

Go Home and Get a Grip

Okay, when it first happens you can cry, scream and feel sorry for yourself all you want, but then you need to get over it. Your hair's gone and tears and pity-parties will not make it grow back any faster. The first thing you need to do is wash it and style it yourself. Sometimes the cut isn't as heinous as you think, it's just the way your hairdresser styled it that makes it look wonky. Give it a good wash, get out your fave styling product and go to work.
And my added "get a grip" instruction; remind yourself "I Look Good Today!"

Accessorize

If it still looks like you lost a wrestling match with a lawn mower, take yourself on an shopping spree. Buy some cute little barrettes, headbands, even glittery hair gel. With a little luck you can turn the "massacre" into a funky, edgy style.
This is my saving grace. I am all set to go on a headband/cute hair accessory spree.

Smile

When all else fails - smile. Don't let it ruin your life. If you walk around with a scowl on your face, it's not gonna help you look (or feel) any better. Why turn an ugly haircut into an ugly personality? Smiling always looks good on a person - and who knows, maybe the glare from your pearly whites will blind people to that not-so-hot hairdo.

So what about you? Do you feel my pain? Have you had this happen to you? And what do you think of my new do? Once it is grown out a little, I think it will be just fine.

29 comments:

  1. Once an hair stylist cut my very long hair into a pixie cut without my permission. I should have known better when he turned the styling chair away from the mirror to do the razor cut. My husband said that I "looked like a 12 year old boy." I never returned to this fancy salon again.
    I think that you look adorable. You could ask them to make the ends even if that bothers you.

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  2. I brought several pictures to a salon and the hairdresser ignored them and cut my hair to match hers instead. It was long in the front and sloped up to an upside down V in the back. It curled under slightly, so it looked the the back of my head had a butt. When she showed me the finished product, I promised her a large tip if she could somehow fix it. She attacked it with those thinning shears that cut some hair and leave some untouched. It was dreadful. I went to another salon and with a sad face, the new hairdresser told me she'd have to go pretty short to fix it. When a friend saw my new haircut, he said "How long will that take to grow out?" So I TOTALLY feel your pain!

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  3. I brought pics too. . . of myself nonetheless with the haircut I wanted to go back to. I'm glad I'm not alone on this one!

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  4. I really don't trust anyone with my hair! Luckily, I love my hair super long, so I just don't cut it. It's been almost four years since I was last in a salon of any kind!

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  5. This. I'd scheduled a highlight touchup and trim. My regular stylist had to cancel so I went to another one who was recommended. After I refused her offer to "shag" my hair, she proceeded to cut big chunks out of it. Uneven. Big. Chunks. Oh. Did I mention this was the day before MY CLASS REUNION?!

    I forced it into a style it wasn't meant to do and sprayed it until it was shellacked to my head. It held until midway through the event when the humidity caused it to melt and frizz into an obscene, chunky mess. And, of course, the photos from that event were posted all over Facebook so even the classmates that weren't there could see how awful I looked. There are days when telling yourself, "It's just hair." don't work no matter how hard you try to convince yourself. It's more than hair.

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  6. I think once the bluntness grows out a bit, it'll be much more manageable..

    After years of my husband and friend urging me to get a short pixie cut - I did the opposite of you and decided to get it cut at a higher end salon. I got it trimmed and fixed at a "cheap" place.

    But it was better, but still insanely short and over a year later I'm in the process of growing the mess out with my husband saying "You should grow it back out". It's at that ugly stage between pixie and bob that's just impossible to style prettily and my hair takes forever to grow. Not again!

    Smile and power through!

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  7. I just went through the same thing. My stylist was not in town and I needed a trim on my long hair. The person that was supposedly trained by my stylist gave me a gitantic shag. Instead of long layers, I now have two big ones. One that hits my shoulders and the other halfway down my back. I am a total basket case. what was once long and beautiful is a hot mess. It will take a year to get rid of the shag/mullet. I will now fly to NY once a year from Florida to have it cut (combine business trip w/ a haircut). It is so hard to tell what they are doing in the back when they are cutting it. I guess I will have to have all one length hair from now on.

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  8. OMG do I feel your pain. As you see this post was done in June. Now in January my hair is just now getting to a point that it is looking good again. I also needed my usual hair stylist to fix it as much as she could once it grew out for a few months. When she first saw my hair, her reaction was "What happened?!" For someone who prides herself very much on her hair, I was DEVISTATED! I'm sending a big hug your way!!! Thanks for your comment!

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  9. oh god. laughing at the comments made me feel a little better..sorry ladies, not laughing AT you, but at the things that the universe does to us. i had wonderful mid-back length hair that was just getting rough at the ends, i thought i'd get a new do for the summer, some flirty bangs etc..then SHE happened...i don't know what she did, cuz after she blow dried it my hair was fine...but after the first wash, i realized i had something of a mullet going on, i've been heart broken the last 3 days, and i finally got a damage control cut today which has made it slightly better...i'm going to the drugstore today to buy biotin and other vitamins, hoping they make my hair grow faster, and when this nightmare is over, i swear i'll stick to my regular guy..i think the hair gods punished me for cheating on him.

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    1. Oh, I am SOOOO sorry you had such an experience! Sometimes I wonder how these stylists that do this to us even have their license. Good luck with the biotin and vitamins, they do really help. Those hair gods can be brutal, that is for sure :) We've sadly all been there!

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    2. After my hair disaster of February, I took lots of Biotin to speed up growth. Then I started noticing these cowlick things popping up. My new bestest ever stylist said that was new growth pushing out from underneath...greeaaaat!...to this day I still get panicking knowing I am going to the salon even tho I trust my the hairdresser I have now. I swear if I could just not leave the house for like a year, I'd grow it one length so I wouldn't have to deal with those bad haircut days again

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  10. Oh listen to this ladies! Had long hair that an uncontrolled urge to cut into a lob (long bob) I also wanted beautiful blonde highlights.Well, apparently this new hairdresser decided that he would ruin my life instead. He not only sabotaged and burned my hair with bleach but cut my long (to my back bra strap) uneven but not cute angled uneven like I wanted. But more tragic soccer mom uneven. So, noe that his mess is being fixed by the owner, I am temporarily stuck with a orangy reddish brown thing bc he damaged my hair so bad that all she can do for the next month is deep condition it. In addition, my what was supposed to be cute summer hair cut is now cut like Mary Tyler Moore or a 8 year old girl bob, but not cute and trendy with longer layers like it was supposed to be. Just a mess that makes me cry every time I glance at it.

    And bc this hair dresser was taking his relationship anger with his man out on my hair, I have no hope of highlights or lowlights in the near future or more cutting would have to take place. I am devastated and truly contemplated slashing his tires to look like my hair.

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  11. I swear I dont know what goes on in stylists head , I went to a girl who supposidly trained in New York , well I walked in and she sai Ill cut it dry,Okay Ivehad that before then she started taking locks of my hair and point cutting to the point where I have ugly choppy layers but she damaged my hair . I wont go out my fiance is worried about me . He says it will grow back . Yes I know it will !!! But I have thick coarse hair that you have to be careful with now the cut and color is ruined.I think these stylists dont care about your hair .Ive learned my lesson leave it alone . get someone good who will tell you what they are doing as they cut .Just be wary when they start going fast back off !!! That girl never measured my strands she cut like she was angry.So Im in the growing stage only three days ago .I hate when people tell you to get over it . I KNOW THAT ALREADY . It just makes your routine all messed up and lets face it men look at your hair !!!! Everyone looks at it !!! So go ahead and mourn just not too long

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  12. horrible cut. horrible horrible cut. had to have it fixed and the lady that fixed it had to cut it to my chin to even it out. layers on the sides short and uneven. there was nothing else she could do to fix it with out taking it any shorter. hate to wine but hair is part of a womans identity. it is not "just hair".

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    Replies
    1. EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its not just hair, my school people judge so much!!!!! I am not looking forward to people seeing me!!!!!!!!!!

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  13. unfortunately, there are no "free wigs".

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  14. mine i was so excited. Then my mum opened up her mouth about layers and i look horrendous it layers. So I got sooooo annoyed about it, but i didnt want to be rude so i didnt say anything!! so once my hair dryed it got EVEN WORSE!!

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  15. I have been letting my hair grow to be able to adopt a new hair style that I found . I was a long angled style , longer in the front and shot er in the back NO layers .I go to a very upscale salon in town & have been going there for year so the stylist knew my goal. I was ready to finally go for the new cut & style as my hair had been growing for a year now . I go in and show her a picture of the hair style just to remind her of what I wanted. Needless to say it turned out as the worst experience in my lifetime. The back of my hair was cute to the base of my neck and chopped very unevenly in a bob. The left side was higher in layers than the left side ( remember I said NO LAYERS ). The right side angle was okay but the left side botched up and down or longer and shorter . I can home and threw a hair fit and cried . My husband was equally disappointed after showing him. So I'm a person that will give 2nd chances . I called the stylist to tell her that I needed to come back in a show her what was wrong . She scheduled me to come back the next day . I should have known NOT TO GO BACK but she blamed me for not styling my hair correctly and that was her explanation for a botched haircut. Then she quoted "If you come back we can highlite it to hide some of the layers . I really don't understand why she couldn't claim her mistakes instead of blaming me. I will not go back to her . If she could not do the hairstyle she should have said so. I'm taking vitamins & biotin so I can let this mess grow out again. I want to strangle her every time I try to style my hair .

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  16. Reading these made me feel so much better. I went from long to short recently. The stylist ignored my picture and decided to go with a cross between Javier Bardeen from No Country, (the front of my head), to what I call " "the Ollie North " layer in the back. At least now I can laugh and I have cute barrettes.

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  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  18. Thank you for sharing your story. Reading this made me feel so much better. Art Is Made By An Artist With A brush & A Hair Artist With An iShear

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  19. I understand how all of you feel. I had my own disaster two weeks ago. In my new quest to save money, I asked around and found that my best friends stylist charged only $20 for a haircut. She always did a good job on my friends hair so I made an appointment. I hadn't seen my regular stylist in 5 months and my hair had grown out well past my shoulders. She always did a good job with maybe going a little shorter than I preferred at times and charging $40 for a cut. However she always did a GOOD cut. Even with my longer length the cut still looked good. When I got to my friends stylist I had photos of how I wanted my hair. Photos of myself with just slightly shorter length and told her my hair shrinks when wet, not to cut any longer than collar bone dry. She did fair but bangs and feathering down sides were not as I wanted after I got home and she didn't charge $20 she charged $30. When I told my friend of price difference she said in text, Oh, she just cuts my bangs and length, lol. Wasn't too funny to me. I went back for the stylist to take a little off my bangs and to feather the sides into the shorter bangs a little and heaven help me I came out with a mullet!! I had the same pictures of ME with me and had pointed out how the sides were to look but she cut chunks out of the sides and did tons of layering all over! It feels so thin down the back. It looks like a rat has been chewing on the ends it appears so thin and choppy. The top is thick and looks like a mushroom on top of my head. I asked her when she turned me around if it was a mullet and she said no she doesn't cut mullets. I said IT LOOKS LIKE A MULLET! She had talked to a lady sitting waiting while cutting MY hair and also to another who came in to talk to her. I was holding the photos for her to see but I don't know how much she looked at them.
    My friend asked me how I liked my hair and I ignored her. I don't want this to be a point of contention but I'm getting more and more angry the more I look at my hair. I have to get something done to it and that something is probably get it cut much shorter which I really didn't want. Neither did my sons who have been explicit about my not getting my hair cut short. They say it doesn't make a woman look younger it in fact makes them look older and I tend to agree. I think the alternative is I look like an idiot from the 80's with a mullet or and older woman with short hair! And it is going to cost me more money than the $40 my usual stylist charged after all.

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  20. I feel everyones pain! I got my hair cut by my regular stylist two weeks ago. I showed her a picture and she barely glanced at it, I showed her again and pointed things out to make sure she was paying attention. I dont know what was going ob in her mind but she hacked up my hair. My hair is very curly almost a kinky curl and she took it so short i cant even style it I have to put it back in headbands its so short and so uneven! Ive only had two haircuts thats made me cry and this is one. I too bought biotin and other vitamins trying to grow this out asap

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  21. I had two bad haircuts in a row this year. I used to have a beautiful straight one length hair all the way back to my lower back like pocahuntus... I took a pride in my hair and I even had strangers complimenting me on my hair. But then, my regular hairstylist moved and I was forced to try a new stylist. I wanted long layers instead of one length but she ended up giving me harshly razored cut hair that gave me damaged hair and plus uneven hair everywhere. What’s even worse is that my hair was cut like 8-9 inches at this point. I found another stylist later to cut into a lob in order to cut the damaged parts and just trying a new hairstyle. Unfortunately, she ended up giving me very jagged and uneven chopped hair. I think I am giving up on getting a good hair... I am going in for a third time to fix this mess with a new stylist yet again. I just pray that this time, it will turn out ok. Ahhh, the hair really matters ladies! It can really make your day or ruin your life! Lol

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  22. After my hair calamity of February, I took loads of Biotin to accelerate development. At that point I began seeing these cowlick things flying up. My new bestest ever beautician said that was new development pushing out from underneath...greeaaaat!...to this day regardless I get freezing knowing I am setting off to the salon even tho I trust my the hair stylist I have now.and by the way i use the one site for hairstyles i share the link you go this site and get the information and latest styles and put into your blog.i hope this site is helpful for you.
    Toddler Boys Haircuts

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  24. Glad I found this place as I have a rant of my own. I had been growing out a really awful disconnected/choppy layer cut on my hair (which was about 2inches above shoulder length). The disconnected layers had a life of their own and would bend or curl or stick up unevenly everywhere, and if there was the slightest humidity in the air, it would also shrink a couple of inches. Having grown all the layers down to chin level, I was ready for much softer face framing layers that were blended. My own hairdresser was off that day but he had told me I should never have choppy layers as it would create too much texture and movement in my hair. I told his 'replacement' what he'd said and she told me not to worry. I couldn't see what she was doing at the back but after she'd smothered it in smoothing cream and dried it, it looked shorter than I wanted, but managable.

    By the time I got home a few hours later, I could feel my hair shrinking up, and when I looked in the mirror, I could clearly see a load of disconnected shelf-like layers that were literally sticking out of my head all over. They were bending and curling and frizzing up. I was horrified and so upset as it had taken me so long to grow them out before the restyle, that I really wasn't expecting such a catastrophically bad look.

    I went to a hairdresser for a second opinion, and she said she had disconnected the bottom layer from the actual length of my hair, which was what made the ends ratty looking with a massive shelf layer on top of it. The shorter layers that I wanted a few of around chekbone level, were pulled too far forward, so I had a layer that was level with eyebrow that went right across the side of my head with a massive gap around my ear where the layer didn't cover.

    My hair now feels ridgy and chunky and it looks really uneven due to the massive bending of the layers in every direction. I was so clear about not disconnecting the layers and yet she did it anyway. Now I have to wait months before anyone can do anything and my hair looks absolutely vile, messy and like it was hacked with a knife. I'm so upset as it looks really hideous. Sympathy to all those who have been through the same.

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