Beauty confession: it’s been over three months since my last haircut.
Don’t worry, I’ve booked one for tomorrow, but only because I felt I should. Sure, my hair’s looking a little unkempt, but I don’t have any split ends, and I can live with looking like Rapunzel. Well, I can if it means I don’t have to go to the hairdresser’s, anyway…
Here’s the thing, you see: I hate visiting the hairdresser. No offence to any hairdressers who are reading this, by the way: it’s nothing to do with the actual people, who are generally lovely. (Fun fact: when I was in high school, I did work experience at a hairdressers, purely because I thought hairdressers were, like, really cool. They always seemed to be wearing these super-trendy clothes that I, of course, couldn’t afford because, er, my mum and dad wouldn’t buy them for me. And, of course, they always had fabulous hair, and often great nails, courtesy of the beautician who worked there too. It seemed like the best! job! ever!) No, it’s all because of ME, and my issues. Over the past few years, I’ve come to dread visits to the salon. It’s not just because of the famous Mullet Cut of ’08, either. I actually hate everything about the experience:
1. The hair washing, which always involves my neck being bent back over the sink in such a manner that I feel like my head is being severed. Then they’ll start the Indian Head Massage. “Please, no!” I always want to beg. “Let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible. I want to go hoooooommmeeee!”
2. The mirrors
As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed that the mirrors in hair salons have become less and less flattering. I’m going to pretend those two events are unconnected. It. Is. Mortifying. All that time in which to sit and do nothing but stare at my own face, noticing every last line and flaw that I’d never noticed before! The mirror I was seated in front of last time I visited the hairdressers had a huge amount of sunlight streaming onto it, which allowed me to view myself in a level of detail that I rarely ever see. It also made me want to tear my face off, before jumping out of the chair and yelling, ”Forget the hair! I need to get me a new face first!” I also threw the lipstick I’d been wearing into the bin as soon as I got home, because seriously, what was I thinking?
3. The forced conversation
I have the greatest admiration for hairdressers and their ability to make smalltalk with so many different people every day. Unfortunately for me, I’m really, really bad at smalltalk. I try my best, but I always imagine the poor woman shaking her head sadly as I walk out the door and muttering, “Like getting blood out of a stone…”
4. The Fear
For a while there, I had no fear at all about what my cut would turn out like. I’d finally found a stylish who totally understood what I was looking for (for my hair to look almost exactly the same as it did when I walked in, only much better), and I was gradually working up to asking for something a bit different. Then she moved away, and I’ve had to start my search all over again, which means that each time I visit the salon I sit there holding my breath wondering what I’ll actually look like when it’s over. As a veteran of several really bad cuts (there was a time about a year and a half ago when every time I went to the salon, the stylist would comb through my hair in amazement and then call all of the other stylists over to take a look. “What HAPPENED?” they’d all chorus in horror. Those were some bad days.) I have good reason for this fear, trust me.
Anyway, my first haircut in three months is scheduled for tomorrow, after which I’ll be hoping to last another three months before having to go back.
So tell me: how often do you have your hair cut? Do you stick to the “every six weeks” rule, or do you leave it a little longer?
I hate getting my hair cut so I generally leave it as long as I possibly can, maybe 3-4 months (I’d leave it even longer but I have short hair and after that point it starts to grow out too much). It’s a lot better now that I’ve moved house – I have a neighbour who is a hairdresser and is happy to pop round of an evening and cut my hair in the kitchen. I’m terrible at small talk so it’s easier with someone you know, more like neighbourhood gossiping
I had long hair I’d get it cut every three to four months. Then I kept trying to get a fringe cut in and kept having terrible hair cuts so was going every time my hair got long enough to try and change the style. Finally found an amazing stylist who knows exactly how to treat my awkward curls so got to go about every two months with her. Since I cut my hair short in October I’ve had to go every 4-6 weeks to keep the shape.
I avoid hairdressers as much as I can. My last haircut was February, but my hair still healthy with no split ends, so I’m not in a hurry to get it cut any time soon.
I also add myself to the bad-smalltalkers group. For most of my life my hairdresser was a close family friend that I’d have no trouble talking to at any other time, but as soon as I was in the position of sitting infront of huge mirror with someone playing around with the back of my head, the conversation would not come.
I hate to go to the hair salon, I have a bad experience. Once I wanted to only cut the ends of my hair because I liked the length it had (it touched a little bit below my chest) but the hairdresser cut almost all of my hair letting it touching on my shoulders, the worst part was that my hair is curled/wavy and when is at is normal length (which is big) it’s OK because it looks normal, but when it’s small… I looked like some sort of crazy person that didn’t brushed her hair. My friends were shocked when they saw me. Since then I’ve been afraid to go to the hairdresser so I only go when I has split ends and it looks weird.
I forgot to add that the last time I went to the hairdresser was in June but it still looks good, so I’ll probably only going back there in 2011. Or maybe sooner, I really don’t know I don’t like to go to the hairdresser in the winter.
Every 4 weeks for a colour & cut. Love my hairdresser & even though I’ve changed stylists over the years its all at the same place. I take a book with me & read, no mirror gazing or trite chat. It’s bliss.
See, I could never get away with reading – every time I so much as glance down, the hairdresser always grabs my head and goes “Look straight ahead now!” And sometimes they make me stand up…. I’ve always envied people who can read through haircuts!
I go when I start to get sick of trying to do something with my hair. Last time I think it was six months… I was also a student, and therefore couldn’t/ wouldn’t budget the money to get a cut. Then i had a crappy retail job so i wouldn’t budget the money for a cut. Now i’m going back to school, but I’m doing it all distance ed, so I really won’t be out in public at all, so i guess i’ll just let my hair grow out. I’m not going to have to look kept at all. My BF’s been with me for 2 years, he knows what i look like when i’m not all done-up.
I’m also in the bad at making small talk group. I was considering being a beautician for a while, but that’s a lot of one on one with people, and i just don’t like talking to the population at large. So I’ve decided to go into a field where i’ll be doing that as little as possible! Yay!
i’m awful at regular cuts. hairdressers never seemed to understand me (leaving a lot of length when i wanted SHORTER) and i found it a waste of money so i started cutting it myself about three years ago (which went well since i have curls and it doesn’t really show when it’s not all even). but this year i’m growing it out longer again and now i’m facing the fact that i might need a trim…
does anyone else think that haircuts for women are so overpriced? where i live they cost almost twice as much as for a man!
annet´s last [type] ..linkerwoofer 2010
Yes! I’ve actually just switched to a a small local salon for trims – they’re much, much cheaper than the place I was going to before, and I don’t see any difference in the results given that all they’re doing is taking the ends off, so it makes sense for me. I really wish I could get away with cutting it myself, but given the various “cutting my own fringe” disasters I’ve had in the past, I don’t dare. (This is also one of the reasons I’ve resited getting a fringe, even although I go through phases of wanting one: I just couldn’t stand all of the maintenance!)
i’m looking around now to hear where other people get their hair cut since i even moved since my last professional haircut. apparently there are some cheaper places around but they tend to mess up, and that scares me because curly hair isn’t always the easiest (i once had a stylist who didn’t notice i had natural curls (?!) and cut my hair the same way as he would cut someone with ultra-straight hair. it was awful, and his idea of fixing it was to ‘just straighten it every day’
annet´s last [type] ..linkerwoofer 2010
I tried going to a cheaper place because I have to trim my fringe more often than the rest of my hair (I have wavy/curly hair so the fringe gets a lot of straightening), and you’re right – they messed up. So now I just wait as long as the fringe allows and then go to my usual, more expensive salon. It’s usually 2-3 months.
Oh yeah, and the small talk is another reason I prefer the more expensive salon I go to. It’s big and busy, so you can’t really talk over all the blowdrying.
Most good salons will offer free fringe trims, often even if you aren’t a regular customer. You go in and just ask if there’s some one free for a fringe trim and they’ll sitt you down
1. I always hated having my hair washed too. Most up to date salons though have new, more comfortable and ergonomic shampoo bowls/chairs. Plus, if you just want your hair washed and for them NOT to attempt the massage, just speak. I wouldn’t want to go out of my way to massage you if you didn’t want it.
2. As a stylist, that is one of the things I hate the most; being surrounded by mirrors. No fixing that.
3. I hate small talk. I’m not good at it and tend to be socially awkward. My clientele knows this so they have 2 options; a) sit quietly and read or b) talk and receive one word replies.
4. I had a hard time letting people know what exactly I wanted down with my hair, still do. I know what I want, but can’t translate. My solution: I hack my hair where I want it, then go in and tell someone to clean it up. If you are trying to find a new stylist because your other stylist moves, ask them who you should see before they move. And if trying new stylists to find the right one, only go in for a trim and have them “texturize” the ends. Watch their techniques and see if you like it. If you don’t, then it’s okay, it’s only the ends of your hairs. If you do like it, then you might have a new stylist.
p.s. I’m always open for business @ The Plaza in Ashland, OR…..
I used to go ages (4 to 6 months) between cuts and several months between highlights, but then I found a stylist I loved and was going every 8 weeks. Sadly, after two years of haircut and stylist bliss, I moved – so it’s been FOUR months since my last cut and I can’t bring myself to find a salon for fear of a bad cut or experience. My hair looks shaggy and fluffy (I have a very layered, wavy cut) but… once bitten, twice shy!
The small talk is awful, but I’ve started telling stylists that I’m not very chatty and more often than not they’re happy to just work silently, or just talk to me. My mom used to be a hair stylist and she hated that part, too. I think it is a lot of pressure to pay attention to their work and be entertaining! I can’t imagine if I was expected to do my job AND have a conversation the entire time – how stressful, and my work would really suffer. However, my last stylist was so interesting, we both really enjoyed similar movies and hobbies and we spent a lot of time talking about environmental psychology, travel, and food. We weren’t friends, but it was a nice, interesting relationship.
Now I *really* miss Erica.
I go every 4-6 weeks for a cut & color. I always schedule 2 appointments in advance as well. I have gone to the same hairdresser exclusively for 5 years now and she knows that I don’t like to chit chat. I just sit in the chair and tell her to do whatever she wants with my hair. Yeah, I trust her that much. I let her choose the cut & color.
Having been blessed by a mother who was a hairdresser, NO ONE else can ever ever ever cut my hair and I dread the day I can’t go home for a trim.
I have my hair cut every 4-6 weeks now (I have it short since March), before that every 2-3 months…
I don’t like the small talk, either, so I don’t really reply when the hairdresser starts talking to me.
If I can time it accordingly, I try to have my sister cut my hair, she’s a professional make-up artist and had training as a hairdresser. That’s a lot nicer than having a stranger do it. Sadly she lives about 3 hours away…
I haven’t had my hair cut in months and months now. I dread the hairdressers, I’m very short sighted and wear glasses so when they ask me to remove them I have NO IDEA what they are doing to my hair ):
I hate getting my hair washed in a salon, totally uncomfortable and the small talk is a nightmare. But thankfully I now have a hairdresser who comes to the house, so I wash my own hair, she’s been doing my hair for a couple of years now so she knows how fussy I am. I generally get my hair cut every 4 weeks over the summer then once at Christmas and once at Easter, just when I’m home.
Alex´s last [type] ..Shoeper Challenge 9
Usually, when I go to get my hair cut, too much hair is cut off. Also I don’t like the conversations or the mirrors!
So since I don’t like it and I don’t go. I haven’t been to a hairdresser for 2 years now, and I like it! My hair is long, so I cut the split ends myself and I do my own trims.
I go every 3-4 mos. too. I have a stylist I like, and she’s started working from home with a mini-salon she’s opened in her basement. She also gives me a 40-50% discount to see her @ home. Even still, it’s a LOT more expensive for women than men. Men pay $10-$20 at a barber shop. Women pay $30-$100 for a haircut. Even with my killer discount, I pay $10 for my 7-year old daughter’s haircut, and $25-$30 for mine (including tip).
Karen´s last [type] ..Storytime with Daddy
The mirrors are the most horrific part for me although I do still manage to go every 6-8 weeks. I wish the mirrors faced the wall until your hair is done, that why I wouldn’t have to sit and look at jabba the hut in a gown for an hour, nauseating.
I also hate the mirrors. I walk out thinking all sorts of horrible things about myself so I tend to watch the hairdressers hands. Not only am I keeping track of everything shes doing but I don’t look at myself so much.
I must be the only person that likes getting my hair washed though. The seats at my current salon don’t make me bend my head back and my hairdresser has amazing hands. I love it!
Oh, the hair-washing is the worst! I’m super-ticklish, especially when it comes to the back of my neck, so everytime I have to use that horrifying chair, I am struggling with myself not burst out in an uncontrollable laughter.
Annija´s last [type] ..Skinny-bashing
Until my friend started hair school and started giving me free cuts it had been like 3 years since my last cut. My hair is curly though, so it doesn’t look as long as when it’s straight or wet. I’m still amused by people when they see my hair straight (which isn’t that often, my hair resists straightness like crazy). I did get a trim a month or so ago, along with highlights, and had it flat ironed, all for free, I love having hairdressing students as friends.
Lauren´s last [type] ..Gothic Jewelry
Personally I ask my hairdresser to not wash my hair with shampoo, It’s not that I don’t like the stuff but for some reason every time I get a haircut it’s between the days that I don’t wash my hair completely. I prefer to just wet my whole head and never do a dry haircut either because the elasticity is different.
The mirror arrangement where I live is pretty nice, but kind of awkward. When you look into it, I have a feeling that the client behind me is thinking ” What is that girl looking at? ” It’s obvious that I’m looking at the hairdresser cut my hair but you never know.
I absolutely hate the forced conversation every time I get a haircut. I try to avoid it by giving a short direct 1 word response to give them the clue that I really don’t want to talk at the moment!
I have a fear of damaged hair when I go to the salon. The techniques they used have me worried. You know how most people say ” don’t brush your hair when it’s wet ” ? Well it’s kind of weird they do that. I’m sure everyone has the fear of getting your hair cut short too, or crooked, or blah.
As for when I get my hair cut, I try to wait 3-4 months tops. I don’t like layered hair anymore and that’s exactly what my hairdresser does to my bangs so i just cut them myself. I usually do ” Search and destroy ” missions to cut out some split ends. but I only have to do that once a month. I don’t want to go to the haircutting place that often now because im in the process of letting my hair grow really long. it’s past my shoulders and i want it to my waist. So yeah!
I too dreaded the hair-washing part as for years I found it agony, until one day a stylist noticed I was not sitting in the chair correctly and had my neck (and thus my head) hanging too far over the sink…. Maybe next time try scrunching down in the seat a little so your head fits the headrest snugly. It worked wonders for me!
I quite like the hair washing, but hate the mirrors and the small talk. I am in no way overweight, but for some reason when I am sitting in the damn chair in front of those mirrors with the horrible lights shining on me, all I can see is the double chin that magically appears every time! It’s disturbing.
Also, what is it with hairdressers always having to critisize you, either for getting your previous haircut done somewhere else (“I don’t know WHAT they were thinking with this style on you!”) or because you didn’t come in sooner for a trim (“Well it’s just a mess back here, you should have come in last month and let me fix it!”). I have never gone to a hairdresser looking horrible, but they always seem to have some nasty comment. Do they teach this in cosmetology school? Makethecustomerfeelugly 101?
I haven’t had a professional haircut in probably 15 years. I have very long (past my hips) blonde hair, and I try to remember to trim it myself every six months or so. I’ve been forgetting for the last year or more. Since I keep it twisted up into a bun, or braided, split ends aren’t noticeable.
When I had highlights, I went to the salon every few weeks, but I haven’t been since January, actually. I’ve been going to the same stylist since I was five so she knows what I like
I generally only go 2-4 times a year, occasionally I will go just for the hair washing! I love it so much, warm water, head massage, I swear I have fallen asleep sometimes.
I’m trying to grow my hair really long at the moment, so I’m trying to avoid the hairdresser. Last time I went for a wash, colour, cut and dry, it took 3 hours! ~_~ and $180 later …. Never again! My hair is SO thick, they needed to use 2 and a half times the normal amount of dye
I have been going to the same hairdresser for a while now, so small talk is fine with me! Had the same gorgeous girl cut my hair for years.
Oh my, I feel your pain. I HATE getting my hair cut… it has been a constant trauma for many, many years.
A couple of years ago I found a lovely hairdresser who was brilliant (albeit expensive) and had been visiting him religiously. Even though I liked him I still had to deal with the nasty things like the small talk and the general salon environment (which I hate!!) though. Now he’s vanished though and as a result I haven’t had my hair cut for something in excess of six months. Luckily I am growing it but nonetheless it’s in serious need of a trim now.
I have found a hairdresser, recommended by my boyfriend’s mum, and I’m going to see her on the 16th of October. Wish me luck!!!
x
Pea´s last [type] ..I like birds