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Saturday 10 August 2013

Annoying stylist experience

Usually I try to get small trims every 3 months. It keeps my ends feeling smooth and happy.
But I haven’t had a trim since… May? Gosh, has it really been this long? Yikes. How strange that my ends still feel good.
I guess the benign neglect routine has been good for my hair: CO wash when needed, otherwise daily WO and putting it up with some leave in-conditioner. I’ve been good with spraying it with SPF products too.
But yesterday I had a bit of time and decided to go for a trim. I went to a drop in-place a work buddy mentioned.
I explained what I wanted: A trim of 3-4 cm. She nodded and seemed reasonable enough.
Then I took my bun down. I swear I saw stars in her eyes. She started eagerly talking about all the things she should do to my hair: Semi-permanent dye, bangs, layers, I think I even heard something about a perm in there in the mass of words.
Pretty much she wanted to change every single thing about my hair.
It’s not actually the first time I encountered someone who wanted to change everything about my hair, but this woman really got on my nerves.
Usually when people talk about what you “should” get done to your hair they hide under the intention of it being more flattering for you, or cut back for health. Of course with total disregard to how much time and product you feel like spending on a certain style.
(Funnily the maximum hair length you can carry “for healthy ends!” is always the longest the other person has ever had. Ever notice that? And what would “Be the most flattering for you!” is always closely resembling what the other person has, no matter your differences in figure, face shape or even colours. Odd, isn’t it?)
This woman just seemed like she wanted to change everything just because she could.
I left without letting her touch my hair.

Back to benign neglect it is. 

7 comments:

  1. Scary story....until I read the ending.

    I guess if you're a stylist, you want to style...which is fine unless the customer has better ideas...

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  2. Rockpaperscissorlizardspock11 August 2013 at 19:05

    Oh good, About halfway I actually got worried you'd allow her to touch it. I'm so happy you just left. I can't recommend a hairdresser I'm afraid but if you're back in the Lund/Malmö area anytime soon we could do a cut-swap. My hubby is way too scared of touching my hair and I know you've mentioned your hubby isn' exactly exstatic over the prospect of cutting yours either.
    (unless you're completely freaked out by the fact that a stranger just offered to cut your hair. I promise I'm not a weirdo)

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  3. I look at it this way: I see hair stylists as artists. When they see long/thick hair, I see it as an artist staring at a blank canvas. I've not run into this problem ever, because I go in with my hair loose and many people realize that I want my hair long when I want just a bit trimmed off the ends.

    The other thought? They probably want the ability to have you in the chair for HOURS, to make money. The later would piss me off. I'm glad you left.

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  4. Indi500fan: Heh, spooked you? ;)

    Rockpaperscissorlizardspock: Yes please! I would actually love a trim-exchange!
    How funny both our hubbies feel the same way ^^
    Actually I would really love to meet you some day for a cup of coffee (Or beer. I hear it’s good for hair growth!) It feels funny we are so close (Under normal circumstances at least) and both are vaguely creepy endearing weirdoes and we still haven’t met.

    Darkhorse: That’s a good point. I guess that really is it, isn’t it? And yea, no kidding about the making money… Ever noticed how they can’t decide what to charge you for a simple, nothing-fancy trim?

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  5. Rockpaperscissorlizardspock16 August 2013 at 10:20

    oh yay! I was so afraid you'd think I was creepy weird instead of endearing weird. (I am however, by all accounts and self admittedly, weird)
    Anywho... I'd love to meet you too! So whenever you're back/visiting just shout out and we'll get together :)

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  6. Yikes. That would be scary. The last time I went to get my hair trimmed I walked into a salon where the two girls cutting hair had hip length hair. I can't imagine what the odds are for that, but it made me feel good about what might happen with my hair. I still made her trim my daughters hair first and I could tell she understood why. I told her to trim 3 inches and she trimmed 2. It seemed like a good, hair friendly place, but I never have been back. Trimming at home is so much cheaper...

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  7. Yikes! Sorry you went through it but glad you got out of the chair. I tell the stylists in my class all the time it's what the person in your chair wants that you do. If all they want is a few cm then that's all you do. I also show them that a lot of the time they overestimate what should come off the ends....I find that they look at layers that need maybe 1/2" off the ends and think because the layers hit in the middle of the hair that all that length needs to come off too. I actually stopped a stylist in my class one time who was telling her client that. I said, "hold on, that doesn't need to come off, she has layers and the length is fine so I want you to take 1/2" off the layers and length and that's it." and explained to her why I was saying that.

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