Hair Care

Bad Haircut? What to Do When Your Stylist is Convinced It's Great

The art of politely informing your hair stylist that you hate what she's done to you

by Emily Woodruff | 4 COMMENTS

PHOTO 2/4

When Your Stylist Goes Way Too Short Caitlin was looking to chop off some of her length, and willing to go a little shorter than she had in recent memory in order to update the style she'd been sporting for a decade. She had something like Claire Danes' long layers in mind.

What she got: "Originally, we talked about going blonder and cutting off two or three inches," says Caitlin. My first clue that that wasn't happening was when she was describing the cut to another stylist and said, "I really wanted to do something else, though." She also kept saying she wanted to make me 'sexier,' and that my husband was going to love it -- okay, crazy lady. The second clue was when she suddenly gathered all of my hair into a ponytail and lobbed it off at my shoulders. Before we got started cutting, I had asked her where the shortest layer would be, and she said my shoulders. The shortest layer was actually at my eyeball."

How she handled it: "I kept thinking, okay, maybe this won't be that bad. Maybe this will look cute because this is a really nice salon. Everyone kept asking me if I liked it, but I just trying to keep from crying! The color was great -- I really liked the highlights -- but the cut was just so awful. I didn't speak up about it because it happened so fast -- there is really no going back after someone chops your ponytail off. I reminded myself that when I got home I could wash it and fix it. That was not the case."

What she should have done: Again, a longer consultation might have made it more clear to the stylist how far Caitlin was willing to go. Petroff also notes that if something happens mid-cut that you're uncomfortable with, don't be afraid to say something right away, but do so in a calm way, even if your brain is chanting, ohmygodwhathavetheydone. Petroff says he's seen situations where women can't even express themselves, which doesn't do anyone good. "They weren't happy, but they were so emotional they couldn't vocalize it." Instead of getting so upset you shut down, calmly ask your stylist if you can take a second to talk about the cut before things proceed.

SEE NEXT PAGE: When You're Dying Inside Over Your Dye

EDITORS' BEST OF

12 Best Acne Products for Your Clearest Skin Yet

11 Best Tinted Moisturizers for Easy, On-the-Go Coverage