new thread
Hello everyone, I'm new here... I started growing my hair for the first time about 18 months ago and it has reached a length of nearly 10 inches at the front. It was getting a bit too long at the back so I went to a hairdresser to get about an inch trimmed.
Unfortunately, this hairdresser did not know what he was doing. He cut much more than just at the back, and I am here for advice about what to do. On the left side of my forehead, I now have a lock of hair that is only a few inches long (just too short to tuck behind my ear) and another lock that is only one inch long!
I have definitely learned my lesson and will never go to this place again. But I can't even tie my hair back anymore due to the short hairs on the left side. It looks terrible. I think I have described it well enough but please let me know if a picture would help.
Since this is the first time I've had long hair, I don't quite know what to do. I was thinking of simply cutting it all off and letting it grow back properly, but I would really prefer to not get rid of the 10 inches of hair everywhere else on my head.
What would you suggest?
Thank you, and I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.
Peter
Hi Peter,
Sorry you had this experience. Basic rule of thumb: simply don't get your hair trimmed until you reach the length you want. Period.
And then, go to the hair place and explain in very exact details what you want done. Repeat it. Make sure that they know in no uncertain terms that you are only there to get xyz done to your hair.
And that will work. They won't forget you, either, if you go in and are VERY explicit about what you want.
So now, just let it grow. Nothing else you can do. Don't worry about how you think it looks. Just let it grow.
Bob
Out of curiosity what were the exact instructions that you gave him? The best bet for instructions would be to tell him to just take off 1 inch from the ends and make sure you express whether you want it layered. Any deviation from that forces the stylist to attempt to interpret what you have just said. More often than not a "bad" haircut is due to vague instructions on the part of the customer. Now I am not saying that that is what happened seeing as I don't yet know the instructions that you gave, but as a general rule of thumb this rings true. Most definitely a pic would help so that the results can be surveyed.
Hi Peter,
For a reason I don't know, shorter hair seems to grow faster than longer hair, maybe to re-establish a natural balance. I've seen it especially on layered cut, or bangs.
I cannot evaluate the damage, but I would not cut it all. After some months I won't see the difference, I think.
Bye, and good luck
Vivien
Based on your written description, it sounds like you recieved a "hack job", --- which can be devastating, to say the least.
Including a pic would DEFINITELY help to make sure our advise is as right-on as possible.
Rather than advise you on what YOU should now do, I'll tell you what I actually did myself when i had a similar experience back in Y2K....
After impulsively deciding to cut off my waist-length hair (and DEEPLY regretting the decision afterwards), a friend of mine recommended that I go to her stylist forjust the smallest possible trim (a "dusting" it's sometimes called). At first I balked. But, as she later explained, this particular hair stylist specializes in long hair. Although he is VERY expensive, he is worth it, because very experienced and good at his trade! My friend has beautiful hip-length hair, so I figured that her stylist must not be too bad, if she highly recommended him!! Anyway, to make a long story short: he trimmed so little length off that it felt almost as if he was just passing the scissors through the air! It was actually a very transforming experience, because unlike previous haircut experiences I had ever had, he totally pampered me, --- taking more time w/ the shampooing, conditioning, and other fun aspects of going in for a trim than the time he took to cut off any actual length.
Psycologically, this positive experience actually helped to "erase" the bad memory of the bad haircut before. I don't know how to explain it in any other way.
Do NOT, I repeat: do NOT go back to that salon, --- *especially* to that inexperienced guy who did the horrible hack-job!!!! Ask around, interrogating any and all friends and family members, and see if you can get the very best hair stylist in town (especially if you can find someone who is highly experienced and/or specializes in long hair. And then ask to have trimmed as LITTLE length as absolutely possible!!! (just enough to repair the look from hack-job to smooth & plaesant-looking).
It worked for me, at least, --- and then after I had that wonderful repair trim experience, I then felt free to focus on the fact that I was joyfully re-entering back into my hair growth journey again!
- Ken in San Francisco
Ouch, that sounds horrible, Peter. Sorry to hear about your problem. My advice would be to not let anybody cut your hair unless they themselves have long hair. A longhair hair dresser will understand what you want much more than a short haired hair dresser. Good luck with your growing process, hope you get back on track!
-Hegg The Norsk
Thank you everyone for your suggestions, it seems that not touching anything and letting it grow is the best solution.
To Leviathan (you asked about the instructions I gave): I asked him to trim 1 inch off the back only, and to leave the sides and front alone. For future reference, is there anything a bit more detailed I should specify?
Here are a few pictures, showing first the shortest hairs, then the lock that is several inches shorter than the rest, and finally how I wear my hair for now (in an attempt to make it look not-so-bad).
You definitely said the right thing. This really is a case of the stylist just doing what they want. I apologize if the tone of my first post was condescending as if the whole ordeal was your fault.