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Why are my haircuts hit-or-miss?

Okay, I know why they're variable--I see whichever stylist is available at cheap salons--but I can't think of a better way to ask this question. I have wavy hair with long layers, and every so often I get it trimmed, asking for long layers and mentioning that I won't do much other than clean and brush it. At the end of each cut my hair always looks more or less long and layered to my untrained eye. But the next day, and as it grows out, after some cuts it looks like the everyday-person version of long hair in commercials, while after other cuts, it always looks scraggly and dull and the front hangs heavily on either side of my face.

So what are these stylists doing differently from one another? Should I be giving particular instructions or looking at certain elements of the haircut as they're doing it? Is this an evenness issue, or something to do with the length of the layers? The only thing I've learned over the years is no razor cuts in my fine-ish waves, and even then it took two visits to an expensive salon resulting in two atrocious haircuts before I figured it out--I guess I'm a hair dunce. My current cut isn't great, but even if I went back to a salon I don't know what I'd ask for.

pickled ginger asked in Hair/Body Care 9 months ago | Report

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  • Peacock-eye_small
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    aquamarineat114

    Couple of thoughts here:

    Is there a difference between the way they style your hair and the way you style your hair? What kinds of brushes, products, styling techniques, etc. are they using? For exmample, if they've use a straight iron and you don't, your hair will most definitely look different the next day. As far as the front hanging heavily, that sounds like just a difference in the cut.

    I have, in the past, been in the habit of going to whatever cheap salon has an opening because I just want a haircut immediately. What I learned from that experience is that it's the best way to get a bad style. Period. You don't know who you're getting and frankly, cheap salons are cheap for a reason (sorry if that sounds arrogant). All the money you save ends up being a waste after one too many bad cuts.

    Do your research (online reviews of local salons/stylists) and save your money for a good place. If you see someone with hair that's similar to yours and you like their cut, ask them who their stylist is. Another good rule of thumb: ALWAYS take a picture with you. Whether it's a picture you find in a magazine, online, or one of you when you really liked your hair, bring it along and tell them that it's what you want. Trying to describe a cut is just too vague because everyone has a different idea of what certain styles should look like.

    Try and find a good stylist - someone well-trained who you think you'll stick with and who will get to know you (your likes/dislikes) and your hair. Good luck!

    aquamarineat114 answered in Hair/Body Care 9 months ago | Report
    1 comment by pickled ginger…
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  • Enso_circle_small
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    I cannot tell you technically what is wrong with the cutting, but the best way to avoid the crap cuts is to make an appointment with one of the hairdressers who did it well. It might mean you have to book ahead, but if you have already found them to be cheap and good, stop shopping around.

    ozchick answered in Hair/Body Care 9 months ago | Report
    2 comments by IsadoraWing and pickled ginger…
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  • Avatar_default
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    Perhaps the cut you are getting isn't best for your hair. I used to have long layers but then while visiting Paris I got a new cut -- a long, inverted bob. The stylist was a genius and I'm so much happier with this style. I saw a photo from a few years back with those layers and thought yuck -- not that it might be becoming for you.

    I noticed that a lot of stylists in Seattle (I'm sort of like you, switching stylists and salons a lot) seem to

    agness answered in Hair/Body Care 9 months ago | Report
    9 comments by agness, freikja, and freikja…
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  • Kermitsex_small
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    freikja

    Unless you have a very specific style you do with your hair, it's hard to articulate to everyone what you want, and there's never any guarantee you'll get it, even if you do. Definitely no razor cuts for hair like ours; if you do layers, always, ALWAYS specify scissor layers. But otherwise, it's kind of up in the air.

    l have curly hair and it's a bitch to find someone who cuts it just right. But once l find that someone(s) -where it looks good no matter what state it's in, no matter how long after the cut- l STICK with that person. Even if it's expensive, you can usually talk to them on the downlow and let them know you love their work but can't afford it; since half that money goes to the salon, a lot of stylists are happy to fit you in on their own time if all the profits go to them. Do a little recon with the ones you like, and see what you can work out.

    l am NOT a girly girl, but when it comes to looks, good haircuts are paramount - what's the point of having waves/curls otherwise? Our hair needs love too! l just get in good with my stylists. :)

    freikja answered in Hair/Body Care 9 months ago | Report
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  • Images_1__small
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    What I do is take a photo of a haircut that I like with me. And then rather than tell them you want that specific haircut, let them know what you like about the haircut: I like how it is layered here, I like this length, I like how it curls up here, etc.

    myjourney answered in Hair/Body Care 9 months ago | Report
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