So You Got a Bad Haircut...

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

I remember being like, maaaaaybe 15 and deciding that I wanted to cut all of my hair off. It was a big deal: I had just bought my first shirt that wasn't from Nike and what I thought were the coolest pair of sunglasses ever. They had blue lenses, so I guess you could say I was pretty dope. 


In my bid to become hipper (seriously guys, I think I have a journal entry that details exactly how I planned on changing my image and it's embarrassing) I decided that my blunt, shoulder-length cut that I had literally rocked since second grade would have to go. I planned on a trendy, short pixie-type cut, which I tried to explain to my then-hairdresser. With copious pictures of Rachel Leigh Cook that I'd cut out of my YM magazine, natch.

I still vividly remember the sinking feeling that I had when she started hacking at my hair. I was in full-blown panic mode as she also added blunt bangs I NEVER asked for. When it was completely styled, there was no doubt about it.

I had a mushroom cut. 

And I lived with that mushroom cut for a year before it grew out. A year at 15, might I add, which feels a lot like a decade. Particularly when your two best friends are a) a talented dancer b) a gorgeous ingenue-type and you're forever labeled c) the funny one.  

It is with this in mind that we should talk haircuts. Believe it or not, the mushroom cut of '99 wasn't enough to sour me on taking hair risks forever. While I kept my hair in a layered short cut for the rest of high school, I've grown and chopped repeatedly since then. And for every nine great haircuts I get, there's one that makes me feel like this when the hairdresser starts cutting: 

 
 And because I'm terrified of confrontation, I usually just clam up and tip as usual because I'm awkward like that.

But I have learned how to deal with a bad haircut since then. Only once in my adult life have I hated a style so bad that I went back to the same hairdresser to have it fixed and it took every ounce of courage I've ever had to do that. If you're like me, try these steps first. 

1. Rewash and Style Again

I've definitely learned that sometimes, I feel like I hate a haircut, but it's really the way the hairdresser styled it that I hate. I'm not a huge fan of blowdrying with a round brush because I like a lot of texture over smoothness. And what's the first thing most stylists reach for during a blowout? A round brush. 

So when I've had that awful sinking feeling in my stomach and have thoughts like "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" I will head home, wash my hair, and style it like I would normally. And more often than not, I like it 100 times better when it's more "me." 

2. Add Texture


Since I chopped my hair this last time, I've found that it's a lot harder to keep it straight. Without the weight of long hair, I get springy waves. And guess what? I love them. I wish that the stylist had thought to add texture when she styled it because it's way easier for maintenance and it really shows off the texture of the cut. 

If you totally hate the way your hair looks, grab a curling iron and some product (I curl with a flat iron). Seeing how your hair looks with some waves or curl can help you make peace with the style. 






3. Play with It 

OK, I'm going to be 100 percent honest here -- I haven't loved my bangs this time around. I always think I want them, but then I remember that they're kind of high maintenance and make me look younger than I am (with two kids in tow, I would very much like to look my age). 

But even though I yearn for my longer face-framing layers, I do love the versatility side swept bangs offer, something I never would have realized had I not taken the time to play around with them a little. Add bobby pins, try a chignon, play with layers, whatever. It'll be fun, I promise. 






4. Tell Your Hairdresser

I have talked to a TON of hairdressers and they've all said the same thing: They'd much rather have you come back and get your hair fixed than you just living with it. After all, it's basically a walking commercial for their services and if it looks like crap, it hurts them as much as it does you. And chances are that it was a communication error -- you said to give it a trim and she thought that meant to chop four inches. 

When I had to scrape up all of my courage and go back to my hairdresser she first, told me she knew I didn't like it when I left a few days earlier and second, thanked me for coming back. She added a few layers to what was kind of a blunt cut and I went merrily on my way. 

5. See Another Hairdresser

If you really feel uncomfortable going back to the hairdresser who first cut your hair, it's OK to go see someone else (another thing my hairstylist friends tell me repeatedly is that they're not offended when you go to someone else). Let your new hairdresser understand the issue (without bashing the other one) and give CLEAR critique, like "I asked for layers and it's too blunt," or "It's a lot shorter than I wanted." Then, you can think up a solutions: Adding highlights to create more movement, using extensions, cutting in bangs to add texture, etc. 

The bottom line? It can most likely be fixed or at least changed to a point where you can live with it.

Some stuff you shouldn't do:
  • Cry and do nothing about it.
  • Try to fix it yourself.
  • Try and get your husband to fix it. 
  • Avoid your hairdresser until the end of time.
  • Swear off cutting your hair forever. 

The thing is that when you take risks with your look, it can go either way. I love getting my hair cut because it always makes me feel a little "new" but with that can come some seriously unfortunate outcomes. But guess what else is worse? Being so terrified to change that you end up look like a caricature of yourself in the 90s. I'll take a risk over that any day. 

Now please tell me you have some awesome "bad haircut" stories to share. 

11 comments:

Heather Smoke said...

I've had so many bad hair phases, it's hard to pick just a few. There was kindergarten, when my mom chopped off my waist length hair to above my ears due to, ahem... lice.

It grew out again, and while I looked like a major dork through most of junior high, it started to look somewhat pretty by my junior year, with my natural curl and color. And then, I thought I'd try short hair - two weeks before senior pictures - and the stylist cut it waaaay shorter than the picture I showed her. I cried and cried, and there was no fixing it, it was so short all over. I started coloring it to try to find something I liked better, and destroyed my hair for years with at-home coloring. Once, I had my fiance do highlights for me, and it looked so awful (not really his fault bc how would he know what he was doing?) so I had to go pay big bucks to get it fixed. Every so often, I think I want bangs, and I like them for about three days and then I wish they were grown out again. And now, I pretty much leave it alone. Natural curl, natural color, and I've cut it myself for years with great success. It looks pretty and I'm happy. :)

IandS said...

I once had my husband help me dye my hair with a box dye which was fine - I'd done it before, I've done it since but we forgot I was growing out my hair and it still had some old color in it. Yeah...I ended up with my hair half dyed/half orange :(
I too hate the stylist styling my hair - they always make it HUGE and I like a sleeker look. My (newly found) current gal just cuts it and leaves it. I really appreciate her :)
Stacey

bequi said...

There have been lots. In high school, I rocked the Kate Gosling sans highlights.This was before Kate. It was seriously adorable on me. I grew it out and tried again 3 years later. Unfortunately, my hair texture had changed. It was SUCH relief society hair! And if I straightened it, I looked like David Bowie. It grew out into a mullet for the next year.

In 8th grade, my aunt tried to cut my hair, but couldn't get the sides even so just kept coping till it was above my ears. Then tried to fix the appearance (because it was still uneven) by using a 1/2 inch curling iron.

I once had a hairdresser who refused to give me the cut I wanted. I gave a very clear description. She said, "That won't look good. I'll do it this way. If you don't like it in a week, you can come back and I'll fix it." No. If I don't like it NOW, you don't get a tip and I'm never coming back!

It's one thing to get a bad cut on accident, quite another when it's on purpose!

Lynn said...

Oh, I've had my my share of bad cuts and round brush stylings. Ugh. What I don't get is the almost universal translation that stylists seem to make in taking "I'm growing it out, so just clean up the ends," to mean lop off 3 to 5 inches. Why oh why oh why it's like they go to beauty school and get the English language trained right out of them.

Anonymous said...

Actually, my most recent haircut, kind of. I hadn't cut my hair in months, and I asked for bangs and layers. She worked really hard on giving me great bangs (I really like them, they're kind of Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday) but she forgot to trim and layer the rest. I forgot about it, too, until I was in the car. I love my bangs!

Jae said...

Ah these stories are awesome! It's good to know that I'm not the only one who feels that awful panicky feeling that happens in the hair salon. I need to take a Valium next time, yeesh.

Unknown said...

Jae, I feel your pain in talking to the hairdresser. I've been going to the same stylist for three years and I've hated the way she styles my fringe EVERY time. I say nothing then tip her £10...

Queen Mommy said...

Oh, the worst thing I ever did was my freshman year of high school. I went in and got a perm....back when it was still acceptable to get perms. I came out with my hair sticking out SO far on the sides--literally a good 5" of frizz on each side. It was awful! Then, I did have to live with it. Nine months later, as I was getting a haircut, the stylist (a different one) asked me if I'd just gotten a perm, to which I had to say, "Nine months ago." I think I had leftover curl from that thing for close to two years afterward! These days, I have tons of natural wave/curl in my hair (happened when I got pregnant with my first), so no more perms for me!

Amy said...

Just found your blog today and I am loving going back through your posts. Has anyone told you that you resemble Kirsten Dunst (I think you totally do!), especially in the photo with the glasses. :)

I've definitely had my share of bad hair cuts. I've also started going back to my stylist and asking her to fix if it's really something I cannot live with. She is always very gracious and willing to fix for me.

Keri said...

It must come in waves, about three women I know have gotten really bad haircuts in the last couple months. And it wasn't from the same salon. One lost about nine inches of hair when she wanted a half inch trim, another had the stylist thin her hair so much that you could see her scalp behind her left ear, and the third had kind of a Christmas tree thing going on. It was cut too short and just poofs off the sides.
I am in the process of growing my hair out, have been for the last three years. My boyfriends cuts my hair for me, does a great job, it is FREE, and I do not have to face the horrors of getting a salon cut. It has been over three years since I set foot in the salon for a haircut. I do not miss it :)

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