Here’s a weird personal question (personal about myself, not about you 
):
I swear that when I was 25 or 30 (I’m now 43) my hair was lighter than it is now. It used to be light blonde, now it’s a very dark blonde. Does this happen? (I may have been outside moderately more in those days than I am now, but I’ve never been a sun-lover by any means.)
Hair will darken with age. Take for example, a little tow-headed boy. Super light blonde hair. He is now 32, and is a medium brown with golden tones. The melanin (the colored part of hair) gets stronger in pigment with age. Some people get darker, some people get darker then start going gray. It’s all genetics, really.
How many times have you cut the skin off of your knuckle?
What are your experiences with hair changes through pregnancy and childbirth?
I ask because with my third child (first boy), my hair changed radically. When I stopped nursing, huge clumps of it fell out, and the new growth was curly, which I’ve never had before. There was a transition period there where it looked absolutely awful: what was left of my long (shoulder-length) straight hair was thin and stringy, and because I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening and hadn’t had it cut, the new short curly hair had no shape. Finally I found a great, experienced stylist who helped me figure out what was going on–about a year ago she cut off all the old stuff and I’ve been growing out my new curly hair ever since. It’s been very strange and a bit traumatic, and my new stylist says she never seen anyone whose hair has changed as radically as mine has. In fact she said what’s happened to my hair is more typical of chemotherapy than childbirth (how’s that for a guilt trip for Little Boy Milliner?). I know there’s a world of different things that happen to different women, so I’m just wondering what you’ve seen.
Do you mind if I interject with some advice as a male customer? Try calling some salons and telling them you’re looking for a new look but aren’t sure what you want and would like a stylist who is good with men’s hair. If they seem perplexed at the idea that a man would think he can change the way his hair looks or unaware that any of their people are better with men than others, it’s probably not the place for you.
I sure hope that doesn’t sound snarky but before finding my current stylist I had experiences that amounted to “uhh, you want something different? I could cut it shorter… or it could be longer, but then you better just not come in for a while.”
When I called my current salon the receptionist recommended 3 people, all of whom happened to be men, who she thought were really good at working with men. The guy I went with has always been great, although sadly he’s mostly been helping me hide my thinning crown lately. 
What do you think is an appropriate tip for a stylist? And what’s the best way to give it? I’ve gone to salons where they keep it in an envelope for the stylist and others where you gave it to him or her directly. I never know what is appropriate.
Bonus question: Is there any hope for hair that is thick (as in lots and lots of hairs per square inch), but fine (as in each individual hair is narrow in diameter) and also curly (as in the slightest touch of humidity gives me clown hair)? Are there any products that can tame the curl and bulk without overwhelming the fineness of the hair and making it seem greasy looking or overweighted?
Wait what? What the hell is the difference between a ‘barber’ and a ‘male stylist’?
Also, not lice, but how do you deal with people with really bad dandruff?
Sexual preference?
In most states, a cosmetology (stylist) license and barbering is a different license due to different training. A Barber is not a cosmetologist and vice versa.
Since dandruff is not contagious, it’s no big deal. I would do a scalp treatment at the shampoo bowl, but other than that, there’s really nothing about it that bugs me. Although if the dandruff is REALLY bad it tends to gunk up my cutting combs, but I would just toss it out anyway. 
OK, I’m a chick, I’m 32, and I have unbelievably thin and fine hair. Generally speaking, what are the best types of cuts to help make it look like I actually have some body and volume, and is there anything else I should be doing to help with this matter? I will pretty much try anything, as I am at the point where if I don’t do my hair just the right way, you can sometimes see scalp through it. This makes me a sad panda.
Right now I have kind of an A-line bob, although the stylist was new and I think she kind of screwed it up.
Well that makes sense. Now if only I could find such a fabled product.
Thanks for starting this thread, LilGypsyGirl. It sounds like you’re very knowledgable and talented!
I see you’re in Florida. Me too. I have super fine hair, and the minute I walk into the humidity, there goes the style. No matter what I use, it seems to “melt.” Nicely blow-dried smoothness turns to awkward waves here and there and what looks like frizz.
What styling products would you recommend?
I’m not one to dictate tipping, but it should be reasonable. 10% at the minimum, I think, but I may be biased.
Here’s a “tip” on tipping - personally I prefer cash in hand. Most stylists probably do. For various reasons, but in my place we sometimes don’t always see the tip if it is left up front. I can’t prove it, but something funny is going on up there. Most of my regulars know, so they just hand it to me or stick it in the pocket of my apron.
I posted about curly hair earlier in the thread. Lotions or creams designed to enhance curl would be a good idea - Redken’s Fresh Curl is my first choice.
PlainJain - I’ve never taken skin off my knuckle but have tiny little v-shaped scars on my left hand and fingers where I’ve nipped myself with my shears.
**Lily - **I’ve only had one pregnant client in the last year, but I didn’t see much change in her hair except that it seemed to grow like a weed. Instead of cuts every 6 weeks, she was suddenly coming every 4 and I was doing more than just a trim.
My most recent cut, I went in to a stylist near the Esperanto club and asled for a ‘trim’. What I got was more like mass defoliation. Are there defined terms for types of cuts and amount of cut? My problem is, I need someone to look at me from the outside and come up with the best looking style.
I’d like to do something with my hair, and I’d also like to try a full-on traditional barber. There was some discussion of barber shops on BlogTO that piqued my interest. But I’m going bald. I refuse to try to hide it, but I don’t know how to deal with it. Give in and go bald all over? There are a lot of guys who are doing this; it’s probably the characteristic Zeroes haircut, same as the goatee is the caracteristic Zeroes beard.
Okay, so what are the differences? Is it just that barbers are trained to shave the face and stylists aren’t?
Also, what about trimming ear/nose hair and such? Is that just a barber thing?
Ref: me. (See? I knew that online portrait gallery would come in handy!)
A one-length cut is usually not the best for fine hair since it tends to just…hang there. Your best bet is to add layering to the cut. It releases the weight of the hanging hair and adds fullness, making you look like you have more hair than before you got it cut - done correctly of course. 
**Mother - **I appreciate the compliments! Thank you! I would check out AVEDA’s Volumizing line. It’s light enough so it wont weight your hair down, but should be able to stand up to the FL heat and humidity.
You too, MsWhatsit - try the AVEDA line. Works wonders on really fine hair!
Also, another question… ****, you mention “A Barber is not a cosmetologist and vice versa”. I thought cosmetology dealt more with the skin and stylists dealt with the hair?
And another question… how do stylists deal with the chemical exposure of working in a salon? I’ve walked past the doors of the salon near Blacks in the Square One mall many times, and been dismayed by the chemical odour rolling out of its doors. I can’t imagine being in there for hours at a time.
I have very fine hair and bangs, which tend to ‘clump’ together. [photo] I’m wondering if there isn’t any product or technique that can keep my bangs from doing this, or if it’s just my fate as a person with fine hair?
Sorry if all of the ‘help me with my hair’ questions aren’t exactly what you had in mind!
I shave my head, but when it grows out I often have to use clippers to buzz it back to a shaveable length (I have a full head of thick hair).
I’ve used drugstore clippers, and frankly, they’re crap. What are a good brand of clippers for someone who’s going to use them often?
I use American Crew’s Fiber and it’s the best I’ve come across. It’s expensive but a little goes a long way so it lasts for months. You just throw it in your air when it’s halfway between wet and dry. It’s gives a nice hold and a matte look (not shiny). You can find it just about anywhere, from Target to CVS and Walgreen’s.
When I was in college, the cheapest way to get a Faaaaaabulous Haircut for an upcoming party was to go to Llongueras’ school (pics here, may take forever to open as it’s one of those sites that keep changing pics: http://www.llongueras.com/llongueras/tendencias.htm). Going there meant that you might or might not have any say on what happened to your hair, but hey, it was free and you were pretty much guaranteed to come out unrecognizable.
One time I got an advanced class, the students were all stylists with quite a few years’ experience; mine was going to redo my layers “with extra pizzazz” and much shorter than I had it, but it got rejected by the instructor, who said she had to do something asymmetrical as that year’s theme for the Llongueras line was asymmetry. He almost bit the students’ head off for pointing out that she didn’t think that was the best option for my face and hair. She solved it by leaving several almost-uncut locks on one side.
Now, finally, the question: have you been in a similar situation in any of your courses, where the usual criteria for settling on a cut would get thrown out the window because “that’s not our subject for today”?
