LilGypsyGirl is very knowledgeable and of course I’m just in school, and not experienced, but if she doesn’t mind, I can take this one.
In SC, the difference between the licenses is that cosmetologists are trained in at least some of all the disciplines. We generally go to school for more hours (I think in SC it’s the same amount of hours, though.) and are taught hair, nails, skin, and makeup. Barbers shave the face, receive more specialised training in men’s haircuts and generally only cut hair.
The people who deal with skin more than anything are called estheticians. Stylists isn’t really a technical term used by our licensing boards.
I sometimes do headshot photography for actors. Usually they will forgo a hairstylist.
Is there some sort of product that I can spray on their hair to keep the little hair frizzes to a minimum?
For myself, many people say that ‘hair gel’ is dead. I have short fine hair and I use gel to keep in place. What other sort of ‘product’ should I try for myself?
I have very long (butt length right now) very straight very thick hair. I get it cut once every two years whether I need it or not I also usually give the 2 feet I get lopped off to charity, but that’s not why I’m here.
I am here because I like my current, very plain, long straight hair. I don’t want to change it. But it seems every time I go to get my “trim” I run into problems. Well, in part it’s because, going every two years or so, I’m not a regular anywhere and completely don’t know the routines. It feels like a real culture clash at times, and I’m left feeling, I don’t know, looked down upon because I’m missing something in the interaction because I’m not chatty.
Anyhow - a major gripe seems to be that stylists either don’t seem to know how to do a basic blunt cut or don’t want to. Look, if someone starts to give me a hard sell about completely changing my look, color, etc I’ll just walk out and not come back, but how do I deal with the subtle crap, the looks of disdain? I like my hair color just the way it is (I’m mid-40’s with no gray and a rich light brown with red tones). My hair does not want to curl and I don’t want to burn it trying to get it to do so (been there, done that in my teens). I have an anti-frizz gel I use when I feel the need, but I do not want a lot of crap smooshed into my hair. The fact I have extremely sensitive skin makes me particuarly leery of a lot of “product”.
For awhile I used to go to my husband’s barber who gave me exactly what I wanted, but the man passed away and his current barber shop does not seem open to women customers.
In summ - any suggestions for someone who just wants a freakin’ straight blunt cut type trim without all the other frou-frou and doesn’t want to feel compelled to be chatting? Should I ask down at the barber shop? Is there a way to communicate just a trim to a woman’s stylist without getting the Icy Stare or the Hard Sell or something along those lines? Seriously, I feel like I’m missing the magic words or inadvertently stepping on someone’s toes. It’s been three years since my last cut, my hair is starting to get long enough to be a problem, I’m already hard up for cash so coughing up for a cut is painful enough, I don’t need a bad experience on top of all that.
Are you pressured to sell product? I stick with my stylist because she doesn’t pressure me – she knows I am highly allergic and can’t use any commercial products. I use prescription shampoo. When someone near her chair is getting a perm she takes me as far away as possible. I tip her well to compensate. But I know she is being very accommodating because she can’t sell me any styling products, and I hope her boss isn’t giving her grief about it.
Mine was white-blonde as a child and then darkened to mousy in my teens, when I started dyeing it all kinds of colors. Lately I just let it grow out to see what color it really was, and now it’s a pretty reddish color. <shrug>
You should see the people who’ve had chemo - it’s a total crapshoot what your hair grows back as. I know somebody who used to have fine straight hair, and it all fell out during cancer treatments, and it grew back thick and curly.
I have longish hair (bra strap length), but I’m thinking I will get it cut short sometime soon. Are there any good websites that you recommend that show short hairstyles? Are there any websites that show the cut from the front and back?
Do you watch Tabitha’s Salon Takeover on Bravo? I can’t believe the filth in some of those salons!
Lastly, my 18 month old daughter had straight hair for the first 10 months or so, then it started coming in super curly in the back (ringlets), but is still straight on top. Do toddlers sometimes grow in curly hair temporarily? Do you think it will go back to straight? I have stick-straight hair and always wished for curly, so I’d love for her to keep her curls.
I look a lot like Santa which means this time of year I am very popular. Problem is my beard is more “salt and pepper” than the classic white. I tried bleaching it and ended up with a poor light yellow, I have used the Ben Nye theater-style paint without much luck ------- is there a really good dye out there for someone who really wants a gray/white look?
I’m not a hair stylist, but I’d say you should call the salons in your area before setting up an appointment. Say flat out that you have long hair, you want to keep your long hair and you just want a blunt cut/trim without any attitude.
I’ve seen shops that do that and it makes me mad. I have a style (layers etc.) but my mom doesn’t. She’s like you. And she’s loyal to my salon because they are always super nice and professional*. They may offer suggestions if you say you don’t know what you want. But if you come in and say, “I just want to get a blunt cut to my bra strap”, they’ll do it and be totally nice and cheery. No attitude at all.
In fact, my stylist will actually hear how much you want taken off, measure it with her comb, hold it out so you can see where she’ll cut to and then put her hand across where it will end on your back. That way you don’t hear, “sure thing! A two inch trim!” and you get more like a foot lopped off.
They seem like they’d be intimidating, since they’re named after a Clash song, are in a lavender painted old house and do things like ankle length neon orange extensions. But they also do old lady poodle perms, little kids’ first hair cuts, etc. They do it all and never have a hipper-than-thou attitude.
Okay, so here’s the deal. I’m a guy and have VERY straight hair. Not a kink in sight. I hate it because if I get it cut short it just sticks up all over my head like a sea urchin, until it gets long enough that it’s too heavy to stand up and then it just falls straight down, like a cape.
Can you tell a difference if a person has been using expensive salon products or cheaper drugstore products? I am asking specifically about shampoo and conditioner…
I am shocked at all the catching up I have to do - sadly I do have to leave for work in a few, so it will all have to wait until this evening.
But keep the questions coming! I’m actually kinda shocked at the amount of questions in this thread - I didn’t think I was going to get such a great response!
I will be back here later, typing my fingers to the bone to try to get to all of your posts.
Have a great day, guys, and I will see you all later!
That happened to me, except I didn’t really dye it and it settled in at an uneven auburn-brownish blend made up of pretty much every hair color. I’ve been dyeing it red since. My dad was a pale blond as a kid and went to a mousy, dark ash as he aged.
My hair went from the baby-fine straigt wisps to ringlets, to straightish. Now it’s wavy up to shoulder-length, but longer than that and it just straightens by itself. I can convince it to get a wave by braiding it while wet and letting it dry up like that.
Why don’t any of the stylists I see believe me? If I go in for a style for an event they always pull out the curling iron and I always tell them that my hair wont hold a curl. I swear every time I get the same responce. It will when I do it.
It’s funny, you can see the progression of my hair through the pictures at my brothers wedding. At the stylist it was great, before the ceremony the curl is falling out, after the ceremony, almost no curl.
It’s my hair I know what it does and no amount of product holds it in place. No one ever believes me. Sigh.
Also do you “tone down” the styles that you cut if the client brings in a photo of a crazier style cut.
You know your hair and what it does but not everyone does. On our floor at school, we hear it all day long. “My hair won’t hold a curl.” “My hair won’t take color”, on and on and on and on. People in general are actually really bad at evaluating their own hair, in my experience. If we listened to every “my hair won’t”, we’d never do anything. (Again, this is just my experience from shadowing on the floor.)
Tell them you hate curl, hate the way it looks, will hate it if it’s curled, and you probably won’t get the same response.
LilGypsyGirl- Tell us about some of your bad customers. Did you ever have someone flip out on you?
Also, have you ever made a mistake while cutting someone’s hair, and how did you handle it?
Do you ever have someone come in that you just don’t want to serve, and what do you do then? (I’m thinking along the lines of ex-boyfriend or worst enemy).
Here’s a question I’ve wanted to ask that’s not about haircutting but about how stylists are paid: Until I saw the movie Barbershop and later an episode of King of the Hill I didn’t realize that barbers and stylists rent chairs in some salons; I just always assumed they worked on some sort of commission per haircut plus tips.
Do most stylist have to pay rent to the establishment where they work (assuming they don’t own it obviously)? If so is it very much? Do they receive a paycheck from the establishment or just a check for their commissions (after rental if that’s the case)? How does it work?
I also usually give the 2 feet I get lopped off to charity, but that’s not why I’m here.