There is nothing worse than going to a salon, sitting in a chair for hours, paying more money than you earn in a week and ending up with a bad haircut. Unfortunately a haircut that leaves you cringing every time you look in the mirror can happen - and has happened - to most of us at some point. The good news is that there is a way to avoid such a mistake and it doesn't take very much effort.
The key to always having a great haircut is having a great stylist that you are comfortable with and who makes you feel at ease.
Researching online is an easy way to find a salon and/or stylist. Asking your friends who they recommend will also get the job done, but works especially well if your friend has they same kind of hair texture as you so that you can tell from their haircut if their recommendation will suit your needs.
Once you find the salon that you think will do your tresses justice, observe the salon from outside (and even sit in the reception area if you're game) and see how the salon runs their business, treats their customers (smiling customers is an obvious but truthful indicator) and the quality of work that the hairdressers are pulling off.
When you have decided on the right salon and have booked your appointment, ask to have a consultation with your stylist which includes discussing your:
- Face shape
- Hair type
- Maintenance
- At home styling
- What you like about your hair
- What you don't like about your hair
- The length that you are expecting to lose
Don't forget to take photos of haircuts that you like. TheHairStyler.com has 1,000s of styles to choose from which can be printed from the library and taken to your stylist. Remember to choose a photo for the cut, not because the pictured model or celebrity looks fantastic.
Before you go for your consult, there are a few other things that you need to keep in mind to help you avoid a bad hair cut. Lets take a look at what they are.
Things to keep in mind to avoid a bad haircut
Do your research
Contrary to what you might think, the expense doesn't always equal excellence - and, with this in mind, you need to choose your hair stylist based on word of mouth rather than price. Spend serious time asking around for recommendations and browse the internet for honest reviews. The best way for you to do this is to take a look at their social media pages. You will be able to see what everyone thinks about them and you can also take a look at some of the work that they have done in the past.
You can also ask your friends who they go to. It is always a good idea to look at your friends, see what kind of styled hair they have and if you like it, ask them where they go.
Talk to your stylist
Have an honest discussion with your stylist and tell them in detail what kind of cut you are looking for and allow for your stylist to give you their opinion. Your new haircut needs to suit both your face and head shape, hair type and your age. Asking your stylist for advice will allow you to get helpful suggestions on how your cut could be improved for the better. End of the day, a stylist has studied for a long time and they do tend to know better than we do. Ask what they think you should do.
Have inspiration
Showing your hair stylist a picture of the haircut you want will provide your hairstylist with an idea of what you're looking for. This will help you for both in terms of cut and even color. However, be aware that it may not always turn out to look exactly as the picture does as your stylist may need to make small changes for it to suit your face.
A color might look nice on a different skin tone and not work for your skin tone. The same goes for the hair cut. Your stylist might need to use the picture as an idea or even mix and match a few pictures to get a cut and color that is going to work the best for you.
Speak up
In case you're in bad luck and truly hate your new cut, you need to SPEAK UP so your hairstylist can fix it without charge. Be polite and be honest, tell which areas you're unsatisfied with and let your hairdresser help fix the problems. You need to make sure you say something either right away or after a few weeks if too much was taken off.
Keep in mind that you need to be happy with the cut that you have been given. If you are not, and sometimes it does happen, you need to tell your hairstylist so that they can fix it and ensure that you walk away a happy client.
End of the day, hair does grow back. You need to always remember that and if you cannot get the cut fixed right away because too much has been cut off or your hair is damaged from the color, there are ways to hide your bad hair day so that no one will find out. Once your hair has grown back and is in a healthier state, go back to get it fixed or go to another hair dresser that you trust.
Take your lifestyle into consideration
Your hair may look beautiful leaving the salon with all the products in your hair and a professional blowout, but you need to think how it will look a few days later after its been washed and you are styling it yourself. "Are you a wash and wear girl? Do you get blowouts regularly? Work out regularly? In general, it's important for your stylist to get a sense of your personal style and work environment." This way, they can work with you to figure out what type of cut makes the most sense for you on a practical basis, as well as an aesthetic one.
You need to make sure that you are going to choose a cut that is not only going to suit your face shape but also your lifestyle. Ask your stylist before you get a cut what the upkeep is on this style. Keep in mind that the shorter the hairstyle is, the more regularly you are going to need to get it cut to ensure that your cut stays in shape.
If you cannot visit the hairdresser every 4 weeks for a cut, then a short hairstyle might not be the best idea for you. The same goes for bangs. If you are going to choose a style that has bangs, you need to make sure that you can deal with the upkeep of them. This does not only mean the amount of times you need to get the bangs cut but you also need to keep in mind that you are going to need to wash your bangs more often than your hair. This is due to the fact that your bangs fall on a part of your face that sweats more as well as has your oil glands. This will result in oily looking bangs.
A few haircut ideas that you can choose from
Margot Robbie is showing us a lovely haircut that is easy to maintain and style. This haircut and style is great for you to choose if you want to have long hair. The cut frames not only her face but her neck and shoulder area as well which is nice. It is easy to have this haircut because it looks great if it is straight, curled or even up in a pony tail.
Ever Carradine is showing us a lovely medium length haircut. Once again, a medium cut is easy to style but you need to make sure that you are able to keep up with the maintenance of this style. The medium bob frames her face well and also frames her neck area. You can lightly curl this style, keep it straight or you can even apply some mousse into your hair and let it dry on its own. You will create lovely natural looking waves in your hair. Make sure that you apply some hairspray to your hair to ensure that you do not have flyaway hairs... and you are good to go!
Maggie Grace is showing us a very bold Pixie cut, which is lovely for most ages as well as face shapes. It will not take you long to style in the morning so if you are a shower and go kind of person, as long as it is cut well, you can wear this style. You can also take your time and style your hair nicely and turn it into a formal look which is nice. It is a versatile haircut. The only downside to this style is that it has high upkeep. You need to cut your hair once every 4 weeks to keep the haircut in shape.
A few other tips For Getting the Haircut You Want
- Upload your photo to THS - it's a great way to see beforehand if a style will suit you.
- Make sure when getting the length of your hair cut that the stylist indicates how much they are intending to take off.
- A good stylist will ask automatically if a length is fine before they even approach your hair with scissors.
- Never get a haircut the day before of a big event and never get a haircut in anger or when you are at a low point and desperate for a change.
- A new haircut should be a well planned, happy event that is exciting.
- Don't be afraid to speak up if it looks like the haircut is not going the way you discussed with your stylist. Watch closely for the first few scissor snips that are taken. If they are not going the way you like, kindly ask your hairdresser to stop and voice any concern in a constructive manner. Politely discussing your agreement again will make sure the plan is fully understood by the stylist and will help get the haircut back on track.
- Ask your hairdresser for their opinion on what they think will look good but don't be talked into anything you don't want.
- Lastly, you need to make sure that if you wear glasses, you choose a haircut that allows you to wear your glasses without them getting in the way. This might seem like a weird thing to keep in mind but you need to make sure that you do so in order for your haircut to not be an issue. If you are playing with your hair all the time to get it out of the way of your glasses, your hair will begin to look greasy very quickly.
You can further avoid the chance of ending up with a bad haircut by uploading your photo to TheHairStyler.com to see for yourself what kind of haircut will look good. All you need to do is upload an image of yourself onto our site. Choose a haircut that you think you might like and you will have use of our virtual hairstylist. You will get a better idea of what type of style will look great for you and what styles you will not enjoy.
If you do not like any of the hairstyles and cuts that we have shown you in this post, do not worry! As we said earlier, there are thousands of hairstyles for you to choose from on our site. All you need to do is search for the length that you like, browse our options and you are ready to take on the world with a new hair cut!
