Hairstylist Advice: Never Get Too Big For Your Head

Hairstylist Advice: Never Get Too Big For Your Head

My hairstylist advice: Never get too big for your own head. You might be asking, what, why,  I don’t understand? Well the Hair Police has some hairstylist advice for the future of the beauty industry, which translates to every occupation actually, based upon a recent experience with a 5^th Avenue salon with an attitude to match.

Happy Monday hair mavens, and welcome to Ask the Pro Stylist’s Hair Police column. Some of you might have remembered I was my own victim last week in a botch job of hair color, obviously not taking my own hairstylist advice.

To sum up, I didn’t have the right color, mixed what I had, which was too dark, then painted on a few highlights to lighten at my part. It was really only noticeable when I wore my hair in a ponytail, and could have been easily fixed with a mix of highlights and a few dark blonde pieces thrown in, or do a balayage, covering the light blonde streak with a darker blonde or lightest brown for a rooty effect, then do a slight balayage on the rest. This would have been my hairstylist advice had a client walked in with what I had.

I was offered a 5^th Avenue service, so jumped at the chance to live life large for a fleeting moment, rather than having my dear friend fix it for me. However, Lisa would have been a much better alternative. I had promised a video, or pictures, but to be honest I left the salon unhappy, because the service only lasted a few minutes.

Now, I will not mention the person who did my hair, nor the salon where this occurred. What I will say, is my down-to-earth, humble friend that has been doing my hair since we were in beauty culture together in high school cut my hair today, after I gave her gorgeous highlights. She was horrified that a person that makes that much money left my hair color the way it was, spent 10 minutes with me and didn’t provide a better service.

To be fair, I was late…20 minutes late. The traffic was crazy because of the rain (this was the day of rainbows). But, my husband took as many detours as possible to get me there quickly. I had to drive in to Manhattan because I had to get my son on Long Island afterwards.

I messaged my contact ahead to cancel. I didn’t want to screw up his day. I know what it is like when someone is late. I was assured it wasn’t an issue, he too was running late.

However, I was made to wait an hour, and found out that appointments scheduled after me were taken before me. He spent 10 minutes on my hair adding a few more highlights, and doing a sprint balayage, but over half of my head wasn’t worked on. What you see in the photo is a side shot, the best of how the hair looks.

Hairstylist Advice

I was placed under the dryer, he checked me once, had me walk to him to check it again, and I was washed by a girl that barely touched my scalp. We were taught to scrub and massage. Conditioner was applied, but rinsed immediately…certainly not what should be done following a lightening service.

To be honest, the color isn’t terrible. My friend hates it, and feels it gives hairstylists a bad rep. It doesn’t matter if you work in the corner salon in the middle of nowhere or on 5^th Avenue in New York, guests deserve the same respect, and the payment for service shouldn’t factor into the matter.

This is what prompted my hairstylist advice for today, because we should never forget where we started. I did not pay for this service, but does that mean I should be treated as such? I might not have paid, but it was offered to me so press could get to know this colorist. I have interviewed him multiple times via email and promoted the brand he represents in countless pieces, but he didn’t remember who I was. I don’t care that he didn’t know me, but I did work my ass off for that service, and it was paid for, just not by me.

During the time we owned a business, my husband and I provided the same quality service for the most expensive packages, the charity events, fundraisers and those that had a discount or even a free party. I was made to feel as if I was a nuisance. He didn’t even ask to see it when I finished drying it.

Hairstylists are one of the most underpaid occupations, however quite often a hairdresser will align with a brand, educate, etc., and make the industry proud. My hairstylist advice is to never get too big for your britches. Don’t be a Tabitha and think you are better than your colleagues. Respect your fellow stylists, show professional courtesy, and provide the best service you can no matter where you work, or how the guest is paying. You are a hairstylist because you love providing the service, so do it with a smile and a thank you.

©Deirdre Haggerty, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this article may be reproduced without prior written permission and consent from the author.