hair salon disaster now what

Hair Salon Disaster! Now What?

Salon Fiascos

Alright, now look! I know we have all been there; went to the hair salon to prepare for your 1st cousin's wedding on Saturday and the hairdresser messed your hair up! I get it. It’s one of the worse things in the world. But what’s even worse, is the money that you waste at the hair salon as a result of it. Most of the time, when the style is complete we smile and tell the hairstylist “oh, I love it!” but go home crying because we dislike it! Then we go home and vow never to go back and hop on Yelp to leave a nasty review. But I am here to tell you some options can help you in the future if that ever happens again. Also, below I’ll discuss ways to prevent your hairstylist from messing up. Hopefully, you will gain more knowledge on preventing it from happening because I know you can’t take another messed up hairdo! So continue reading below, and we’ll get right to it.

Act fast

I know you’re familiar with the phrase “honesty is the best policy.” Well, it’s an old saying but holds much value. You’re most likely to have a better resolution for an issue when you’re honest and upfront about it. So, while at the hair salon, when the hairstylist turns your chair around, smiling from ear to ear, and you know you don’t like it, you need to speak up! Yes, at that very moment you must be honest and let them know you do not like your hair. Plus, if we’re not honest with people how will they ever know to fix an issue to prevent someone else from experiencing the same thing? They won’t know. So help out the next sister who may come along after you. When you act fast and speak up at that moment, you give the stylist a chance to handle the problem for you. They will most likely do one of two things; they may fix the issue if they have time to or tell you to come back to the hair salon at a later date and they fix it or redo it free of charge. Now, if you opt for the second choice, I recommend you get that in writing, because, well, you never know what may happen. You may come back, and they don’t remember you. Now that would be tragic, so it’s best always to be prepared that’s all.

Call Management Later

Okay, so maybe you’re not so good at handling issues on the spot; In that case, you could just call and speak with a hair salon manager. When you call back, try hard to be civilized. Even though your hair is messed up, calling the shop and turning up isn’t going to get you anywhere. Try to have an open mind on the situation. Understand that, no one is perfect. Also, speaking with management or the salon owner will show how professional you are. Management should also know if their stylists are performing good services or not. Now when you call back, make sure you know what your purpose is. Are you calling to have someone correct the issue or are you asking for a refund? Honestly the saying “speak now or forever hold your peace” is going to apply here. The money issue should always be addressed in person because the first thing they will ask you is “why did you leave after paying?” So you don’t want to be in that situation. Just simply let the manager know your concerns. Most times they will offer to do your hair over instead of the stylist who messed it up the first time. Things happen, and hairstylists have their down days just like everyone else. So the best thing would be to allow someone higher up redo your hair and hope you love the outcome on the second go-round.

Don’t Pay

I mean, if you want to be real for a second, let's be real. When you go to a hair salon, you’re paying for a service, and you want the service to be correct. If you were quoted $100 for long braids with blonde tips but received the long braids with reddish tips, then you didn’t receive your service. This section all depends on how big your heart is and how fast you forgive because not everyone is open to forgiveness. Some people value the money that they worked all week to get, and they don’t want to waste it. Now, if you’re not going to pay for a service, you’re going to want to make that clear to the hair salon receptionist. Express your concerns and if you don’t like any of their suggestions then do what you have to do. Just don’t walk out of the chair and out the door. Because that my friend is a whole other issue. One time, I was paying for someone to get their hair done, and the stylist did the complete opposite of what I wanted. When I saw the style I was so mad, I started crying. So you know what I did? I paid only for the wash and conditioner. I sure did, because that was one part that didn’t get messed up. So you could go that route as well or just not pay anything once you address the issue.

Be Specific

This section is my favorite because it’s nothing like prevention! Once you have gone through something negative, finding ways to make sure it doesn’t happen again is crucial. It will save you plenty of money and time. The next time you go to the hair salon, it's going to be important that you’re as specific as can be when talking about the style you want your hairstylist to perform. Ask ahead of time if you can schedule a consultation. If one comes with the service, then you want to make sure you arrive early enough to discuss in detail what you want. Before you arrive, be sure to bring a few pictures with you. Bringing in different pictures of your desired look will give your stylist a visual of what versus you describing it to them. Not everyone can paint a picture in his or her head so keep that in mind.

Have Somewhere Else Correct It

Now, if you’re like me, there’s a high chance you don’t want the same person correcting your hair that just messed it up. Nor do I want the manager to do it either because, in my head, no one at that shop can do hair, okay! So what you can do is call around to another hair salon. Some shops have a policy where they will correct an issue that another hair salon did. Now, for this option, you’re going to want to do it the same day. You can’t wait three days and decide you don’t like your hair. I mean, you can, but it will be a lot harder if you want to do something about it. Going the same day will allow the stylist to see how fresh it is and know you’re not lying about the situation. Also, because you’re having it corrected by someone else, you will have to pay for that. However, you won’t have to go through the process of getting your hair washed and conditioned, etc. For the most part, depending on the style, the stylist will just redo it as it is. So although you have to pay (again) at least, it’s not the full amount. This option might not be the ideal resolution, but it is an option. You may be upset at what happened and have to attend, so what do you do? You just figure it out and keep it moving. Don’t let it happen again.

Stop and Check

Now, we all know hairstylist can’t stand when their clients turn around and check the mirror or ask questions, however who’s issue is that? Well, I’ll tell you that it’s not your issue! Too many of us forget that you’re paying for a service. Which means, someone is doing something for you in exchange for your money. You aren’t doing them a favor. So if you feel the need to stop and check every once in a while, then you do that. It's better to see something halfway through and correct it than wait until the very end and dislike it, right? I remember when I use to get braids done, I always checked at the halfway mark to see them. Or if you’re not bold enough, just tell the stylist you need to use the bathroom. Now, that one is old school. Once you look in the mirror, and if you don’t like your hair, be sure to speak up right away.

Do Research

A lot of times when a stylist does a terrible job on your hair it has a lot to do with experience. When you make an appointment, it’s not known to you who has the most years under their belt, but you can ask. While looking for a stylish, you should research before booking an appointment. Be sure to read reviews about the hair salon or stylist. Ask around and see where people normally get their hair styled. People are almost always going to give you their honest opinion especially when it’s hair related. You know women don’t play around about that. Make sure you’re able to check out their previous work as well. See if there’s a style you may want that the stylist has already done in the past. That way you don’t have to trust their skills with a brand new style completely. Picking a style they already did will make you confident in them doing your hair. Also, when you make an appointment, you’re able to ask for the Senior Stylist. To some people, it matters how long the person has been doing hair. In most cases though, the senior stylist is the owner too. But remember, you still want to do your research because they could have just gotten that title or even just started doing hair and decided to open a shop. Remember there’s nothing wrong with doing a little background checking.

Make an Early Appointment

Another reason why people have hair disasters is that their favorite hair stylist is out of town. That means they have to settle and have another person style their hair. But an easy fix to this is to schedule an early appointment. Depending on what kind of hairstyle you have, this would be beneficial. For example, if you currently have a bob haircut, you’re probably going to get your haircut every six to eight weeks so you can maintain the style. So, right when you’re done getting your cut, schedule an appointment before you leave the shop. That way you won’t even have to hope your stylist is in town or try to make an appointment if they're full. Of course, some people may not have a reoccurring hairstyle like a haircut, but that’s okay. Making appointments with your favorite hairstylist is still a great idea. Plus if you ever need to change the appointment, you can do that. Better safe than sorry for this one. You can never go wrong with being extra prepared.

Whoosah and Breathe

Now you should be able to breathe! After that list, there should be no more panic or being upset over what to do if your hair stylist messes your hair up. The truth is, it will happen to us all at least once if you go to the salon. The most important thing to remember is how crucial it is to remain calm. You don’t always have to get loud to make a point. Take a look in the mirror and if you don’t like it, simply speak up. In the end, you will be doing yourself and the hair stylist a big favor. As I said, honesty is the best policy, and it will save you in this type of situation. Things happen, and people make mistakes but just know there is always a better way to resolve something.
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