I have been asked this more than once, and I am SUPER happy to answer this question here. I know that it can be such a hard situation when you pay all this money and you have this image in your head of what you will look like and it just doesn’t turn out. But we also don’t want to be rude right? So how do you get across the idea you are unhappy with the end result, without being unkind? Here are some options.
1- Figure out the Problem
Before you get upset about your hair cut or color I want you to take a good long look at it. What’s wrong with it? If your answer is “I don’t know, it’s just not what I wanted” ask yourself the following questions:
- would you prefer the color to be darker? lighter?
- did you want the highlights more blended or maybe more defined/chunky/streaky?
- would you prefer more warmth in your color (gold or red tones)?
- would you prefer your color to be cooler (ask or grey tones)?
- did you want the color to be bolder or brighter?
- were you hoping for your cut to be shorter? longer?
- did you want more layers? fewer?
- are the layers blended well or do you want them to be more defined/choppier?
It’s important to be able to define what exactly you don’t love about your new do to your stylist. But once in a while our expectations aren’t reasonable. If you went through that list and your answer to every questions was “no” then your stylist can’t fix it. Once in a while we look at a picture of a celebrity and hope our haircut will make us feel like we look like them, when it won’t. You may also be hoping that a haircut can do something it simply can’t. For example are your issues any of the following:
- I wanted my hair to look thicker or fuller
- I was hoping my color would make my hair look longer
- I don’t know my hair doesn’t lay like it does in the picture
If these are the issue then it may be unrealistic expectations that are the real issue. BUT if your expectations are fair, then going through my first list will help you to know what to tell your stylist when you let them know you need an adjustment.
2- Tell Your Stylist the Day of Service
If you pay to get your hair done at a salon, and you are not happy with your look the best thing to do is to tell your stylist while you are still there, that you aren’t happy with it. This way they can fix immediately or set up a time to fix it for you. Trust me, every hairstylist is in this to make people feel good and confident. Your stylist WANTS you to like your hair. So if you don’t like it, you can tell your stylist and they will typically do what they can to make it right.
Try saying one of the following things:
“I am not in love with NAME SPECIFIC ISSUE HERE”
“I was hoping for something a little different than what I got, would you be willing to tweak ISSUE”
most of the time a stylist will ask you if you like the look, or how you feel about it. So if you ar honest you will get the best results. If you didn’t realize you had an issue with the look until after your service is over and you are home, call and speak to your stylist about getting a fix as soon as possible.
If you are worried that maybe the stylist doesn’t understand what you are wanting say something like “I am worried that we aren’t connecting here. Would you mind getting another stylist to collaborate with you to see if they might understand my vision better?”
3- Call the Shop Owner After Service
In cases where you don’t feel comfortable with or confident in your original stylist anymore, you may need to talk to the shop’s owner or manager about your experience. It’s so important not get personal. Tell the manager that you are not happy, why and when you would like the fix. If you don’t want to see the same person again, tell them you are nervous that the stylist doesn’t understand what you want and you’d rather someone else fix it.
4- DON’T
Don’t get personal. Your stylist is not bad at their job. They likely have a lot of faithful clients who love them. They weren’t a good fit for you, and that’s okay.
Don’t say hateful things. Not about the stylist, the owner or the salon. Saying things like “everyone here sucks” or “I can’t believe you’d let someone like her work here” is not only unhelpful, it’s hurtful to your cause. People are less likely to want to help you when you treat them poorly.
Don’t go somewhere else for a fix, and then demand a refund. We could have probably fixed it ourselves, and now that you have gone elsewhere we have no ability to see what the stylist did, what the problem was, or how to do better. We have no idea how much you spent elsewhere, or if you even went anywhere else.
Don’t threaten us. No one wants to help a bully.
Just be kind, be honest, and be reasonable.
Hopefully you wont ever need this guide, but if you do, I am glad I might be able to help.