More hair trauma! Need advice........

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I went & got a haircut at a very trendy salon near me that specializes in curly hair. The owner is trained in both the Ouidad & the Deva method. I really wanted someone who "knows" curls, so on a friend's recommendation I made an appt. However I was very specific when I called & told them I'd had a Ouidad cut at the Manhattan salon, I didn't like it at all, so I wanted either the Deva method or traditional.

So I get there & the guy keeps me waiting for about 10 minutes while he's making personal calls on his cell. Finally he sits me down in his chair & chats w/me. Starts explaining Ouidad. I said "whoa, back up, I don't want Ouidad." I told him about my experience--that I'd had the "splicing" but they didn't touch my ends so I left w/damaged hair, & that the actual styling involved taking small sections of hair & twisting them around your finger, it took freakin forever, & I wasn't willing to do that every day.

Well, he was quite offended. Honestly I didn't mean to insult him, I just wanted to be clear about what I wanted him to do w/my hair. What I wanted him to do, not what he wanted to do. So he says, hold tight, I'll be back. Then he moves 2 chairs over & proceeds to cut & style a woman who'd walked in after me! I sat there for 20 minutes while he took care of someone else, who from what I gathered didn't even have an appt.

At this point I'm pretty close to walking out but in desperate need of a cut so I'm hanging in there. He cuts my hair dry (the deva method) then asks me whether I preferred wavy or spiral curls. I said definitely spiral, but not if I have to spend an hour twisting pieces of my hair around my fingers every day. Now he starts insulting me: "well, in my personal opinion, your hair just will not look good if you're not willing to put the time & effort into it." Is this a veiled way of telling me my hair looked like crap when I walked in? x(

He then shampoos, conditions, trims my ends & diffuses me. Now my hair looks awesome! It is like the best haircut I've ever had in my life!

So here's the question: do I go back to this stylist, who's one of the biggest creeps in the world but one of the most talented hairstylists I've ever met?
 
I guess it depends what's more important to you... having amazing hair or being treated with respect:p

I'd give him one more chance. Maybe he was having an off day?
 
I would bite my lip and go back. Bottom line - you got a good haircut and that is worth enduring some bitc*iness for a small part of your day every few weeks. Don't get me wrong - I would have been infuriated too but good hair is worth another shot. I would go in next time and kill him with kindness, totally compliment what he did this time, tell him how amazing his is, blah blah blah, and that you want him to work his exact same magic again, you are so thankful to have found him...If he was having a bad day, then hopefully he will apologize but chances are, that is the way he is b/c most people would not treat a complete stranger, who is their customer, that way, no matter the day they are having. If he is just that way, then this will throw him off, fluff him up, and make him want to show you again how good he is! ;)

Does your friend use him or someone else there? Either way, they may also know of a good way to deal with him to make it as painless as possible!
 
Lol, that was hilarious. That ending turned out a lot better than what I was expecting. Hmm, I would definitely give him one more chance. Finding that magical stylist with the magic touch is definitely not something to throw away. If you only have to deal with this dipweed an hour every month or two, it may be worth it. Or maybe just try the deva with another stylist, see if you get the same results. Congrats, anyway. Is there anything better than a perfect haircut?
 
Laura, your post is HILARIOUS. I fully expected a not-so-good outcome.

As someone who truly believes in the magic of LOVING one's hair, my advice is YES, go back to this stylist.

He may be a creep, but he obviously knows what he's doing. I'd rather put up with a creep for as long as it takes to get my hair done, than walk around with hair you're not happy with.

Congrats on finding a great stylist even if he doesn't have the greatest personality!!
 
It has been my experience that male hair stylists are usually gay...and it has also been my experience that gay men can be bitchier than a woman in labor and experiencing PMS with no chocolate within a ten-mile radius all at once (not that that will ever happen, but you get what I'm sayin'). Chalk it up as "just the way she - I mean, he - is".

I also read once in a magazine at - you guessed it - a hair salon, that a lot of gay men secretly abhor women - as in, they are envious of what they can't be. So much so that this can translate into aggressive or rude behavior toward women.

For the record, I MUCH prefer male hair stylists - gay or not. They just know how to work the magic with a hair-do. And, no, I do not have anything against the gay lifestyle (I'm pretty liberal)...I'm just stating what I've personally experienced and read.
 
Alrighty then, seems the consensus is to suck it up & deal w/this tempermental, talented jerk. :p

You know what? He's not gay. Unless my gaydar is off......funny b/c I agree w/you catwoman, I've found gay men to be the very best stylists in the world. But he seemed pretty macho. Go figure.
 
LOL! Okay, so maybe he's not gay...maybe it's the 'roids talking in his macho bod! Ha ha!

Just kidding, but when I read your reply, Lauramax, my mental image went from effeminate hotty with a 'tude and gorgeous hair to a beefcake hotty with an Under Armor shirt and muscles popping everywhere. Hey, at least he was a hotty in both images!!!
 
I agree with the others. Go back to him. Who knows, you may end up being great friends in the end.

Carolyn
 
I would go back too. I agree with the person who suggested the kindness and telling him how awesome he did on your hair idea!

And make sure to tell us how it went!

Congrats on a great cut :)
 
Laura,

I would go back and give him another chance.

I've had worse...... I had a FANTASTIC male hairdresser who would scare the crap out of you if you met him in a dark alley. He had tattoos and piercings from head to toe.
The deal breaker for me was not the way he looked, but his behavior one day. I was sitting in the chair waiting for my hair color to process, while he was taking his co-workers (girls) in the back to show his newly pierced penis....yes, penis!
Ok, a girl has to draw the line somewhere, and that was it for me!

It has taken me several hair dressers to find the perfect one. I finally have a young 23 year old girl that treats me like a queen, and does a fantastic job coloring/cutting:)
 
I agree with everything Shelly said. A salon visit should always be ego-boosting, not ego-deflating. If you're walking away feeling kicked it can't be worth it. It's like the battered woman who used to live down the street from me who stayed because the sex was good. Give your fabulous stylist one more chance and if you still feel that less-than-pleasant undercurrent find another stylist. That business where he just walked off and left you sitting... my former stylist did something similar (leaving me with color in my hair way too long while she worked-in a time-consuming blonde color weave (all those foil pieces) on another customer. I gave her another chance but eventually decided she was just too expensive and I wasn't 100% crazy about the results anyway, even if everyone else was.
 
If I had to decide, I think I would go back. I to have curly hair so if you can find someone who cuts it right...I think you should put up with the crap that comes along with it;) Just as long as he doesn't make you wait 3 hours or something. Maybe if you gave him a good tip you won't have that problem the next time around? Never know.

Lori:)
 
I am moving to Florida next week and I am terrified of finding a new Hairdresser. So I am with the rest on this Go Back.

;-)
 
Go back in a fabulous outfit and with a fabulous attitude, make sure when you book your appointment you state you only have "x" amount of time and need to make sure your stylist will have the time for you, they double book sometimes, start off right away insisting on his full attention, and then tip really good. Talk about workouts, if he is buff...you know the ice breaker stuff...;) I will not stand for that kind of treatment when you are spending alot of money on your hair..but a good stylist is hard to find, just play your cards right.
 
Maybe he could help me find my curls - I'm still stinging from the hair stylist that somehow chopped mine away last week. :(:(:(:(

If he treats you horribly a second time, would complaining to management be an effective choice? Perhaps if it affects the bottom line ($$ - losing your business), management might say something to the guy.

Susan L.G.
 
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