There's always a clippers. Or a Flowbee!

You are brave. The thing is, you never know. When my girls were small, I used a walk in salon at the mall. Sometimes you got the same person, sometimes not.

Now, I would not do what you did! I have had too many bad haircuts. I have a friend who goes into the city to high end salons. she has appointments with students and sometimes these appoints are free or low cost. To be honest, I haven't seen a really good haircut from these places.

It's hard to find a good stylist.

My husband and I have gone to the same one woman barber shop for years. she cuts women's hair too...I go in about every 6 weeks..it's cut short, not super short, I like to put 5 curlers on top for volume every night after I shampoo and put in some gel. My hair is blonde and greying, straight, fine, and thinning...it takes a lot to give it body.

Flowbee for me. :) and then trim a bit more around the edges. Cheap, no appointment needed.

Moni

I did that once when the new Ulta store opened. I was desperate (and still am) and figured what did I have to loose. A lot as it turned out, it was horrible. LOL I lived but for once I was really glad my hair grows fast!

Just a small vent while haircuts are the topic....I cannot for the life of me find a hair person who "gets" it when it comes to what I want. Since moving to Michigan in 2006, I've had at least 10-15 different people and all they know how to do is a bob cut....that's it. And no offence to those who love having a bob cut, but I reeeeally hate that hair style for me. I have a lot of hair that is straight with only a fraction of body in it. A bob makes me I feel like I constantly have a helmet on.

I show pictures, lots of pictures, pictures of several angles even. I say thin it out, they barely make a dent and I say please, thin it out some more, I like layers, no not just one layer, several layers, no I really don't want the blunt cut of a bob at the bottom, I like it more tapered but nothing works. I go home, wash it and there it is, a new bob cut. The saddest part is that my dear sister cuts hair, she's experienced and so very talented. She also knows how to cut more than one style including a style I would like...but she's 3000 miles away. :c( I can't afford to pay for a visit, so please don't suggest that....if I could afford to go, believe me I would!

Lukkiirish, could you perhaps send your sister a few photos of the hairstyle you want, then have your sister write out what you should say to your local stylist(s)? There likely are key words or phrases that will make sense to a stylist, that might give you a better end result.

Lukkiirsh I went through that awful bob thing for over a decade. Every time I would tell them I was trying to grow my hair out they would whack it off to just below my chin. That happens to be a very unflattering length on me plus my hair poufs at at that length.

So I finally saw an acquaintance with long hair and asked for her hairdressers's name. Now I go to a place that almost all the stylists have below shoulder length hair and they are all past forty themselves so there is not that prejudice against older women who like their hair long. I'm followed the same HD for over a decade and my DD will only let her touch her hair also.

Funny aside. My DSIL has hair that grows overnight, literally. He can shave his head and have should length hair within 6 weeks. So he lets it grow, than cuts it short. Well the other day I commented on his current short cut and asked him if he was going to grow it or "mow it off" again. LOL He pulled out his cell phone and showed me his new stylist. My 3 year old DGD wielded the clippers this last time and cut daddy's hair for him under mommy's direction when mommy wasn't LOL behind the camera.

Cynic and Moni......what's a "flowbee"?

Lukki, have you tried a really exclusive salon? My road to a good haircut for me, started when I went to a Frederick Fekkai salon. I used a few hairstylists there, and I found that I couldn't go wrong there.

I got tired of dragging myself into the city every 6 weeks. I went to another closer. My trouble there was the colorist. I used two and just wasn't satisfied with the results. I like to go to one place for both cut and color.

I had already tried all my local places, but one was under new management. I was lucky to find a stylist that also colored my hair. I am saving over $150 by going local! I am hoping she continues to meet my needs.

Coming back to the point of this post, if you go to an upscale place,you can get a cut that others can follow, at least for a few haircuts. Or, in my case the stylist figured out what would work, a simple layered cut with a side wave, that I can handle.

I have the same problem, trying to find someone to cut it just the way I want it. I had hair to my waist, because, my hubby wanted it that way. When he passed away in 2012, I left it for a few months, and then in the spring, had it cut. I had a picture of what I wanted. Well, I am still waiting for it to be what the picture is. One stylist came pretty close, but, it is a 70 mile round trip to have her cut it. It is so frustrating.

I sure did luck out when I found my stylist a little over a year ago. Not only is she well-trained, but has an innate talent.

This is the first time in my life that I've been able to appreciate what a good haircut can do.

But the most helpful aspect has been in the introduction of products that have HUGELY benefitted the appearance of my hair. Like many of you, my hair is very fine, limp, and thinning. It would get oily looking within hours.

A volumizing, conditioning styling mousse has changed everything.

Lukki, I have the same problem. I've had a few good haircuts, but no stylist has been able to do it twice--even when I bring in pictures of ME with THEIR haircut. It's crazy. I've been cutting my own lately, which worked for awhile, but right now it looks wretched.

Lindsay's suggestion is excellent . . . I've often felt part of the problem might be my own inability to "speak salon." :-)

Ellen, no "really exclusive" salons for me anymore. Not since I lived in Manhattan. Not a possibility.

Jasdip, sorry to hijack your thread! Glad your hair looks decent. :-)

Haha, Hijack away everyone! I'm not saying my hair looks decent, just 'okay'. Usually they blow dry, put some sort of product in it to hold it in place, spike it, etc. This one cut it and left it. Short and flat to my head.

We don't pay high prices for cuts, and that's another bug. WHY do women pay more for men, when essentially cutting my hair is like cutting a man's. No curling, or fussing. Cut and go. I pay $15 and hubby pays $10 at our usual stylist (out of her home). The walk-in salon that we used to go, charge $20 for all adults. So we found an at-home stylist near us. Now what to tip her? She just spritzes our hair and cuts, some blow drying. No washing, no products.

Our ex dil is a stylist. She now trains new stylists in her company. Just moved away. She always did what we wanted to our hair in my kitchen. lol Now I will have to go to a shop. Boo hoo I already miss her. Good thing she cut our hair before she left. Maybe she will be back soon. Or my hair may just continue to grow and grow. Thinking I may have to look at what Moni uses. lol

LOL don't get us started on our hair, Jasdip!

lukkiirish I had the same problem. I love the layered look, but the hairstylist I was going to kept cutting my hair shorter and shorter. finally I quit and will just cut my own. What I do is I cut a piece at the top. then I grab a piece below and holding it straight up, I cut it even. Now I have the layers that I like. For the sides, I just comb it towards my face and cut at an angle. My DH says he loves my hair better now that before. I know i'm an older worman, but I don't have to look like one. lol

DH and I use the same stylist. $100 for me (including color). $35 for him (mostly just back and sides, LOL). A month ago I came out looking like one of those Fisher-Price dolls with the snap-on hair (a helmet), and DH had a great cut. This month his cut is 'just OK', but I look good -- well, my *hair* looks good.

I had yet another bad cut two days ago. I keep hoping that after I wash it, the cut will look better. Silly me.

OH Goodness!!! Thank you everyone for the suggestions and comments. I have another appointment coming up and will give some a try. My sister said I should just be honest and tell her that if she gives me one more bob cut, I'm moving on.

Jasdip, I'm sorry, I didn't realize my vent would result in a hi-jack; you're sure lucky to have gotten a cut you are happy with; not to mention that you're comfortable with it short! I wish I was. I've been fighting this last cut for weeks and just had to vent.

I agree one hundred percent that no one should suffer a haircut that they're unhappy with without saying something! Certainly not over and over again.

You don't have to be mean about it; the complaint can even be expressed with humor. But I'd be darned if I would just be silent about it.

Yeah, this girl is so sweet, I couldn't be mean to her, but she's not cheap and I can't keep paying for something I'm not happy with. Usually, I'd just move on, but I really like her.

Has anyone else had the problem that you can never dry/style it the same way the stylist does while you're in the chair? My hair usually looks fine when I walk out but I can never replicate the look at home, then I start to see the problems. Why won't she undercut the bottom layer as I asked?? I know she takes a tad off, but I can't really see what she's doing at the time. I've been going to Supercuts for many years and try different people, but so far have only had one good one whom I haven't seen since. I tried a different salon and paid 3-4 times as much, only to have pretty much the same cut. My daughter will get to trim my hair today when she visits. :)