hairdressers?

[Pats]

Nope. Always had long hair and long bangs and would do the trimming myself. I've cut it a bit shorter there days but still do all my own hair cuts. But I have to be in the right mood or it's a disaster. Last summer my sisters and I spent a few days together. They wanted to go for a manicure and pedicure. I said they should go and I'd sit there and watch. They wouldn't do it unless I agreed to do it with them. I'd tell them, I know they enjoy it and I'll sit with them but I don't like it. We got back to the house and my sister poured a bunch of alcohol in my drink when I wasn't looking - trying to get me tipsy so I would change my mind. I got mad and dumped the drink in the sink and asked them if they were wanting to see me go into seizures because that's the warning on my medications if I take with alcohol. Antiseizure meds for my trigeminal neuralgia). I doubt it would happen but I use it as an excuse. Because some people don't realize that no means NO.
It was a nightmare - another sister trip, where one of my sisters scheduled a spa treatment for us all. They talked about how relaxing it was and I was on the verge of a melt down.
Yes, the chit chat, the touching, sitting in awkward positions or (with the spa) having to undress, which I said before I wouldn't even change into gym clothes and want to feel clothes against me. Then they decided we HAD to sit in the steam room. I was in there 2 minutes and couldn't breathe and had to come out. My goodness, how do people do that?
Anyway, it's all the worst torture you could put me through. I'm trying to figure out lately, how to cut my hair again and the back is not long enough for me to reach or bring around where I can reach it.
Glad you brought this up. Funny, I was just thinking of this very thing last night.

 

[Gritches]

I absolutely hate getting my hair cut. I only do it about twice a year; I just let my hair grow to various lengths of "long" and style it differently accordingly.

But the absolute worst part is when they shampoo my hair. The sink will be on and loud and blasting right into my ears, and the hairdresser will still be trying to make small talk while that's going on.

 

[Cactus]

I don't like getting my hair cut. It's expensive, at least in my world, and I have to be social. I've discovered that I enjoy listening to people talk about their lives. It's the only way I'm exposed to the way other people live. I end up just listening to the stylist talk about her life.

I find myself hating when the stylist picks up the hand mirror to show me the back of my head. I know their waiting for my approval, or acceptance of their work, but it makes me extremely uncomfortable.

 

[Cactus]

Did I mention the unbearable moment when they massage your scalp. Ugh.

I’m trying to persuade my sibling to cut my hair since they can do it a little for themself and my dad...but apparently I’m awkward. Still, if I can have this alternative it’s better for me.

I've only experienced the scalp massage a few times, and it sure made me feel awkward. The first thing I thought was, are they going to charge me more for this?

 

[Moomin]

Yes, the hand mirror at the end is so awkward. I hate that too.

 

[Fino]

I hate it! I used to get it cut every several months so it'd be alternating between long and short. Then I cut it myself for a while. I wasn't very good at it, but I didn't care.

Other people did! People kept telling me to stop cutting it myself and eventually someone begged me to go with them to some haircut person and assured me the guy wouldn't talk. And it's true! He barely speaks English!

 

[GrownupGirl]

I'm not fond of going to the hairdressers but I don't usually have any problems when I get there. I'll even chat with them and stuff. But sometimes their fingers are like ice, the sinks for hair washing are painful and uncomfortable on my neck and I feel slightly disoriented after the washing, and worry that it's even caused a dangerous blood clot to form in my brain!
But it's either that or end up looking like a sheepdog. I have very thick hair that grows all over the place.

 

[Graphin]

Somehow all past hairdressers were bad in communicating with me and ignored most instructions

 

[Isadoorian]

I don't mind it, not too much small talk when I'm in the chair, and I try and go when my hair gets about to be as long as it is in my profile picture, sometimes a little longer than that

I get my hair nice and short along the front, sides and back, however, when I went in February, the one lady (it's a Barbershop that has a few ladies and a guy, though you need to make an appointment with him as he's aging and doesn't have as much time to work there as he used to be able); said lady gave a bowl cut looking thing, it was horrendous... thankfully when I've gone the next 2 to 3 times it was one of the other 2 of the 3 ladies who cut my hair and it was more proper to what I typically get

 

[BraidedPony]

I have cut my own hair for over 20 years.
I do not like:
The shampoo chair hurts my neck, leaning back
The shampoo person scrubs too hard
The place stinks of perm and bleach and nail stuff
I can’t wear my glasses during the cut
I worry the whole time how much to tip
It’s expensive and awkward paying and tipping
It never looks that good anyway after all the ordeal I’m just exhausted
So I bought a good pair of hair shears and cut it myself. If the bangs are crooked then I just trim again the next day!

 

[Fino]

I always tip however much it takes to get to the next number that ends with a zero or a five, depending on if it would be too small. So if it's eighteen, I'd tip seven because two is too little, in my opinion, and if it's twenty-two, I tip eight, because three is too little, in my opinion.

And shampooing isn't required in some places, is it? I never do that!

 

[Isadoorian]

I have cut my own hair for over 20 years.
I do not like:
The shampoo chair hurts my neck, leaning back
The shampoo person scrubs too hard
The place stinks of perm and bleach and nail stuff
I can’t wear my glasses during the cut
I worry the whole time how much to tip
It’s expensive and awkward paying and tipping
It never looks that good anyway after all the ordeal I’m just exhausted
So I bought a good pair of hair shears and cut it myself. If the bangs are crooked then I just trim again the next day!

I just do a nice, small tip of $2 for the Delivery person when I order food; however I once went to give a guy $1.00 tip as I didn't quite have enough for my usual $2 and I accidentally gave him a 1 Cent tip.... felt so bad but it was also kinda funny at the same time.... though mostly bad

 

[Gracey]

I danced a merry jig when one of my nieces qualified as a hairdresser.

Previous to this I hadn’t been anywhere near a salon for years and years.
I bought a set of hair clippers (and wore a lot of hats !)

The great thing is, my niece already knows I’m quirky, fussy and exacting.
If I blurt out “you’ve just got water in my ear”
Or “put a towel on that, it’s too cold!”
- when leaning back over the salon sink,
She finds it amusing rather than odd, scarey or offending.

I’ve had my grey hair coloured and she managed to keep me in the seat for a cut and blow dry.

Happy, happy, happy

 

[invisibility003]

Can't stand hairdressers! I never used to get my hair cut that often, because it was very long and only needed the occasional trim. Though, now my hair is short, because I cut it all off to donate for cancer and alopecia wigs and I love it! Although, I do love it short, it does come with negatives, one being that it grows out fast (my hair is a pixie cut sort of thing) and I want to keep it in a similar style and short, so unfortunately for me, trips to the hairdressers are a more regular thing!! Yes, the awkward small talk at the hairdressers is the worst and I get so nervous all I can say is "I don't know" or "Nothing much". I'm not the biggest fan of being touched either, I can't even stand affection such as hugs or kisses even from my parents, it makes me want to puke, which I hate because sometimes I wish I was just normal and didn't have trouble with affection and stuff. I have my own ways of showing affection which are very weird looking to outsiders (if they saw) and cat-like, to be honest. I won't say any more than that because I am getting embarrassed and a bit off topic. Anyway, I can't stand people fiddling around with my hair, especially strangers, although they do seem nice and friendly, but I still hate it!!

In short: Trips to the hairdressers I don't enjoy, but I want my hair to be short because I love it short so I guess I don't have a choice about going!!

PS. Another thing about hairdressers I can't stand: The "product" they put in my hair to make it look "better" and not as "flat". It is STIFF and it STINKS and I don't like stiff hair. I wash it out as soon as I get home.

 

[Progster]

A good hairdresser/barber. like a good taxi driver, should be able to sense when the customer wants to talk and when the customer prefers to remain silent, they certainly shouldn't insist on talking. Mine knows that I'm not a talker, and also knows that I have sensory issues, and that helps.

As for things like manicures or massage or pedicures and other beauty treatments, I've never seen the point or necessity for those, a waste of time and money, and certainly not a relaxing or pleasant experience, as people claim them to be.

 

[Moomin]

@Gracey

That’s great that your niece is understanding.

@invisibility003

Yeah during the small talk it’s either “yeah/yes/ no “ for me or awkward silences.
I’m also pretty sure that you can refuse hair products in your hair. I’ve had one actually ask me if I wanted product, and I’ve said no.
And no worries about going off topic or on another tangent, I do that too.

@Progster

I agree, a job as a hairdresser is supposedly social? They should definitely know not to push someone to talk to them when their client doesn’t or feels uncomfortable to chat.

And yes, never understood the requirement for beauty treatments. Just the idea of massage is awful to think about.

 

[LadyBird84]

I hate it with a passion. I hate the small talk, the touching and the fact that I have to look at myself in a mirror (which I try to avoid).

I've often cut my hair myself, but I like it on the shorter side (it bothers me when it's longer and it gets in my eyes) and that means I can't see what I'm doing in the back. So it's a regularly reoccurring dilemma to either bite the bullet and go the the hairdresser's, or to let it get longer (and irritate me) so I can cut it myself.

 

[OlLiE]

i like the part where they wash my hair,
i find that bit actually really relaxing

 

[Moomin]

IM also not a big fan of change. So maybe this adds to it?

 

[tlc]

I only go maybe every few months, when my hair starts getting in my eyes. And I go to a place that's walk-in and where it's pretty cheap. It's $15 so I round it to an even $20. The place I go they seem to really know what they're doing when I describe what I want done. (There's another location in the town I work, but it feels more like getting my hair cut by a novice in their kitchen.) The walk-in aspect seems to attract people who are in for a quick trim job, so I don't have to deal with the smell of perms and things. Otherwise I couldn't stand it. I also tell them to leave off the necktie because I'd rather brush the hair off me than have something around my neck.

The talk is awkward, but sometimes they don't talk much anyway. They just ask me about the same old things, and I tell them what I'm doing for the day and what I've been up to. I pretty much drive the subject, so it's things that I like or know about.

I don't like being touched in many ways, but I find my head being touched relaxing. I would go for a shampoo, but I like to go in having used the cheap stuff I normally use, so my hair is going to behave predictably. I also find that at the place I go, the hairdressers usually look pretty nice, so that's a plus for a single guy like me too.