How can you go from waist-length to ear-length in one hour? A bad hairdresser! If you go to hair salons, this page is a MUST.

If your hairdresser does any of the following, move to another salon ASAP! Read the instructions here before finding another hairdresser.

1. Do as she says. No buts.

You are paying her salary therefore she should be listening to YOU, not the other way around. She is entitled to give her advice, but at the end of the day it is your hair on your head. Just because she is qualified it does not mean she is always right. Use your instincts and make the final decision. If she wants to do something other than what you have asked for, get up and leave.

Some hairdressers ignore your wishes in a different way. They adapt your hair to suit their needs instead of adapting themselves to your hair. For example, some salons wrongly assume that you must straighten hair before trimming it because they don’t want to handle natural/curly hair. If your hairdresser is stubborn, get up and leave her limited abilities behind.

At the end of the day, you are paying her. Your money pays her salary and funds the salon, so she should respect your wishes accordingly.

2. Can’t follow instructions

Closely related to the first point, but this hairdresser doesn’t do it on purpose. However, when your hair is at stake, being nice helps no one. Tell her what she has done wrong so she can learn, which will help other customers too. If she refuses to listen, at least you tried. Put your money where your mouth is- go to greener pastures- and she will soon realise where she is going wrong.

She is incapable of following instructions. You ask her for brown highlights, and she ends up applying blonde. You ask for a trim (up to an inch) and she gives you a cut (a couple of inches/months or years of hair growth). You ask her when it’s time to wash the texturiser out, and she has no idea. This hairdresser makes you feel that you could do a better job. Before you get angry, breathe and gather your possessions together. Leave.

3. Only cares about your money

Many women can do their own hair, but choose hair salons because they want to feel special for a few hours. Your hairdresser should pamper you, not treat the business like a factory, hurrying customers in and out at breakneck speed. Of course they must make a profit, but you need to feel valued at the same time.

This type of hairdresser thrives on multi-tasking. They make quadruple bookings for the same time, knowing their customers will sit for hours before being seen to. As a result, you arrive to the salon in the morning but leave after dark. Another way they multi-task is by styling different customers simultaneously. It is irritating to finally be seen to, only for your hairdresser to disappear again to someone across the room. You might be a patient person, but even your patience will be tested when your hair is cold and wet, looking a mess, or covered in a relaxer. The latter is especially dangerous if the chemical is not rinsed on time, or you risk losing your hair. If you find yourself sharing your hairdresser with others, get up and leave. I don’t care how messy your hair is, take your money elsewhere.

4. Poor etiquette

Related to point two, this is another way the hairdresser shows how little she values you. She turns up late, providing no plausible or good enough excuse, and takes her time preparing for work. Meanwhile, your schedule has been disrupted. If she does not turn up ten minutes after your appointment, go somewhere else. When she does arrive, depending on how behind she is, she might have countless others to see before you.

Even worse, there is nothing a horrific as someone eating while doing your hair. That shampoo and deep condition will have been a waste of time if you leave smelling of her favourite meal.

5. No health and safety procedures

Every business should follow important health and safety rules or they risk being prosecuted or sued. The hairdressers should keep the salon as clean as possible, removing flyaway hairs, unused products, and anything else that isn’t necessary for your hairstyle. The floor must be regularly swept clean of hair and any spilt products mopped away, with a sign warning everyone that the floor is wet.

Health and safety extends to YOU. For example, your hairdresser should test chemicals on a small portion of your skin 24 hrs before applying product to your entire head, or you risk a an allergic reaction. Another way she should take care is by being gentle. Tearing through your hair with a comb or brush is not healthy. The stress on your hair will cause breakage and headaches. Even worse, she might be rough with chemicals, which leads to bald patches and painful sores.

Those are the five hairdressers you need to avoid. NEVER risk your hair progress or safety. If in doubt, walk out. You are paying for a service and deserve the best.