Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stylist

Cut my hair... please!

You Can't Tip a Buick — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:59:18 -0800

[SeattleHaircutFilter]. I am a man in his late 20s in Seattle looking to invest in a decent, not-too-expensive, but not necessarily cheap haircut. I'm more or less looking for a place where I can go in and say "oh, I'm not sure, use your best judgment," and walk out with something better-looking than I would have known to ask for. Does anyone know of such a beast in this town?

I need a haircut!

rabbitrabbit — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:48:26 -0800

Need haircut recommendations in Portland or Beaverton, OR I'm a chick, with super-fine hair that is also not very plentiful, with a bit of wave/curl in it. I recently moved to Oregon and need to find someone to cut my hair. It can be hard to find people who know how to cut hair like mine so it doesn't just lay on my head like a dead thing. I usually end up getting a shortish bob, since that's about the easiest way to get some body without a lot of work every morning.

If anyone lives in the Portland area and knows of someone who can cut fine wavy hair, please send the recommendations to me! Prefer west side (Washington County) but anywhere in the Portland metro area is fine, I'm willing to travel to get a good cut. I've already tried Yelp and it seems like most people get manicures at salons but not haircuts.

How do I tell my partner that a recently acquired haircut is...bad?

hal_c_on — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:40:05 -0800

So how do I tell my partner that a recently acquired haircut is...bad? So I'm a pretty low-maintenance person. I moved recently (after finding an EXCELLENT hair cuttery), and was forced to find a new barber/stylist. I found one that I could literally walk to, so problem solved, right?

The haircut was pretty bad. I'm the guy who always feels the haircut is great because now there's less hair on top of my head. I've had my hair cut by 80 year old barbers, 19 year old stylists, people in beauty school, friends, family, and even some high-end stylists. I have almost never had a bad haircut, I have always left satisfied. I have a VERY high threshold for bad haircuts.

This haircut was so bad, I actually could see where the stylist was lacking in technical expertise, and I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CUTTING HAIR. How do they forget to cut a clump of hair? Of course, I was home before I noticed, so I chalked it up to "my fault".

Being a very smart consumer, I visited this place a few more times with the same results (different stylist/same business). I really thought "oh, it must have been the stylist", or "oh, i didn't explicitly state that I wanted them to cut hair from all parts of my head". Then on my most recent visit (yeah, I'm telling you...I'm not that bright), I realized why I always had bad hair...they cut my hair in about 7 minutes. They had always been that fast at this establishment, while everywhere else, it had taken AT LEAST 20 minutes.

I went home, and noticed that they forgot to cut a clump of hair from the back. Seriously...how does one forget that; its the back of MY head, not THEIR head. The next time I was due for a haircut, I went outside with a pair of clippers and cut my hair really short. My partner helped me out with the hard areas, and bam...a GOOD haircut. I'm low maintenance like that.

So a few minutes ago, my partner (also, rather low maintenance) left to get a haircut...at the SAME PLACE. I reiterated my story; we laughed...but I don't think the partner was dissuaded. Maybe...but probably not.

What can I say when there's a knock at the door, and I open it up to a bad haircut? It STILL is V-Day weekend, and I don't really want to go "damn...I told you...get me the clippers and sit still".

Reading this over, I realize that we sound pretty insane. Yes.

How do I switch stylists within a salon?

Joey Buttafoucault — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:06:10 -0800

So what's the protocol on switching stylists within a salon? I've been getting my hair cut by J for about 6 months now, and I'm a pretty big fan of what he does, but this week I had to make a last minute appointment and the receptionist said "J is booked, would you like to see S?," and so I did. I'm not sure they conveyed to J that I tried to make an appointment with him, because when I went in it seemed like he was trying to avoid talking to me. Turns out, I like S better and I would kind of like to switch to her permanently. Is this kosher? Is there a protocol? What can I do to be nice about it instead of coming off like an asshole?

salons in savannah

pinkkitty — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:28:20 -0800

I need salon/spa recommendations in Savannah or Richmond Hill GA. Specifically, I'm looking for a place to get a brazilian wax and also looking for a new hair stylist. Bonus if I can find them in one location or close together. Super-bonus if there's a bit of interesting shopping near by.

Los Angeles haircut recommendation?

sirion — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:10:45 -0800

HaircutFilter: Where can I go in the Los Angeles area to get a good men's haircut? Any recommendations on someone who can see what your hair does naturally and figure out a good cut for it? (Not particularly interested in doing much other than brushing it in the morning [and my fiancée is not a fan of sticky stuff in my hair], so not looking for someone skilled at using hairspray and gel and all that)

Curl-savvy stylists in the Twin Cities?

cabingirl — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:57:05 -0800

I am looking for a hair stylist in Minneapolis/St. Paul who is good with curly hair, including color, and will tell me what will look good on me. My last stylist was awesome. She was very good at suggesting cuts and colors that she thought would work for my fine, moderately curly hair and she was almost always right. She stopped cutting hair, though, so I had to move on. I started seeing another stylist at the same salon and she's very nice but last night she murdered my hair. I can't even tell what is wrong with it exactly, but I know it's not good and I think it's because she didn't take my hair texture into account. I don't even want to go back to her to get it fixed. I'd prefer someone in the east metro but if they're that good, I'll go anywhere.

Lifeskills: how to find a men's hairstylist that knows their stuff?

-harlequin- — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:46:38 -0800

Other than asking friends, what do I look for / how do I find an incredible men's hair stylist? And once found, how do I help them help me? It's time for a major restyling but it will be a tall order if it can be pulled off, so I fear most stylists are going to think they're up to it, then botch it. How do you sleuth which stylists are the ones to trust? (Bonus points for non-country-specific answers, so I can find good stylists wherever I go) I've only really had disappointing experiences with stylists and need help changing this (problems include assuming that the standards aren't very high for men's haircuts, or they're used to doing women's hair and seem to think that styling men's can't be all that different, then discover too late that it's thinner than they thought, etc)

That was all years ago and I haven't been to one since, so I'm anxious, but I'm also sick of my boring hairstyle and want something stylish and trendy for once before it thins so much I have to shave it off. (It is thinner than it looks in some areas, making it quite easy to botch, plus I want to try something pretty radically different from what it is now, hence the desire stylists specialising in men's hair and styles).

And since to date I have no successful stylist experience, how should I help them help me? Since their time is presumably valuable, how much time can I reasonably expect to discuss things with them without committing to using their service? Stuff like that. And what (if any) options do you have if they botch it?

Any general and related tips appreciated too!

In Boulder for the summer. Need a haircut. Theodoric of York need not apply.

jtfowl0 — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 17:14:34 -0800

In Boulder for the summer. Need a haircut. Theodoric of York need not apply. Can anybody recommend a good barber or stylist who specializes is cutting men's hair in/near Boulder, Colorado? I am here for the summer and need a haircut but dread the inevitable butchering I typically receive at the hands of strangers picked randomly from Google searches. I don't need anything crazy or unusual, just a good scissor cut. Bonus points if it is pretty cheap (less than $20).

Names of particular stylists and the shop where they work preferred over just the names of shops, but both would be helpful.

Barber or Hair Salon for a man looking for a new hairstyle?

bsdfish — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:44:57 -0800

Hair Salon or Barber? How to get a good haircut without knowing what would look good? This is in Berkeley. I've long subsided on cheap haircuts, and they've served me fairly well. However, they were all quite simple and consistent -- fairly short and styled up/back. I've been thinking of investing some money in getting a good haircut, presumably letting the professional do what he/she thinks is best and seeing how that goes.

Now, should I go to a hair salon or barber? I took a look at Yelp for good local hair salon recommendations and it seemed that almost all the reviews were by women, so I'm not sure if barbers would be better equipped for cutting a man's hair. I don't really want to go the bring-the-picture route -- rather, I am willing to bet on someone who works with hair for a living doing something fresh with my hair. Given these considerations, what kind of a place would be best? If you have specific recommendations in Berkeley or around Berkeley, that would be appreciated, but I am mostly trying to figure out how to best get a good haircut without providing any specifics.

Berkeley Hair Chop

|n$eCur3 — Wed, 03 May 2006 22:18:03 -0800

Male in need of a good hair stylist near the UC Berkeley campus, much preferably within walking distance. $30 max. No barber shops, no supercuts. Where should he go? The more specific, the better. I don't often get my hair cut (every 3 months), so I am very picky. Going for the young, stylish yet professional look. Opposite of the greasy stripped-shirt fratboy look. That's about all.

Is it even possible to influence tipping behavior?

sequential — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:51:18 -0800

How, if at all possible, does one increase the amount of tips received as a salon assistant? My fiancee is a general assistant at an upscale salon. She receives tips from stylists, though that's irregular and not required, and clients. She's a talented cosmetologist, but she's new to the salon atmosphere. She's looking for resources on what influences a client and stylist to tip her. Some days she makes literally $0 in tips. Other days she makes close to $50 in tips. Part of this is obviously a function of how busy the salon is, but she'd like to make closer to $50 as often as possible.

Salon clients: how do you decide to tip the person washing your hair, blowing you out, or performing any number of services that your stylist isn't?

Stylists: what influences your decision to tip an assistant? Presume she is motivated, always says yes to your requests, does not take a minutes break during the work day, and clearly goes out of her way to make your job easier.

If there's any useful information about how to encourage better tips in general, it would be appreciated. If you have good evidence, either anectodal or otherwise, that tipping behavior is not influenced by quality of service, that would be just as interesting to hear.

Like Queer Eye, but just the hair.

ambrosia — Mon, 16 May 2005 14:57:28 -0800

Need recommendations for men's hair stylist in San Francisco/ East Bay Area. My SO's much younger brother is staying with us for the summer. He has terrible hair- thin, fine, and yet somehow wiry. Tendency to do weird spiky things. Help us help him get a decent haircut. Ideally, this person would be able to look at the shape of his head, the texture of his hair, and come up with something really flattering. We're willing to spring for something expensive to get it right- then we can take pictures that he can then show to a new stylist to duplicate when he goes back to school.

My SO usually just goes to a no-frills $10 haircut kind of place, and that works for him, but apparently he got better hair genes than his brother.