Micro-managed by the Client

This is the worst!! First they bring their own product. Then they tell the assistant exactly how to wash their hair and the temperature of the water. The rinsing must be done "just so". The stylist must then forget everything they know about doing hair and do it like the robot this client hopes you will become!! 


She would like to program you and push "OK" and expect you to perform." You need to get more moisture out of the hair before adding her product. You need to get it closer to the root. You aren't getting enough on hair!! You are getting too much on the hair!! Oh great!! Now you will make the hair flat." And then you may hear " Please have the assistant re-shampoo ME. "


"The heat is too hot from the blow dryer. Now it isn't hot enough. This will never do. OH. You can't use that kind of brush. Don't you have another? Can I get something read? Do you think I could get some coffee. Not too much milk. Oh, and a glass of water. With lemon." 


What should I do with this kind of client? I have in instances given these to another stylist. Once you do that you can be relieved. You just tell them that "Jo Stylist" is much better with her type of hair and you have her best interests at heart. And sometimes you just hope for the best hoping they will quit being so difficult!! This can happen. And then they are happy like your best friend when it is all said and done. Which will make you feel like a super-star or just fatigued!! 


Keep in mind that when a client acts like this it usually has nothing to do with the hair. It has to do with control issues or something else. I have had hair for a long time and  have never acted like this. It is fine for a client to have requests. Some things work better for them than other things. It is crazy for them to think they have to "run the show".

I Miss Doing Hair

If I am not doing hair then I wish I was. If I am having a bad day I wish that I never had to do hair again!! It is a love-hate relationship. 

Check your ego at the door!!

I am going to respond to a comment by jdstein4. It makes her crazy being in a salon with big egos. This too makes me crazy!! I have always been a very grounded stylist. I don't think I am better than I am. I know my limitations but I am always trying to be better.


 I would love for people to get honest on this blog. Maybe you are one of those stylists that knows you are aren't that great but keeps up the posturing anyway. Tell us why you do that so we can understand. I am hoping everyone who visits this site can relax and be open. The more open the dialog the better the understanding. A better understanding means a friendlier workplace.

I have worked with a ton of stylists (and have been a client of stylists) that say they are fabulous and can do all kinds of things and then I see what they do and it is far from great. In some instances it is far from just OK. I think there are 2 scenarios going on here. 

#1- They have to act like they are great or they would just go home and curl up and never leave the house. Sometimes false confidence is necessary. It is the only way a person can fool themselves into thinking they can do something. I have seen a lot "blow-hards" and it's funny how many people they can fool!! Sometimes just saying it is enough to make it true. They become platform artists or a celebrity stylist. It cracks me up!!


 I have corrected several haircuts from internationally known stylists. The client did not want to go back even though they had spent 300 or more on a cut. They didn't want to go back because the attitude of the stylist was so terrible they couldn't!! I have also seen some really whack cuts that the client brags about because Mr. Hotshot did it. It truly is a case of the Emperor Has No Clothes.


I once worked with a stylist that would constantly say how great he was. But he kept coming to me for help. I had to teach him how to do a French roll among other things. I saw him struggle through Kathy Hiltons hair on a New Years Eve at the salon. It was just a blow-out!! Her hair isn't difficult and she is a very nice lady. But he could not do her hair. Talk about embarrassing. I was embarrassed for him. All that talk and not enough action!! He cut all the receptionists' hair because they thought he must be good because he kept saying he was!! They all complained afterwards. I guess they didn't tell each other they were unhappy. They told the stylists because we had to fix it!!

OR #2-They really are that good!! I find that if this is the case then most people keep their mouths shut. They have nothing to prove and don't need to go shouting it to the world. I respect these stylists. These are the real stylists. These are the people that has their talent stand alone. No posturing. No production. They get the job done it looks beautiful and thats it. 


The bad thing about this is that it doesn't usually get noticed because they aren't out "honking their own horn." So I think many times the real talent in this business is not recognized. That is why we see average getting so much praise. 

A little self-promotion is a good thing. Too much self-promotion makes you look like an ass!!! But many of those asses are laughing all the way to the bank!!

Hellllloooooooo??? Is there anybody out there?

Blogs are hard. You can't tell if people have visited unless they comment. I do appreciate my comments from hcg. Thank-you.

 So you can have all kinds of traffic and not know it. So basically it boils down to this: I may just be a crazy person talking to herself! I may even be crazier to think I am not and that people actually are visiting!!

There are a lot of frustrated people in the world but I think those in personal services take the cake. The general public demands a lot from us.

I have had sleepless nights due to stress from management, receptionists, clients, assistants, coworkers. I know you do too. Please get it off your chest. Let's give each other advice on how to improve  situations we are in. There is always a better way to get along in the workplace.
We can be happier!!!

I love Texas, Canada, and England!!!

Working with an international clientele was a real learning experience. People from different places have such different attitudes about hair. My favorite clients are from: Texas, most of England, and most of Canada. The better behaved the client the better the hair turns out!! This is a group effort folks!!!!

Texas ladies are probably the most maintained. From the hair to the shoes they look great!!! They like to look nice and they are super friendly. I love you Texans!!! When you sit in my hair you already trust that I know what I am doing. No micro-managing. You may chat a little and in the end you are happy. You usually tip well too!! You always put me at ease and I know we will get along famously as soon as you sit down.

The English are easy too!!! In a different way. They are more simple with the hair. AND something I always loved about them was that each hair did not have to be perfectly symmetrical. I love to be creative and classic. So when I had an English bride or a women's haircut I knew I had some artistic freedom. I could use asymmetry without anyone panicking. I love to hear "it's brilliant!!". What a treat!! They are happy and you didn't have to be generic. I loved it!! They don't tip well though. SO the tip is to hear how much they love it.

Although I have been told Londoners are snobby. I have been to London several times and never came across this. I have to admit most of my English clients were from other parts of England. I only have 1 crazy from England that I can share.

It was a Ricky Hattan (sp) fight in Las Vegas. This brought in some rowdy wealthy Londoners. A girl sat in my chair for a blow-out and actually said to me "I don't want my hair to look like the Jerry Springer show". Now is that the only American tv they are getting in London? I was like "huh?". I said " I don't even know what that means. I have never seen the show". It was so weird for someone to say that!!! I did her hair and she liked it and I assume it looked nothing like the women on Jerry Springer.

Canadians are just happy to have you doing their hair. They are easy and friendly. I was always happy to them.

Some places you can count on the client being a problem: Florida, NYC, France, alot of the Asian countries but all for different reasons. I will share that soon!

Keeping yourself informed about people can have you prepared for all types of clients. I really absorbed the quirks about these different cultures and became a much better stylist because of this. I think I became a much better person too. I am more culturally aware and sensitive when I travel.

Beauty is a Bitch!!

I wish I could name names!!! Believe me I hate using this title on just one post. In fact maybe this is what my blog should be titled. Because that is what I am really getting at!! This beauty business is not glamorous. It is smoke and mirrors and knives in your back. If it isn't the people you work with it is the clientele!!

I was self-employed before going to a salon that was corporate. You sell your soul for benefits!! As a self-employed individual you don't deal with complaints. I never had to refund money or deal with comps or pray that someone liked their hair so that they wouldn't get it for "free".

In a corporate environment everything changes!!!

I once had a client who told me that she heard the resort I worked in gave the best blow-outs. Now she was a guest of a different hotel and came a distance for a blow-out. She told me about the bad mani-pedi she had had at the Mandalay Bay. This can sometimes be a warning. Complaining is a sign that she can do the same to you. OHH!! and she also asked me if people complain in the hotel very often. Asking "this clientele must be brutal. It is so high-maintenance". I have learned over the years NOT to fall for this!!! They are looking for you to make them feel ok about being a pain in the ass and wanting free stuff. I learned to start saying "no. people here are all here to have fun and are laid back". Do not think these people are just wanting to have fun gossip. Resort clients are not like regular clients. You can't trust them!!! Well I went about my 5-brush technique and knew she was looking "hot and sexy" and full of bounce. Exactly what she came for!! My assistant took her to the front to pay and all of a sudden she hated her hair. The desk asked my assistant what happened. And she told them "nothing happened. her hair looks great. that is what she wanted." My hotel gave it to her for free. If someone complains in a casino they may just get it for free. I think this client knew that. Hence the "best blow-outs".

I wish that every time someone complained they had to have their hair wet down before they left. If you don't like it then you should not be able to wear it. AND salons need to back-up their stylists. Send those clients back to the stylist to "fix" it. Don't just take that money away from them. It is one thing to still pay the stylist even if it is being "comped" it is another to not pay them for time spent. Especially when that time spent is on a BITCH.

Hug me? I don't think so.

The salon is one of the most highly sexualized work environments next to say the set of a porno or a prison. I prefer to work with women as I think men begin to degrade the work environment. Their presence can make women act in an embarrassing way. I am humiliated by how goofy we can become with a male in our presence.

I want to point one thing out. When women go to a hair convention and see the "men of Matrix" or whatever go on stage and do a little dance they lose their minds!! It is like they have never seen a man before this moment. The hormones go crazy and they are away from husbands and family for a couple of days. I guess this happens because we work with so many women and the men can often be gay. But are we that desperate? Or are we just having fun?

As women stylists we are strong and successful. We can take care of ourselves without a man. We drive nice cars and buy nice clothes. We are smart. UNTIL "John" comes in and wants a hug. We will let him hug us and tell us how nice our ass looks in those black pants. Or how nice our boobs look today. This is sickening that we just feed on such compliments. The work place becomes a beauty pageant. Does this kind of talk go on in a law firm? Is it even legal? I had a co-worker that would routinely say "boy, the things I would do to you" "you still got that boyfriend?" "I bet you are good in bed". I felt diminished as a stylist knowing this person helped in the hiring process. All of a sudden I am questioning my talent. Maybe I got hired because I do look good in a pair of tight pants???

I soon became the stylist that everyone knew not to hug. I actually looked down on the girls that were all huggy with the guys. I wondered why they would give these men the cheap thrill. I am not a prude but it really started to become disgusting. The constant comments of a sexualized nature makes a woman less. The girls I worked with were all beautiful. We always made sure we were hot and sexy because we know that the tips will be better the better we look.

Oh did I mention we were in Vegas? But this goes on everywhere. I worked in Nebraska at one time and the same kind of sexualized environment was there too. The men think it is fun. If a girl has any sense of self she knows this is not "fun" but a form of harassment. I know you boys don't think so. BUT it is wrong.

I also want to mention something else I have seen regularly in the salon. It is wrong to let a gay guy feel your boobs at work (especially in front of everyone) even if he says "but I don't have any and I like them".

If you think you are trying to make me feel good by saying my "boobs look nice" then maybe you have never read a card at Hallmark.

Swimming with sharks!

When you first start out in a salon it can be murder!! There is usually the standard "hazing" time. Your new co-workers, after shaking your hand and congratulating you on your new position, are ready for blood. They will try to trip you up in many ways. Or just screw you. The front desk may even be tainted. They may be that way all by themselves OR they may be "turned" by your fellow stylists and assistants.

I was once working at a salon where I was a victim of this type of behavior. Another stylist told the front desk that I said they were"stealing tips". I hadn't said this and this did not go over well!! I was left for weeks with only mens haircuts and shampoo sets. The worst commission appointments. I finally had to bring this to the attention of management.

People were making 30% more than I was because of this lie. This was in a hotel salon. In case you wondering why I might feel entitled to up-do's and women's haircuts. We were supposed to have "balanced" books. We really only had walk-in traffic and a few regulars.

These books weren't only UNbalanced but this was stealing. It would have been no different than if they had just gone into my purse and stolen money out of my wallet.

This same salon had a big problem. Stylists would buy things for reception staff and give them money for booking them clients. This is NOT ok. Management should really pay attention to the books and look for unfairness. Blatant unfairness.

The problem I had was that the management (one person) was off 2 of the 4 days I worked. That is tough when you are swimming with sharks!! You really need a life-guard to make sure you don't get attacked and drown.

Are you the client that makes a hairstylist re-consider their profession?

I have put this in a very pleasant font to make this information more palpable. I have just retired from being a stylist at the age of 33. I was working for 14 years as a hairstylist. I spent the last six working at a huge 5-diamond resort in Las Vegas. The clientele at that hotel has given me Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am afraid to ever go back into personal service.

This is a blog to recover from being treated as less than human. You can vent here and share your stories. You aren't alone. We all feel like we are the worst stylist ever sometimes. Unless you are a complete narcissist then maybe not. I hope you can share your frustration here. This is not a place to be negative. It is to feel like the negative can be positively dealt with.

I am a day maker. I love to make people feel good. As stylists we are giving loving people. We are giving our blood, sweat and tears to make your day special. Most of us are dealing with wrist pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, legs hurting, back pain etc. We still smile. In return, we just want a "thank-you".

SOME clients were so badly behaved. Rude. Entitled. Sneaky. Manipulative. Sometimes generous and sometimes embarrassingly cheap. Mostly, the worst of the worst. Let me just say this: 70% were well behaved 5% were actually able to make my day brighter 5% made me think I had shit for brains 5% just wanted their hair done for free (they were my best friend until they got to the desk to pay) 15% were the most memorable JERKS on the planet.

The generous clientele came in two packages. 1- Truly lovely people that like to take care of the people who help them. 2-Truly disturbed people who would tip big in order to justify how dispicably they behaved in the salon.

I am just getting started on this blog. I will add stories. I am just beginning to heal the wounds inflicted by some terrible people.