Step One: Bitterly exit salon, with horrible haircut, intense nausea, and receipt for $160, clenched in hand.
Step Two: Vow to NEVER see stylist again.
Step Three: Put “find new stylist” on to-do list.
Step Four: When roots appear, Google regrowth, roots, and celebrities and try to convince yourself that Jessica Simpson and Sarah Jessica Parker get away with this all the time.
Step Five: Remember that you are not a celebrity.
Step Six: Make appointment with crappy stylist because you weren’t motivated enough to find a new one.
Step Seven: Incredulously watch stylist text, pluck her own eyebrows, and tell you about all of the guys she has “hooked up with” while your highlights are over processing.
Step Eight: Repeat Step One
Step Nine: Suck it up and book appointment with complete stranger at the same salon.
Step Ten: Leave appointment with a great cut and color, a receipt for a third less than you paid the old stylist, and a huge sigh of relief.
in these small moments 
you are awesome! bravo for your breakup!
I did a similar thing once. and the old twit would give me looks when I’d go in to see my new and glorious stylist. but I didn’t feel badly. she was a young twit who wore heels to work and told me I was old. and sucked at cutting hair.
I was so worried that I’d see the crappy stylist when I went in for my appointment, but she wasn’t there. Phew…for now, anyway!
The funny part? Old, crappy stylist was a “master stylist,” whatever that means. New, fabulous stylist is 22 and just a couple years out of school. Go figure.
Stylists are such a luxury. Well, GOOD stylists are a luxury. The rest are like visiting a torture chamber.
It used to make me so angry to walk out and be miserable after paying so much. The new stylist is so fabulous that I would have paid her more…but, let’s just keep that between us!
Wow, going back to the SAME place, but a different stylist…you’ve got some balls! HA!
You can’t even imagine the anxiety I felt walking in there. I love the salon so much that I just didn’t want to have to go someplace new just because of her.
Ballsy? Maybe. Stubborn, hell yes!
Oh the lies I have told to not go back to people. I am completely gutless when it comes to this. I have told stylists I am moving and need a new stylist about ten times. I have tipped bad stylists and gone out to my car to cry and text my sister. Same place, different stylist? For real there needs to be a blog badge for that. No one has that kind of moxy but you. NO ONE.
The tipping was the worst part! I am so generous when happy, but give 15% when miserable. It made me so angry every time I calculated that tip.
Yeah, and where’s my Ballsy Badge?
My stylist was gone for a 1 month vacation last year, and I needed a cut. I went to the same salon, and the girl that waited on me talked on her cell phone the whole time that she was cutting and styling my hair. It was so unprofessional and rude, I couldn’t believe it. To top it off, I went home with my new hair cut, and posted on Facebook “it’ll grow”.
I am embarrassed to say that I have a new crack hair habit.
I NEVER did color till right before my wedding last year. And then…oh heavens…it was amazing. And the cut was stellar. STELLAR.
I’m addicted.
And $200 a pop.
I may have to start knocking over liquor stores.
I’m NEVER breaking up with her.
I’ll become a hair stalker.
It would be like the worst psycho break-up EVER.
*sigh*
Like I needed ANOTHER issue. 😉
Great instructions, btw. And going back to the same salon….them’s some ovaries, girl!
it’s ridiculous, isn’t it? My God. Good for you. I’d just have to leave listening to her talking about getting laid when it’s like the Arabian desert over here.
I broke up with my stylist/colorist duo (yes, he had a separate colorist) after my wedding hair estimate was $500. He’d gotten too big for his britches.
I LOVE my new stylist. Of four years… I guess that’s not new. But I love her!
Congrats to you. It’s a great feeling!
OK, this is cracking me up because I recently went through a hair stylist “break-up” but for different reasons! My daughter and hers were friends, and there was some issue between a large group of kids and we parted ways. THEN it hit me….she does MY HAIR!! And I seriously loved how she did it, both cut and color. She was very reasonable, and it was fun chatting with her while I was in the shop.
So, I haven’t had a trim since December, but I did find a new someone who did a great color.
Great post!