3 Reasons Why You Won't Like Your Hair (and How You Can Avoid Them)
I’m sure we’ve all had this moment before at least once!
Getting our hair done can be such a rewarding experience as we leave looking and feeling refreshed and ready to get on with our weekend plans! That same experience though can be absolutely ruined as we start noticing something is just off about our hair after leaving the salon or barbershop. This realization could happen mid-appointment, giving us that wrench in our gut that makes us want to ask "Are you leaving it like that?", or we could even notice these issues weeks after when we've gotten a chance to live with the haircut for a bit. But what exactly is happening with our heads and what can we do to avoid them?
Reason 1- Your haircut does not work with your head shape
Now, it is a bit of a myth that the shape of your head determines what hairstyles you're allowed to have and that you should straight-up avoid certain haircuts just because your head is oval or heart-shaped. I'm not talking about that, and I think that kind of thinking is a bit too strict. What I am talking about is properly adapting a haircut to match your head shape and customizing it so that it works with your features (especially for short hairstyles). When this is done right, you'll be able to pull off most hairstyles, but it will be YOUR version of that hairstyle and will always suit you as everything looks like it fits your proportions. When not done right, you'll see it. Things will appear unbalanced, hairs will stick out weirdly, or you'll also find that the grow-out just doesn't look great and that you'll need to get a haircut again sooner than you planned. What you're noticing is the silhouette or shape of your hair as it relates to your head. Visually there are certain silhouettes that just flatter us better than others and we can subconsciously tell when something isn't matching. You're not crazy for seeing something another eye may not be able to pick up on, especially since you're the one who looks at your hair the most!
What Can You Do?
One of the only ways to address this and to prevent it from being a problem is to let your barber/ stylist know that you're not liking what you're seeing. Requesting adjustments can be a bit awkward, especially near the end of a haircut when we're so close to being done and don't want to take up another minute of someone else's time. However, you (and your stylist) want to leave as happy as possible with the service, and if that means taking some more time on bringing something in tighter or getting something a bit shorter then it is worth it so that you can have the right haircut!
Reason 2- You haven't been taught how to style your specific hair texture
There are many tutorials out there that show how to style hair into a specific look, like a crop, quiff, middle part, and more. But have you ever tried following every single step to the letter only to be frustrated that the results aren't the same? You may notice you have the same haircut and length, but things just aren't falling into the right places. Your hair just doesn't do what you want it to do! This is common and it's an issue that I've had myself when I started my hair journey.
The reason behind this is that we're so focused on the end result that we aren't thinking about the materials we're working with. We can't build a brick wall if all we have is lumber, but we can make a really great fence! The same applies to hair, as it comes in different textures and degrees of thickness. Some hair is stubborn and requires a bit more effort to style right and others are fragile and need to be styled less aggressively. The key is to adapt the styling process so that you end up working with your natural texture instead of fighting it.
What Can You Do?
I've written two other posts that address how to style straight to wavy hair with a blow dryer and wavy to curly hair with wet-setting. I'd suggest giving them a read to learn more about how to style your respective hair. They won't cover all the nuances of a hairstyling routine, but can at least give you a bit more of an idea of what to do so that you can start getting your hair to finally agree with you.
Reason 3- You're using the wrong products
This point kind of piggybacks on the previous one, as certain products work better for certain hair textures/types. An obvious example is that curl creams are designed for curly hair, and won't do much for straight hair. Salt Sprays are great for texture, but can really dry out finer hair. Pomades can offer a great shine and added definition to darker-coloured hair, but can make blonde/lighter-coloured hair appear greasy as a result. The list goes on for how different products can affect your hair differently from the next person!
What Can You Do?
Now, the only way to really tackle this issue though is to do a bit of research and learn from others about their experience with particular products before you purchase anything. You can do so by looking at online reviews, though that does feel a bit time-consuming to go from site to site to track down reviews of products you're interested in. I've been trying to review products on this site, but I definitely lack an extensive list at this point. I'm still working on it!
Another course of action you can take for this (which may be much more convenient) is to ask your barber or hairstylist for product recommendations during your next appointment with them. If you've been going to them for a while now, then they'll have a pretty good understanding of your hair (at least I hope so) and can give their professional suggestions. The only downside of this is that they may push the product line of their salon/shop as it is part of their job to retail what they have in stock. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as some places carry really premium stuff that can do wonders for your hair, but there is a chance that they are just trying to sell you on something. Always have the stylist actually try the product on your hair first, and then see how it looks and feels. You don't even have to make a purchase at that very appointment if you're not really sure about it yet.
And that's it! But there's one last thing you can do...
We can't always be happy about our hair, but now you know some things to look out for on how to potentially manage those bad hair days better. Though wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to put in the extra effort to make things work in the first place? All three of these points can actually be addressed with a key preliminary step before they ever become a problem, and that's to book in with a top-level professional that truly understands how hair works and how to make it work for you. You want someone who understands shapes, textures, and products, and can educate you on those steps so that you can recreate the same great hairstyle you leave the shop with, but from home! The first step to great hair is getting a solid haircut, and that can only be achieved by finding a solid professional.
If you happen to live in Calgary and want a new barber who understands hair at a higher level then click the button below and book your next appointment with me at Chin Whiskey in Inglewood!
I hope you found this post helpful!
My name is Wesley, I am a Barber located in the city of Calgary helping my clients become more confident with all things related to their hair by providing customized haircuts that suit them best while demystifying all the complicated hair information out there!
