How to Politely Tell a Barber They've Messed up Your Hair.
The face you make when they’ve cut too much off…
Is it me, or did we all have the same experience growing up with haircuts that looked something like this comic from Adam Ellis (aka Adamtots)? We go in hoping for a simple haircut, where we just get the sides shortened up and sharp, with enough on top for styling. But we come out knowing for a fact that we'll be wearing a hat every time we step out of the house for the next few weeks. Sometimes though, we can see that the damage can still be repaired if only the barber would take the time to just fix one spot! But is it rude to tell them what to do? They are the professionals after all. What if you end up sounding like an idiot who just doesn't understand how your own hair works?
Today, I'll give you a barber's perspective on how to properly ask for changes to your haircut so that both you and the barber can leave the appointment on great terms.
Be Specific
As much as I like guessing games, such as Charades or Codenames, I don't really appreciate having to guess what my client isn't liking about their haircut. You probably don't want to be playing that kind of game with your barber anyways, as more confusion only adds to a bigger chance of leaving with a worse haircut than intended. Being clear and honest with your barber that there is a problem in the first place is going to help move things in the right direction.
So ask yourself why you're just not a fan of what you're seeing in the mirror. Is it too long, too short, or uneven? You might be seeing something that just looks really off and you're not too sure how to explain yourself at that very moment. That is okay and happens all the time. Tell your barber to just hold on a moment, and take the time to examine and explain what you're seeing. You're not being rude, you're just informing the barber that your hair isn't matching your preferences. A good barber won't take offense to real-time feedback, since their main focus is to make you as happy with your haircut as possible. Being specific will only help them make sure that you leave with a great result.
Be Flexible
So you've shared what the problem is and you were specific about it. Great! Now it's time to listen to what the barber says as a response. Some will say that they aren't quite finished and will prefer feedback closer to when they are done. Some will immediately attend to your concern and try to fix it right away. Some will offer you a reason why they've decided to do something a certain way. Either way, it is important to let the barber do their thing and trust the process.
The worst thing you can do is micromanage your own haircut and bombard the barber with changes you want here and there. Ideally, you should have spent more time in the consultation prior to the haircut to iron out any concerns or specifics of your hair. It's mostly up to the barber to ensure that everything is covered in a thorough consultation, but if that hasn't been done then you'll want to share your smaller concerns after they finish cutting as they may address those later on in the cut anyways as part of their process.
Once the cut is done you'll have a clearer picture of what the overall haircut looks like and how all the pieces fit together. Maybe that side that looked a bit too long now looks right because it's balanced with the rest of the hair. Or now that everything is styled, it all makes sense and looks even better than you imagined. That is the best-case scenario! But if you find yourself cringing at the sight of your reflection, then now is the perfect time to tell your barber what's up and get them to make changes.
I know it's usually at this point where you feel like everything is set in place and you're stuck with what you're given. You don't want to take up any more of the barber's time and you can see a queue of people who have been waiting patiently for their appointment. But it will only take a couple more minutes to address your concerns so that you can go the next few weeks without having to hide your head. Again, you're not being rude as long as you've let your barber go through their process.
Be Realistic
Okay, so you've let the barber do their thing, and you were specific on some of the issues, but the haircut still looks all wrong. What do you do about it then? The reality is that there may not be anything you can do to fix the hair at that point. You've done all you can to communicate and allowed them the opportunity to work on it, but some mistakes can just be too much and you may only be making things worse the more you try to change things. Since you've been communicating with them, your barber will be well aware of the fact that they've messed up big time and there's no need to make a huge scene about it.
You won't be happy with your haircut at this point, and you're allowed to share that with them. As long as you let them know in a respectful manner with specifics on why it just doesn't work. You may end up getting a discount for the mess up or getting a free fix from someone else in the same shop on a different day. The last thing your barber wants is for you to leave completely unhappy and ripped off, so they'll try to make it up to you some other way.
Overall, it isn't rude to tell your barber you're unhappy since you've been giving them the chance to fix the haircut. As long as you've been specific about it and reasonable with the requests then you've done everything you can to be respectful of their time and their service. However, the best way to avoid going through something like that is by going to a barber that will take the time to give you a proper consultation prior to the haircut.
You want a barber that puts in the effort to ask you all the specific questions so that you'll never even have to bring up any concerns during the haircut in the first place. You can then rest assured knowing that you're in great hands that will take care of you the whole way without the possibility of any big screw-ups.
If you're interested in a barber like that and you live in the Calgary area, then come on over to Chin Whiskey in Inglewood. This is a shop where you're only dealing with the best professionals who can deliver solid cuts again and again. You can even book with me personally through the link below.
Hope This Helped!
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!
