Did your HHJ start with a bad stylist?

[Meemee6223]

I was recently reading another thread where so many ladies said their journey either started with heat damage from a "professional" hair stylist or their hair was cut rather than trimmed by a stylist. I'm curious to know how many of us experienced a set back or started paying more attention to our hair because of some botched hairstyle delivered at the hands of a stylist. Please share your story here!

I found this site after a stylist cut off about 4-6 inches of my hair. I had gone to a stylist to get a trim and a wrap. My hair was about an inch from BSL. I admit, I needed a trim but I did not want a cut. I made that very clear. Stylists have a habit of sitting you facing a wall or tv, not a mirror. So I had no idea he had cut so much hair. When I saw my hair at shoulder length and much shorter in other areas I was totally shocked! I think he used too much heat on my hair because I can't ever remember having problems with dry hair before he touched it. You'll have to drag me kicking and screaming to a stylist, lol. Never again!

What's your story?

 

[Darenia]

I guess you could say it did. Over 20 years ago (before I ever heard of a HHJ) I had a stylist burn my scalp so bad it caused scabs. After that I shyed away from relaxers for years and became a DIYer.

 

[loulou82]

My hair journey started with an unprofessional stylist that had zero respect for my time. My previous stylist went MIA and I could not find a suitable replacement. So I went off of a referral and tried another new salon. It took me HOURS to get my relaxer. She was juggling multiple clients, dragging her feet, socializing, it was just a mess. I think I may have been there for 6-8 hours. I had been a frequent salon-goer but I left her chair and was like that's ENOUGH! I'm taking my hair into my own hands. That happened to be my last relaxer.

 

[Dayjoy]

I always "thought" I was practicing healthy hair habits, but my hair wasn't reaching the length I wanted. My "journey" started when I took my then 5yo DD to get her hair straightened for the first time for her birthday. The stylist (who was recommended by MY stylist as someone good for natural hair) acted just HORRIBLY because she had to do an all natural head. When my baby got out of the shampoo bowl I was ready to go, but she said NO, she wanted her hair done in the salon for her birthday as planned. Even though her hair was beautiful to look at when it was done, she was burned by the MARCEL flat iron twice and had permanent straightened heat damage. Soon after I searched for a product my mother had used to straighten my hair as a child because I was NEVER taking my child to a salon again. That's when I found LHCF and my hair game has been FOREVER changed.

 

[Andrea2012]

My HHJ did sort of start after experiencing several "bad" stylists. I received some good recomendations for the last stylist I was going to hoping she could get my hair back in shape but it was constant nape damage, thinning, and cutting. She knew I wanted to grow my hair long, but she just kept saying that it wasnt going to grow like it used to and it looks better and thicker short instead of helping me to get it back healthy again. I kept going to her for almost two years and had two major cuts during that time. I finally realized I need to take matters into my own hands. I was doing some research and I actually stumbled upon several healthy relaxed hair blogs and figured I would learn how to take care of my hair on my own. I don't think I'll ever go back to another stylist unless I know they are truly about healthy hair.

 

[Aireen]

Before I started wanting to grow my hair out, I went to an "upscale" salon -- the employees were overly uppity, even the receptionist. One of the biggest complaints my mum and I had was if we asked for a stylist that happened to be popular, we'd always get someone else. The stylists there also had a habit of cutting off too much. We finally settled on a new stylist at the salon but when she started getting popular, we got referred to someone else. On this occasion, we just went with it and my mum explained what she wanted done to my hair (I was a shy, young tomboy so I didn't care for long hair anyway) and I guess between explaining there was miscommunication and my hair was cut in a very unflattering boy cut instead of a cute bob. My mum went OFF on the stylist and we never went back.

I really wanted my hair to grow out FAST so I started researching on how hair grows and found this forum. We were between stylists for a while and my hair was very short so those two factors made it take a while for my hair to grow back and eventually progress. When we found my current hairdresser, she was humble and actually listened to what I wanted. So along with her not cutting off too much along with tweaking my practices for the better, my hair really showed its growth.

Previous stylists wanted to trim an inch every 2 months or something... yo... that's all my growth doe.

 

[laylaaa]

Yup. In a way, I'm grateful that she led me to better practices but I still want to go back and cut her.

 

[Hyacinthe]

I voted for all 3 SMDH. I should have voted other as well cause they never listened. i would say one side of my hair is shorter than the next(due to the daily wrapping that they advised me to do)and they were like oh no,
''my hair is dry'' reply:moisturize it with an oil
when I think about how much money I spent on that Hair salon
I did 2 BKT and them suckas aint cheap.
I was there every week like clock work for almost 2 yrs and my hair never past my ears.
when I would express my concern about the breakage,she would wash my hair pass the comb and then show me the comb and say look! no breakageerplexed
the straw that broke the camels back was my 2nd BKT that was accompanied by a relaxer,color&highlights.
my hair taught me a lesson after that,it was breaking like it didn't give a damn.
and when I expressed my concern about the increased breakage she did the no hair in the comb magic trick
She tried it! and I had enough.
They gon see me and my hair one day, swangin n ish and I pray to God that I remain humble and dont wip it in their faces!! lol

 

[melahnee]

Alll of the above. I had a stylist damage my hair when I was real young, like 10..It went from WL to MBL. my mom was always tellin me to quit messing with my hair and leave it natural but i didnt listen and begged to get it flat ironed.

Then I went to get a trim and went from barely MBL to about APL. I don't know why so my many stylists think it's okay to go scissor-happy on someone who's already having trouble with their hair, this pisses me off so much.

So I then grew it back out to between APL and BSL, and I kept getting convinced to trim inches off my hair every time because it was so damaged. i was so clueless. I was APL for a long time until I got a weave and noticed SO much growth when I took it out! I said thats it..this baby is gonna grow, and i quit heat and I'm back to being about an inch away from MBL. yay.

 

[prettybyrd]

Yep! It was after my hair had been heat damaged and was falling out whenever I touched it that I came looking for some help. I found several sites, and I knew of LHCF, but because I wasn't looking to grow my hair long at the time I was going to pass it by. I found information about how to help my hair, and other really great information was here so I stayed.

 

[Rozlewis]

Yes, my HHJ started when I had a stylist who was very rough with my hair and she would rub my wet hair in the towel and I could hear my hear breaking off. After that she would use a smoking hot dryer and a sizzling flat iron. She moved away and I decided to try to a HHJ. It was the best decision I made. I only wish I had done it sooner.

 

[LexiDior]

Mine didnt start this way but have you ladies seen your ex-stylist since starting your HHJ and have they said anything about your healthy hair now??

 

[Natty_Virgo]

Yep, my stylist was f-ing horrible. My original lady moved and I couldn't find anyone to replace her.

Sent from my S3 using LHCF

 

[Fine 4s]

A combo of a bad stylist and the progress I noticed with a simple regimen (because I was living abroad) and no heat. Also, remembering my hair as a child helped to KNOW that my hair had greater potential than where it was at the time of the transition.

 

[PureSilver]

I had way too many bad stylists and i kept changing them with the hope of finding a new one which never happened. I got tired of the inconsistency too.

I'm much better off seeing them less and will only see a stylist now if i installing a weave and want a professional look.

 

[Meemee6223]

Mine didnt start this way but have you ladies seen your ex-stylist since starting your HHJ and have they said anything about your healthy hair now??

The stylist I had for years died and even he was all about short cuts. When I was in 7th grade he cut my hair to about 1 inch on top and kept it long in the back, lol. Ridiculous for my age! I was never able to find a stylist I really liked after that so I don't have a stylist to show my hair to. I wouldn't let a stylist within 10ft of my hair anyway. That final guy was the best thing that ever happened to my hair because without him I'd still have unhealthy hair.

 

[tenderheaded]

The first bad stylist, cut my hair TWICE in a 3 week interval. After being natural I can undserstand, but the second cut? I went from below shoulder blade to BARELY touching shoulder. The next one did permanent color first, then the relaxer. After my hair finished falling out I couldn't grab it between my thumb and forefinger.

The last one wanted to cut, I said "NO CUT". She started combing my shoulders in addition to my hair! I was done April 2005.

 

[Shelew]

Well I started fresh today with a new stylist. I tried my best on my on for the last few years and has lead me to too many setbacks, breakage and the same length...I think I am too much of a product junkie trying everything. So she trimmed my hair and she uses design essentials. So I will give an update in a few months and respond to the poll accordingly

 

[Saludable84]

Mine started with a stylist. How I only retained 2 inches of hair in 3 years was beyond me. I pretty much had thin hair, this spots and over processed hair. The last time I went to her, I had went to her 2 weeks before for a relaxer. I asked her "Do I need a cut?" And she said "No mami, good". Two week later, she shows me 4 inches I needed to cut. I yelled so badly other stylist started looking at me. Being that she was the only person caring for my hair, she was the reason why it was damaged. Then the icing was my crown breakage occurred under her care.

I stopped going and decided to do my hair on my own. It worked out much better that way. I never reached past APL if that with her. I'm passing BSL now, but sadly I'm still repairing her previous damage. She can have her clients, I don't want to be bothered with another stylists again.

Please excuse my iPhone; it's trying to get it together

 

[Lindsanity]

I started my HHJ for a couple reasons. 1) I was lucky my mom would pay for me to get my hair done when I was in college but that gravy train ended when I graduated and I was not in the mood to give my stylist $100/month. 2) My stylist has always had 0 respect for my time. I had been going to her for over 10 years and I would spend at least 6 hours in the shop every time I went. It was so bad I couldn't make plans on the days I was going to get my hair done. This isn't to say she was a bad stylist though, my hair has always been beautiful when she did it. But I value my free time too much and I can do just as good of a job as she does, so why bother?

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Yes! Mine Did.

My stylist was fine as long as you were allowing her to be creative with your Hair and you were interested in "Rocking the Lastest Styles"

The Girl was 'bad' and she could "CUT"

But when it came to overall Hair Care, she was woefully lacking.

IMO: She was more interested in her Artistic skills and if your hair suffered behind it, so be it. She'd just cut it into something else.

I was always getting stopped on the street and asked: "Who does your hair?" But actually "Haircare" & Healthy Hair Care Practices Nah........She was a HOTMESS.

 

[koolkittychick]

My HHJ started after going to a salon for natural hair, believe it or not. I had gone natural about 4 years before, but I didn't know what I was doing. I still managed to grow my hair to about APL, then I dyed it blonde using box color. It looked great, but I couldn't manage touching up the color on that much hair, so I went to a salon I found online for a color touch up and some twists. I should have known better when I saw that the salon was deep in the 'hood.' I was stuck in that salon for 6 hours (even though the color and twists took 2), the stylist bleached my entire head out before adding the color, then when she washed me, she didn't bother to condition and proceeded to attack my hair with a rat tail comb, ripping out chunks of my hair while she yanked it into twists. Two weeks later my hair was parched hay and nothing I did to it would help. Six months after that I gave up trying to hang on to the damaged natural hair and took it to my coworker's stylist and had her do a relaxer and color correction so I could get a break from trying to manage all that hair. She helped me grow out the damaged color, but my hair was stuck at CBL for about 2 1/2 years due to too frequent touch ups and trims. I stopped seeing that stylist and became a 3-month stretcher and DIY relaxer and now I am well on my way to BSL thanks to this forum and support from you ladies.

 

[BostonMaria]

I knew it was time to let her go when I did a 4 month stretch in 2006 and was so excited to see the results of my relaxer... and my relaxed hair came out limp, flat, and my hair didn't look like it grew at all. I remember feeling so discouraged and sad. About 2 months later I googled hair care and found NC (I refused to pay $5 to join here LOL) and 10 months after my last relaxer I BC'd.

Lesson learned for me was to take my hair care into my own hands. In my early 20's I always did my own hair and it always looked so nice. Around 1997 I became addicted to salons and my hair looked a hot mess. Don't know why I didn't put two and two together sooner. I'm in love with my hair now.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[melahnee]

Mine didnt start this way but have you ladies seen your ex-stylist since starting your HHJ and have they said anything about your healthy hair now??

Resurrecting this thread but it's not that old so whatever lol i really wanna say this!

I did see the guy that bleached my hair three times liike 2 1/2 months ago. He was like....your hair has grown and it's healthy! I said yup. i found a stylist who told me how to take GOOD care of my hair and not have it "pretty and light" for one day and have a bird's nest on my head the next. His face was like as he continued chopping his customer's hair.

 

[Saludable84]

I would like to see her, but it would just be plain embarrassing.

 

[Meemee6223]

Resurrecting this thread but it's not that old so whatever lol i really wanna say this!

I did see the guy that bleached my hair three times liike 2 1/2 months ago. He was like....your hair has grown and it's healthy! I said yup. i found a stylist who told me how to take GOOD care of my hair and not have it "pretty and light" for one day and have a bird's nest on my head the next. His face was like as he continued chopping his customer's hair.

Congrats on finding a good stylist! I envy you!

 

[melahnee]

Congrats on finding a good stylist! I envy you!

i went through some bs to find me a good stylist though! my hair has been through a lot of sh*t lol. from bleaching to extension beads to unnecessary cuts to salon heat damage to paying someone to literally rip the hair off my head to me bein in a hurry and straightening my damp hair with no protectant ah haha

I was referred to an Ethiopian lady by another stylist who couldn't do cornrows(i wanted a weave). This lady is magical and she glorifies healthy hair more than any of the other ratchet stylists i've been to.

 

[Meemee6223]

i went through some bs to find me a good stylist though! my hair has been through a lot of sh*t lol. from bleaching to extension beads to unnecessary cuts to salon heat damage to paying someone to literally rip the hair off my head to me bein in a hurry and straightening my damp hair with no protectant ah haha

I was referred to an Ethiopian lady by another stylist who couldn't do cornrows(i wanted a weave). This lady is magical and she glorifies healthy hair more than any of the other ratchet stylists i've been to.

My hair is pretty kinky. I wish I could relax and let someone else do it for a change.

 

[Blyss_curls]

My quest to do my hair was accidental. I just went longer and longer stretches between relaxers and decided to see if I could just grow it out. I did.

My stretches were due to health issues. I have allergies, and always felt sick for at least a week after going to the salon (due to poor ventilation, burning hair, chemicals, etc.).

 

[bronzephoenix]

My stylist only once gave me a 3" cut when I asked for my ends to be clipped... Another time I had to BEG for layers because she refused. She finally did it with a huge attitude. She rushed through & didn't even cross check so it was uneven. She was also rough with my hair & unprofessional enough to eat & carry phone convos over my head. She always triple booked. She always left me under the dryer on High/Hot until my hair was 200% dry before ripping through with a blowdryer on the "hell" setting.

The last straw was hearing how she put me on blast talking behind my back to a shop full of folks about my "dandruff" (which was actually dry flaky scalp which she NEVER attempted to remedy/educate). She instead always shampoo'd 2-3 times with a cheap gallon shampoo, scrubbing with her fingernails, NEVER offering a hot oil treatment or dc. She always denied burning me RIGHT after burning me.

If I had been paying attention, I would've realized my hair got shorter and shorter while in her care & ended up stuck between CBL & APL for years. I started flat ironing my own hair and realized I could get the same results at home without paying someone who acted like SHE was doing ME a favor by accepting MY business. Unfortunately, I kept up her horrid practices of high heat etc for another 4 years before beginning my hhj "back to my little girl hair".

Proverbs 31:30