But the cut didn’t resemble any Deva cut that Sherri had ever received. This stylist—who also had curly hair, but had it blown out that day—combed her curls with a fine-toothed comb and a silicone-based shine serum, before cutting them. “I had no idea what he was using (at the time),” Sherri recalls. “I thought it was a conditioner.” When it was all over, nearly six inches of curls—gone! What was left? Stacked layers, resembling a misshapen bob. “I went from a great Deva cut that just needed a little trim to a butchered head of frizzy, stacked, ugly hair,” she says.
After sharing her mishap with the curly-haired manager, who was also a stylist, she fixed the shape of the cut. Still, it was too short and only time could fix that.
Lesson Learned: Sherri realizes she should have spoken up the moment the stylist tugged at her curls with a fine-toothed comb. “I should have yelled, ‘STOP!’ and left,” she says.
But she also learned it’s really just hair, and it does grow back. “It’s not the end of the world, even though it may feel like it at the time,” she says.
Silver Lining: After a few months, Sherri again went back to the salon manager for another trim in July. This time she emerged triumphant. “I am happy with her as a stylist, but I will never let the other guy touch my hair!” Sherri says.
Salon Snafu: Your stylist dismisses new ideas and methods.
When Jennifer McKevitt of Chardon, Ohio, started reading the “Curly Girl Handbook,” she excitedly approached her stylist of nearly ten years, suggesting they try some of the book’s cutting methods. The know-it-all stylist dismissed McKevitt, and continued to cut the way she always had, throwing in a few snarky remarks: “No one has perfect curls, especially you,” and finally, “Do I tell you how to do your job?” Ouch!
She knew the stylist was opinionated, but her strong comments were usually cushioned with humor. This time, she had gone too far, and McKevitt would not be dissuaded from trying something new. A few weeks later, she found another stylist who was trained in the method McKevitt wanted to explore. The new stylist reshaped her curls and encouraged her to grow out the canopy for better curl definition.
“She even kneeled beside me, letting me practice clipping along her part, in order to teach me how to get that much sought-after hairline volume,” McKevitt says.
Lesson Learned: After years of conceding to a squawky stylist, McKevitt now holds her ground in a stylist’s chair. She’s “absolutely clear” about what she wants and will leave (albeit, politely) if the stylist refuses. “I could have saved myself a lot of time and distress had I done that with my former stylist,” she says. “It was a pricey lesson, both economically and personally.”
Silver Lining: As her hair grew, and her curls grew more defined, McKevitt became happier than ever with her curly hair—and her new stylist. And when she ran into her former stylist around town? The snippety one, who supposedly had all the answers, actually had a few questions for a change: “Are you using a curling iron? Why is your hair so curly? Did you get a perm?” McKevitt offered simply, with a smile, “I went with that “Curly Girl” method I tried to tell you about.”
Salon Snafu: You’re in a rush, and your curls pay the price.
Nicole Cossman usually turns to her mom, who’s a stylist, to care for her curls. But last April, Cossman found herself in a jam. She desperately needed a cut, but her mom was too busy. She decided to visit a reasonably priced chain salon instead. After all, she only needed a trim. How bad could it be? (Oh, it could be bad, real bad!)
