The worst haircut I’ve ever had, after 8 brave souls

“Hair is hair. Grow up,” everyone will tell you after you get a terrible haircut. You should get over it, right? (Wrong.)

In reality, hair is much more. It is part of one’s identity and often a safety net. Hair cutting is an art form and has been used for decades to define cultures and fashion. However, the importance of hair to one’s identity is often overlooked and dismissed as something superficial, something people shouldn’t think twice about.

HuffPost talked to eight people about the worst haircuts they’ve ever gotten and how they handled it.

Think you’ve had a worse haircut? Share your story and photo with us at [email protected]

“I’ve been to that salon twice before. It was good the other times the same stylist had cut my hair. I saw this TikTok recommending men’s hairstyles and was inspired to get a haircut. I showed it to her and she said it was doable. I don’t know what happened, but not only did it look nothing like the photo, it was uneven and badly cut.

I was shocked. When he pulled out the mirror to show the back of my head, I thought he wasn’t done yet. I couldn’t think of anything to say. Maybe it needed to be washed and styled? Part of me wanted to say something, but the other part just wanted to stop touching my hair and go away. I paid and left as quickly as possible.

When I got home I immediately washed my hair, hoping it would look better, but it didn’t. I could see the front was a bit uneven so I tried trimming it myself but I don’t think that helped at all. I made a few TikTok videos about my experience, and a few salons and barbers contacted me offering to fix my hair. Finally, I went to a barber for another haircut. It was definitely a lot shorter than I would have liked, but there wasn’t much to choose from. At least I could leave the house without a hat! My hair is still pretty short right now and I’m going to let it grow out before I do anything with it again.”

“During my experience at the salon, I was switched between three different stylists because they were overbooked. They didn’t get the right shade of hair color (it was supposed to be bleach blonde) and I unknowingly walked away with a harsh, uneven haircut.

I have been going to this hairdresser for almost two years. I wanted to change hairdressers as their rates varied according to experience level. At the time I was paying the best rate because I was with the most experienced stylist. They agreed to move me to someone newer so I could pay a lower rate.

I was trying to get my hair lighter and lighter and the new stylist I went to was great. At my appointment, I asked for a faded blonde balayage color and a V-cut. Instead, I got a shade of blonde that unfortunately looked quite brassy, ​​as well as an uneven cut with the bottom layer sticking out below the rest of me . hair.

Apparently my session was taking longer than expected so several people started working on my hair. A stylist cut my hair for a while then had to go help another patron. Then a third stylist came in and I didn’t realize the cut hadn’t been done because he dried my hair and styled it. I couldn’t see the back so I had no idea it was uneven and they curled it which made it even harder to tell.

The next day at work one of my colleagues asked me. I had no idea until then. When I got home, I asked my husband to take a photo and immediately emailed the salon. They offered to take me in next week for another round of color and a free cut.

“At the salon, I asked for thick bangs to hit my brows because I’m a fan of the messy look of layered hair. I told the stylist that I wanted a thicker type of fringe that would fall over my brows so I could curl them shorter or leave them longer if I wanted, and she nodded. But then she sprayed my hair and cut my bangs when it was wet and I should have known then.

I actually asked her, “Are you sure they won’t be cut too short?” and she reassured me. Then she smoothed my hair, and bangs. At first, I was just shocked at how I looked with my hair straightened and didn’t think much of the haircut. It wasn’t until I got in the car and looked at her again that I saw how short and sharp my bangs were. Then I cried. I cried all the way home and filmed it TikTok videos in my driveway as soon as I got home.

I didn’t tell the hairdresser because I didn’t realize how terrible the bangs were until I was in the car. If I could go back, I still don’t know if I would have told him. I’ve been worried lately about him seeing my video because it has over 200,000 views and my town is small. I’m afraid I may already be a talking point there. So here I am with a broken bump and one of my best friend’s weddings to attend as a bridesmaid.

It’s been a month and the bangs are still pretty short, but it’s a fun but traumatic story to tell, and now I have no idea where to get a haircut in town.”

“I asked for a fluffy ’90s layered haircut, basically ‘The Rachel’ but along the collarbone. Instead, I got a super choppy, thick cut along my cheekbones. Honestly, there’s no name for the haircut, it’s just a mess. I didn’t tell the hairdresser because I was in shock. I couldn’t speak.

I went back to the salon to fix my haircut as best I could but with a different stylist and never spoke to the original stylist again. Since the haircut, which is not yet fully grown, I use rosemary oil every time I wash [to help with growth]. I don’t wash my hair that often and massage my scalp. I’ve also started taking vitamins for my hair, but it’s going to take a while to grow.”

“Initially, we asked for fringe for the curtains and back layers. Instead, I have… I don’t know what to say. Bangs with fringes that go from ear to ear. I gave the hairdresser three pictures of how I wanted my hair to look. When he cut half of my short hair off, that’s when I started breaking out. I asked her to get rid of me. A supervisor came to me. Finally, I told him to cut the other side the same way, because I had no choice.

Until my hair grows out, I’m following some tricks my boyfriend’s aunt (who’s a hairdresser) showed me to hide the bumps. I also pinned the sides or gelled them. Sometimes I wear a hair band to hold the sides in place with the bangs visible.”

“I asked the barber to do a big bald head with a formation in the front. Instead, I got a low fade where the lines were still visible. I asked them several times to line up in front, but for some reason the scissors wouldn’t cut. I repeatedly told the barber to go back and integrate the fade more and said “Can you line me up again?” The barber tried and tried until I finally gave up and accepted my haircut. To some, the haircut might not look that bad, but personally I like my well-blended fades and clean lines. I didn’t have any with this haircut.

I could tell the barber was new because after my first complaint another barber was tipping him. After he came back and “fixed” that’s when I realized I wasn’t going to get what I wanted from this cut and accepted my fate. In the end, I did what anyone else would do when getting their hair cut: cried a little and wore a hat for the rest of the week. Well, I didn’t cry, but I did post a revealing video of myself Tick ​​Tock and called it “the worst haircut ever.”

“Ironically, I visited a salon (as an influencer) to try their services and promote them on my social media. I only asked for curtain fringe to frame my face and showed him exact examples of what I wanted. There is also a video where I explain what I wanted when we were shooting for content creation. He ended up cutting the 360 ​​degree bangs on top of my hair, which looks like a bowl cut with poorly installed hair extensions underneath. In addition, he also cut a lot of lengths without my consent (over three inches), although he said he would only cut the ends a little.

I immediately freaked out when I saw a few very short strands of hair at the nape of my neck. I asked them to dry and style my hair so I could check. It was really cool when he curled my hair, pulling it so hard I almost cried – even the videographer came up to me and asked if I was okay.

Once my hair was dry I freaked out and told her it wasn’t what I wanted at all, I didn’t like it and was very upset. The owner of the salon came and said he would fix it and that the original hairdresser had washed and prepped my hair. She went ahead and cut through even more terrible layers. When I left the salon, she had the audacity to ask for a good review.

I have since had a haircut with a very talented hairstylist who softened the layers and made them look a little better, but that very short layer is still here and it haunts me every day. I’m patient until it grows out, and in the meantime, I’m really into half-and-half hairstyles.”

“I asked for a feminine cut and wanted to keep my existing hairline and not push it back. Instead, not only was my hairline pushed back, but both my hairline and edges were cut. I tried to get him to the hairdresser to fix it, but the damage was already done. I was clearly unhappy.

Until the hair grew back, I wore many hats and photographed only the least affected part.”