10 Reasons I Hate Getting My Hair Done (PHOTOS)

I haven't gone to the hairdresser ALL YEAR. I know. It's crazy. This is a long time, even for me (it's been a rough year), but it's not that crazy. Even though I write about beauty and fashion, and love getting dressed up and playing with makeup, and do crazy stuff like take beauty products on camping trips, I totally dread going to get my hair done.

I can kind of get away with it because my hair is basically dark blonde, so when my highlights grow out, it still looks fairly natural, but really, I should get to the salon as least twice a year to maintain the color I like and keep my split ends to a minimum. AT LEAST twice a year. Why don't I?

1. It takes SOOOOOOO LOOOOONNNNNNG. Ug! It's like at least a three-hour ordeal, if I'm getting highlights or balayage, plus a cut. Who has that kind of spare time? I feel like eons pass between entering and exiting the salon.

2. I still miss my amazing stylist from my hometown. I haven't been to him in like 12 years, and I still miss him. (His name is Keith O'Brien, if you ever find yourself in Petaluma, California!) I've yet to find someone I feel as safe and secure with — someone who just knows what will look great on me. Sigh.

3. I've been seriously traumatized by a TERRIBLE stylist. In fact, that's one reason I haven't gone to get my hair done very often in the last couple of years: The Great Hack Job of January 2012. A lunatic from France chopped at least 10 inches of hair off my head (after I thought we agreed on "a few") and gave me a totally horrible, asymmetrical haircut that looked like I had a run-in with Edward Scissorhands. I tried to be sanguine about it, especially in front of my daughter — hair grows back and all that! — but it was truly awful.

Don't believe me?

BEFORE:

I thought we agreed on shoulder-length; he apparently thought we agreed on the electrocuted look …

AFTER:

Do I look like I'm about to throw up? I wanted to!

4. That stupid sink with the dip in it hurts my neck! I've been to many different salons, and they all try different techniques with their little folded up towels, but my neck always ends up hurting at least halfway through the shampoo.

5. I hate staring at myself in the mirror for that long. I mean, I'm cute and all, but … (ha).

Wait, are you still fixated on that horrific "after" photo? I know, I know. It took me a while to get used to it too. I actually straightened it out at home with a pair of scissors and didn't go back to a salon for like eight months.

6. I feel rude checking my phone, but it's boring, and I don't necessarily want to make small talk for two hours.

7. Where are you supposed to put the drink they give you? On the counter, where you can't reach it? Why?

8. I can never decide how much to tip everyone. I usually go for 20 percent for my stylist and a few dollars for the shampoo girl (it's always a shampoo girl in my experience!), but for some reason I always feel weird and uncertain and like I'm doing it wrong and I hate it. Also, this leads me to my next point …

9. It's so expensive! Sheesh! 

10. I can NEVER make my hair look as good as they do in the salon. (Except for that one hideous exception, of course!) It's such a tease! And you KNOW I'm not down for getting regular blow-outs.

There are some things I enjoy about the experience: even though my neck usually kills me, I love the head rub that comes with the shampoo. And I enjoy the blow-out process (feels SO good!). And of course, if the stylist is a cool, talented person, it can be fun to chat and even more fun to be made extra pretty. I do (usually) enjoy the END result.

But still, I wish somehow I could, like, NAP while I go get my hair done. I have an appointment next week with someone new … who knows, maybe they'll change my mind about the whole thing!

Do you enjoy getting your hair done?

Images via April Daniels Hussar