Sonia Nordmeyer, owner and hair stylist at Starling Salon, really wants to normalize your hair appointment. If you feel like your new hair artist botched your highlights or ruined your haircut, there’s still hope. Bad hair happens. Mistakes happen. Every hair professional slipped up somewhere along the road to mastering cosmetology, but that’s how they grow. With shears and color brushes in hand, they shout, “Bring us your fried ends, bring us your brassy and banded colors, bring us your unevenly cut hair, and we’ll work with you.”

You’ve been looking forward to your hair appointment for weeks. The color feels flat and outgrown. Your split ends are climbing your head like Mount Everest. Maybe you won’t admit it out loud, but your self-esteem slumps a little each time you walk past a mirror. It’s well past time to reenergize yourself. The appointment moves like all the rest: the cape, the foils, the shampoo bowl, the blow dryer; they all seem familiar. It’s the new stylist you’re getting used to, and then it’s time for the big reveal.

Instead of feeling that weight fall off your shoulders, your heart thumps a little louder and your cheeks flush. Maybe it’s a disaster, or perhaps it’s a shade off from what you wanted, but that’s not you staring back from the glass. Now what?

Give It 48 Hours

First of all, don’t panic. You spent weeks looking forward to this, so there’s a lot of emotion invested in the outcome, but remember, your artist can make corrections or help with solutions. It’s more fixable than it feels. If you asked for a big transformation, you must go into the reveal expecting to look very different. Read that again and breathe.

It could take a few washes, styling it yourself, and different lighting to start feeling like this new version of yourself. Panicking immediately makes it difficult for you to articulate what you dislike. If you can’t communicate with your hair professional, how can they help? Take the days following your service to pinpoint what you want adjusted, and if you have a hard time focusing on what needs fixing, maybe your artist delivered what you asked for and it just isn’t the magical fix you wanted. That won’t get you a redo appointment, but a consultation with your artist could offer other lifestyle options while you settle into your new look.

After you’ve given it a chance, call the salon with your list of concerns. Sonia suggests writing down what you like and dislike to inform the staff better before the next appointment. You won’t automatically receive a refund, that’s not how salons work, but you’ll be welcomed by an artist who’s happy to get you back on track. The Starling policy is, “We always have the opportunity to fix your hair once before we’ll discuss any other solution.” It’s not a messy process, so kick the guilt out of your head because it’s normal to dislike something and ask for a correction.

We’re People Pleasers, We Want to Make You Happy

Hair artists are the first to label themselves people pleasers. Keep that in mind when you sit down with your artist for the second time to address the issues. Most relationships between service providers and guests require a few interactions before they hit a rhythm. A lot of complicated chemistry and math goes into executing cuts and colors, so be understanding if it’s not perfect the first time. Starling professionals are as unhappy as you are, and they want to fix it.

When you give the artist a second chance, you ensure the person or salon who regularly handles your hair is the most equipped to do so. Amber Hollander, stylist, says, “Trusting your stylist enough to tell us if we haven’t nailed it helps the relationship move forward.” If you leave that salon, you’re paying for the service again and trusting a new person.

Many people jump to the conclusion that the original offender doesn’t know what they’re doing if they couldn’t achieve those results the first time. That’s not true. Sonia wants to remind you, “If you were painting a picture on a canvas, there are going to be times you think, ‘Oops, I need to blur that a little bit, I need to soften that, I need to wipe that off completely.’ Your hair is our canvas.” They might’ve used a tried-and-true method on you that didn’t fit, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else up their sleeve.

We Don’t Take It Personally

Nobody wants to hear that their hard work didn’t pay off, but hair artists are still professionals. You’ve heard the saying, “It’s not personal; it’s business.” The idea that you’re hurting someone’s feelings when you call the salon for a redo is blown way out of proportion. Chances are they feel bad they couldn’t give you great hair the first session, but they’re going to throw on their apron and vinyl gloves to mix a new color formula for you with a smile on their face.

You might’ve encountered stylists in the past with massive reactions to this confrontation, but Starling Salon wants you to know that’s irregular and not how their team delivers services. Those explosive stylists are few and far between, so don’t let them misrepresent the cool-headed professionals with more than enough skill and knowledge to correct the excessive warmth in your new highlights or the uneven layering in your haircut.

Everyone gets a less-than-stellar haircut once in their life, buys an analog camera when they want digital, orders shoes online that feel too snug, grabs a frozen hamburger pizza instead of pepperoni, or makes other erratic purchases. Most of the time, you can return an item, but hair needs a few extra steps. Correcting what you dislike about your hair is easier than you probably think. Get it out of your head that your hair is ruined (unless it’s overprocessed with bleach, which is a different blog altogether). Stop feeling guilty and start normalizing effective communication with your hair stylist.

Next time you sit in the chair, ask your artist what they would do if something turned out wrong. They probably won’t even flinch. With a genuine smile, they’ll reassure you they’d gladly spend another afternoon with you, free of charge. 

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