That one client who insisted I use a flat iron on her already fried hair

Had a woman come in last Tuesday at the shop on Main Street, hair so overprocessed it felt like straw. She kept saying her last stylist made it look "sleek" and wanted the same. I told her straight up, another heat pass and she'd lose chunks, so I did a deep conditioning mask and a low heat blowout instead. Ended up giving her a mirror and she almost cried, said it looked healthier than it had in months. Anyone else have a client who fought you on what was actually good for their hair?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_joseph7h ago

Yeah that 'sleek' line is such a red flag. My buddy's girlfriend is a stylist and she had a lady come in with hair so fried it was basically splitting at the roots. Lady wanted a flat iron at 450 degrees, swore her last guy did it all the time. My friend flat out refused, did a bond repair treatment and a loose wave instead. Client left happy but I guess she went to a different salon the next week and got it ironed anyway. Heard she had to chop it to her chin after that.

emma727h ago

What I don't get is why people trust someone who clearly doesn't care about their hair more than someone who actually knows what they're doing? Like you had a professional tell you straight up that your hair is damaged and needs gentle care, and you still went shopping around until you found someone willing to wreck it for you. That stylist probably knew she was ruining that woman's hair but did it anyway just to make a quick buck. And now the client is stuck with a bob she didn't want because she couldn't listen to good advice the first time. It's sad but honestly if you're going to treat your hair like it's made of steel, you're going to learn the hard way.