Being a hairdresser is a highly rewarding job! But it is also a very draining job too. Your hairdresser is your life line! They listen as you tell them about this guy your talking to (who sounds like a douche, tbh). They know about your slightly slutty best friend. They hold your hand when your heart is broken (by the same guy for the umpteenth time). And they always pretend to be happy for you when you're making some crazy mistakes. Also, they're really good at talking you out of the post break-up hair chop. And as much as hairstylists love the relationships we get to have with all of our wonderful clients, we also start the eye-roll when they start to act cray. And we would love to tell you to cut it out, but we're just too nice.

1. We don't want to decide for you.

It's your hair! We don't want to decide what color you need to color it. And we don't want to just cut it how we feel. Here's the thing... As hairdressers, we have a completely different idea of what it means to "style hair". And if we cut or color your hair how we want, you need to make sure that you are ready for the half-hour or more styling every morning. Also the fact that you need to wear makeup with that color to make you look put together, and you need to come back and get it touched up every 4 weeks. So if you aren't able to fulfill that kind of upkeep, please do NOT tell us to do "Whatever you think. You're the professional." Exactly. We're a professional. So we expect you to act like one from now on.

2. A trim and a cut are the same thing.

If I take those scissors to your hair, you are charged. I am doing a service on your hair. And I am cutting ALL of the hairs on your head, regardless of whether you are getting a "dusting" or 5 inches taken off. So no, there is not a difference in price. I'm literally doing the exact same job either way.

3. Your hair belongs to you.

It doesn't grow on your husbands head. Or your mothers/fathers/boyfriends/girlfriends/secondcousinsgirlfriendsbestfriendsdaughter. It is YOURS. YOU GROW IT. So stop saying "My boyfriend only likes long hair." I don't care and neither should you! I get it... You want for your significant other to find you attractive. But that doesn't mean that they should dictate your appearance either. Find a happy medium. Or do what you want to do and they can get over it. Or even, ~hold on with me now~stop hiding behind your boyfriend and just admit that you do not want to cut your hair either. If you want to cut it, then cut it. If you want to color it, color it. But don't let someone else dictate your hair. That's a red flag for your relationship, FYI.

4. Stop cutting your own hair.

We can tell when you start whacking at those bangs. And when you come in with a chunk missing right behind your ear, we know that you did that to yourself. We're not blind, and you're not trained to cut your own hair. SO PLEASE STOP. It gives us a bad name when you tell all of your friends that your amazing stylist "Abigail" cuts your hair, and then you walk around after having experimented and everyone thinks "I shouldn't go to that Abigail girl, she just whacks at some hair." So please, for your sake and for ours, stop cutting your own hair. Just leave it up to the professionals.

5. Get here on time.

This is a HUGE one! You show up for your meeting at work at least 5 minutes early. You'll even make sure to be at the doctor 15 minutes before your appointment to check in. But you show up 20 minutes after your scheduled appointment time for your hairdresser? That's a big no-no. Not just because we want you to be on our schedule, but because we only book you for the exact amount of time that we need to do your service. We have clients booked after you, and when you show up late for your appointment, you put our appointments after you behind. Please treat us with the same courtesy as you would want me to do for you. And please, for the love of all things good in the world, do not show up with that Starbucks cup. WE KNOW WHY YOU WERE LATE. (If you do show up late with Starbucks, call first and grab me one too. It's only polite.)

6. Stop using Pantene.

Literally it is the worst. I would rather you wash your hair with bacon grease and dawn dish soap than use Pantene. But it makes your hair so super sleek and shiny? Well that's because it is so full of synthetic silicone molecules, that it leaves a layer of PLASTIC on your hair shaft. Have you ever also realized that your hair feels like straw? Well that would be because that plastic coating doesn't let moisture absorb into your hair, leaving it dry. Please use the shampoo and conditioner that we suggest. We aren't trying to sell it to you because we want to make more money off of you. We actually try to sell it to you because we are familiar with the ingredients and we know what you do and do not need in your hair. We also know that our products are color safe and won't undo all that work we just did on your four-hour corrective color. They may be expensive, but they are quality ingredients and they will last you forever due to the fact that they are highly concentrated. (Meaning that you only have to use a little bit and you HAVE to add water. Otherwise it won't lather, nor will you be able to suds your whole head.)

7. It's okay to change your mind.

It's 100% normal to change your color fairly often. Just be up front about it. If you are able to let us know that you like to change it up a lot, we often times don't use certain products or chemicals, because we know it could hurt your hair next time that we try to get it out. That also means that we didn't do a good job or do as you asked last time. If you brought in a picture of Kylie Jenner and all of her dark haired gloriousness last time, and we made you really dark and exotic, then we did our job. Just because you brought in a picture of Carrie Underwood this time, and you want to go really light, that doesn't mean that we made you "too dark" last time. It just means that you like to change it up often. So let us do that, honestly, without putting our work down. kthanks

8. Use your temperature settings.

Most hot tools now have temperature settings on them. And in my personal opinion, you should never buy one that doesn't. The reason behind it? You can do some major heat damage. Fine, color treated, or chemically textured hair are all a little more prone to damage than coarse, natural hair. So you have to treat your hair with care. You can't put that flat iron on 450 and hit it on some bleached frog fur and expect it to still be there when you're done. It will burn off. And it will not be pretty. So those hair types that are more prone to damage, leave those hot tools on a low heat setting. Your hair will thank you. Now, for those girls with wiry, unruly curls, you might need to bump that heat setting back up again. If it changes the color of your hair, you've got it up wayyyyyy too high. But if you still have curl, it is safe to go up. However, that flat iron is the reason why your bleached baby hairs always stick up... you are FRYING THEM OFF.

9. Please Pre-Book.

When you call last minute trying to get an appointment, and you can't get in, don't get mad at us. We are just trying to make money and pay the bills. We can't move our entire schedule around you and your last minute plans. If you know that you're going out of town and need your color done, then make your appointment as soon as you know. If you have something pop-up last minute, please know that we are trying to move mountains to get you in. But sometimes we just can't. That is why we ask you to pre-book. So that we know for sure that you can get in. If not, there's no guarantee that we will be available.

10. Prices (unfortunately) go up.

Trust me, we hate it as much as you. But it's just part of the territory. Our cost goes up, and we just have to compensate for that, while still making something. For example, my color retouch price just went up by $5. Why? Because my backbar (shampoos and conditioners) just went up, and my color just went up. Think about it this way, if I use $3 worth of shampoos and light conditioners on you, and I use a tube of color that is about $10 a tube on your roots, plus the developer, but then you want me to "refresh your ends, and add a gloss," that is an additional $10+ in color and developer. Then I have to think about electricity used, water, and styling products. I'm already at $25-$30 JUST IN WHAT IT COST ME. That doesn't even include my labor. So yes, I will have that $5 price increase. I'm worth it.

All in all, we love doing your hair. Otherwise, we would tell you to get out. But we wish that you would think about how hard our job is sometimes. We will never try to scam you, overcharge you, or make you look like a troll. We genuinely care about you, and want to help transform into the best version of yourself. We wouldn't be in this industry if we didn't love it... we love you, and are so thankful that you continue to see us!