M49, I tend to go a bit long between haircuts which is on me, but I seem to have a really hard time explaining that I want short hair, like 20mm / 3/4"
I usually ask for a #2 clipper on the back and sides, (which works fine), then take as much as they off the top so I can still brush it straight up, preferably too short to grab onto.
Basically a cigar butt with eyes, shut up it works for me.
Even indicating with thumb and finger, this somehow gets interpreted as just barely trimming the tips off and painstakingly shaping the surface, barely affecting the overall quantity of hair.
How’s that for length?
What no, get in there with fire and the sword, wreak devastation, I want all of this gone.
:carefully trims another quarter inch off:
It’s not just one guy, not just one place, so I am obviously using wrong and misleading words.
How do I ask for the thing I want?
Just keep going to the same guy, he’ll eventually remember you and what it takes to make you happy
Even better, find a picture of what you want, keep it on your phone, and show it to your barber
Or take a photo of your own haircut when it’s done the way you want. Or even if it’s not the way you want, so you can show the barber and tell them that you don’t want that, and how you want it to be different.
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Bring a picture of the cut you want.
Does anyone speak hairdresser?
No. Not even hairdressers speak hairdresserese. Like drummers, hairdressers/stylists/barbers will all appear as if all their attention is 100% on your description but they are thinking about something within their social circle (hence the real concern on their face). Like drummers, if there isn’t some kind of natural affinity between you and who cuts your hair, you will never get what you’re looking for.
That said, many clients haven’t the proverbial “faintest idea” of what actually works for their face shape and stylists, if they’re not suffering too strong of a hangover 🤣, do try to work within those confines.
You can only go in with your remarkably clear and detailed description —still open to interpretation as your hairstyle is not an airplane fuselage, with precise measurements and tolerances—in hand and still hope for the best. Apologies for the length of this reply.
DISCLAIMER: my ex-wife was and still is a fine hair stylist.
!detroit@midwest.social ☆ !michigan@midwest.social ☆ !music@midwest.social
How is it possible to go from
"I want only want this much left on the top of my head "
And have them think
“oh he only wants that much cut off and leave the rest”
They just straight aren’t listening
I usually clarify that it’s been a very long time and I want it all gone.
The only barber that was ever able to cut my insane hair passed away after an unsuccessful liver transplant and it was at that point I purchased my own professional clippers.
Having bad haircuts my whole life until I found her is literally a point of trauma that I’ve not recovered from and I’m 49 years old now.
So…you’re close to me. Here’s what you want to say - and it WILL vary from person to person regarding what you get so try to find someone you like and stay with them (or a few of them).
“Number two, sides and back. Blended in tight. Cut the top down so it just falls back - not spiked, just falling back.”
The “just falls back, close to spiked” is the key length thing for the top. Also, them thinning the side to blend in better is a good thing and will make it look better longer.
I find the “just falls back” on top to be #5 (5/8 inch) for me. It will obviously vary for each person but if you can figure out that number, you can be more specific and it might mean less trial and error for the hairdresser.
I always had this issue too, any time I decided to go short. Conversely if I just wanted to clean it up while growing my hair out, they’d usually go too short.
I never figured out the secret and just cut my own hair now.
Me too
There is no true answer to the Tao of hair. I gave up and went around to hair dressers and said "Do whatever you like " until I found the one who made me look good. Now my hair looks amazing like 95% of the time and the remaining 5% is the occasional “just trying a thing” that becomes a temporary conversion piece.
I realized I do not actually know what I want. To believe such was mearly ego. I am going to people who have better trained aesthetic sensibilities, why should I, someone who has no sensibility direct them? I am but a canvas, a scruffy Tabula Rasa.
The DIY though is undoubtedly more cost effective…
Correct answer. I just got an electric clipper and I mow the crop myself whenever it gets long enough to bother me. I don’t have to tip anyone, it only takes a few minutes, and I only have a few short years left where there’ll be anything growing up there anyway.
Maybe it’s that you’re asking for a style that’s “unfashionable” or atypical for someone with your look so the hairdresser is second-guessing you know what you’re asking for. I bet a lot of the time they try instructions as vague as “make it shorter and look good”. They’ll err on the side of leaving it s bit long knowing they can always take a bit more off and sneak up to the desired length when it’s beyond what the normal style is.
Just get it to the length you want, then ask the hairdresser what it’s called/how to describe it and take a couple of pictures as well and you should be set for next time.
I think hairdressing is probably really difficult. The surface you’re cutting on is roundish, but not uniform, and the texture of hair changes drastically based on how long since the hair has been washed for some, not at all for others. I say this because I also can’t figure out the input to get the haircut I want back. I have had two-three haircuts in my life that were exactly what I wanted and everything else has been pretty different from what I requested (even with pictures of the good haircuts for comparison, even from the same hairdresser).
I donate my hair every couple years, so I essentially get a pixie cut that I let grow out 40 cm before getting another. I’ve got a pretty high tolerance for unflattering hair, so unless it’s really mullet-y or I have an interview, I’ll just wait for it to get better. I do think it’s more difficult to cut hair in a much different style/length from what the hair currently is, so you’re right that that could be a contributing factor.
The most recent haircut I got, I asked for it to look like this, but I left looking like Eric from boy meets world. I have very fine, pretty thick, completely straight hair, which should make it easier, but I guess not.
I guess I’m mostly ranting and trying to reassure you that it’s not just you.
Back in the day you would have asked for a flattop.
You could always save a picture to your phone and then ask them to do that. They’ll probably still ask if the length is alright but it’s up to you to instruct them from there.
Get the same hairdresser every time, explain it once. The next time you can say “same thing as last time”. Maybe some small corrections here and there, but I never have to explain my wishes anymore.
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Same. I like it all around, and it saves some money too. Though I will admit I’m a little slow at it, especially at first
Highly recommend looking up a guide from a hair cutting chain. From the sounds of it you want a crewcut ~20mm 3/4", “blend the sides” so that it transitions well, they might ask what size to buzz the side, you can just say “shorter than the top”. Crew cut will give you the longest time between haircuts as well, take notes of the actual length or clip size so you can be more precise next time. https://www.greatclips.com/lookbook/crew-haircut
I’ll also drop this in case it helps:
you can just say “shorter than the top”.
does this mean anything, though?
I mean, could someone even possibly say “longer than the top” and be taken seriously?
(And no, no no, stop right there----don’t even think of reminding me that mullets exist.)
You can also have a seamless transition, multiple varieties of the fade or a tapered cut. High end barbers also shave art into side of the head. Lots of different options, but generally people do fades.
Cool thanks, and I think I even have the correct column for my shape!
It is tough. Apparently some of my haircutters think I look best like ….
This tracks, except which world does the author of this graphic live in where triangles are shaped that way?
Lol, right? That’s an egg, or better yet, one of the Oblongs.
Gives a new meaning to egghead, eh?
