There is nothing like the feeling of having a fresh haircut. Even if you have nothing to do after your appointment, you can’t go home! You have to show off your fabulous new do and take photos before it inevitably returns back to normal the next day. But drastically transforming your look will always come with a bit of risk. You’re putting the fate of your appearance in the hands of someone else. So you better trust them, or you might end up on a list like this in the future!
We has searched far and wide to find some of the most tragic salon fails of all time. From butchered bobs to lamentable lashes, enjoy scrolling through these painfully bad services. And be sure to upvote the looks that would have sent you out of the salon sobbing!
#1 I Would Cry
#2 I Thought They Were Joking. I Thought The First Post I Saw Was A Joke, But They Have Dozens Of People With These Lashes
#3 No Words LOL
How do you know when it’s time for a haircut? Personally, I wait until my split ends are driving me crazy or when I start to feel like I drastically need some change in my life. Nothing makes a person feel more alive than chopping their hair in half! But according to Byrdie, expert hair stylists say we should be getting trims every 6 to 8 weeks if we want to keep our locks looking fresh.
You can tell that it’s time for a cut when you can no longer achieve your desired look with styling or the ends of your hair become visibly damaged, they explain. However, if you have a more high-maintenance hairstyle, such as a fade, bangs or a buzz cut, you might need to visit the salon once or twice a month. So you better find a hairstylist that you can trust!
#4 My Barber Cooked Me. I Got Cooked So Bad, What Shoud I Do?
#5 Dear Lord
#6 Never Going To Sports Clips Again (Me)
Going to the salon can be scary. Whether you’re getting your hair, nails, lashes or brows done, there’s always a risk that things won’t go according to plan. You might hope to walk out a blonde but end up with green hair. Or if you’re really unlucky, you may get a painful cut on your finger while your manicurist’s mind starts to wander.
There are a million ways things can go wrong at the salon, so it’s best to do everything you can to accurately communicate what you want at the beginning of your appointment. To prevent any mishaps, Sunday Salon recommends having visual aids to convey the look you’re going for to your stylist.
#7 Expectations vs. Reality. Let’s Just Say That The Barber Had No Idea How To Do An Undercut
#8 My $85 ~layered~ Haircut. She Curled It At The Salon So I Didn’t Notice Till I Straightened It Out
#9 What Name Could Best Describe This Haircut ?
When explaining what kind of look you’re going for, it’s also helpful to know the lingo that a hairstylist would use. Sunday Salon notes that using terms like fade, taper, blend, razor, etc. can ensure that everyone’s on the same page. And if you’re unsure about what any of the jargon means, don’t be afraid to ask your stylist questions. They want to be sure that they know what you’re looking for going into the appointment, so you leave satisfied and ready to book your next cut!
#10 I Wanted A Little Off The Sides
#11 Before, What I Wanted, What I Got
#12 My Mother Took Up A Hair Cutting Course 9 Years Ago. With Just Little Practice She Confidently Lured My Brother In For A Haircut. This Is The Result
It’s wise to be clear about your hair’s texture and your personal styling routine as well. The stylist may only see you once every few months, so they have no idea how your hair looks on the average day or what you’re doing at home to style it. Make sure that they give you a look that will be sustainable and conducive to your current routine. Of course, you want to turn heads when you walk out of the salon. But you also want to feel confident that you know what you’re doing with your hair after you wash it a couple days later.
#13 Got A Haircut 3 Days Before My Wedding
#14 My New Haircut
#15 Oh. No. Not Even If You Pay To Boost Your Listing. Nope
So what should you do when tragedy strikes and you’re sitting in a salon chair staring into the mirror regretting your choices? As difficult as it may be, try not to panic. Worst case scenario, hair always grows back. Keep your composure, and try to express your concerns to your stylist. Real Simple recommends asking if there’s anything they can do to adjust or fix the aspects of the cut that you don’t like. For example, if there are too many layers, you might be able to just ask them to take off some length.
#16 These Cats Have Seen Some Things
Two weeks ago, I got my nails done professionally for the first time in almost a decade and this is what I got.
I just wanted to share these beautiful cats before I take these nails off. I actually think I’m going to miss them staring up at me.
#17 Welp They Just Messed Me Totally Up
#18 Guy At Work Gets This Haircut Regularly. No Pic Of The Back.. It’s Not Straight Either… And Yes He Pays For That
If you’re terrified because your hair is much shorter than you anticipated, we’ve all been there. But don’t freak out; adding some extensions might save the day. This won’t always be cheap, and it might make your styling routine a bit more complicated. But getting extensions can be a great way to still have “long hair” while you patiently wait for the rest of your locks to grow out.
#19 Nail Tech Did Gel X And They Look Like This. The Gel Underneath Is All Super Visible And It Looks Goopy! Any Way I Can Fix This?
#20 The Colour I Asked For vs. The Colour I Got. I Just Wanted Teal Hair For My Wedding
#21 $350 Hairstyle. Specifically Said, “I Don’t Want To Even Approach Mullet Territory”. 1st Pic Is My Hair Before The Appointment, 2nd Is What I Asked For, The Last 2 Pics Is The Result
The real kicker? I had been going to this person for 2 years already and never had any problems before this. But they were really weird about getting this appointment scheduled (had to ask a few times) and then were very atypically quiet the entire appointment. Lesson learned I guess.
The next time you get a haircut after having a bad experience, make sure that you find a new reference photo. Dig a little deeper into what exactly you want, and find a way to communicate that clearly to your stylist. It can be scary to enter a salon again after being burned (sometimes even literally) in the past, but try to remember all of the great haircuts you’ve had before. And just in case anything goes wrong, try not to schedule any plans right after your appointment. Just in case!
#22 Asked For The Haircut On The Left, Received The Haircut On The Right
I’m a dude, not particularly fussy about my hair, but I’m hosting Thanksgiving with my GF next week for both our families and she butchered me.
#23 This Haircut That I Paid $60 For
#24 What I Asked For vs. What I Got
Now, sometimes we initially hate a haircut or beauty service because we’re simply not used to such a drastic change. If you’ve been a brunette your entire life, it can be jarring to suddenly look in the mirror and see a redhead. Or if you’ve never had bangs, suddenly chopping the front of your hair can leave you with some initial regrets.
But if you take the time to get used to your new look and learn how to style it, there’s a huge chance that you’ll actually end up happy with it! Just take a deep breath, and remember that all of the people on this list survived their salon nightmares.
#25 Horrible Omg
#26 Help! Eyebrow Lamination
How can I fix this? Eyebrow lamination. The top is what i normally get it, the bottom is what i got. It looks terrible! I just got it done and i did not want the same person trying to fix it so I left!
#27 Got A Haircut At My Local Barber And Got Bad Razor Burn
We hope you’re enjoying your scroll through these comically bad haircuts and beauty treatments, pandas. Keep upvoting the photos that you can’t help but laugh at, and let us know in the comments below if you’ve ever had a similar experience at a salon. Then, if you’re looking for even more photos that might convince you to cancel your upcoming haircut, we’ve got the perfect We list for you to check out next right here!
#28 I Asked For An Undercut LOL
#29 I Guess That’s What I Get For Asking For A Thick-Hair Hairstyle When My Hair Is Pathetically Thin
#30 Got My Hair Done
I’ve done my own hair for years and finally decided to let someone else do it. My hair is so fried and damaged it feels like pasta noodles when wet.
Went to a salon with a newer stylist, I’ve been in her spot. I know how it goes. You don’t learn if you don’t get experience. A few months back we did a hair roulette and it was super cute just faded really quickly. This time we wanted to do Beetlejuice inspired hair and I ended up really liking the blonde. Today we tone it out and I’m missing half a head of hair.
I could just cry
#31 My Lash Tech Won’t Give Me A Refund
I went to this new lash tech as mine didn’t have any availability. I showed her reference photos and the results looked nothing like it. During the process my eyes kept getting stuck together and I could feel the lashes sticking together too as she tugged so many times on them, which l’ve never experienced before and the process was extremely uncomfortable. She tried to blame my eye shape and oriental eyes and said that it wont look the same as the reference but it looks nothing like it, and she did a terrible job.
My birthday is coming up and I wanted to treat myself and now I’m with this horrible set and £45 down the drain, along with my time (this set took 3.5 hours, maybe more) and the complicated journey. She did offer a free removal, but blocked me before I could confirm and I got an email that she booked one for me for today, but I did not even get to confirm this. I think I’m going to go get them removed as I cannot cope with them, it’s causing me more irritation and i can see them in my vision as they droop so low.
During the process i could feel that my eyes and lashes kept sticking together, and she kept tugging it to get it off and it was extremely uncomfortable. There was even a point that product got in my eye to which I compressed them because it burned and she told me not to, but I couldn’t help it. On the jounrey home I could feel something in my eye, and I saw that my natural lashes were twisted and bent and broken. I’m upset that she’s damaged my natrual eyelashes as I don’t have many to begin with. There were also fine white specs in between the lashes which I’m not sure where they occurred from.
#32 What I Expected vs. What I Got
#33 Nails: Expectation vs. Reality
Went to a nail salon. What I asked for vs what I got. Made an appointment to get it removed.
#34 Great Clips Got Me Good Today
The lady said she just had her clippers sharpened and the guy must have made them too sharp? I’ve never bled from a haircut. Needless to say never again.
#35 Oh No No No (Saline Removal Works!) Before During After
Never answer an ad for someone looking to “fill out their portfolio “…immediate regret! 24 hours later I got saline removal. Three months later they were literally gone. Thank God! I screenshot all these so they’d have the dates for Timelapse reference.
#36 Went For A Haircut And This Was The Result
#37 Don’t Go To Supercuts
Asked for a kind of shaggy style with curtain bangs and showed the first 3 pics, she gave me this wretched old lady cut with awful bangs. I tried styling it differently, and it doesn’t help. Yes, I cried.
#38 I Was Charged $62 For A Haircut And It Wasn’t Even Cut Correctly
#39 This Haircut I Got Recently
#40 My Best Friend Asked For A Glitter Hombre
#41 Reference Pic vs. What The Barber Gave Me. Is This Salvagable?
#42 Example Pic vs. What I Got. Does Anyone Know How To Fix It
#43 My Nails
#44 The Luxury I Ordered vs. The Indulgence I Unwrapped. Goldilocks Always Gets Her Way
#45 What I Asked For In The Hair Salon vs. What I Got. Asked For A Warm Chocolate Brown Balayage And Got This Rusty Copper Global?
#46 A Post I Saw On Instagram. What Is This, The Forehead Blush
#47 Picture I Showed Nail Tech And What I Got
I’m going to Disney and I asked for Mickey ears and everyone looked at this and was like: yeah that looks great. She left a bunch of nail polish around my fingers as well, the background was poorly applied and since I don’t have a confrontational bone in my body and I didn’t want to embarrass the lady I just paid, tipped and left. But unfortunately I’ll never come back.
#48 I Have To Be The Unluckiest Guy When It Comes To Barbers
3rd and hopefully last Reddit post about getting screwed by my barbers. I really can’t seem to find a good one that can cut medium-length hair. Looks better without the gel in it though. Y’all let me know what you think.
#49 Help!! Should I Get My Eyebrows Removed Via Emergency Removal?
Help!! I’ve been panicking for hours. I asked for a very natural look because I don’t wear much makeup, and this is what I look like after the procedure. I don’t think this is normal. Please give me your most honest opinions and recommendations for places that can help me remove this before more time goes by.
#50 Manicured Nails
Nearly two years ago, I asked for a french tip manicure at a salon for my cousin’s wedding. I knew my nails were short and that might be an issue but goddamn. The next page is what I got.
Want to know the best part of this? This was after she had “fixed” her mistakes.
#51 Yeah I Asked For This And Got This
#52 Paid $42 For A Haircut And It’s Uneven. She Didn’t Shampoo Or Style It. Cut It Dry. Put It Into A Ponytail When She Was Done
#53 Birthday Nails. Couldn’t Book An Appointment With My Regular Nail Tech So I Went To A Nail Salon That I’ve Gone To Before But Haven’t Been To In A While… Yeah, Never Again
#54 I Asked Sports Cuts To Cut My Boy’s Hair
It cost $23. My mom insisted on getting their hair cut when I’ve done better on his hair with dad’s clippers before. Since we PAID for it I expected something like the first picture, and that cut was $20.
#55 12 Hours In I Am Crying And Regretting This So Much
So I went to get my eyebrows nano blades because I wanted natural she did powder … I hate them, I hate the darkness, I miss my shotty eyebrows, I want them gone.
#56 They Did Me Dirty
Jesus Christ it was the worst haircut I ever received. August 2024 at Supercuts vs. today what I got done at a professional studio.
#57 I Usually Have Good Nail Experiences But This Ain’t It
#58 What I Asked For vs. What I Got
They didn’t quite nail it. (Pun intended) I went back and they were very nice about it and we just settled on a solid nail color, no extra charge.
#59 My Barber Moved So I Had To Try Someone New. What I Asked For vs. What I Got
#60 Live And Love In Denver, Don’t Try To Get A Haircut Where I Did Though (The Cutting Room Did Me So Dirty)
#61 Went To Sports Clips.. Came Home With With Some Bang Bangs
#62 Since We’re Posting Bad Haircuts Today. I Paid $48 Dollars For This
#63 Just Got The 25$ Sports Clips Bowl Cut. The Hairdresser Was Such An Insufferable Lady To Top It All Off. Hope I Can Get Refunded
#64 Hair Salon Fail, What I Wanted vs. What I Got
I had what I thought was a good consultation with expectations set on both sides. She made it clear that I couldn’t go that bright on the ends without damaging and I was ok with that, as long as we could go as bright and ashy as possible. Somehow I ended up with darker ends than I had before that are caramel in color. I also HATE how harsh the line is to me when my hair is straight. How can this be fixed?
#65 They Said My Nails Were Too Short For 5 Colours But Said They Could Do 3…
I’m so upset! I have a trip on Monday so I’m going to have to get them repainted (by a different tech and salon) before I leave.
They tried two different techniques and both looked horrible, so they tried this third one, by which time I just wanted to leave and cry (slight exaggeration, I know it’s not the end of the world), but I have been to this salon over 20 times over the past few years and never had a bad experience.
I wanted the dark and light purple and the bright pink, aka the middle part of the nail, and I can’t believe how wrong they got it.
#66 What I Asked For V. What I Got
#67 Decided To Try Something New At The Hairdresser Today
1) Inspiration picture, 2) what I started with, 3) initial results, and 4) after going back and asking for better blending.
The tones are still all off, but the ends are fashion colors so I’m hopeful that they’ll fade a lot when I next wash.
#68 This Showed Up In My Memories. Sport Clips Did Me Dirty
#69 Nail Art Is Always Such A Roll Of The Dice. What I Asked For vs. What I Got
#70 Went And Got My Nails Done
I paid $96 for these. after I left i immediately went to Sally’s to buy stuff to fix them.
#71 A “Very” Expensive Hair Color Job
I was excited to see this highly recommended colorist. This is just about color, not cut or styling. The photos show my hair before, my inspo photo (I was extremely specific that the two strands framing my face should be white blonde) and my hair after. I won’t even post what this cost me because it’s mortifying. Feel like I just threw a huge amount of money in the trash.
#72 My Engagement Nails
What I asked for vs. what I got…
They did start out the same length but they filed for so long.
#73 Picture I Showed Nail Tech vs. What I Got. I Don’t Like Them
