The Tresses Tell All: Hairdressers Share Revealing Client Confessions

Working in customer service can be quite challenging sometimes, but it can also be really rewarding. If you’ve ever worked in restaurants, hair salons, stores, or any other place that welcomes many clients every day, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Some days it feels like customers make it their mission to make us have the most stressful days of our lives. But other times, everything happens as smoothly as possible. And then there are the days that insanely hilarious things happen — and we can’t help but share episodes from these shifts! If there’s a place where funny things happen almost regularly, that place has to be the hair salon. Hairdressers deal with so many customers that they may not memorize some faces. But they never forget the people who do or say absurd things. In this article, we’ve compiled the 40 craziest client stories as told by hairdressers!

Just putting you back in your place, honey.

When we’re kids and we’re still learning new words, we can’t help but use our expanded vocabulary all the time. But what if this habit doesn’t go away, even in adulthood? Some people like using fancy words so they can look posh, but this hairdresser was caught by surprise when a customer corrected him:

Well, if you’re not British, there’s no point in saying that version of the word “while.” And no, saying that word doesn’t actually make you sound smart. Though there was no need for the client to correct the hairdresser like this, we’re sure that they shared a good laugh about this interaction later on!

Why did you leave him alone?

As crazy as this may seem, sometimes customers need to be reminded that a hair salon is not a daycare. You don’t take your kid and leave them at the hair salon only to pick them up hours later. And you certainly don’t drop off your boyfriend at the hairdresser and then vanish.

We have so many questions about this episode. If the girl knew that her boyfriend wasn’t okay mentally, why would she leave him alone at the hair salon? It’s obvious that he was dealing with some issues if even the police had to be involved!

You’re trying to take advantage of me?

The world is filled with dishonest people who are always trying to take advantage of others. We’re pretty sure you must’ve heard at least a story or two about people who eat at restaurants and then try to avoid paying the bill.

Well, the same thing happens at hair salons. When this rude woman wrongly accused the hairdresser of burning her ear, she was obviously trying to get away with not paying for the hairdresser’s services. She just didn’t expect that the professional wouldn’t even be touching the flat iron at that moment.

A little respect, please.

Even though the world is slowly walking toward being an equal place, some professions are still male-dominated. But the thing is that some occupations are also female-dominated, as in the case of hairdressers. Most are women, and they have to deal with all kinds of annoying men.

Apparently, nasty guys don’t even care that their hairdresser is only 21. They never miss the opportunity to hit on a woman, even if she’s clearly uncomfortable. This poor girl has barely become an adult, and she’s already dealt with so many insane situations.

When will people learn their lesson?

If there’s one place you should always tell the truth, it’s at the salon. The consequences of lying to a hairdresser may be almost unbearable. If you don’t give them the information they need, you may end up losing your hair.

In a moment of vanity, this woman lied to her hairdresser, saying she didn’t use any particular product. Well, not all chemicals go well together and the result was almost a complete disaster, but this could’ve been easily avoided if only she hadn’t lied!

The worst punishment!

It is not unusual for women to care about their looks more than guys do. And as teenagers, sometimes it feels like looks are all that matter, so it’s no wonder that young girls are so invested in taking good care of their hair.

If you’re a minor and you’re caught drinking, you should really be punished. But maybe this mother took her punishment way too far. Making her daughter cut off and donate the hair that she cherished so much? That’s mean. We can only imagine how uncomfortable this hairdresser must’ve felt in this situation.

There’s a treatment for that!

When you see an adult, you’d imagine that they have at least some knowledge of basic hygiene, right? Well, it turns out that this is not the case. Some adults apparently forget that taking showers and washing their hair regularly is essential.

This episode was pretty disgusting to read, wasn’t it? Now, imagine how the hairdresser must have felt as she ran her fingers through this guy’s hair. And to think that this could all have been avoided if only he washed his hair with the appropriate dandruff shampoo!

Always doing the right thing.

If you know a hairdresser personally, you know how they always have a crazy story to tell. Whether it’s about a disgusting client or a rude customer, hairdressers deal with all kinds of unbelievable situations on an almost daily basis.

While the client had the right to drink during the day, it’s something he should have kept in his home. And the fact that he was used to doing that just means that this guy poses a threat to society. We’re glad that this hairdresser made the right choice and called the cops on him!

Give these people a bonus!

Reading about the things that hairdressers go through makes us wish that they could get an award or at least a bonus. Dealing with all kinds of weird people is not an easy task, but these professionals still manage to do the best work possible.

When you work in customer service, you can’t turn down clients — no matter how nasty they are. It’s crazy to think that this guy would come to the hair salon wearing dirty clothes and a food-covered beard. Luckily for this hairdresser, the guy only comes into the salon twice a year!

It’s all for a greater cause.

Millions of people live on the streets with no access to water and other essentials necessary for their personal hygiene. When this hairdresser decided to help those in need and volunteer, giving haircuts to homeless people, she was in for a surprise.

Sure, helping the homeless get a makeover is a really noble act. But that doesn’t mean that projects like this don’t face challenges. In fact, we’d say that dealing with live cockroaches coming out of someone’s hair is more than just a mere challenge.

Can I do my job?

Working as a hairdresser means that you have to deal with different customers. But it also means having to deal with customers’ family and friends. Sometimes, people bring a plus one to the hair salon, but said guests aren’t always welcome.

Bringing your husband to the hair salon is okay. It’s rare to see husbands waiting for their wives as they get their hair done, but it’s not impossible. The only problem is when the husband gets in the way and doesn’t let the hairdresser do her job!

That’s normal?

Most people think that being a hairdresser is an easy job. The truth is that this profession is quite demanding, both physically and mentally. Can you imagine standing on your feet for hours, with endless stamina in your upper body muscles while fixing someone’s hair?

But this profession is also mentally demanding because you’ll see things that no one will believe! This hairdresser shared what was a shock to us, but mundane for her: older ladies coated in hairspray! And, according to her, the hairspray had sat untouched for weeks!

Well, that’s not part of my duties, but okay.

Admit it: one of your favorite parts of going to the hairdresser is getting your scalp massaged as they wash your hair. Sure, getting a makeover is really exciting, but nothing compares to the heavenly feeling of getting a scalp massage.

We might not have the guts to make such requests, but this hairdresser told us that this is rather common. Even if giving massages was not part of her duty as a hairdresser, the woman still did it. Hopefully, the customer tipped her well!

Why’d you come in, then?

Hairdressers see and hear a lot of different things at work, but that doesn’t mean that customers fail to surprise them anymore. This hairdresser was certainly shocked when she had to help this client get her hair done and the lady had some peculiar demands:

To begin with, why would you want someone to dye your hair using a paintbrush? There are color brushes that are made specifically to dye people’s hair. And worse yet, why would you pay someone to work on your hair if you’re going to insist on doing things yourself?

Please, don’t lie to us!

Why do humans have the necessity of lying in order to pass themselves as perfect? That’s a tough question to answer, but we’re certain that you know at least a person or two that are always omitting information in order to make themselves look better.

In hair salons, it’s quite common for people to lie to their hairstylists. Maybe they want other customers to think that their hair is naturally pretty, but they should really stop lying. Always tell your hairdresser if you’ve done any chemical procedures on your hair or you may end up losing it!

Everybody has a different taste, we guess.

There are more than 7 billion people living on this planet, and every single one of us is different. One should always try to refrain from judging those who think differently, but sometimes people make it really hard for us.

When older men come into hair salons, their hairdresser fixes the hair on their heads as well as trimming their beards, nose, and ear hair. But imagine how surprised this hairdresser was when the customer asked them not to shave the hairs on his ears because he had been told that they were attractive!

Kids, don’t try this at home!

Humans are always finding new ways to do things, and that includes coming up with new ways to change their hair. When you were younger, did you ever attempt to change your hair on your own? Lots of people try to cut their own bangs, while others try to dye their hair.

If you’re not a professional hairstylist, your chances of getting a successful makeover done by yourself are pretty slim. Dyeing their hair with Kool-Aid is easily one of the worst ideas one could have. And this poor hairstylist found out the hard way what happens when a customer lies about their hair dye.

I didn’t sign up for this!

You know how we mentioned that some days it feels like clients make it their mission to ruin our days? While you may end up getting used to that, sometimes it is pretty hard not to take things personally, especially when the customer says things this:

Being a hairdresser requires professional training, but it also requires talent and practice. When this hairdresser had just gotten started, a customer told her that her “lack of confidence” was quite obvious. While it must have hurt to hear this at the time, we’re glad that now she’s joking about it!

Make it make sense!

Human beings can do amazing things, but they can also do things that will have you questioning what goes on in their heads. The lady in this next episode surely is one of those people. Get ready to read about one of the craziest moments in this hairdresser’s career:

If the customer was actually hurt and couldn’t wash her hair due to the injury, we would understand her situation. There’s nothing she could have done. But the fact that she was healthy and didn’t wash her hair simply because she’s lazy? That’s insane!

The audacity!

If you’ve ever worked in customer service, you know how clients always want to be right, even if they are clearly in the wrong. When this lady and her husband walked in, this hairdresser had no idea that they would give her such a hard time.

Even though she tried to convince the lady to do a different procedure, the woman wanted to have platinum hair. The thing about platinum hair is that it requires quite a lot of attention and maintenance. When she did nothing and her hair was ruined, she tried to blame the hairdresser!

Kids, don’t try this at home!

Even if you’re not an expert when it comes to taking care of your own hair, you probably know that there are some things that we shouldn’t do under any circumstances. For instance, every woman knows that they should wait until their hair is dry before putting it into a bun.

Well, every woman except for this one, that is. We understand that she’s a busy lady, but that’s no excuse to do this very wrong thing for months on end. And it’s quite obvious that the results of her actions would be very unpleasant!

Let me get you some help, ma’am.

Being a hairstylist is a challenging profession for many reasons. Sometimes you have to deal with nasty clients and with people who seem to have a loose screw or two. But the most difficult part of being a hairdresser is when you want to help a client but can’t.

If you were treating a woman who was clearly not in a healthy state, you’d want to help her. But, unfortunately, this hairdresser couldn’t do a thing about it because the client asked her not to. And the client gets what the client wants, right?

Showering is never a bad thing.

If you think that being a hairdresser is a fabulous profession, you’re probably slowly changing your mind as you read these stories. And if you thought it couldn’t get any worse, this next story is going to make you gag just like this barber did:

While a shower is not a requirement to go to the barber, it’s common sense that you should be clean before getting your hair done. If this guy had done that, he would’ve avoided embarrassing himself in front of his barber!

The things we have to hear!

When we think of hair salons, one of the first images our brain jumps to is the classic movie scene of women all getting their hair done at the same time. Chair after chair, they gossip with each other and the hairdresser.

The truth is that some women schedule weekly appointments at hair salons just so they can gossip. Now, imagine how a hairdresser must feel, having to listen to so much chatter all the time? Worst off, she probably has to “agree” because the customer is always right.

Good luck with this!

Doctors usually tell their patients that they should be back for another appointment after a certain period of time. And hairdressers usually do the same. If a customer gets their hair done a certain way, they have to come back regularly to do maintenance.

But what happens when a customer doesn’t know (or ignores) that they have to be back? Well, the answer is simple: they become a real challenge for hairdressers. With the way that this customer’s hair looked, it’s no wonder that the hairstylist turned them away!

Now that’s a plot twist.

As we said, experienced hairdressers see so many things that it’s kind of hard to surprise them anymore. Things that would usually shock people sound normal to them, as in the case of this hairdresser, who had to deal with her very own stalker:

From the way that the customer is retelling the episode, it’s quite obvious that she was shocked to learn that Jim was basically stalking her hairdresser. But judging by the way that the professional acted so nonchalant, it’s obvious that’s she dealt with worse before!

Why would you keep that?

As we said before, we’re all different. And some people are more peculiar than others. This next episode may sound unbelievable, but these are the kind of insane things that hairdressers have to deal with almost on a daily basis.

If something went wrong with a hairdo, you’d certainly want to have it fixed, right? Well, it turns out that not everyone feels this way. We can’t help but wonder why in the world she wanted the hairdresser to work around the knot instead of fixing it.

Well, that was unexpected.

As children, we don’t really have the freedom to do the things that we want to do. For instance, you can’t get a piercing or a certain haircut if your parents don’t approve of it. But who said that every parent can control their kids like this?

This cute guy walked into the hair salon and asked to get a blonde mohawk. It’s quite obvious that the hairdresser wouldn’t turn a client down, so they did just as requested. The only problem was when the guy’s mother came in a little later and didn’t look too happy about her son’s new haircut!

The daily challenges of a hairdresser.

If you want to be the best at what you do, you have to practice a lot. It isn’t impossible for you to become the nation’s top surgeon or lawyer — you really just need to study and keep working on your skills. And the same thing applies to hairdressers.

Dealing with people and their hair is challenging, but these insane experiences will only make you become better at what you do. The hairdresser who had to help this family take care of their matted hair surely became a better professional after this experience!

It’s for your own good.

As we said, hairdressers have to be really honest with their clients. Sometimes, it seems like people ignore red flags and want to try things out anyway. For instance, if you have extremely curly hair, you can’t expect to get a perfect cut without ruining your beautiful locks.

And if you have very dry hair, you shouldn’t be looking into getting a perm either. The only thing that will come out of this is a bad hairdo and angrily blaming your hairdresser. So be thankful if your hairdresser told you that certain procedures and styles won’t fit you — they’re just looking out for you!

What’s wrong with these people?

Being a hairdresser or a barber means that you have to deal with all kinds of people, and some of these people are simply disgusting. And that’s precisely why hairdressers need to have a strong stomach in order to succeed in this profession.

The more you read about this episode, the harder it is to believe that this is true. Can you see yourself not washing your hair for years? That’s easily one of the most disgusting things we’ve ever seen, and we feel bad for the barber who had to witness the results firsthand!

Do you want honesty or what?

One of the things you should look for in a hairdresser is honesty. Sure, it’s important that your hairdresser is an expert in what they do. But you also want them to have the guts to tell you when you’re making a bad choice.

Every day, hairdressers deal with customers asking to get their hair done a certain way. The problem is that their desired hairstyle doesn’t fit the shape of their face or even the texture of their hair. And that’s when having an honest hairdresser comes in — they’ll keep you from making choices you’re going to regret later!

Let’s be reasonable, people.

As crazy as it may sound, it is quite common for parents to take their children to the hair salon and not inform the hairdresser that the kids have lice. Unfortunately, the hairstylist is the one person who comes out of this situation in bad shape.

Imagine being an adult and finding out that you got scabies! And it wasn’t even the hairstylist’s fault — it was her client’s fault. What kind of person takes their lice-infested kid to the salon and doesn’t even tell the hairdresser?

Are you sure you really wanted this?

Being a hairdresser requires training and passion for what you do, but it also requires patience. That’s because some clients really test their hairdresser’s patience with their requests. Like this woman, who asked to get a pixie cut and wouldn’t stop bawling:

Imagine having to cut someone’s hair and they won’t stop crying the entire time. Sure, the customer had noble intentions but, if she wasn’t emotionally ready to chop her extra long hair, why would she do it in the first place?

May I be excused?

If you don’t have a lot of money to get your cosmetic needs catered to, you have to settle for going to cheaper places. The thing about cheap hair salons is that you’ll probably encounter all kinds of people, even the weird ones.

What leads a person to ask their hairdresser to squeeze a boil on the back of their neck? That’s just not what a hairdresser’s job is about! This poor girl had to witness this awful scene and we’re pretty sure she’s traumatized to this day!

Maybe it’s time to quit?

It is no secret that smoking is extremely detrimental to one’s health. But that doesn’t mean that smokers will quit this addiction. When this hairdresser didn’t turn away a customer who was a smoker, she never expected that this would happen:

Not only did the hairdresser have to deal with the awful smell of cigarettes, but she also had to deal with the fact that her client’s hair was literally falling off. Let’s only hope that the lady understands that her hair was falling because of the cigarettes, and not because of the hairdresser!

You should’ve told me!

Hairdressers deal with all kinds of people, and that’s not always a good thing. On the bright side, having contact with so many different people is a great way of expanding your horizons. But the downside is that some people aren’t honest and don’t care about their hairdresser’s health.

For instance, if you’re going to bring a child with lice infestation to a hair salon, the very least you could do is warn the hairdresser. This way they can properly prepare themselves to shave the kid’s head and avoid catching lice themselves. It’s pretty clear that this mother missed that memo, though!