what is it with professionals who can't blow-dry my hair??? (cut, color)

[Tracysherm]

My hair is straight and blunt-cut, with bangs. Occasionally I get some long layers, but mostly it's blunt-cut, straight-across or rounded at the bottom. I've gone to expensive salons a few times (mainly because I thought I "should"), but I really can't justify over $100 or even $60-$70 for a simple blunt cut. I don't do color or anything exotic, so I really don't need a "expert;" I can pretty much be handled by any competent stylist, even one right out of school. I've even gone to the discount chain haircut places and had very good haircuts, since I pretty much just want to keep it simple and blunt-cut.

But I have a huge issue with stylists, from the discount chain ones to the moderately expensive ones, and all the ones in between, who cannot seem to blow-dry my hair. I realize that with some hair styles, blow-drying is the major way the hair is styled, so it has to be be done with lots of care, round brushes, product, and coordinating both hands. But to me, blow-drying is just about getting it dry.

I can blow-dry my hair in under 10 minutes at home. But at a salon, it takes for-freaking-EVER. I even tell them, "I just wear it straight" and "I just want it dry." But inevitably, they take one piece of hair, and slowly dry it from the roots almost to the ends. Then they take the next piece, and dry that. Then another piece and dry that. Then the next piece.....What the hell?

I know people who have naturally wavy or curly hair, who like it straightened, and they have to have their hair dried in this methodical piece-by-piece way. But mine is already straight, poker-straight. I just don't want to walk around with a wet head when I walk out of the salon, since I probably have other stops to make.

I've even resorted to asking if I can just dry it myself, politely taking the dryer from them. I dry the crown area, then hang upside down and dry the underside and back, then the sides, almost to the ends. I'm brushing it and keeping it moving all the time. Then I shoot the bangs for a half-minute. By then the ends are pretty much dry. Boom boom boom, done.

My hair holds a TON of water. It's like a Sham-Wow. Each individual hair is very fine, but I have a LOT of it. Doing this little piecy-piecy thing just takes forever.

Anyone else with this issue?
Any stylists out there who can shed light on why they do this? Is it taught in school?
Isn't getting the person cut, dried, and out of the chair the goal, so you can take the next person and earn more money? How is making someone like me sit there for an hour+ helping you at all?

[Opsimathia]

They are actually helping your hair. You damage it when you use too high a heat to try to speed dry. It totally ruins it and strips it of its natural gloss. No sections gives you frizz and damage.

It looks healthy in your pics and I have worked with what I call "corn silk" hair before. Its like it clumps up when its too wet and almost needs sectioned. I have always done hair at home so time really isn't a factor but I usually let people with hair like that just sit in a towel for at least 10 mins to soak it out. Try that maybe. Strait from the sink to the chair...lol. NO. I would be too afraid that you hair would boil and break off if its anything like the "corn silk" blondes I have worked on.

It may work for you but its not what is the best care for that "just in case" scenerio. They would rather keep you in that chair without damage, than to come back later complaining about damage, while the new customer was there.

[Tracysherm]

I use an ionic hair dryer, and blow dry every single day. My hair has not gotten damaged or frizzy from this, so I must be doing something right. When they blow each little piece of hair for like 20 minutes (with a non-ionic dryer) I would think that would dry out and damage my hair much more.

I always tell them I need LOTS of towel drying. Then during the cutting, a lot of water pours onto the floor. By the time they start to dry it, it's kind of like when I, at home, have had it wrapped in a towel for like 15 minutes.

[Opsimathia]

Originally Posted by TracySam

I use an ionic hair dryer, and blow dry every single day. My hair has not gotten damaged or frizzy from this, so I must be doing something right. When they blow each little piece of hair for like 20 minutes (with a non-ionic dryer) I would think that would dry out and damage my hair much more.

I always tell them I need LOTS of towel drying. Then during the cutting, a lot of water pours onto the floor. By the time they start to dry it, it's kind of like when I, at home, have had it wrapped in a towel for like 15 minutes.

Its a combo of time, temperature, technique and hair tenacity . Ionic dryers can add shine/fight frizz but depending on the model (hairdryers almost seem like cars when you get into it...lol) you could still have a high temp that will damage your hair.

The upside down trick that everyone does at home, also adds the chance for frizz.
If they don't section and clip it up the stylist can't really do that without telling you to bend over.
So frizz aside...you have to section to get under there or tell someone to bend over which could be awkward.

20 minutes though? Please let that be a dramatization. Did they forget to turn the dryer on? LOL
How many sections do they make when they start?

[Tracysherm]

I don't know how many sections it ends up being. They usually make each section to dry as they go along. Again, since I have so much hair, this means a LOT of little sections. They also tend to put the dryer on the lowest setting, which means it takes longer. Maybe 20 minutes per section was an exaggeration, but they sometimes take 10 minutes drying a section!

I know, I know, they use a low setting to prevent damage, but since it takes so long (seriously, it was nearly an hour!) I think it would make sense to put it on a higher setting or use an ionic dryer.

A secondary thing that annoys me, but less so, is that they tend to blow-dry all my hair forward, when I blow dry it back, sort of away from my face. They also want to plaster my bangs flat down on my forehead instead of giving them a tiny bit of lift. I don't want poofy 80s bangs, but I don't want them flat against my forehead either. It's just so weird that all stylists tend to do this, in the nicer salons and the cheapo ones.

Frizz has never been a problem for me, at least not since my last perm in 1989. It seems like they are doing all this stuff to prevent frizz, but there's really no point, since I don't have frizzy hair. My ends also tend to be really healthy, so I don't need haircuts very often. I get it cut shoulder-length, and usually get it cut when it's a few inches below shoulder length. When I start to notice a few split ends, that's when I go get it cut. I cut my own bangs, because they need it like every 2 weeks and I couldn't imagine going to a salon every 2 months, let alone every 2 weeks.

I think from now on, I'll just bring my dryer with me, and ask if I can just blow-dry myself when they are done cutting, or just go home with a wet head. But I like to have it dry before I leave, because I want ot make sure the bottom is perfectly even and there aren't longer pieces that need trimming, something you sometimes don't see until it's dry.


Thanks for the term "corn silk" hair. That seems to explain what I have. Each hair is very, very fine, but I have a LOT of it (my ponytail is much thicker than that of most people I see). It tangles very easily, and sometimes I'll find a single strand of hair that's tied in a knot--something I don't think thicker hair can do on its own. It's also so absorbant, that I'd swear, if you spilled a small bucket of water, you could wipe most of it with my head! The other thing about this kind of hair is that tiny fine hairs at the nape of my neck get tangled in my necklace, and pull (and hurt!) I'm always pulling tangles of broken hairs out of my necklace clasps.
I once went to a pricy salon, thinking it would mean a better cut or better service, and the snotty woman felt my hair and made a face and said "this hair is like maribou feathers, how am I supposed to do anything with this?" Then when it came to drying it, she got disgusted and handed me off to one of her underlings and said "Ugh, I can't deal with her hair anymore." I actually teared-up because she was so mean, and never went back. And this was like $100.

Thanks for your insights.