It’s easy to tell someone with a bad haircut not to worry too much because “it will grow back, anyway.” What most people don’t fully grasp is that the person will need to live through the visual nightmare (maybe even steer clear of mirrors) for the time being.
It’s likely what these brave souls did, who had it in them to share their post-mortem photos for the internet to see. Many of these images involve the awful handiwork of their barbers, while others show botched dye jobs that can make you feel sorry for everyone involved.
And if you have enough courage, feel free to share your own hair-related mishaps.
#1 So, For A Good Week Now, My Friend Has Been Asking Me To Cut Her Hair For Her… No Idea Where She Got The Idea That I Wouldn’t Mess This Up
I finally went to do it, and this was the result. Sad things, I really did try! I’m not a hairdresser! I feel awful though… Hope we’re still friends.
Image source: ArtemisFoxx
#2 No Words
Image source: tbksyu
#3 Ever Thought About Hiring A Cheap Barber From Craigslist? Think Again
Image source: Maklo_Never_Forget
Haircuts are a big deal for most people. Everyone aspires for a look that makes them feel good about themselves. And it’s no surprise that many people are particular about who touches their hair.
A YouGov survey found that 38% of Americans always see the same person for their hair needs. On the flip side, only 17% say they “generally see different people” when they are due for a cut.
#4 My Coworker Went To A Barber And Asked For A Mohawk
Image source: drbonghits420bro
#5 Forgot To Put Guard On While Cutting My Kid’s Hair
Image source: SunnySteph365
#6 What I Asked For vs. What I Got
Image source: LemonberryTea
Women can be very particular about their hair. At a young age, many of them grew an admiration for Disney princesses, characters with long, glossy manes. And according to psychotherapist Heather Garbutt, there were “very deep traditions” involving women’s hair.
“Long hair, for whatever reason, seems to simultaneously represent the innocence of childhood and the allure of adult femininity,” Garbutt told Stylist. “How many times have we seen the letting down of a woman’s tresses as a sensual experience?”
#7 What I Wanted, Before And What I Got
Image source: SpaceSyncMusic
#8 I Was Forced To Go To My Uncles Barber & This Is What He Did. Am I Cooked?
Image source: reddit.com
#9 My Dad Is An Uber Driver And The Barber Did Him Dirty
Image source: Harmonicabagpipes
These days, we are seeing more women defy these standards and go the exact opposite route. According to Garbutt, having a shorter haircut is a “statement of independence” and even a catharsis after a difficult time.
“It is symbolic of letting go of the past, getting out of our hair whatever has been troubling us, cutting old ties, and lightening the load to go forwards into a new future,” she explained.
#10 Is It Okay To Ask For A Refund For A Botched Haircut Rather Than Getting It Fixed?
This is the second time in under a year that a professional hair stylist has left me with a horrendous cut, and I’m so frustrated!
Image source: kittenfloof
#11 Friend Had Her Husband Dye Her Hair With Rit Fabric Dye. Needless To Say, It Turned Out Horrid
Three salons have turned her away already because they don’t want the responsibility of fixing it.
Image source: itskaylafromIDR
#12 Wasted $300 On A Color And Style That Was Not What I Wanted
The colors in my hair look like they’ve been fading for a month, even though I just got them done an hour before taking pics.
Image source: MagicDawn8
We’ve all heard people say, “When you look good, you feel good.” For some, it may even feel like they belong in a higher social class. This is what researchers from the Stanford Graduate School of Business found in a study.
According to one of the researchers, Professor Margaret Neale, these people view the social world as “fundamentally stratified,” and not just based on wealth, education, and educational prestige. Beauty and attractiveness are also critical factors.
#13 Tried Giving Myself A Haircut
Image source: TravusHertl
#14 Sorry, But This Haircut Ain’t It
Image source: Kefiriuksltu
#15 Help Needed My Niece Accidentally Put Nair On Her Head. What Could Possibly Be Done To Hide This Or Minimize It’s Impact?
Image source: JusticeUmmmmm
People place utmost importance on their looks, to the point that they are willing to pay good money for them. According to a 2024 report, women can spend $1,064 per year on maintaining their appearance. Men, on the other hand, can pay around $728.
For the guys, hair care is a top priority, with 37% of expenses going to haircuts. It is only a second priority for the ladies (27% of costs), with skin care (29%) being at the top.
#16 This Was A “Skin Fade”. I Got As Far As The Pub, My Mates Took This Picture, And Promptly Ushered Me Back To Their House To Fix It
Image source: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWEN
#17 Extension Stylist Is Gaslighting Me?
I just got blocked by a stylist for saying I hate my hair and it’s unblended and poor color. She told me to just dye it in a week and is upset that I want to remove it. Am I crazy, or is this really poorly done?
Image source: artistired
#18 What Could Go Wrong While Cutting Hair?
Image source: mr9t9
#19 Got Called Lord Farquad Like 7 Times By Now
Image source: Twiningcoyote93
#20 Took The Great Clips Gamble And Lost
Went to get my hair cut today to trim off my split ends and touch up my layers, as well as trim the top of my bangs while keeping the curtain bangs/face framing pieces. Instead, they chopped off the hair on each side of my face, and it looks like I have a bowl cut in the front, long hair in the back.
Image source: creeque-alley
#21 My Friend Is Apparently Allergic To Hair Dye
Image source: luddej
#22 My Wife Wanted Her Grays Covered And Subtle Highlights For A Wedding. Her Hair Colorist Had A Medical Emergency During Their Session
The lady passed out on top of her in her home studio. My wife had to carefully get her to the floor and called 911. EMS brought the lady to the hospital, and we are all hoping she is okay.
Image source: DoctorKynes
#23 I Let My Cousin Cut My Hair During The Quarantine… Turns Out I’m A Beltcher
Image source: ominousyew
#24 The Fact That I Let My Mom Cut My Bangs And This Is What I Came Out With
Image source: toadsoupp
#25 That Time When I, An Adult Woman, Thought It’d Be A Grand Idea To Drunkenly Cut My Own Bangs
Image source: ducklady92
#26 What I Wanted vs. What I Got. Should I Sue Great Clips
Image source: Kosmic_Mindful
#27 Haircut Fail
Due to popular request from my previous post, I’m showing my fail from all angles.
Image source: Extreme-Crew-7743, Extreme-Crew-7743
#28 The Way They Cut My Bangs The Last Two Haircuts
Two months apart, same hair stylist, similar result. Should I try a new barber, or should I keep going back? Kinda wanna see how many of these pictures I can accumulate. What do you think?
Image source: joocygooch
#29 Photo On The Left Is What I Wanted. Photo On The Right Is What I Got. She Assured Me She Could Do It
Image source: Limeila
#30 “Let Me Get A Pineapple Fade” Barber: “Say No More Fam”
Image source: ShreddedLettuce_
#31 Girl, You Need To File For Divorce
Image source: deafaviator
#32 To Bleach Hair Using Walmart Bag To Keep The Heat In
Image source: CodeVirus
#33 Bringing Honor To My Family
Image source: ayeshaeroticafanstan
#34 I Used A Cap To Give Myself Highlights (I Have Done Successfully Many Times Before)
But this time it went horribly wrong. I think the bleach leaked through the cap, bleaching my roots – what do I do now?
Image source: magnificent_hamster
#35 I Cried After Seeing My New Haircut
The first picture is what I showed her.
I told her not to take off any length! I just wanted a cute hairstyle and was told the stylist was the best for alternative cuts and shags. Feels like such a waste of $70. Thankfully, my mom is paying for it to get fixed and her salon today.
Image source: harold_the_cat
#36 That One Time I Accidentally Cut Too High
Image source: Kariinstar
#37 My Brother Cut His Own Hair
Image source: Neuroplasm
#38 Please Help! My Friend Dyed My Hair, And I Hate It
My friend dyed my hair today, and I hate it so much. I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but it looks horrible. I used to have it pink and got pressured into dying it blue. I’m sobbing and don’t know what to do. I would bleach it, but my hair is already dead, and I don’t want it even more dead. Please, please help me.
Image source: RachelFitzyRitzy
#39 Asked For The Haircut On The Left, Received The Haircut On The Right
Image source: Pkyankfan69
#40 Somebody Said That I Should Post My Haircut Here What I Wanted And What I Got
Image source: mr_lone2
#41 I Think I Need To Find A New Barber
Image source: sipicup
#42 I’m A Hairstylist, And My Coworker Cut My Hair Today. I Trust Her, And I Didn’t Look At The Back Until Later
I don’t know what happened. She is usually very good. My boyfriend said I must have annoyed her off to deserve this…
Image source: gamercouplelolz
#43 Went To Have My Hair Balayage Dyed Purple… (The References I Sent To The Stylist Included)
Image source: SuperDuk777
#44 Blow Dried My Hair Today During Baby’s Nap, Went Out On A 30 Minute Walk In The Fog After And My Hair Was Restored To Factory Settings
I’ve never dyed my hair before. I also haven’t been to a hairdresser’s in 3 years until Friday, when I had a haircut, and this morning, when I went to have it dyed as a birthday treat. £112 later, she dyed a fraction of the hair that I asked her to, and you can only see the colour (purple) in very specific lighting circumstances. I had friends over this evening, and none of them noticed it.
Image source: Careful-Increase-773
#45 Tried Going To A New Stylist… Crying Now
Image source: SwimmingState1409
#46 My Girlfriend Had An Oopsie While Cutting My Hair
Image source: Elbartos05
#47 Waited 6 Weeks For An Appt At The Highest Rated Salon In Town For An Undercut. Paid $90 For This. Advice On Next Steps?
I desperately wanted an undercut since I’m in surgical menopause and experience near-constant hot flashes. Florida summer has been ROUGH. I’ve never had short hair & was a bit nervous, so I researched the highest rated salon in town, talked to the receptionist about what I was looking for – an undercut with a design. Yesterday I finally had my appt, met with the stylist, and showed her my inspo pics (added some to the pics in my post for reference). She said she didn’t do designs – another girl at the shop does those, who wasn’t there – okay fine – but she could do the undercut & next time I could do the design with the other girl. I should’ve just stopped it there, but I’d waited so long for the appt & I’m a pushover, so I went along with it & quickly scooted outta there.
It’s… not great. Thankfully, I work from home & rarely leave my house, but man, I’m pretty disappointed. It’s not at all close to the inspo pics or what I said I wanted. Any advice on where to go from here? I know I’ll have to wait for some growth to get it fixed – is there a way I could’ve explained what I wanted better? Any tips on finding someone who can actually execute this style? I do love how much cooler my head is, it is helping with the hot flashes… I’d just like it to look more intentional & less like I’m being prepped for surgery.
Image source: himeeusf
#48 Now’s The Perfect Time To Do Something You’ll Regret
Image source: hananananbatman
#49 I Tried Dying My Hair By Myself. It Was A Comedy Of Errors, To Say The Least. It’s Supposed To Be Purple
Image source: reddit.com
#50 8-Year-Old Me After Trying To Shave Off My Baby Hairs In The Shower. Feel Free To Laugh, Roast, Etc.
Image source: Kwaybee
#51 I Tipped Great Clips $10. Didn’t Realize How Bad It Was Until I Got Home
Image source: mcar1227
#52 What I Asked My Colorist For vs. What I Got. Clown Hair. First Time Getting My Hair Dyed Professionally
Image source: Snowflak88
#53 Look At How They Massacred My Boy
What we wanted / What we started with / What we ended up with.
Image source: Eden_East
#54 I Have To Be The Unluckiest Guy When It Comes To Barbers
Image source: Straight-Pound-3180
#55 This Is What I Asked For vs. What I Got, Is This A Bad Haircut Or My Thick Hair ?
Is this a bad haircut or just because I have thick, coarse hair? I can’t tell, but I don’t like it. 2nd picture is before.
Image source: maeve_xoxo
#56 Hate Crime On Curly Hair Update
I went back into the salon on Thursday and requested the owner, but she wasn’t there, so I reported everything to another stylist and showed her the pics and my hair, and she was just in shock. I sent the pics to her, and the owner called me yesterday morning, and she was literally speechless. She has curly hair also, and she just kept saying “I can’t believe this/ I am so sorry/ I am so embarrassed.” Shockingly though, she did tell me that she has gotten a couple of other complaints on this stylist recently (obviously not to this extent), and she was like, “If she wasn’t on the road going on vacation right now, I would be calling her.” So I am getting my money back, and the owner herself is going to fix what she can next Friday. She mentioned a blunt cut and a bob, like many of you said, and she was honestly upset that I couldn’t come in sooner, but it just didn’t work out that way with our schedules.
I am definitely still emotional about it and truly feel like a monster when my hair is down at home, but I’ll be ok. My wonderful husband actually shaved his head in solidarity, and he has beautiful curls too, so that made me feel a little better. For everyone wanting me to call out the salon, I get it, but I just can’t do that. I live in a small town and work directly with the community, and this is a salon that does booth rental, so I truly don’t want to ruin an entire business over an incredibly incompetent person who is not a reflection of the entire establishment. I think the stylist will get enough issues just from speaking with the owner and the fact that we do live in a small town, and I have no issue telling people what happened to my hair when they ask. I won’t lie or sugarcoat it.
Image source: gerkinclyt
#57 Dad Tried Cutting His Own Hair, Didn’t Notice Until 2 Days Later
Image source: z0mbieshift
#58 I’m Sorry For Laughing But I Hope You Get/Got It Out
Image source: kelsiestampley
#59 I Cried A Lot. I Don’t Even Know How It Happened. I Just Needed My Roots Done. I Pretty Much Only Dye My Own Hair Or Have Marty Do It Since This
Image source: halsey
#60 My Boot Tried To Cut His Own Hair
Image source: Texaspo0ntappa
#61 My Dad Tried To Save Money By Not Going To Barbers This Is My Hair Now
Image source: Chal123456
#62 How Bad Did My Barber Mess Up My Skin Fade
I just came back from a barbershop where I tried out for the first time. At the beginning of the haircut, I asked for a high skin fade, and he proceeded to ask me what number I wanted and how high I wanted it. He then offered me a 0, 0.5, 1, and 2, and I said a 0. He combed my hair to the side and said my last barber cut it pretty high. That makes sense because I have a high skin fade. I said I wanted it that high. Near the beginning of the haircut, I asked him, “Isn’t a skin fade the lowest number?” He kind of brushed it off, saying it doesn’t mean anything, and then mentioned and offered me a 1, 2, 0, triple 0, and I believe he said, a ‘four old shaver’. Which he says literally only leaves skin showing.
Image source: Miamicreator
#63 I’m The Idiot Who Put Bleach On Box Dye Brown Hair
I was a nice chestnut brown, but my roots (dirty/dark blonde) grew through, so I decided to bleach the whole thing. This is after bleach and toner, and my roots are an amazing cream color, but the rest of my hair is ginger. I like each color separately, but together it just ain’t the vibe.
How long until I can bleach the ginger parts again? Should I just embrace the ginger and dye my roots to match? Is there any way to blend the two colors so it’s not as much of a difference?
Image source: FruitCold8262
#64 Trying To Achieve A More Fluffy, Androgynous Haircut, And It Keeps Coming Out… Not Right
Image source: UndineTheUndying
#65 My Coworker Let His Friend Cut His Hair
Image source: Ascenshhhn
#66 Business In The Front, Party In The Back
Image source: Rocko210
#67 Bleached My Hair Yesterday, Some Of It Turned Red! How Soon Til I Can Bleach Again
The really light stuff was previously (a year or so ago) bleached and dyed. The virgin hair turned red and coppery. Something my dark hair sadly always does. I’m going to a wedding in less than 3 weeks and really wanted to do pink on one side and an unsure color on the other.
Image source: KJRosemary
#68 Decided To Change Barbers. I Also Have A Date In 1 Hour
Image source: markom1946
#69 Hair Clippers Died
Image source: Scaulbylausis
#70 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 that it feels like pasta noodles when wet.
Went to a salon with a newer stylist, I’ve been in her salon. 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.
Image source: Electronic-Sea-4866
#71 When The Stylist Says “I’m Having A Tough Time With Your Hair Line!”
Image source: cleanshoes30
#72 I Let My Brother Cut My Hair… He Free-Handed The Top And Dropped The Razor. At Least Isolation Is An Excuse To Hide Until It Grows Back
Image source: smolnoodle
#73 What I Asked For, What I Got
I went to the top-rated barbershop in my city and drove across town to get there. I literally showed the barber the first photo. Little did I know I had been assigned a student barber without my knowledge or permission. I ended up with a high and tight, like a 1 clipper guard up the entire sides. Looked like I just got out of boot camp. This was a few years ago. This happens a lot. Why barbers do this is beyond me. Then it takes months to grow out. Then I go somewhere else, show them a similar photo, and end up with another high and tight. Rinse and repeat! FUN.
Image source: TinyHeartSyndrome
#74 The Luxury I Ordered vs. The Indulgence I Unwrapped
Goldilocks always gets her way.
Image source: Made_invietnam
#75 I’ve Cut My Own Hair Ever Since
Image source: Mable_Shwartz
#76 The Colour I Asked For vs. The Colour I Got. I Just Wanted Teal Hair For My Wedding
Image source: IjustwantaMartini
#77 My Buddy Discovered This 3 Days After Going To Great Clips. It’s Fine
Image source: LukeJJackson
#78 I Asked To Have It Edged Up So My Bangs Would Be Straight. Proceeded To Cut All My Bangs Off And My Entire Widows Peak. White Guy At A Black Barbershop Problems
Image source: jburna_dnm
#79 The Result Of Asking My Dad To Go Over My Outgrown Undercut Again. Said He Didn’t Want To “Accidentally Shave Too Far”
Image source: crediblemayonnaise
#80 They Messed My Hair. I Don’t Know What To Do
Image source: Impressive_Ad_1300
#81 Stylist Messed Me Up, How Can I Fix This?
So she starts bleaching my hair and is doing thin strands in foil, and I’ve never used foil before, so I figured the thin strands were normal. Then she’s like Okay, we’re done with the bleach, but has barely touched the bangs, so they’re still brown. I said that I wanted it like the photo, and showed her the alternating color again. She’s confused but bleaches the whole bang.
It processes, washes, and dries, and we start doing the pink. Once again, she doesn’t dye the bang at all, so I correct her and pull out the picture AGAIN! I want the half pink, with it alternating, point out how it is in the photo! She does it
processes, wash, dry, and we look in the mirror, it’s absolutely horrible. I had no idea that she was doing highlights in the back, especially since I showed her the big chunks of color in the reference photos!
Image source: friedratsss
#82 Barber Ruined Me
What I was vs. what I asked for (a previous haircut) vs. what I got: some sort of weird bowl haircut?
Now, most ppl when they notice you got a new haircut say it looks nice just to be polite, but literally everyone I’ve asked about it so far has straight up told me it looks bad. What am I gonna do now?
Image source: DavidsGreat
#83 Got A Haircut At My Local Barber And Got Bad Razor Burn
Image source: J-man-Big
#84 My Boyfriend Decided To Try A New Hairdresser (The Third Picture Shows How They Fixed It)
Image source: MoonSearcher, MoonSearcher
#85 Is It Possible To Darken Overbleached Hair? It Is Gummy And Super Light, After I Bleached It Myself. Tried To Go Light Brown With Box Dye And It Ended Up Like This
Image source: shinygold_
#86 Bad Bleach Damage Hair (The First Pic Is The Color I Wanna Have)
I’ve been bleaching and dying my hair over and over for half a year, right now all I want is to get my hair to a healthy dark blonde color and try to repair the severe damage done to my hair. I have a wolf cut, it’s spotty and dull, it looks really orange after I bleached it weeks ago. Can y’all give me any tips for what I can do to save this mess and get it to dark/medium blonde at home?
Image source: Signe_Sol
#87 I Asked For A Lob A Little Past My Jaw, And She Cut It All Off. Help
Image source: ThrowRA_Queenmama
#88 Stuck In Quarantine. Asked My Wife For An “Oliver Tree”
Image source: readycent
#89 Thought I Could Save $20 By Cutting My Own Hair
Image source: STERFRY333
#90 Failed Pixie Cut By Salon. Went Back And Had Her Try And Fix It, But It Is Still Butchered. So Choppy And Uneven On The Sides
I had a 360 undercut with a long piece in the middle, but wanted to start growing it out and asked for a pixie. This is what I got. Going to a different salon on Thursday.
Image source: yourbasicstitch
#91 I Got A Really Bad Haircut
I don’t know what went wrong. She gave me a lovely cut the last time, and this was supposed to be a freshen up. It’s so so so bad. Can it be fixed? I’m in tears.
Image source: I_see_snacks
#92 I Accidentally Gave Myself A Micro Fringe And I’m Panicking… What Can I Do? Pls Help
So my best friend normally cuts my fringe for me, but it’s her birthday event today and she’s busy. My fringe was way too long, so I thought I’d just cut it myself. What could go wrong? Well… it looks awful, I cut one bit too short and just had to commit to the micro fringe. I’m really panicking bc I’m self-conscious anyway, but I hate how it looks.
Image source: strxwberryalice
#93 This Is What Happens If You Go To A Barber Shop Which Is Recommended By A Bald Friend
Image source: cagataynebigokmen
#94 What I Asked For V. What I Got
Image source: leviathaniticus
#95 Expectation vs. Reality For Haircut
So I got a haircut for my vacation in a few days. I’ve always had a bob, and I’ve always loved it on myself, but this time my hairstylist chopped off all my hair and made the bob way too short. Not to mention, I asked for a blunt straight across bob, and she gave me an angled bob that gets shorter in the back and I’ve always hated that look. I showed her inspo pics, and she did not follow them in the slightest. I’m literally sitting in my car crying right now. Please make me feel better and tell me it doesn’t look as bad as I think. I know this style is trendy right now, but I just don’t have the face for it. Also, I love the bangs, so it would be better if I could just pull the hair back and leave the bangs out, but it’s too short to pull back. And advice for getting it into a claw clip so I can just hide the haircut and leave the bangs showing? First 2 pics are the inspo pics, all the others are me. Is it as bad as I think?
Image source: powerpufffgrl
#96 Accidentally Started Cutting His Hair Without The Trimmer Guard And Was Forced To Go All The Way. Mistakes Were Made
He was initially pretty miffed but has come to accept it. (I think he wears it well, and it hasn’t affected his confidence).
Image source: Thebeardedsensei
#97 Worst Haircut I’ve Ever Gotten In
I am freshly postpartum and have been feeling very blah about the way I look, but I’ve always had great hair. And then for some reason, I decided to get it all cut off, and the hairdresser totally botched it, and ended up giving me basically a borderline bowl cut. I hate it and I have literally never felt uglier lol and this isn’t an attempt to garner compliments, I am just desperately looking for styling advice. I never styled my hair before, and as a new mom, I definitely don’t have time now, but I need to do something with it because I don’t even want to leave the house. I shower at night and let it air dry, and it ALWAYS just dries completely straight (somehow the cut has taken away all of my natural wave), and the ends curl under. I’ve tried sea salt spray, doesn’t work. I can curl it with a wand, and it’ll look better, but I do not have the time to do that every day with my baby. Any advice at all would be immensely appreciated. Pics are me in the parking lot before my haircut, and me at home afterwards, after lots of crying.
Image source: Asleep_Sympathy_8987
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