Do hairdressers seem ageist to you ?

I agree that there is ageism in the hairdressing field. My hairdresser is the same age as me, and also a friend. She knows what suits me and gives good cuts. Any time I get a compliment on my hair, I mention her, and also pass it along.

She admits to not liking to do some younger clients with long hair. It is a lot of work physically pulling up the long hair to cut, and she admits quite often they are fussy clients not always accepting what their hair will do, with frequent colour changes.

I also know some women my age that have felt dismissed when they walk into a salon with a younger clientele. Good hairdresser training should take all styles and ages into consideration.

No, not at all in my experience and I am 64.

I've been with my hairdresser for 13 years. I have my hair coloured every 6 weeks to what was once my natural colour before the grey started to take over. I have it blow dried and straightend afterwards. Twice she has asked me if she can photograph it and both times she has used the photographs to showcase some of her work on social media. I'm only 15 months away from my 60th birthday so I always feel quite flattered

My hairdresser also posts IG pics of long flowing locks. However shots are always of the back of the head to guarantee anonymity and I have featured there myself, although tbf I have not gone grey and have a medium bob.
As I've aged in appearance a lot in the past year it has worried me that I might not be so welcome but I have been wrong. Both my hairdresser and my beautician always treat me as I would wish: as an equal that they can a good chat and even a giggle with. I feel very lucky.

Nexus
What a horrible thing to say. It's like that scene in Pretty Woman with the shop assistants.

Thank you for all of your replies.
I might add to my original post that I am still tring to fathom why stylists spend so much time on the back of your hair these days - the part that you can't see!
I even had one cut where she only cut the back, and not the front and when I queried why, her reply was that the front around your face doesn't really matter! You can guess that was the only time she had my custom and I heard that she no longer works in the job!
One of my oldest friends (in age and time) goes to a really good place - she often has different colours - currently rocking purple- and she also often has her photo posted on the salon's social media.
Sadly, the salon is hard for me to get to or that would be the salon for me to use - her hair always looks wonderful!
My search for a new salon goes on and maybe I will be messaging some of the salons I have seen and asking why they don't show pics of more mature customers - I am sure that many won't mind at least being asked!

To my mind all fashion is ageist to the extent that what is advertised is ususally only suitable for girls and women under 25.

As I never go near a hairdresser, I don't know whether they are ageist too, but certainly the hair styles I see advertised, like the clothes are only suitable for young women.

Just to be clear I'm not suggesting you looked like Julia Roberts did in the film.
???

They would be daft to dismiss older clients, everybody needs their hair cut and we all pay. I can’t blame them for showing off their skills with a lush head of hair though but showing older clients would be a really good marketing tool.

Ive had varying experiences in hairdressers. One sad fact is you find a good one, then they leave. The difficulty I found was many younger ones used styles that were too young for me, but I was always treated with courtesy. Nowadays I have a smashing stylist who really understands myself and my hair. It's not cheap, but it's my one expensive luxury. Ask around, often word of mouth is a good reference or as a previous poster said, choose a salon, go in for a chat and get a 'feel' for the place.

I feel the same as you jaylucy! But what I can’t get over are how much there prices have increased ?. And a cut and blow-dry now is just that cut and wafted over with the hair dryer that costs an arm and a leg. Just amazing how things have changed since Covid!!...

Would any of them be able to do a curly perm?

When I had my hair cut and blow dried in Germany, the hair dresser handed me a book with lots of fabulous styles modelled by older women looking over 50 with, plenty of shortish swishy I like. There was only a few pictures of hair on the walls mainly abstract. Going there is always a highlight of the visit.

I’ve been going to an older man who trained in the 1970s. He’s now retired and has been ill with covid. He told me that trainee hairdressers don’t get the depth of training nowadays. They don’t always know how to cut hair and some of them seem only able to use a pair of straighteners. They don’t learn social skills either.

If I look at the website and Facebook pages of a hair salon and it’s all pictures of young women with long coloured or bleached tresses I don’t bother with them. When I go into a hair salon and if the talk to me like I’m simple because I’m old I walk out

As a student in London 50 years (!!) ago we used to go to Vidal Sassoons and pay 50p to get our hair cut by trainees who were very closely supervised by the trainers. We learnt what a good cut was through going to Vidal Sassoons. I kept going right up til the 1990s

I’ve ended up going to a hair salon back in my home town which has hairdressers who ex trainers from a big hairdressing chain and they know how to talk to all ages without patronising them and don’t see hairdressing as just about doing young women’s tresses.

I've been going to my hairdresser for years, we actually were at school together. She has a salon at her home and has all ages of men and women going to her. I love knowing she will do as I ask, I would hate to be going anywhere else now and maybe getting a stylist who would be tempted to change it.

My hairdresser is early 30s and does not hair as I want it. She advised when I wanted to let it go grey and also when I wanted to grow layers out for son's wedding. She kept ig looking good. It is in centre of a busy market town. Seems to be a popular hairdressers.

It's a free market. Choose a hairdresser who suits you. There are plenty to choose from and it seems a pretty competitive business. Tell them what you want and if you aren't satisfied go elsewhere. I don't really care if 'hairdressers' are ageist just as I don't care if the cat is black or white so long as it's a good mouser.

I, 78 years old, had a horrible experience with a hairdresser in Axminster. I needed a “do” to cheer me up after an operation and was feeling rather ill. The hairdresser left me for over half an hour, freezing cold, after colouring my hair, whilst she dealt with a woman with long thick hair ( mine, post-op,is thin and fine). Eventually the salon owner spotted me shivering and came over and washed out the dye. Then I was left for another 20 minutes until the sullen stylist, still busy with her other client, gave me a cut which took less than 10 minutes and I was charged £84 pounds for the privilege. Needless to say I never went back. I was made to feel that I wasn’t worth bothering with.

I’ve worked on several different cities, and as my hair is short pixie style, need to get it cut every 4-5 weeks by somebody good at cutting or it looks very scraggy. If away from my “home” hairdresser, I would just walk into a likely looking salon and ask for a trim with one of their senior stylists. Mostly this was fine, except one time.
I was working in Scotland and had been invited to the wedding of DH’s cousin who lived in Brixton. Work had been really busy and I hadn’t had chance to visit a hairdresser. We arrived on Brixton where we were staying in the couple’s house, so I decided to go out first thing and get my hair trimmed. Went out at 8am and found a hairdresser open on the main street. I went in and asked as usual if I could have a trim with a senior stylist. The lass behind the counter said sorry, we’re too busy. I looked around and there wasn’t a client in the place, just a few stylists sitting around chatting at the back. I couldn’t very well argue that my hair is short, it only takes 10 minutes to cut, so I went out and walked further down the street and found somewhere to do it, who did a lovely job. I was in my 40s. It was only later that it crossed my mind that all the staff in the first place were black women and maybe they were only trained to style black women’s hair, all those lovely cornrows, but I wish the woman on reception had just said so if so. It wasn’t something I had come across in Scotland (and the lassie who cut my hair in the second place was black)

Annoyingly if I go to the hairdressers with tatty hair and little make up I come out looking like a frump.
If I actually ‘do’ my hair before I go and wear full war paint I come out with a totally different style.

I would shop around. Just ask fir a wash/ dry whilst you suss out. Look for conversation /courtesy/ welcoming environment/ a stylist who asks about you and what you like style wise/ once you get a good feel- as for a consultation with the stylist BEFORE you book a cut or colour! Always. Take a picture. Discuss. If you feel listened to and relaxed.... book.

I love my hairdresser and we have a great giggle when I hi to get my hair gone. I have short hair and he cuts it however I fancy. Has also coloured it a couple of times for fun at my request. The staff are lovely and if I could afford it I would go everytime I needed my hair washed and dried as I hate doing it ?

i've been going to my hairdressers for several years now and cannot recommend it highly enough.
my hairdresser is half my age but we get on very well and i trust her with my long hair. i wanted to have a bit more red in my colour and we talked it through - i'm so very pleased with the colour and she liked it so much she did her own hair the same colour! it is VERY red!!!
ladies of all ages go to my hairdressers and they are all treated the same was - as valued customers.
what attracted me to them in the first place was the list of "oap" treatments they do. not many salons do this - perhaps the OP could look at different salons and see if they do oap prices and take the plunge.

Quizzer

Annoyingly if I go to the hairdressers with tatty hair and little make up I come out looking like a frump.
If I actually ‘do’ my hair before I go and wear full war paint I come out with a totally different style.

That is a perfect example of how we get what we give out. When you are 'fully done' you are a lady to contend with!
Thanks for sharing.

I used to be a hairstylist quite a long time ago and I absolutely loved the older clients. Most were so interesting to talk to. I looked forward to our weekly catch ups. It was a very strict high end salon and we had many super rich or ‘important’ clientele but we stylists treated everyone the same whatever age the client appeared to be. It was called good grounding and professional training. I was so sad reading about the poster concerned about her diagnosis on entering that salon and the attitude. That young lady has no place working with the general public!