Is it just me?

I neither hate not enjoy it either. But I go for the cut not the blow dry, and my hairdresser is quite happy to hand me the hair dryer and let me dry it myself, so I get the result I like.

I love going in to have my thick curly hair blow dried. It looks lovely and lasts for ages. Even quite enjoy my 3 monthly root touch up. Always pleased when it's done and my hair is shiny and no grey.

I neither hate it nor particularly enjoy it I go every five weeks They don’t usually do the banal questions as they know me well enough I tend to consciously not look in the big mirror read a mag until she starts then concentrate on looking at the hair not the me under it
Because I have a short choppy style it usually looks pretty much as I expect it to when I walk out

Lol! I go every 4 weeks these days so it’s not a phobia or a trauma. It’s just that I don’t enjoy having my hair done the same as I don’t enjoy clothes shopping and would hate going to a spa. Some of us don’t and lots of you do. That’s all...

I enjoy going to the hairdressser having a coffee made for me etc, but my hairdresser has gone “mobile” so now he comes to my home, I don’t sit in front of the mirror, wash my own hair, and I make him a coffee. But it’s half the price of the salon and I still get a great haircut so I’m not complaining. So maybe the OP should find a mobile hairdresser in her area.

mollie have you tried taking with you a magazine picture or photo of the style you want to emulate? Some salons have books of them and you can also book just a consultation appointment often with no charge made. My hairdresser will even come to my home as she knows that I am often unable to go to the salon and I just need to be flexible and fit in with her - which I do with reams of gratitude! I understand how you feel as I used to be painfully shy and couldn't even bear to enter a room on my own. My children cured me of that as I then had a role to carry out. Can't think of any role you could play in your head going to the hairdresser - unless you were a secret shopper and giving them marks for their salon?

My dislike of hairdressers goes back to being a shy teenager and some pretty awful hairstyles in my twenties when my self confidence was non existence. I can’t blame one particular hairdresser as I’ve had many over the years and even when I like the person and how he/she does my hair I still hate the whole experience. I’m no shrinking violet now and can stand up for myself bu, like an ingrained fear of dentists, I just hate going to the hairdresser.

At one time I was not comfortable going to the hardresser but it is a product like anything else in a shop so I kept trying different salons until I gelled/clicked with one. I now have a very good professional hairdresser who likes her clients to feel comfortable, to know what you really like and does her best to give you exactly that. She is happy to use my own shampoo and knows that she will never sell me any product unless I actually ask for it. I have always had easy hair to look after but as I have got older it has become much softer and I don't find that as easy to style and keep it looking nice without giving it some spray to hold it. I love my bright and shiny grey hair and will not colour it as it really suits me. As for the mirrors I only feel a bit embarrassed if someone catches me watching them but I just give them a big smile and nobody has ever not smiled back. I am very happy in my own skin which is fortunate since I couldn't change anything if I wasn't!

Mollie, I am with you. I LOATHE going to the hairdresser. It has never been a treat! (I don't understand people who enjoy manicures or pedicures either. I accept I am strange in not liking being pampered.)

Even when I stuck with one hairdresser it was always a gamble as to whether I'd like what she'd done with my hair even though I'd show her photographs from mags.

I hate the small talk, I hate being stuck in a chair pretending I am ok with it, I hate the waste of time, I hate the expense, and I hate the set look of a new (disappointing) hairstyle. I too go home and ruffle my hair up.

I tend to cut my own hair now. I like it slightly messy and choppy. The last two home haircuts have been complimented, (before people know I have done it myself) which is nice. There are so many You Tube tutorials out there that I have become reasonably confident about taking the scissors to my hair, and it saves me from the ordeal of going to the hairdresser.

Like Menopaws I cut my own hair - using guidance from You Tube and a good pair of scissors from EBay. What a relief not to have to go to the hairdresser, which I used to dread - resigning myself to whatever depressing look I ended up with. I keep it at shoulder length now, and I don't worry that it might not be entirely level - it seems to even itself up over a week or so. I think it's a good idea to ask a friend to check for long bits, but don't have anyone I know well enough - so I just don't worry about it!

The key to happiness at the hairdressers is to know exactly what you want from the haircut, and make sure you actually tell them.By doing that I have only ever had two ‘mistakes’ and think they were not very good as hairdressers, which you can’t really control.
I always have a dry trim, then style it myself at home.
Ask around friends and neighbours as to who they go to ( as long as you like their hair.)

I have never much enjoyed the hairdresser, but have a regular cut wash and blow dry about once every couple of months at a lovely saloon in London. My hairdresser is a very experienced chap who is now turned 70, enjoys working and has maintained a fairly solid client base. The other stylists are all ages including a handful of slightly older folk. They are all delightful and very attentive and although I still don’t much enjoy the experience I do at least feel more comfortable and trust my hairdressser. My worry is that he will decide to retire!

I'm happy with my current hairdresser and due to go again on Monday so am looking forward to that. I don't like unisex salons and generally give them a miss.

Why don't you just ask for a dry trim pollyparrot. My hairdresser is always happy just to cut my hair. I keep it very short, and wash it every morning in the shower. Blow drying isn't necessary either. I like having my hair cut.

Well, I’ve been and I survived. As I walked in a huge woman walked out with the most awful hair cut and colour you can imagine - bright red, shaved on one side, floppy down the other. I didn’t find that inspiring at all as I tried to explain that I wanted just a couple of styling tweaks. Would they make me look as ridiculous as that woman looked, I wondered?? Anyway, tweaks added (not bad, not brilliant but acceptable with a bit more tweaking at home) and of course I left with some ‘product’ meant to help my poor dry scalp. I heard all about Christmas, saw photos of the new boyfriend etc. And of course I’ve booked another appointment for next month

Sitting in front of those big mirrors is awful for me. I feel as if I need a miracle, not a haircut!

I hate the hairdresser too. I hate that question 'what product do you use on your hair?' because they don't mean shampoo! I rush home and wash my hair to get rid of it and to get my hair back to what looks normal.

I also hate sitting with my hair all wet and scraped back and having to stare at myself in the mirror looking even more awful than normal. And don't mention the forced conversation and the cup of coffee they bring that you can never quite get to so it goes cold. Torture!

We’ve got six hairdressers in our little town and I did the rounds of all of them when we moved here. I’ve stuck with the one who can get to grips with my wilful hair. It’s been ten years now and I’m now happy with the way it turns out. Mostly.

I,m with lots of others on here,dont like going to the hairdressers,cant stand the small talk and certainly dont like seeing myself in the mirror.
I had a mobile hairdresser come and cut my hair,she cut it a bit too short at the time,since been back and given me a light perm as my hair is dead straight so needed a lift.
So now every day i put rollers in and it looks nice after,plus my hair is greyish so i wont be colouring it anymore,just go grey gracefully.{smile}

It's not just you, mollie. I hated having my hair cut at the hairdresser when I was a child and for all of my teenage and adult life until this summer I avoided going. This summer I broke my arm and couldn't manage my long hair so I had it cut. I wasn't pleased with the first cut which took ages at a 'proper' hairdresser establishment. After five months of trying to cut my own hair, I popped into a local barber shop where the female barber, who mainly does boys and men, just sprays a bit of water on and does the job extremely well in about an eighth of the time and half the cost. I'll be going back to her.

She asked me why on earth I'd cut my hair myself (and made a right mess of it)! When I told her "because I hate going to hairdressers" she admitted that she hated it too ?

I hate visiting the hairdressers. I would be okay if there were no mirrors. Can't bear sitting facing myself.

I sympathise. I used to be like that but I was encouraged to have a (free) consultation at a certain salon. The receptionist was empathetic and agreed that it can be scary having your hair done. That calmed me down for a start. Then the lady with whom I had the consultation chatted about how I would like to have my hair done. She was lovely and I’ve never looked back (apart from in their mirror to appreciate my new hairdo!)

I hate it too mollie , I've had mine cut shorter but am seriously considering growing it again so I don't need to go as often. As for the mirrors...

I really like the girls in my hairdressers. Well, they were girls when I first went there: they're women now. They are really easy company, so I keep going.

I hate going too. I don’t mind the chat so much as all the fiddling. I’ve grown out the colour and gone grey in the hope that’ll mean less time in the salon. As a footnote I thought I’d be a steel grey but it’s almost pure white. I get a shock every time I catch my reflection. It took almost 6months so like it or not I’m sticking with it.