One hairdresser reported that salons are far less busy than usual, prompting online debate about why that may be.
“Salons are more quiet than usual this season,” TikToker @nicolepommehair said in a recent video.
Many responded to the observation with stitched videos.
TikToker Ally K (@anonymousally198) racked up 382,000 views and offered her “controversial opinion” about the real reason why many are foregoing hair salons and opting to style their own locks in a viral stitch.
” Going to the hairdresser right now is like gambling,” she began the clip.
She said trusting a hairstylist with your hair, even the best of them, is taking a gamble that your hair could be damaged or you don’t like the finished product.
“And we don’t have the money to gamble anymore, a lot of us,” she continued. “So we’re learning how to do our hair at home.”
Ally also believes the hairstylist community has grown increasingly catty and “mean.” She said she experienced some of this poor behavior in beauty school before dropping out to pursue a “regular” education.
“The gossip, the competition was enough to make me pull my hair out,” she said. “I wanted nothing to do with it.”
The woman believes that the experience she had while in beauty school mirrors what the entire industry has become: mean. Social media has also allowed for this “mean girls” attitude to be captured and viewed by millions, she said. She gave an example of a well-known stylist who built a following online by making fun of women who try to do their own hair at home. The TikToker even said stylists criticized her for giving shampoo tips to her followers.
“The criticism that I got was ridiculous,” she lamented.
Ally believes this attitude stems from a sense of entitlement stylists have about who should be able to style hair. She argued that as licensed professionals, they feel a sense of authority over other people’s locks. She added that some clients may hesitate to speak up for themselves in the event that these stylists make a mistake while cutting, coloring, or styling their hair. If a client does ask for a style to be fixed, it could very well anger the hairdresser, she said.
“That’s like the cook spitting in your food because you sent it back,” she argued. “Except it’s my head, and I gotta wear it every day.”
Ultimately, Ally said that even though her hair may sometimes look “crazy,” she has saved tens of thousands of dollars after 22 years of doing her own extensions at home. She gave a shoutout to the stylists in the world who do their job and are mindful about how they treat clients, but ultimately said they are outnumbered by the stylists who are plain mean.
@anonymousally198 The real reason we aren’t going to hairstylists anymore and why some salons aren’t as busy. Controversial opinion of the modern hair industry and stylists. its the mean girl hairdressers for me. Look at how hairstylists in Atlanta treat clients even. #greenscreenvideo #hairstylistsoftiktok #hairstylistproblems #hairstylistoftiktok #meangirlhairstylist #bleachfail #hairfail #bleachdisasters ♬ original sound – Ally K
Another TikToker named Sam (@sampanda_) also shared concerns about affordability.
“They just can’t afford it right now,” she responded in her stitch of @nicolepommehair’s video.
In the comments section of Ally’s video, many agreed that they just can’t afford to do their hair anymore.
“I can’t afford it,” user Crayola commented. “So I had my stylist shave most of it off. Then went to barber to fix the shave. It needs dyed but i can’t afford it.”
“The ones that drive me nuts are the ones who say that if you don’t have the money then don’t come get your hair done,” user Ashleighclark1313 added. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Others agreed that the DIY trend has lessened the need to go to a hairstylist.
“Yeah , we are over it,” user @Tastest 53 said. “Brad Mondo revolutionized the DIY cut. No going back.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Ally K for comment via TikTok comment.
