Over processed hair

WARNING:  Do NOT come into a hair salon and think that you'll be able to pull the wool over a hair dresser's eyes.

Yesterday, Tina had a client come in, wanting a perm.  Once the client took her hat off, and started apologizing for the condition of her hair ("Oh, I didn't brush my hair today"), I started paying a bit of attention.  I had a former hair dresser in my chair who audibly gasped when that hat came off, so I turned around.  Unbelievably over processed hair.  Not just "not brushed".  OVER PROCESSED.

I called Tina over to me, privately, and told her that a strand test is a MUST.  There is no way that we're going to provide a perm to anyone whose hair will not take it.  Nope.  Nada.  No freakin' way.  So, Tina took a sample strand from the back of her head, set it to soak in developer, and then gave the client a clarifying treatment to get out all the product in her hair. (the client has baby fine hair to start with, old, bad perm on the ends, and some old hair color to boot)

Tina took the strand out of the solution after 10 minutes, rinsed it.  We then separated the strand into two sections;  One for me to pull on, one to pull on in front of the client.  What a surprise!  The hair shredded in my fingers.  No perm for you, honey.

Tina took the other strand out to the client, to do the same thing.  The client was PISSED we didn't provide the service.  She got a great haircut, a conditioning treatment, everything.  Her comment:  "Well, I won't be coming here again."  Her husband, who works for Walmart, came into the salon to see how things were progressing.  The wife put forth a snotty attitude when telling the husband why we were refusing the service.  His comment?  "Well, just go back to the other place and get it done".  I can't wait to hear him bad mouth us.  It will be fun explaining to him that you can't fool a hairdresser.

We don't normally refuse services to clients.  It takes extenuating circumstances to do so.  Head lice is number one.  Open wounds on their scalp is another.  Over processed hair is the third.  Don't lie to me about what you've done to your hair.  I'll find out, and manage to prove you a liar.  It's certainly not something I enjoy doing, but it's something that has to be done.  My license, my professional integrity, and my professional reputation is on the line.  Not to mention the salon's reputation, which is always on the line.  If we had gone ahead and permed her hair, we ran the very serious risk of her hair coming off in some one's hands, if not a point of service, then later on, while combing, washing, or brushing the hair.  And then, whose fault is it??  The client who insisted on the perm??  Nope.  The hairdresser who should have known better.

She'll go to another salon, she'll get the perm.  She'll find a hairdresser with limited integrity (because there are a lot of them out there, trust me) who will look at her as dollar signs and not as a real person, and perm her hair.  And when it disintegrates (not IF, WHEN), she'll understand why we wouldn't do the perm.  Or, she'll just keep thinking we're a bunch of idiots.  Doesn't matter to me.  We did the right thing.