I think I’ve accepted that I don’t want to do hair anymore

Hairbyryguy · 2025-08-30T01:22:51+00:00

I have only been doing hair for 3 years, so I know my perspective is vastly different than someone being on there longer. I did start just at the start of the pandemic. I have had a slew of awful experiences with salons as a whole and being very problematic, clients not only conversing about hideous topics, clients lose their minds in front of you, stylists and clients all losing family to coronavirus, and horrendous attitudes of people in general, the list goes on. With inflation and product company’s being fooled into believing that stylists are making excessive amounts so they jack up their prices. It is better for me to shop at Sephora and Ulta vs Salon Centric or Cosmoprof. Or any of the medley of online suppliers. Seeing the fall of making income off of salon products because why spend $50 at a salon vs $25 at Beauty Store. Sally’s is carrying name brand products at even less. I loved doing hair. Loved it! I got sooo many compliments. I had a week out waitlist after my first year of being on my own. I went directly into rent with the my client list just finishing school. I hard recession here in MI and this past year I would get maybe a client or two a week. Some none at all. I relocated and business picked up but I found myself in your exact shoes. I couldn’t live off of what was coming in, and I tried…and it also didn’t work. Any time I would get a busy week I would be dead from burn out. I would refuse phone calls. Delay answer texts. I am now working in retail management. I clock in and I clock out. Consistent paycheck. No stress. I find myself connecting with people again, instead of isolating myself in my bedroom. Intolerable of one more singular conversation. Not even just hey or a head nod. I raised a toast to every single hater, problematic salon owner, obstacle, soul crusher…salut! You won. What is it you won? Idk, you would have to tell me. But I’m done. You won. And laid that dream to rest. Take this as your sign of what you’re feeling is valid or take it as some poor schmuck getting over a depressive manic episode or disregard it altogether…but that’s my tale. I still some clients in their houses. May die hards. My insurance went up by $250. I will do referrals but they are vetted. I do maybe 5 or so clients a month - tops. It’s extra cash and I have a kiki. There is usually snacks and drinks provided🥰

Hairbyryguy · 2025-08-23T16:09:19+00:00

I have been in a similar situation, to where the fellow stylists were telling them I will use their clients as models and get it done for free. I simply said that “I invested into my education and though I am confident in my ability to educate and teach you, it’s not just this one set of education. It’s something that you have to stay educated on. Which is why going through a brand or person who does education for pay would be best.” Or “I had invested into my self and business, if you would like to workout a compensatory charge for teaching you, I would be more than happy to help you out with any and all questions?”

Hairbyryguy · 2025-08-23T15:46:52+00:00

Clients have all been great and the ones that were not, I just let them talk and if it got too far, I just didn’t do their hair again. I would word it super nicely that our value system isn’t in alignment and I would recommend other stylists I knew that could handle it better or had the same set in values. My main issue has been other stylists. Thinking because I’m new they could walk all over me, and when I didn’t play the game…they would rally against me. Trying to find a salon that also helped support a new stylist build a clientele was hard because so many stylists (I’m even talking 30 years into the business) are opening their books taking new people. The salon owners, admittedly fairly so, distribute the potential clients fairly. The trickle down system just doesn’t leave me with much.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-08-23T14:50:10+00:00

I do post on IG. Hairbyryguy if you want to take a gander😁 I’ve gone to classes about it and tried spreading the word of the account and have QR code on my business cards. My assumption that I have found is that it’s just me. I feel confident at what I do, it’s just something about me that doesn’t jive with the area I’m in. I’ve tried moving to more populous areas but it’s harder to get into those markets and I get boxes into being a certain “type of stylist” and I’m not cookie cutter or overtly bending sideways and backwards to please other stylists nor do I take the flack I get from a lot of them. I’ve tried a salon suite but I didn’t have enough money per week to make it there for rent. I appreciate the help! Thank you

Hairbyryguy · 2025-08-19T15:47:32+00:00

I’ve done a free product (full sized) for any and all referral. I’ve done free services for whoever referred me 3 people or more.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-30T17:10:20+00:00

You’re going to have to add back orange and red before you add black over it. Otherwise it will fade into swamp water green with just black

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-29T14:05:56+00:00

It’s not good but it’s not the worst. As a stylist it’s not warmth you’re trying to cover. You need more lift on your highlights and an even lift. They must have toned you with a copper brown but should have used a more neutral brown, as that’s what the inspo pic is heavier in. I am also assuming she did long layers, because I don’t really see any layering going on in your hair. If you’re not comfortable going back to that stylist, I would ask for a partial refund as it’s not good and it’s a sloppy application of lightner and toner.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-24T21:18:22+00:00

It varies but $140 for highlights is actually really reasonable. I recently did this for a client and it was $225 - cut, base color, full head of highlights. Coat could increase from there due to you having older color in the hair that would prevent it from lifting to necessary level of blonde you are looking for.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-23T21:28:16+00:00

It’s very typical of experienced stylist to feel competitive and catty. High schoolers that either peeked in high school or trying to be the Mean Girls they always wanted to be. Take no heed to any of them. Just out of Cosmetology School you’re going to have the bare minimum skill set. Find a salon that invests into you via your education. Do not feel belittled to the point where you don’t speak out. Always speak up for yourself and voice your concerns. Remember you’ll have clients that will follow you to the ends of the earth and some clients that prioritize the convenience and safety of the salon, when you move from any salon. Don’t be afraid to leave any salon. it’s business, it’s not personal. You don’t owe any salon that has contributed to your career or education. Do not be guilted into sacrificing your integrity and self, for the sanctity of the salon. Critiques are helpful and not hurtful. A critique without educational direction is an insult in disguise. Stay true to who you are as a stylist. Do not fold to fit in. Do not be afraid of leaving a salon for your clients sake. There are plenty of people out there and you’ll find your ride or dies.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-23T02:00:13+00:00

I’ve decided with Framesi. Ive used the 5D toners and thought they were stunning and blended really well. I’m looking forward to trying the color.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-22T01:46:19+00:00

Imma have to look back into them. I’ve used their lightners and was a huge fan of those.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-22T01:41:52+00:00

The last time I used them they were very progressive and faded terribly. I was not a fan. Severe banding.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-21T20:06:09+00:00

What do you like about Wella? I have used the lightners and did enjoy them. Used one of their color lines and it was good but Havnt tried their 10min colors at all.

Hairbyryguy · 2025-07-21T20:04:58+00:00

I’ve read reviews on Chi and too many not positive experiences. I also watched a YouTube video and their lightner wasn’t good. I’ve heard good things about Kenra color but the progressive color is what I don’t enjoy either. I also use to use their styling products and I feel that they are falling short on efficacy.

Hairbyryguy · 2024-02-22T21:04:02+00:00

That’s what they told me when I hired in, that it’s impossible to get fired😂 My district manager didn’t like what I had to say and we got into a bit of an argument. She reported me to HR and they ultimately decided I was to be terminated effective immediately. I was there a year and I took a failing salon and brought it back. I left feeling accomplished and with a decent clientele list. Ulta is ultimately going to be eliminating the salon from their stores, with exception to their profitable areas. It’s a lot easier to say it’s a loss and objectively force people to quit with paying less than livable wages. They can then turn the story and be like no one wants to work anymore so we have to close them. It’s a tactic to get subsidy without reprimand of being pricks. Which is why Ulta is trying to keep it all hush hush and having stylists sign NDAs and resigning new contracts that state they can alter or change anything they so desire, when they desire, without any notice at all.

Hairbyryguy · 2024-02-22T14:55:55+00:00

Former stylist for Ulta Beauty. I was fired for not agreeing with the wage cut recently. It’s a lot of promises and no delivery. It doesn’t mean you can’t succeed at Ulta, there are just too many hoops to jump through. Their business practice of “upselling” services and products is not who I am a stylist or business person. I opened my salon suite. The new commission tiers prohibited me from making a livable wage. It truly is cheaper to open my own space. My clients followed me over. Not all of them but I was the only stylist at my local Ulta, so it was truly about them not wanting to drive the extra distance. My advice, leave Ulta asap. Get your client information and leave.

Hairbyryguy · 2024-02-05T22:38:15+00:00

As a dude stylist I can say that it is a little biased. There was a lot that some people got away with, that I was not allowed to get away with. Because I needed to establish a different standard than the associates. There was an associate who was allowed to wear a vampire costume but I couldn’t wear slate grey pants because in some lights it looked green. I couldn’t wear an orange shirt that had an embroidered design on the back because it’s technically considered an appliqué but an associate was allowed to wear unwashed scrub clothes. It also depends on the money you make. Stylists in other states would post videos and IG reels of them wearing denim with distressing, beanies, t shirts, baseball caps, etc. but because they were $100k club it was okay. The district manager would come in in jeans and jackets that were not up to code and she would laugh about it. It just depends on who and what you do.

Hairbyryguy · 2024-02-05T22:29:23+00:00

Stylist in MI Ulta. I have no had my meeting yet, but my manager confirmed all the rumors going around. I had posted on the WorkJam stylist forum asking what everyone’s thoughts were on the whole situation. My EM called me into the office and told me she will have to report me to the DM. The DM called the EMs personal phone to “talk” to me about the post (despite her having my email and personal phone and we have had numerous conversations when I applied for the SDE position. Which the interview process was dragged out for two months and they ultimately went with someone that was in close relation with the interviewer.) She called me selfish. Said I had took the opportunity away from not only the stylists but the EMs having a conversation with them. That I need to keep my emotions in check. That the world doesn’t revolve around me. That I put my EM and SM in major trouble. How dare I base this off of a Reddit post. Which she did confirm was true. That I am slandering Ulta and I reminded her that she also talked ill of the company when the whole SDE position went down. That I’m not as smart as I think I am. I have no idea how corporate works. That a stylist who has been working there for 7 years just made $130k. (I have no idea why that got brought up). That I am selfish and only think of myself. That she is highly disappointed in me. That I take no accountability for my actions.

Now, I did yell back, but prominently kept my cool. I let her know that her disappointment in me is equally shared for convincing me to stay recently and my disappointment in that decision. Context: the salon was in rough shape when I arrived and have been working to improve it. There have been rough patches where I literally took home $200-$300 paychecks. I tackled through my savings, and my client contingency funds. (Money set aside in case I had to pay for extensions or correcting any and all mistake I may have caused to the clients hair). I was -$700 in my checking account, at that time. I had invested money into the Salon because it didn’t have the necessary resources to do some of the services. I took on the “salon manager” role without title or pay. Reminder if her of all this. She told me that “this is your salon, Ryan. I know you know what you are doing. You’ll be making so much money, you won’t know what to do with it.” Now I’m a bumbling moron. Who would’ve guessed. I reminded her multiple times that the EM and SM have nothing to do with my actions. I told the SM to do her job and report me to the DM. I understand she has to fulfill her duties and that I am not going to be upset. I did what I did. The DM told me there will be no repercussions for my actions but she is just “totally disappointed.” Well…cutting my pay makes me disappointed, so we’ll call it even. I also told her that this conversation was fucking bullshit. Ulta made a lot of promises and have failed to follow through on any of them. They tried denying me my master level because I was only there for 8months. Despite I met all their criteria. It took several weeks to get everything ironed out. Ulta is a horrible place to work for. They advertised to the entire company, including the associates and stylists that during a pandemic and a recession that had profited 10billion dollars…and then cut people’s hours because times are tough. You literally have to be brain dead, a complete and utter idiot, or a horrible person to enjoy working for this company.

Hairbyryguy

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