15 Times People Shared The Worst Beauty Salon Services They’ve Ever Received

“This does not look like the picture,” I say after getting home from the beauty salon and staring at myself in the mirror. “Why can’t they ever do what I ask for?” was the second thought I uttered out loud. Perhaps my first mistake was bringing an inspirational photo found in the depths of Pinterest that, realistically, is impossible to achieve, or maybe not scrolling long enough through the salon reviews online. 

Whatever the reason, chances are, I’m not the only one stuck asking these questions following every salon visit. However, some people are even less fortunate, having to go into hiding after falling into the hands of inexperienced professionals. Our team at Pictolic has scoured the web and found the most chilling examples of beauty makeovers gone wrong. Hold your seats tight as we go through the rollercoaster that these pictures below are, and don’t forget to upvote the ones you felt bad for chuckling at.

While you're at it, check out a conversation with a licensed hairstylist and makeup artist, Andrea Claire, who kindly agreed to share some tips on avoiding a failed beauty makeover.

15 PHOTOS

#1 Bad Nails For A Worse Price

#2 Asked The Barber For A Razor Part. Here’s What I Got

We reached out to a licensed hairstylist and makeup artist, Andrea Claire, to get to the bottom of why clients often feel like they never get what they ask for at a beauty salon. 

“Clients not getting what they want comes down to communication and failed expectations,” she says. Which can come from both clients and hairstylists, Claire adds.

#3 This Was The Absolute Worst Haircut Of My Life. How Does Someone Stay In Business When Stuff Like This Happens? I Wish I Could Warn Future Customers

#4 I Feel Sorry For The Pretty Girls That She Has Done Dirty

#5 This Was Supposed To Be The Finished Product. This Amount Of Highlighter Is Completely Unnecessary, And The Makeup Artist Has Completely Changed The Entire Complexion Of This Client

“As a client, one may come in with an unachievable vision and the hairstylist may not properly articulate that this is not achievable,” she says. Therefore, to receive the expected result, it’s crucial to communicate.

The not-so-desired hairstyle, makeup look, or manicure, is also hugely influenced by the many challenges that beauty specialists face to meet clients' specific needs (which the person sitting in the chair doesn’t usually take into account). 

#6 Nail Tech Did Gel, And They Look Like This. The Gel Underneath Is All Super Visible, And It Looks Sloppy

#7 Paid $42 For This Haircut

#8 Should I Be Mad At My Nail Tech?

“The hurdles we stylists need to overcome with clients’ expectations these days often lie with misinformation within social media posts. Filters and editing on their inspirational images and videos play a huge part in barriers when it comes to successful hair transformations. Even many hairstylists filter their work,” she tells us.

Claire mentions that lighting can impede the person evaluating the result, too. “You may get a desired cool tone blonde but your bathroom lighting at home may have warm lightbulbs, or you're taking a snap in the golden hour sunshine, now your selfie looks like your cool blonde is golden. Going back to your hairstylist asking for a color fix [isn’t possible] when it might just be a lighting issue.”

#9 It’s Ugly, Right? Is This Bad Enough That You Would Ask For A Refund? I Paid 290 For It And Didn’t Tip

I felt so bad I almost cried but I couldn’t justify tipping when I hated it so much, maybe I’m being dramatic. The first picture was the haircut I wanted, the second picture was the color I wanted. All my friends said it was cute, and one even said it looked like the picture I gave.

#10 Worst Haircut Ever. My Hair Before Versus What I Asked For And What I Got

I’m devastated. My hair is thinned out and so uneven, that I don’t even know what to do. 

#11 What I Asked For vs. What I Got

Something else that might interfere with a successful hair transformation is if the person previously had layers of colored hair and now wants an immediate drastic change. “Artificial color will NOT lift artificial color,” Claire explains. “Stripping color is stressful on the hair shaft. You may require harsh chemicals or even bleach to push through, often multiple appointments are needed to hit your desired look and can compromise the integrity of the hair. Instagrammers show us before and afters but may not include the full story of the 4 other appointments in-between that before and after.”

#12 The Neck Does Not Match The Face

#13 These Monstrosities. I Keep Waking Up In The Middle Of The Night, Thinking Maybe It Is A Nightmare

#14 I've Always Wanted My Nails To Look Like Baraka's Teeth

Since cool and ashy hair tones have been trending in recent years, Claire reminds clients that they need to trust their hairstylist and not believe the information influencers share, as they aren’t licensed with proper education and training.

#15 Back When I Used To Model, This Was What A "Makeup Artist" Did For A Shoot