Woman Says She Was Expected To Leave A Tip On A Free Service After The Hair Stylist Messed Up Her Hair
"Don't put people on the spot and expect them to tip on your mistake."
Antonio_Diaz / CanvaPro Mothers, especially new ones, have a lot on their plates. Between the typical stressors of life, the burdens of caring for a child, and managing their own health, they have more than enough to deal with.
It’s no surprise that a great deal of moms sacrifice their personal treats, hobbies, and free time for the benefit of their families. This isolation and loss of identity is not a unique experience — it’s the reality of so many mothers today.
At just six months postpartum, one TikTok mom was already feeling the consequences of this fact, and decided to make an appointment to get her hair done, in hopes that it’d make her feel “more like herself.” However, things didn’t go to plan, and she walked out of the salon feeling even more uncomfortable and resentful.
The woman was ‘put on the spot’ when a hair stylist expected her to tip on a free service, despite ‘messing up’ her hair.
Although her hair stylist from years prior wasn’t available, this new mother decided to stick with the same salon, making an appointment with a newer stylist that had “decent prices.”
When the day rolled around, everything seemed to go well. The woman and her stylist discussed the "honey brown" hair color she desired and soon got started bleaching.
However, when the hair stylist later checked her foils, her concern was evident and she admitted that the woman's hair wasn’t looking “exactly” the way she wanted. Things quickly took a turn for the worse, when the hairstylist then started to interrogate her. “Just be honest with me,” she said, “Have you ever box-dyed your hair?”
“I was kind of taken aback that she was trying to put this on me. I have never box dyed my hair… I’ve always gotten my hair professionally dyed,” the woman explained. Even then, she admitted she hadn’t been to a salon in over four years, so there was no way that she’d done something to ruin this experience.
“She gets her manager to come over… they settle on the fact that it’s not happening today because, by this time, most of my appointment was done, so she's not gonna have any time to fix it,” she continued.
The hair stylist and manager offered a free appointment to fix the woman’s hair at a later date.
While she was appreciative, the woman was honest with the salon, saying, “I have a baby at home and it is not easy to get away when you don't have extra help... Obviously, I want to fix it, but I don’t know if I'll be able to.”
Despite the trouble, this mom still paid for the appointment, along with a generous tip that put her total at over $300. “I understand that things happen and... you don't really know what your hair is gonna do,” she graciously admitted. “I still tipped the full amount.”
Photo: RomanR / Shutterstock
When her mom came to visit, the woman returned for the free service, only to feel ‘pressured’ into tipping the hairstylist once again.
"My mom came into town, so I was able to get away while she watched the baby for me," she explained. "It still took her about three hours to get my hair even closer to where I wanted to be. In the end, it wasn't what exactly I wanted, but it was a lot closer than before."
But when she got to the counter to pay, her stomach dropped — her hair stylist was still expecting to be paid for the service with a tip. “She’s fixing what should’ve been done the first time,” the mom said. “This girl has the audacity to ask the front lady how to add a tip onto a free service.”
“I’m kind of a people pleaser… She put me on the spot and I felt obligated," the woman said. She added that she's still mad at herself for tipping $20 out of pressure, and clarified that she will not be returning to the salon that made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
She further expressed her anger that the stylist profited off her own poor work, questioning what if she had spent all of her extra money on the initial service. "Don't put people on the spot and expect them to tip on your mistake."
Even if it just means grabbing a coffee alone or scheduling a hair appointment, mothers should be able to prioritize their free time without judgment.
It's unfortunate that the time this mother allotted for herself was disrupted by an unprofessional hair stylist.
Studies on parenting show that mothers tend to lose out on more time for hobbies, free time, exercise, and sleep than many fathers do — ultimately sacrificing their long-term well-being, identity, and individuality for that of their children.
While many are happy to do it, even whilst knowing its consequences, every mother still deserves a chance at living her own life and prioritizing her own well-being.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.