Hairdressers reveal their most bizarre experiences with clients

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Anyone who has had to mask a squeal of horror as a yelp of delight when a hairdresser reveals their new do will know that hairdressing is a very responsible job indeed. And a talented hairdresser is a person you should cherish in your life almost as much as your blood relatives.

As trusted gatekeepers to 'good hair' with the skills to turn a bowl cut into a mohawk with a few snips and a tonne of hairspray, hairdressers are used to fielding unusual requests and understanding a client's personality within minutes of meeting them. Of course, they're human like the rest of us and armed with a sharp pair of scissors - so sometimes things don't quite go to plan. So we asked a few hairdressers to share their most memorable moments from their careers.

Phil Jarman, owner of Carlo & Co and winner of the prestigious Grand Master Barber award

“Back in the day it was customary for stage parties to take place the week before the wedding. One Friday morning I had a excitable young stag in the barbershop who was getting married the following Saturday. He wanted to look fresh for his wedding. After making him look dapper off he went on his stag party weekend in London...

The following Monday morning as I was opening up the shop I spotted the stag walking briskly to the door. There was something distinctly different about him. Then I spotted it - one of his eyebrows was completely missing!

What could I do? Apart from shaving the other off to match, I made an off-the-wall suggestion. It was a long shot, but with my skills and copious amounts of spare freshly cut hair, I could possibly make a fake eyebrow, glue it together and then stick it to his head.

With no other options he agreed. All week I lovingly worked on the eyebrow of the century. The morning of the wedding arrived and the young groom turned up in his suit with his ushers looking very anxious.

The groom sat in the chair and we tilted it back into the shaving position. With my steady hand and a bottle of trusty glue, we applied the new eyebrow. The party of ushers cheered and slapped each other on the back and then quickly left relieved and confident that it was all sorted. Everyone was happy except me. I realised I had stuck the fake eyebrow on an inch or so higher that the other one. I had given him a permanent look of disapproval with one raised eyebrow I would have loved to have seen the wedding pics from that day…"

Limoz Logli, celebrity stylist and founder of his eponymous salon in Chelsea, London

“During my time as a hair stylist, I have had some incredibly weird and wonderful requests from clients. Probably the most memorable however was the woman who brought a photo along with her to show the hair colour she wanted to attain. This is a usual practice in the industry, with clients normally arriving laden with pictures of celebrities and models. This photograph however was different. The photograph was of her dog, whose hair colour she wanted to match!!”

Hairdresser from Smith England Hair Salon in Salisbury

“I was asked out on a date while at a bar after a busy Friday in the salon. I turned down his advances, only to discover he was my 9am client the very next morning. As soon as I saw him I realised who he was and hid in the kitchen and pretended to feel under the weather. I begged a junior stylist to pretend he was her client to avoid any awkwardness. Now if I meet anyone at a bar I check whether their hair looks like it’s been cut recently.”

Akin Konizi, creative director at Hob Salons

“The first ever haircut I did was on my cousin; I told him I’d been hairdressing for months, despite it being my first time. During the cut I slipped and snipped through part of his ear until it was hanging off by a thread. He yelped in pain, but unbelievably, I managed to speedily replace the chunk without him realising the full extent of the injury. Amazingly, it stayed put and healed up; albeit at a slightly wonky angle to the rest of his ear.

Thirty six years later, it’s still there and still attached - although I do feel guilty for not lining it up a bit straighter!”

Paul Simbler, co-director at Hob Salons

“Many years ago I was using clippers on the back of a gentleman’s haircut, when the guard slipped off the clippers without my noticing. As a result I mistakenly shaved a huge chunk out of the back of his hair, right down to the scalp. Acting as if nothing had happened, I replaced the guard and continued the cut, and when finished, I very carefully angled the mirror to show him the back without revealing the missing chunk. Later that day he returned to the salon after his wife at home had pointed out my error; I was forced to shave all of his hair off at the back, blending in the edges. Needless to say, he never booked in for a haircut with me again“