your cheatin' heart will tell on you

I cheated on my hairstylist. I cheated on her and I am now paying the price, physically and emotionally.

Now hear me out. Listen, I haven't been completely happy with her for a long time. Usually my style turns out okay, but it's never as good as my beloved Becca made it at RZ in Madison. Plus, no matter what, I always walked out of there with a half soaked back because their sinks suck and no one can be bothered to protect my precious skin with a towel or anything. She also likes to take her scissors and make random clips for "texture." I don't need texture. I have texture, especially on humid days, up the wazoo.

So I asked around. I got some recommendations. I made an appointment. It was awful from the get go. The woman didn't listen to me when I talked about how it is cut, how it is styled. She was pushy. She said, at one point, "Ok, we'll do a little your way and a little my way." !!! Um, no. I am the one forking out the bucks here, lady. We do it all my way. In the end, she butchered the back. You are all familiar with the fluffy crazy stacked back of my head. It's cute. It's emo. It's fun. It's what makes my cut awesome. That? Was gone. It was all one length. It was too short. I couldn't fluff. The back of my head looked ridiculous. I couldn't use my beloved Aveda products on it.

I left the salon and promptly burst into tears before I even reached my car.

I am lucky, in a way, because my hair grows at about twice the average rate. After a couple of weeks, the back started looking more presentable, but it'll be a couple months before I can whip it back into fluffing shape, I imagine.

So now, what do I do? I have only a few options, as I see them. I got back to my original hairstylist, who wasn't horrible but it was never quite right, and admit that I cheated. I could tell her I hadn't been exactly happy, but could we try this way instead? She wields scissors, though. She could do bad things to me if she gets angry with cheaters.

I could also go back to her and I could lie, I guess. I could tell her that I couldn't get in on a day I really needed a cut and was forced (forced!) to go to another salon. That story isn't very plausible, though, since she's rarely booked so full that I can't get in with a day or two notice. Again, the cut was never horrible, just not exactly the way it ought to be.

I could ask around again and take my chances on a third stylist, hoping that she will listen to me and consider carefully my hairstyle and not soak my shirt during the shampoo. I'm reluctant to do this, obviously, since we can all see where it got me last time.

Tell me how to mend my cheatin' ways, y'all. What would you do?