When It’s Time to Leave Your Hairstylist

Not long ago, I ran into a woman outside our Old Town North salon. We had never met, but she recognized me from around the neighborhood and looked like someone carrying a question she had been holding for a while.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

She had been seeing the same hairstylist for more than fifteen years. Lately, though, something felt different. She no longer looked forward to her appointments. The energy felt off. She didn’t feel heard. She didn’t feel seen. What once felt uplifting now felt draining.

What she was really asking wasn’t just whether she should try a new salon. She was asking how to walk away from someone she had history with—without guilt, without drama, and without feeling like she was betraying a relationship that once mattered.

I told her something simple:

You do not owe anyone your hair forever.

You are allowed to choose what makes you feel confident and cared for.

Sometimes that means having an honest conversation with your stylist. Sometimes it means quietly not booking again. Both are valid. Most people know, deep down, when a relationship has shifted.

When clients finally decide to move on, it’s rarely just about the haircut. They’re usually searching for better energy. A calmer space. A stylist who listens. Someone who sees them for who they are now—not who they were five or ten years ago.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Often, the hardest part isn’t changing salons. It’s giving yourself permission to want something different.

And sometimes, “different” doesn’t even mean leaving entirely. In healthy salons, people move around. Needs change. Stylists evolve. Having options can be a gift—it allows you to stay in a place you love while finding a better fit for where you are now.

You deserve to feel comfortable, cared for, and genuinely at ease when you sit down in the chair. Hair has a way of reflecting how we feel inside, and sometimes a small change on the outside can quietly support a bigger one within.

SEE ALSO: The Hair Trends Quietly Shaping 2026