Aussie woman's 'horror' haircut story sparks huge outrage: 'I would literally sue'

In a hair-raising tale that's taken TikTok by storm, a young Sydney woman has shared her emotional journey after a visit to a specialist curly hair salon went horribly wrong. The video, which has garnered nearly 3 million views, shares her tearful recount of the $230 hair disaster with the tale of woe prompting an outpouring of sympathy on social media.

The video begins with the curly-haired victim, clearly distraught, showing off the results of her expensive trip to the salon. "Guys, I know it's just hair, but I went to a curly hair specialist today. This studio only does curly hair, and this..." she says, pulling out two distinct layers of her hair. One layer is very short and curly, while the other is long and limp. "This is curling up," she points to the short layer, "and none of this is curling up," she adds, showing the longer, lankier strands.

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Through tears, she laments, "I literally go to Europe in a week. And my hair looks like this." To emphasise the contrast, she shows photos of her previously luscious, curly mane. She admits her hair needed a cut but says, "I was able to curl it!" After visiting the salon, she adds, "When I looked at my hair, it was a frizz ball. I was like, I am so confused, my hair doesn't [normally] look like this."

The ordeal didn't end there. "I never complained, I literally left, it was like $230. I cancelled work," she explained, sharing her decision to return to the salon for a fix.

But the fix only made things worse. "This is it FIXED," she said in tears gesturing to her still-wonky do, detailing her frustration when the salon initially offered her just $20 as compensation.

"I was like $20 are you insane, look at my hair. You are literally a curly hair specialist and I'm going to Europe in a week and I look like this. I am so upset."

Curly hair salon fail

The video shows her escalating despair as she pulls on her uneven hair, "I've had bad hair cuts, this is horror, this is horror. You only do curly hair, and this is what it looks like? Look at it, it's so bad."

The situation became even more frustrating when the second hairdresser didn’t even part her hair in the middle properly before attempting a redemption cut.

"Originally the front strands... one was here and this one was here," she gestures to show a disparity in lengths. "It was literally uneven."

Despite finally speaking to a manager who was "nice about it", she felt the salon didn't initially take her complaints seriously. "My hair is so thin, it's been so thinned out, that it won't even curl now," she sobs. "My hair won't even curl now because they thinned it out so much."

Although the woman never mentions the specific salon in the video, she does refer to the suburb it's located in. In the comments, there is some speculation suggesting it is a popular Sydney salon named Rumbie and Co., which purports to specialise in wavy, curly, and afro hair.

"It sounds like I'm being dramatic, but it's just because I've been looking forward to this Europe trip and I've been so busy and I've been booking small things like this to get done, and now I feel like I look really ugly," she concludes through sobs.

Bad hair, good vibes

The comments on her video exploded with empathy and outrage.

"Curl shock, it happened to me still haven’t recovered," commiserated one user.

"Babe!! Go to another hairdresser and get layers throughout so it’s not so botched!! I’m so sorry," advised another.

The support poured in, with comments like, "You're not overreacting at all" and "The gaslighting from the salon is ridiculous. I’m so so sorry. I would literally sue. If I were your momma, we would lawyer up."

"It’s the worst feeling, I'm crying with you," one person sympathised with another adding, "it's not just hair, we feel you."

Others shared their similar experiences: "GIRL I HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE!! 3 yrs later, still recovering," and "This is LITERALLY why I only get a TRIM once a year. NO ONE does curly hair right."

Some tried to offer comfort, "Breathe my love, it will grow back, you got a refund, perspective is everything sweetness, you’re healthy and still look beautiful, just don’t go back there again and give a bad review."

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One commenter, a Manchester-based curly hair specialist, even offered a solution: "If you’re coming to the UK, I’ll fix it for you!!"

In her follow-up videos, the woman posted photos of her hair in its former glory and shared tips on salvaging her current look, such as putting her hair in a bun and braiding the shorter pieces.

Despite the hair catastrophe, she's now appears to be in Europe enjoying the summer, proving that a bad haircut won't stop her from living her best life.

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