We all know someone who has a haircut horror story... or we have one of our own. You can take steps to avoid a bad haircut, but if you already have one, here's how to get it fixed.

I haven’t paid for a haircut since January.

You know you've earned a Parent Badge of Courage when you've experienced the sweaty, heart-stopping ordeal that is trimming the bangs of a squirmy toddler. Now that my daughter is four, she sits relatively still through the process, thanks to Beat Bugs playing on an iPad perched in the bathroom, but she sometimes likes to rotate her head without warning to look in the mirror and give me a small heart-attack. Does she not see that I'm holding a sharp object just millimetres from her eyeballs? Apparently, she does not.

It had been a particularly stressful week when, scissors in one hand and 10cm of hair in another, I decided to cut. A few snips later, I felt triumphant. Sure, a week from then I paid an expert to fix it. But in that moment, I felt like a weight had been lifted, and that felt good, even if it was just a few grams.

Knowing barbershop lingo could help you get the haircut you want, but if you want to motivate your haircutter or stylist, you could mention an important interview or other event you have coming up.