Bad haircuts are one of life's inescapable nuisances. If you're lucky, you experience one in early childhood (thanks for the bowl cut and baby bangs, mom) and never again. If, however, you've been hit with a later-in-life haircut catastrophe the damage can seem borderline unbearable. But don't worry; you don't have to suffer through it alone and option-less. We tracked down hair professional stylist and all-round hair guru Dallin James to help us during these trying times. When a bad haircut hits remember these do's and don'ts.

DO take a deep breath and relax.

After getting what you think is a bad haircut, James' first piece advice is to live with it for a few days. "What you got from your haircut may not be what you originally had hoped for, but this might be that chance for an impromptu change. Play with it, change up your style, buy a new shirt, or put on a bold lip color ... See what happens." Lipstick to fix a bad haircut? It really is the miracle cosmetic.

DON'T go crazy trying to overcompensate.

"If it truly is a disaster, don't try and over work it," says James. "A lot of people panic and try to put in extensions or color it, but what ends up happening is you stress out your hair more than necessary."

DO make micro-trims part of the plan.

James also recommends making a plan with a goal in mind. "If there is a look you want, make a plan and start growing towards that goal. Micro-trims are amazing!" New vocabulary word alert: micro-trim! "Find a stylist you trust and make subtle tweaks here and there to get your hair back into the shape you want."

DON'T try going to every stylist under the sun.

Another important piece to remember: don't jump from stylist to stylist (to stylist). First of all, it's exhausting, and it could throw off your style even more. James reminds us, "We all have a million different ways to get to that same result and one may contradict the other. One stylist's technique may throw off the others, ending in a bad haircut. If you are looking for a new stylist, book a consultation or a blow out and see if you have the same vision."

DO put things into perspective.

Trite as it may sound, remember it is just hair and it will grow back. In the meantime, hair health is always paramount. Keep your locks in tiptop shape and any style (even if it's not the one you wanted) will look better.

Do you have any bad haircut nightmares? Share them in the comments below and let's commiserate together.
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