There are many reasons why you may leave the hairdresser's chair with an underwhelming desired cut.

"Finding the right stylist is hard. Not only do you need to find [one] who is technically skilled, but you also need to find a stylist with a personality that you mesh with," Shannon Bowen, designer at Pump Salon told INSIDER.

"Instagram is a great resource. Look for stylists in your area … you can get a sense of their style and determine if they would be a good fit for you."

When you finally get to the salon, the conversation between you and your hairstylist should be a dynamic one where you both ask appropriate and thorough questions. If you don't allow yourself the opportunity to participate, you leave room for miscommunication, which can ultimately prevent you from getting the cut you want.

"Before booking your hair appointment, make sure you know what you want," stylist Chanel Mattingly also told INSIDER. "If you're unsure, you probably won't be happy with the end result."

Mattingly recommended being prepared with a handful of questions to ask your stylist before sitting in the chair, such as, "Will this cut work with my hair type?" or "Will I have to style my hair every day to achieve this look?" or "Will the cut work if I wear my hair up or down?"

It's important to consider your daily life and personal styling routine before diving into a cut you think you fell in love with. Although it may look cute on your Pinterest board, you have to make sure it's a cut you can work within your daily life.  

Mattingly said she often experiences miscommunication with clients when they do not explain what look they would like to go for — whether that's through words or inspiration photos.

However, even though inspiration photos can be an ideal reference point and communication tool, sometimes they can bring about more confusion than assistance. "Sometimes each photo is completely different from the others, but the client doesn't realize," Mattingly explained. Of course, the differences may not be easily detectable by someone who doesn't have experience cutting hair. So keep in mind that if you want your haircut to closely reflect the images you bring to your stylist, you have to take into account hair texture, color, face shape, and other factors.

"As a stylist, I will try to relay back to them their explanation and see if I got it correctly. If I didn't, I will have them explain once more and relay it back again until we get it right," she said.

Haircuts and hairstyles aren't one-size-fits-all, and that's something that's hard for many to grasp. "If the client has a cowlick or thin hair and they want bangs like Zooey Deschanel, it's not going to happen," Mattingly said. "There are haircuts that work best for different face shapes, hair textures, and thickness.

As with so many things, when it comes to haircuts, what you pay is often what you get. Anyone would love for it to cost $5, but what are you getting in comparison to a $35-plus service?

Once the hair is cut, it won't grow back for a while, so you're investing not only money, but also time, and it's only natural that talented and skilled salon or stylist costs more.

"Another thing that I think is important is finding a salon with a continuing education program," Bowen added. "Cosmetology school teaches stylists the very basics. When you pick a salon that has an intern or apprentice program, you know that your stylist received further education after receiving their license."