I also have very difficult hair to cut. Very thick, coarse and curly. It's very hard for me to find someone who not only knows how to cut my type of hair but also wants to cut it! I've had beautitians complain nonstop about my hair so I never went back to them. I have one lady now that's been doing my hair for 14 years and she's really good. $28 plus I give her either a 20 or 25 percent tip depending on how long she spends on my hair. She spends at least an hour, sometimes more. Thats just cutting and styling. But, she has to throughly wet my hair first and shampoo it afterwards. When it's cold she blow dries it at no extra charge. But I tip well for a job very well done.