The only thing worse than breaking down over a bad haircut is breaking up with your regular stylist. "The polite thing to do is to let him know you're leaving," says Sue Fox, author of Etiquette for Dummies. If you don't want to call, write a note. And be specific. "Maybe the truth is you can never get in to see him, you need to go to someone less expensive, or you just want a change," Fox says. Whatever the reasons, don't fret too much. "We're tougher than people think," says Manhattan-based hairdresser Oscar Bond. "You're a paying customer — you can do what you want." Still, Los Angeles stylist Charles Dujic recommends leaving on good terms for practical reasons. "Often it's more of a break than a breakup," he says. "More times than not, clients who leave end up coming back." If they don't, maybe it's just as well. "Sometimes," says New York City hairdresser Todd Bush, "we're just as happy to take a break from a long-term client as you are to take a break from us."