Redefining "Short"

Today I'm reaching out to anyone with ANY background in hair cutting/styling. What magic words do I speak to get someone to cut my hair shorter than my chin? No matter what I say or ask for, I generally get the same cut and it is always a little longer than I wanted, especially in the back.

I got a cut right before Thanksgiving that was particularly bad. I wanted my hair short. Shorter than it had ever been before. I ended up with an a-line (in the loosest sense of that term - it looks more like I cut a chunk of gum out of the back of my hair blindfolded) and the longest layers go 2 inches past my chin, despite telling them that I didn't want anything past my chin. Plus, by the time they've mangled my hair into a medium length cut, nearly 2 hours have gone by and I have hungry kids and a grumbly husband who will now have to miss his class. GRRR! The worst part is that it took so much effort and coordination to actually go out and get it cut that I just don't see being able to repeat the process in the near future. And I was really looking forward to having a cute cut for the holidays.

So, what do I do? My hair is deceptively thick and grows so fast but when I ask for a short hair cut I can never get more than 4 inches taken off. Which is just not enough for me. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommended (and affordable) stylists? Keep in mind I have used the following tactics to no avail:

• Bringing in pictures of desired length/style
• Saying "Cut it all off"
• "I want it REALLY short"
• "The longest layer should come to my chin"
• "Don't be afraid to go TOO short"
• "Take off at least 5 or 6 inches"
• "I want it short in the back"

Basically the only thing I haven't done is tell them to buzz it. I'm guessing most stylists are afraid of cutting it too short and when there's a huge pile of hair on the floor they figure it's short enough. Not for this lady. This is my plea for HELP!