I just ask them to please do anything they can to fix whatever my hair is doing, inasmuch as possible, and to remove as much volume as they can without it getting out of control (too long, and it’s a chaotic uncontrollable mess; too short and it’s also a chaotic uncontrollable mess; these two states sometimes overlap… but I don’t want to shave the whole damn thing).
It usually works for a week or two until it starts getting long enough to start getting completely out of control again.