I want to start off this post today by saying yes I am a hairstylist BUT everything I'm about to say is just my personal opinion. Just because you follow my advice does not mean you will get the best haircut of your life (although some of these suggestions will help) and each hairdresser is different so what works for me might not for someone else. Disclaimer over.
Side note: this post is directed at people who want a "hairstyle". If you just want a one length haircut and only trim your hair twice a year and that works for you, this post is not for you. If you're looking for your hair to be your best accessory then pay attention.
So without further ado (what does that even mean?) here are my tips for talking to your hairstylist.
- If you're looking for a new hairstylist the best place to start is your friends. Pick someones hair you like and ask them who does their hair and go to that person. Ask if the salon does any type of referral program and you might get something off your first haircut. Your friend might get a little something too! Many salons do this to encourage referrals and get new people to come in. Don't just pick a random salon and go to any old person. Just because they got their hairdressing licence does not mean they are a good hairdresser.
- Bringing pictures of styles you like is great to help give your hairstylist ideas of what you like but DO NOT EXPECT YOUR HAIR TO LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE YOU BRING! (can you tell I am a little passionate about this one?) The person in that picture has had their hair styled by a professional, they might have a totally different type of hair then you and their hair is loaded up with product. It is impossible to make your hair look exactly like the picture, because you do not have that persons hair. The pictures are great as a guide and a guide only.
- Don't ever ever eveeeeeer let them shampoo your hair before looking at it! Wet hair behaves very differently then dry hair and if an assistant or the stylist comes out and takes you straight to the shampoo bowl just politely say "I'd like to talk to the stylist about the cut before it gets wet." I cannot stress enough how important it is for the stylist to see your hair dry.
- Forget "layers", "angles", "thinning", "an inch" and "just an trim". All those words mean different things to me and to you. Let your stylist know what you want your hair to do. Then let them tell you how they are going to make your hair do that. Don't let them cut your hair until they tell you how they are going to accomplish what you want your hair to do. They should be able to tell you if what you want will work with your hair or not.
- For my long haired girls or my girls that want to grow their hair out. Don't ask your stylist to "trim it up" or "take about an inch off", instead SHOW them exactly where you want your hair to fall or how much you want taken off. Like I said, these words mean different things to everyone. Communicate what you want by showing what you want and you will get what you want.
- Never say "do the same thing as last time" and then just leave it at that. Your hairsylist hasn't seen you in about two months, maybe more, maybe less (try not to go any longer then three without atleast a trim). How in the WORLD are they going to be able to remember what they did the last time?! They have probably seen dozens of people inbetween you and especially if you've only been to this stylist one time they probably barely remember you. They might make you feel like you're the only person in the world when they did your hair the last time but lets be honest, that's kind of our job. Instead tell them exactly what you liked and didn't like about the last cut. Not to mention your hair is not going to look the same as it did last time, it has a different cut in it and its grown out differently.
- This is a bit of a random one but don't talk too much during the blowdry unless your stylist is talking to you. Its so hard to hear about the noise of the blowdryer and half the time I find myself just nodding along to whatever someone is saying when I really have no idea. I could have just agreed to give them my firstborn and not even known it.
- When everything is finished and you're looking fab let your stylist know what you like about it. We just worked for 45 minutes or so to try and make your hair look great so PLEASE share what you like. It makes us feel like we did what we were meant to do.
I could talk about tipping, missing appointments, how often to schedule, products and plenty more but this is a very full post already. We will end it here. Any questions? Leave them below! I'll put the answers in my next post.
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