Tips for Success with Your Stylist

When a client sits in my chair, a dance begins. Sometimes we glide through conversation about how hair should look. Other times, we step on each other’s toes, unintentionally, of course. If you’ve ever wondered how to have success with your stylist, I have good news.  It’s an easy “Two Step.”

Step One: Communication

Sometimes I think clients feel pressure to tell me how to cut their hair, but success begins in the opposite direction. Tell me what you don’t like about your hair, then let me direct the conversation. Together we will decide what to do, and it may involve something you hadn’t thought of on your own. But please don’t tell me how to cut your hair, because the end result may not make you happy.

Be brutally honest. Tell me if you hate something. Tell me if you are bored. Tell me if I have one last chance. No need for subtlety. I am a direct person, so I appreciate your honesty and am never, ever offended.

Please share details. Products used, time between visits, all these details help me to meet your expectations. If you are a “switcher,” that is ok. I am not offended if you’ve gone elsewhere, but I do need to know whatever history you can provide so I can use my best judgment moving forward.

Step Two: Expectation

Don’t expect a carbon copy haircut. It is impossible to cut the exact same way each time. I’m sorry if this is upsetting, but it is true. Stylists can give you the exact same color, because that depends on a formula. But a cut depends on many variables, one of which being that a human, not a robot, is using the scissors.

You can help maintain your style by pre-booking your appointment at regular intervals, say, every five weeks. That makes it easier for a stylist to follow the lines of your old cut as well as judge how much to snip. Don’t rely on our last-minute appointment email, because you may not get a slot and may then become frustrated. (Keep in mind, it is a good sign when your stylist is busy, but you may need to plan ahead.)

Expect your cut to improve the more your stylist understands your personality and lifestyle. I suggest giving a new stylist three times to cut your hair. Trust your stylist to use her vision, too. And realize that sometimes what others see is not what you see in the mirror. To see your hair objectively, try looking back at a picture.

In the end, the relationship between client and stylist is a gentle dance of patience, understanding, and trust. A breakdown in any of these areas can lead a client to become dissatisfied and move on to another stylist. The problem is, the breakdown likely will happen again at the next salon. That’s why it’s important to learn how to dance.

That's Amore!

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