Consultation Etiquette

Part 31 in a series by Karen A. Stevenson, President, Studio K Salon

What exactly is consultation etiquette when talking with your hairdresser?  What should you expect when you sit in the salon chair the first or the fiftieth time?  Is there something that should be communicated rather than the standard, “same as before?” or “just a trim?”

Visiting your hair salon should not be traumatic.  Some people have fear of visiting a salon because of bad past experiences.  That certainly could be understood if you asked for blonde hair and got dark brown or worse, green!  It could also be possible if you asked for a half-inch trim and walked out with six inches off the bottom.  Or, how about the crooked cut where the right side ended up three inches shorter than the left?

Coming equipped with pictures of a particular hair color or cut you are attracted to is a great way to get on the same page with your stylist.  Be sure you like the haircut, however, and it’s not the internal wish that you had the face of the model.  Many guests in a salon make the mistake of hoping they would look like the picture when they are done with their visit, not realizing their hair that is heavy, dense, and wavy cannot look fine, wispy and blonde like a picture they were drawn to.  Communicating the things you like about a cut such as bangs, or no bangs, wispy versus a heavy bold line of scissors.  Be sure to communicate layers rather than a blunt all over haircut.  Angled at the jaw line?  Cut straight across?  Shorter at the nape of the neck and angled longer toward the front?  What about communicating the certain waves that bother you, or the cowlick that seems to always stick up if the hair is cut too short in that problem area?   

Other suggestions to verbalize to your stylist is whether you are willing to maintain your hair with a blow dryer, wash it daily or every other day.  Do you prefer to use a flat iron?  Do you use a curling iron or rollers?  Do you wish to get out of the curling iron habit?  Do you know how to use a round brush to blow dry style into your hair?

Do you dislike styling products?  Are you allergic to hairspray?  Do you have a convertible car and don’t like your hair to fly around?  Have you had a bad wrist operation lately and simply refuse to do anything except air dry your hair?   Are you heavy into sports and don’t want to worry with a style that is high maintenance?

Where are your trouble spots?  Where do you fight your hair?  Is your color always fading?  What products, including shampoo and conditioner do you use?  Do you put a temporary rinse on your hair to ash out your blonde?  Do you wish your hair would stop falling in your eyes?  Is your blonde always looking brassy?  Do you fight with red coming into your color?  Do you feel like your shade of color should be lightened so you don’t look so harsh? 

Communicating these things should be very important to your designer.  If you don’t communicate these things, you will be frustrated, and your designer will not be able to help you solve your challenges.  If you are looking for a change, express that.  Don’t wait on your designer to bring up the subject, if you are getting tired of the same ol’ haircut, why don’t you ask for suggestions? 

Have you looked at your profile lately?  Have you taken a mirror, and looked at what most people see from your side view?  How does the back of your hair look? Is it needing to be shaped?  Rounded at the top of your head?  Is it looking too frumpy?  Is it dragging you down or giving you a heavier looking chin than you thought you had? 

Visiting the salon should be a positive experience, yet it is your responsibility to make it great.  Be sure your expectation of cut, color, style is communicated completely and accurately.  Feed back to your designer what you hear they are suggesting.  See if you can get the visualization of the cut in your mind so you can be sure the suggested look will be right for you.

If you choose to get something new, whether it be cut or color, rest assured you may need about three days to get used to the new look.   Don’t air head out when it comes to your designer styling your new cut, because you’ll get home and not know what to do to make it look just as awesome.  Be sure you ask what finishing products would be necessary to achieve the same look you have as you walk out of the salon.

Don’t like how your designer styles your hair when you leave the salon and always have a habit of re-doing your hair the minute you get home?  Ask your designer if you can dry it and style it yourself there at the salon so you don’t have to go home to be happy.  Tell her how to style it if you don’t like your bangs rolled forward and your designer has a constant habit of doing precisely that. 

If your designer insists you don’t have it in you to make a drastic change when you ask for one, it may be that your designer is fearful of your reaction.  Give him or her the permission to make the change so they don’t feel guilty cutting off those eight inches you’ve spent the last few months growing out.   Certainly your designer is there to offer you a service you are paying for.  So, they should never argue your decisions if you are requesting a specific hairstyle.  You can always ask them their opinion, but again, it is simply that……an opinion.  You are in fact paying for a service. 

I have heard of hairstylists literally arguing with a guest insisting they will not ‘do that’ certain cut or will not ‘do that’ color.  Designers are in the customer satisfaction and service business.  I would suggest you listen to their reasoning why they do not agree with your request but ultimately you are the one choosing what you will or will not wear.

No matter where you get your hair cut, it is your hair.  Be sure you are taking the responsible approach and communicating effectively before the shaping begins.