Consultation 101-How to effectively communicate to your hairstylist
Seeing a new stylist for the first time? Ready to make a change with your cut or color? Have a bad repertoire of hair disasters? Below I’ve listed some simple, but often forgotten tips to guarantee a successful hair appointment.
1)Get clear on the direction you would like to go with your hair.
-Come prepared with a basic idea of what you would like done with your hair. This is surprisingly overlooked and can result in your appointment time being shortened due to a long consultation or improper service requested, pushing your appointment to another day when your stylist has time to properly perform the look desired. At a loss for ideas? Schedule a complimentary consultation prior to your appointment, allowing your stylist to communicate some ideas and insight.
showing some hair inspiration from www.pinterest.com/bmastershair/
2)Bring photos of what you DO and DON’T like.
-There is no better way to get clear on what you would like to achieve than a photo. Spend 15 minutes on Pinterest or Google and search for different styles, color placements, length and tones. Find three photos you love, and three photos you dislike. Be prepared to verbalize what you see in the photos, allowing the stylist to clarify if your idea of carmel brown is really a honey blonde. We all see color differently!
3) Have you ever had a hair disaster? Remember what went wrong? What about what went right?
-I know those may be painful moments, but those memories provide us stylists valuable information. We use as much feedback as possible to listen and try and reproduce something you will be ecstatic with! Take a stroll down memory lane and collect what you can so you are prepared when your stylist asks “what was your favorite haircut you have ever had….and why?”
4) Be honest.
-For any chemical service, we need to know EVERYTHING that has been on your hair. This is vitally important. To properly toubleshoot, we need as much information possible about your chemical history. So those perms or brazilian blowdrys? Keep us posted. Coloring your roots at home every 3 weeks? Give us the details. This way, we can avoid any major roadblocks during our processing.
5) Unhappy with the end result?
-Please PLEASE let your stylist know. This has always been my belief, as I am sure many stylists feel the same. Our goal is to make you happy, plain and simple. We do our best but there may be a time where something was off and you wish you were blonder or your layering is too heavy etc.
We want to know! If your unhappy, we want to find out how to make it right for you. This takes another round of communication and a further in depth consultation so be prepared for some questions so we can get it just right.
PS. Don’t ever feel bad to not like something! I firmly believe feedback is necessary for growth, so if you feel comfortable communicating respectfully, know that you are providing your stylist ample growth opportunity!
We are not magicians, but we can do some pretty nifty things with hair! Communication and observation is a huge piece of the puzzle. Spend that extra time and I guarantee you will feel more confident in your consultation and appointment!
xo,
Brittany