All too often I hear horror stories of hair appointments gone bad. Starting with a new stylist can be a scary step yes it is JUST hair and yes it grows but a bad cut or color job can screw with your self esteem, turn a good day bad, make or brake your mood. Our hair is a way for us to express a little bit of who we are to the world. This is why I am going to "guide" you through a few things that can help you sift through the world of stylist. I have said it before I will say it again, a lot of people do hair, very few people do hair well. I cannot count on my hands and toes combined the number of friends I have that do hair or how often someone tells me oh my cousin does hair my aunt does hair my*blank* does hair! So many people do hair that it has to be hard to choose! Keep in mind this is a guide. What I am about to tell you is only my opinion and there are always some exceptions. But this is rare and the guide will help you. If you are already with a stylist you know and love please do not take this and say to her why dont you do this why do you do that. If its not broke dont fix it! In other words if she does what you like and you are happy dont worry about it! Your happy and that is what matters!
So here goes first things first, EDUCATION!!!!! This one is HUGE! A sign of a good stylist is one who continues to step out in the world of education. I can say that 1 I have used very very little of what I learned in beauty school... beauty school gives you the basics but mostly teaches us to be safe and clean so that we are not spreading disease, lice, germs or worse causing chemical burns or allergic reactions! Yes our job can be dangerous in the wrong hands! and 2 most of what we learn technique wise in beauty school is useless in the real world. A good stylist will always be up on the hottest trends and be taking continued education as much as she can. I have been told more then once from different teachers "the day someone decides they know it all is the day they stop learning" so true, when you think you know all there is to know you close your mind off and are no longer open to new things. Things are always changing always evolving and a good stylist knows this and wants to take classes.
Also a good stylist will say NO. I have had many a clients sit in my chair for example with black hair and say I want Gwenn Stefani blonde. Now this IS possible but it will not happen in one appointment in fact it probably will not happen even in 4 appointments and in the process you WILL have breakage your hair WILL be dry and for quite a while you will wonder what was I thinking!!!? I have also had clients who bring me a picture of Kim Khardasian or Britney Spears I have had to say this wont work for you! A good stylist should spend a lot of time explaining to you the ins and outs of what you are in for! What is good for your face shape, or even your life style, some cuts and colors are very high maintenance if I know my client is not a big "blow dry" kind of girl or has trouble getting her hair done every six weeks I will suggest something that will be close to what she is looking for but that also fits her life style and personality. Which brings me to my next point a good stylist knows her worth is confident in her abilities and will charge accordingly. If your stylist is well educated and confident her prices will be or should be a bit more then a "chop shop". When a client comes to me for a cut not only are they paying for my service they are paying for my knowledge and the peace of mind that they go to a stylist who will use that money to take classes and get better for their sake! If I am charging 6 dollars for a hair cut that took me an hour + to do first off I am making less then minimum wage but in turn after paying my business back and taking care of life expenses do you really think that 6 dollars will leave me with money in savings to continue with classes? NO. Might I add my shears cost $350 yes thats right and I keep them sharpened so you get a good precise cut! Sharpening alone cost anywhere from 20 to 60 dollars. I will post a whole other blog on why my scissors cost what they do but a good pair of shears will cost anywhere from 200 to upwards of 1500. Mind you I would NOT spend 1500 I think at that point its simply ridiculous! But non the less our tools (good tools) cost money and have upkeep that also has a cost. Sorry off that rant :P Any who ok so Well Educated past beauty school, fairly but not under priced, and knows when and how to say no.
Oh here is a big one! I will finish with this! A good stylist will always admit a wrong! Things happen color can do things you did not expect a lot can go wrong even when you are well educated take your time do all the right steps!! I have had it happen where I totally miss a whole spot!! LOL I dont realize it until color is processed all washed out and Im ready to cut!! I could pretend its not there and hope the client does not notice or I can admit my mistake apologize and correct! I would much rather correct it then and there rather then send her home to notice call me all upset and bam now I have to book a whole new appt to fix it! More time for me and her out of our schedule! and at that point Im sure I will have lost a bit of trust.
I really could keep going but I wont this should get you started and really if I had to pick only 1 good trait to go with it would be well educated! I hope this helps some of you if you are in search of a new stylist, if you are with someone you love I hope it helps you to appreciate them more and if you are a stylist yourself and maybe don't do these things or are lacking in an area I hope it will inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and grow a little bit more as a stylist! We owe it to our clients! Thanks for reading Leave a comment! Have anything to add I would LOVE to hear! Love your stylist I would love to hear or had a bad experience my ears are all yours!! ;)
