How To Prepare For Your Next Salon Visit

I think we have all had good and bad experiences at the hair salon. Some of those might be partly our fault and some not. So today I am going to try and help you with that! We are going to talk about how to prepare for your next salon visit. So that everyone is happy!

I am a retired hairstylist and clients can expect a lot from their hairstylist. We can be hair stylists, colorists, counselors, magicians, and sometimes psychics. Lol! Believe it or not, your stylist cannot read your mind! Don’t be afraid to ask your stylist questions; hopefully, they will ask you some so that you are both on the same page.  If you aren’t comfortable with something speak up before the fact, some things cannot be undone. You won’t hurt their feelings.

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Be Realistic

If you want a “change” the best thing you can do is be realistic. Your stylist wants you to come in with pictures of the new cut or color you want. But you need to try to keep a few things in mind when you are looking.

• Do they have the same hair type as you? (Fine hair, thick hair, etc.?) – Try to find a photo that has a similar hair type and texture to yours. This will help give you an idea of whether it will work well for you. Bring several photos and you can talk it over with your stylist.
• Is it a wig? – A lot of clients bring in pictures of wigs and don’t even realize it. It can be difficult to spot one because they have gotten so natural looking. So be prepared for your stylist to burst your bubble. That’s why it’s a good idea to bring a few photos with you.  
• Have you had a similar cut before and just want to tweak it a bit? – Bring in those pictures also. People tend to go with what they know and are comfortable with. If you are going back to a similar style that you had in the past bring in those photos along with the new photos that you found. It will help your stylist see how your hair will lay with the cut or they can make recommendations on how to alter that previous cut.

Also, remember that your stylist went to school for this and is a professional. Listen to their advice. If you want to go platinum blonde and you have naturally dark hair that will be a very difficult and long process. You will be visiting the salon often. But you see the Kardashians going platinum and back dark all the time, right? A lot of celebrity’s wear hairpieces and wigs. They have come a long way and we don’t even notice when they are.

Come to the Salon with Clean Hair

This can be a heated debate sometimes, but I think it’s straightforward! I did a blog post a while back on the subject, Do You Need to Wash Your Hair Before Going to the Salon? You can read that here.

If you are going into the salon for just a haircut, then chances are you will not have to shampoo prior. There are exceptions! Are you someone that likes to go for a week between shampoos or use a ton of products? It would be helpful to wash the evening before or the morning just so you get some of the buildup out of there!

If you are going to the salon for color or highlight, I almost always recommend going in with clean hair. If you cannot do it the morning of the appointment, the night before. This will give your hairstylist a clean slate so the color is fully absorbed, and highlights can fully lift. If your hair is dirty or coated with products the chemicals that the stylists are using will have to fight against all those things prior to doing its “job”. It could result in less than optimum results. But be sure not to scrub the scalp, we don’t want to irritate the scalp prior to putting chemicals on it.

A very important thing to remember when going to the salon is never to show up with our hair wet. Especially when going in for color. They will need to blow-dry prior to starting the color which might end up giving you an extra charge. Also, if it’s wet prior to your cut, it can be hard for the stylist to see how your hair lays naturally.

Be Patient with Your Stylist

Being a hairstylist is a very physical career not to mention the psychological part of it. Your stylist most days works through lunch, dinner, and breaks. They are on their feet all day.

Try to show up for your appointment on time. I understand how frustrating it can be to wait for your stylist when they are running behind. But the thing is that a lot of times it only takes one person to show up late for their appointment. Or to ask for more services than they were scheduled for. Ahem, show up with wet hair! All of this to say, it’s not always their fault and I can guarantee they are stressed to be running behind.

Listen to Product Recommendations

Products do matter! We spend all this time and money on our hair, and we decide to skimp on the products when we go home. I cannot tell you the number of people that would love their hair when they left the salon but got frustrated after going home. They didn’t want to use any styling products, didn’t want to blow dry their hair, they just wanted it to look like it did in the salon. You know, magically!

We need to invest time into learning how to style our hair at home. Learn how to use that round brush and blow dryer together. Practice with that flat iron or curling iron.

It is important to start slowly buying and replacing your hair products with clean, non-toxic, cruelty-free products. You would be amazed at the difference that products can make. If you would like help choosing some I can always help! I love the products that I use and would love to help you too. Click here to start. Or talk with your hairstylist about how to start the transition with better products for your hair.

I hope these tips help with your next trip to the hair salon! How do you usually prepare for your trip to the salon? Please share in the comments below.