Communicating with your Hairdresser
Communicating with your hairdresser can easily affect the outcome of your hair days for at least the next 6 weeks to come. For instance, “I know what you want” or “What are we doing today” does not constitute a consultation, and are NOT the words you want to hear at the beginning of your hair service!
When I first started in hairdressing it was standard practice to have my next client shampooed while I finished my last, with nothing more than cursory smile and a polite greeting as my next victim got led to the shampoo basin. The first real communication I had was with me talking through a mirror to a head of wet hair. I say head because that is all I could see. I would have forgotten what height and shape you were, all trussed up in a gown. The tell tale signs of your personal style expressed through your cloths was completely lost. With wet hair it was almost impossible for you to show me what problems you were experiencing or for me to see the true condition of your hair. But of course it was not about you in those days – it was all about the hairdresser and how good we were. We knew best!! My early success in my first business in Taunton 25 years ago was entirely due to the introduction of a simple shift of power to make you, the client the most important person in my new Salon, called Combers. To be consistent to these values It was essential to train all my own hairdressers from scratch as it quickly became evident most experienced hairdressers I employed at that time could not grasp this concept, strange as it may sound now, or not, depending on where you go! What was more concerning was that we had to educate our clients as well. It was almost as though they were resigned to being bullied.
It is very frustrating to see in many salons, variations of this practice still occur. Our team meeting last week revealed how Sally, one of our consultants began her consultation on a recommended client who could not understand why Sally wanted to talk with her before she had her hair washed as this was not her usual experience. Of course there is so much to know and observe, how could she make recommendations that truly mattered if she could not ask the right questions and listen.
So how do you communicate with your hairdresser and prevent this from happening to you? Particularly if it is your first appointment, you should always be granted a thorough consultation, or walk out! Most salons offer these complimentary, which is a sure way of knowing if you are going to see ‘eye to eye’. It’s easier than either freaking out because you didn’t communicate clearly, which may only be evident after it’s to late, or swallowing your disappointment and paying a bill for something you did not want.
Pictures truly speak a thousand words. Dozens of magazines have great inspirational pieces that can help you describe what it is that you desire. The only reason these are sometimes discouraged is the fixation on the photograph, without considering that the model is under extreme lighting, as well as having a hairdresser on site.
Trust me when I say it’s startling to see the effort it takes behind the scenes to create that look,
and yes you too can look like that under the same circumstance! It’s important for you to know what it is about the image in the photograph that actually appeals to you.
More importantly than knowing what you want, is what you don’t want. At Combers hair & Beauty Spa we ask each client three specific questions. What do you like the most about your hair? What do you like the least about your hair? How do you wish to be perceived when you walk into a room? It’s a pretty simple concept, but very often we find that prior to the appointment, people haven’t given it much thought.
By knowing what you don’t want, it at least eliminates a plethora of choices, and at least you won’t leave with something in your style you dislike at the least and detest at the worse.
There is a fine line between having input and dampening your stylist sense of creativity. In the end,
it is you that must wake up, go to sleep, and present this style every day for the next several weeks
not your hairdresser. Follow the parameters of communications as you would with anyone else that has importance in your life, and you should have many good hair days to come.
For a free consultation with a difference phone ‘Combers’ or our New the new ‘Hair colour Bar’ on O800 107 0075 www.combers.co.uk or www.haircolourbar.com
