What Your Hairdresser Really Thinks: Salon Dos and Don’ts
A good hairdresser is worth their weight in gold. They’re a rare and highly covetable breed whom you may find yourself incredibly invested in – so much so, you contemplate moving cities if your beloved “hair engineer” – gasp – moves to a faraway salon.
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Okay, maybe not quite, but you get my drift: I’m addicted to the high of good hair and so my beloved, talented hairdresser occupies a special place in my heart. I tell her all my secrets and have laughed and cried under her care and then, like my own fairy godmother, she makes my hair look better and better each time I visit. I fully understand and support celebrities spending thousands of dollars to fly their hairdressers with them all over the world. Wouldn’t you, if you could?
But have you ever wondered what your hairdresser is really thinking? The secrets only they possess in their quiet, calm reverie? Read on, for senior Queensland hairdresser Elyse Louise, 22, was kind enough to share her top 5 salon dos and don’ts. Here, Elyse dishes the dirt on big industry no-nos and the appropriate hair etiquette we should all adopt.
- Creepy crawlies: One of Elyse’s pet hates is, understandably, coming across a client with a head full of nits! Gross! As heinous as this is, it does happen, she says, and leaves hairdressers with no option, but to refuse their services and send the client home. Aside from being totally rank, it’s against hairdresser workplace health and safety to work on a nit-plagued ‘do. Elyse says she’s seen young kids through to teenagers with the dreaded infestated hair.
- Celebrity lookalike: There’s nothing a good hairdresser hates more, says Elyse, than a client bringing in a photo of celebrity and saying: “Make me look like that”. For starters, you may not resemble your fave celebrity in any way and hairdressers are expertly trained to match your hair style to best suit your individual facial structure and hair type. This means that as much as you might think and hope your hairdresser can suddenly transform you into the likes of supermodel Gisele, it just ain’t going to happen.
- Clients with no idea: Another big hairdresser hate is clients who say: “Just do whatever you want”. This is a big gamble: how do you know your hairdresser isn’t a complete sadist who will shave off all your hair just for kicks? Elyse says hairdressers much prefer it when you come into a salon with a strong idea of what you want; otherwise you’re just wasting everyone’s time.
- Invest in a change: If you’re looking for a major, new ‘do – for example going from black to blonde – be prepared for the fact that you can’t do it in one session, Elyse says. A big change will take many salon visits to accomplish unless you want less-than-amazing results. So, be patient and persist with it. Hairdressers, as amazingly talented as some of them are, still cannot perform miracles (bugger).
- Hairdressers aren’t psychics: The next time you’re tempted to say to a new hairdresser: “Do it exactly the same as the last person” – give yourself a little slap, Elyse says. Hairdressers aren’t mind readers and it’s inevitable they’ll cut and colour your hair differently than the last stylist. Sure, you can carefully instruct them on exactly what you want, but they most likely will not give you exactly the same result as a hairdresser from another salon. Be open to change, or don’t ever go to a new hairdresser.
Images via www.hito.org.nz; theultimateedit.com
