A fellow colorist had recently said something to me that opened my eyes a little more about the industry I am in. "We are not in the hair business, we are in the people business". Everyday I have the chance to study how people work and build a one-on-one connection with a complete stranger. I learn their likes, dislikes, family history, all the places they have lived, and everything else under the sun you can imagine. Each client is completely different, which makes my job that much more fun. However, I have seen one similarity between everyone of them. No one knows how to be prepared a hair appointment.
I can't tell whether or not it's actually common knowledge on how to arrive into a salon. Maybe it's that I'm just a salon professional so I know all the proper ways and clients actually have no clue? Either way, I would like to educate everyone on what to do so you are ready for your colorist to work their magic.
1. Someone else's sweat isn't something we want to get our hands in
I understand you have your workout routine and need to be in the gym at the same whatever time every single day. But please, work it around your hair appointment. It's not going to kill you if your there at 5 in the afternoon instead of 2. It's just once every few months that you have to rearrange your schedule a little bit. When you come in with a head full of sweat and tell me you didn't have time to wash it, the first thing I think is "Oh great, just what I was hoping for". It doesn't make us want to touch your head. It just turns into a chore and we have to immediately go to disinfect our hands because of the sweaty client. Please, don't be the sweaty client.
2. Be hygienic and make sure your hair is clean
Please don't come in to me and say you haven't washed your hair in 4 days. Do you know how much oil collects on your roots just in 4 days? Not only is it very unappealing for us to touch, but it actually changes the way color reacts to your hair. When you have an outer layer of oil coating your hair, it can slow the processing time down and even make it difficult for color or any lightener to penetrate into your hair to begin with. It can create unexpected results which isn't great for you or your colorist. To get the most benefit out of what your paying for, show up with freshly washed hair. This will allow the colorist to properly predict what they can do for you. Those oily roots also mess with where color is placed. Oily hair falls differently then clean hair, which automatically will shift what type of sectioning or patterns your colorist is placing on your head.
An oily scalp isn't the only reason you should wash your hair, product buildup is another. If you use hairsprays, mousses, gels or any other thick product that makes your hair feel like straw, please wash it out. It does not make the color application more efficient when there is a hair that is clumped up like a ball of hay from using to much hair spray or mousse. Not only will it slow the application time down, it also might be uncomfortable to you when I tug and pull to try and separate those stuck-together strands. So, for your benefit and mine, wash your hair.
3. Do not show up with it soaking wet
After your hair is all washed and cleaned, pick up that dryer and blowdry your hair. Not damp, not 75% dry, not mostly dry in the front and a little wet in the back, DRY. When you make an appointment with your colorist, you are not the only appointment of the day. Even though you have a special bond with them and you think you have all the time in the world to dilly dally when you get there, you don't. Colorists love spending time with there clients and getting to know them more, but unfortunately, time is of the essence. From the moment you sit down in that chair the clock is ticking until it's time for the next client to come in. When you arrive to your appointment with wet hair, that time booked only for what you requested has been disrupted. Now, your colorist must get their blowdryer out and take however many more minutes to dry your hair for you. Ten minutes as rolled by and your hair is finally dry. Unfortunately, those small ten minutes to you is a big ten minutes to your hairdressers next client, who has been waiting ten minutes past when her appointment was scheduled for because you weren't prepared for your appointment. To avoid any time management issues during your time at the salon, arrive with dry hair.
4. Actually brush your hair
After the experience I had with a client last week, please, I beg you, brush your hair properly. A mother brought in her 16 year old daughter to get her hair highlighted for an upcoming event. I looked at my schedule and saw I was booked the proper amount of time to give her what she wanted. My next client was due an hour after her so I had to make sure I was running on schedule. I walked over to the girl and her mother to discuss what she was looking to achieve. Halfway into the client consultation the mother had said to me that there was a small knot in the back of the girls head. The fact that she had to stop and make me aware of a "small" knot made me a little skeptical. Before we continued, I took a look through the girls hair to see what I was really getting myself into. There it was, a knot of matted, tangled, hard as a rock hair that was the size of my fist. Picture a dread-lock in a baseball form. This wasn't something a brush and some conditioner would handle. This knot was at the point of taking over 30 minutes to remove. I had explained to the mother that since the knot had to be taken out, the daughter might miss her appointment due to the time that it takes to remove something like that. Finally, halfway into her appointment, the knot was out. I still had a half hour left to do something to the girls color where it looked refreshed for her event, but not what she originally made her appointment for. If the girl was prepared and showed up with her hair tangle free, she would of been given the service she intended to have. Brush your hair.
5. Know what you want
There are many times when a client comes into me and has no idea what they are looking to do. No matter how hard you try to get on the same page, everyone has different versions of what colors are what. My caramel tone and honey blonde can be totally different then what you think is it. Visuals are the biggest thing I encourage. Bring in pictures, photographs or whatever you decide to show for what you want your hair to look like. The best investment I've made this year was my Ipad. If a client comes in and is confused about what they are looking for, I just pop up Pinterest and tell them to search through different looks. Finding a common ground with your colorist is very important. We are there to make you happy and make you feel beautiful. When we know what you have in mind and are given the right tools, we can achieve whatever look you dream to have.
I hope you take everything I've said here into consideration when you are getting ready for your hair appointment. Your time is valuable and to make sure its not wasted, prepare for your colorist properly.
