Time to change hair stylist?

Firing your hair stylist 

Hold on loosely. . . but don't let go! It's not unusual for us to lose a client. With relocation, competition, dissatisfaction, personalities, chemistry, etc. it happens all the time.

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Choosing a new hair stylist

Ask around                         

Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself and your hair is to change your hair stylist.  I only say this of course, if you are unhappy with the results you've been getting from your existing hair stylist.  How do you find a good hair stylist? Ask someone (even a stranger) who has a hair style that you admire, who her hair stylist is. You will be surprised at how appreciative she is for you asking. You are really paying her a great compliment. Every woman is a walking advertisement for her hair stylist.

After getting some recommendations, set up a consultation with the potential new hair stylist (which should not cost anything, by the way). Rely heavily on that womanly intuition you have been blessed with. Here are some observations to make:

• Do we seem to click? First impressions are powerful and generally correct.
• How does the hair stylist present herself/himself? What you see is what you get.
• What does her/his hair style look like?  Believe me, this is a big clue. If you see terribly damaged hair here . . . run for the hills. If she/he doesn't care enough, or know enough about keeping their own hair healthy, why should they care about yours?
• Did they ask enough questions to be able to asses your best possibilities?  On this visit a good hair stylist should get your hairstyling history, past chemical treatments and the reaction. They should get to know about your lifestyle and how much time you are willing to spend on styling your hair.
• Take a look around. Is the hair salon clean? Do they appear organized?
• Was your appointment handled professionally? Remember, you do have choices here.

What you see is what you get.

How much experience should you look for?

New hair stylists

New hair stylists often have lots of enthusiasm, ideas and state of the art technical hair skills. They are usually very knowledgeable about the latest in hair technologies. The downside is that they simply have not encountered enough outcomes to develop the intuition necessary to know what will work best in a variety of situations. There are good as well as the not so good hair stylists in this category, just choose wisely.

Maturing hair stylists

Generally a hair stylist who has been in the business over three years, but under thirty years is your best bet. Think of it this way. If they are still in the business after some years, it's a reasonable conclusion that they have established a following of clients. They have enough clients who give them a vote of confidence to keep them in the hair styling business. They have developed a style of their own. They still have the enthusiasm, creativity and willingness to try new hair styles. They are the suggestors, and the ones who are not only committed to the business, but also to your best image. Again, as you already know, there are the good and the bad in each category.

Been around forever

There are many hair stylists who begin to burn out, get tired of trying new things, and who will settle into ruts. They lose excitement, and every client, even new ones, become a chore. 

They will keep doing the same old things over and over again. You need to use your own best judgment here.  Burnout can occur quickly in a hair stylist, I've known hair stylists who were burnt out at three years in the business. Yet don't assume that a hair stylist who has been around a while is burnt out. I've known hair stylists who have been cutting hair 30 years and more, who are as fresh as the day they came out of hair styling school.

What kind of hair salon is best?

Upscale hair salons

The chrome and glass, high rent district hair salon often attracts and keeps the high energy, creative hair stylists who are on the cutting edge of style. But, you'll usually pay a big price differential and often get less personal attention. In addition, I have found that many times they will try to make you look a little too stylish, and you can come out looking like a punk rocker with spiked hair.

Independent Mom and Pops              

Look at the facilities, it will tell you everything. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it must be orderly and clean. Order is the key to the management attitude. If the magazines in the waiting area are old and unorganized, or if the appointment desk looks like utter chaos, move on. What you see . . . is what you get.

Chair rentals

In a chair rental hair salon, each hairstylist rents the chair from the hair salon owner. The hair stylist retains 100% of the revenue that they generate. Generally, chair rental hair salons attract the better and more experienced hair stylists, as the economics require a large following of clients.

Chains and franchises

Chains and franchises are usually the lowest paying jobs for a hair stylist. The big name on the front door draws the clientele, and therefore the commissions the hair stylists receive are usually very low. Franchises have their own training programs beyond the training that the hair stylist receives in cosmetology school. I have found that the training is outstanding, unfortunately, their hair stylists do not stay long before they move on to more lucrative hair salons. A hair stylist who has a good list of repeat clients will look for a place that will pay her for bringing in the clients.

Chain department stores

Department store hair salons are usually owned by a large chain. They can be very spotty. Some are outstanding and have good talent, others can be staffed by those just putting in their time. The exception is JC Penney's hair salons. I find that their hair salons are extremely well managed and the hair stylists are extraordinarily competent.

• How to Become a Hair Stylist
• Tipping the Hair Stylist
• How to find a good hair stylist
• Finding a hair stylist, it shouldn’t be this hard
• Trying to find a hair stylist? I know how you feel!
• How to get the best from your hair stylist
• Hair stylist creativity–Are you having difficulty finding a creative hair stylist?
• I got the perfect hair style last time. Can I get it again?

Read Barb's Daily Hairstyle Blog