A Life of Style: Hair Care Boot Camp - Client Etiquette

In my last Hair Care Boot Camp post, I gave tips on finding a new stylist. Now it's time to focus on client etiquette.

There is no doubt that your stylist needs to maintain a certain level of professionalism to ensure that you'll keep coming back. As a client we have to do our part as well.

I'm at the salon every week so I see many client faux pas. Here's a list:

• Being late for your appointment and having an attitude when you have to wait - Okay things happen, you lose track of time and you're way more than 30 minutes late for your appointment. Just call if you're going to be late for your appointment. Remember your stylist has a schedule to keep and one late client can throw his or her day off.


• Indecisiveness - It can be very helpful to have a hair style in mind when you get to the chair. I once witnessed a woman slowly flipping through a style book as she was sitting in the chair. She had no clue how she wanted her hair styled and she was asking the stylist for his opinion which he gladly gave and she shot down every one of his suggestions *rolling eyes*. Eventually her stylist had to escort her to the waiting area so he could begin working on the next client while Miss Indecisive made up her mind.


• Rudeness - Treating the salon receptionist and assistants like peasants is never cool. The staff can and will report your funky attitude to the manager or stylist and who knows how your hair could turn out? "Ooops! You did say just a trim and I've just given you a shorter version of Diddy's infamous mohawk. My bad." I have seen women stroll into the salon tossing their furs at the receptionist, barely acknowledging the young lady. Check your attitude at the door. Sometimes when you're nice to the receptionist, they'll slip you product samples when you check out ;) I even come bearing small gifts, a cup of joe from S'bucks can always brighten a day.

• Expecting a miracle - Remember that scene in Barbershop 2 where Queen Latifah was a stylist? The woman in her chair had a big ol' bleached blonde afro and asked "Do I look like Beyonce?" And Queen Latifah replied "Yeah, just like her." The look on Queen Latifah's face was priceless. There is no amount of hairspray, hair color, or sew in weave that can make any of us look like Beyonce Knowles. Please remember your hair stylist is not a magician. Stop expecting a major transformation at the salon.

• Poor hair care at home - I can't stress this enough. You have to take good care of your hair in between salon visits. What's the point of going to the salon every two weeks if you're frying your hair with hot irons everyday, not drinking any water, eating a bunch of unhealthy foods, and the last time you were on a vitamin regimen your mom was twisting open a bottle of Flinstone's chewables! Your stylist will get annoyed with you if he or she is taking good care of your hair and you aren't doing your part.

I really believe in treating people the way you want to be treated and it's important to maintain good businesss relationships. If you want your stylist to take good care of you then make sure you exhibit good client etiquette.

Have you guys witnessed any examples of poor client etiquette at the salon? Leave your stories in the comments section and I'll post them.

A Life of Style: Hair Care Boot Camp - Finding a New Stylist

The relationship between a woman and her hair stylist is very important. I know people who have their hair done at random by any and everybody, they salon hop, and have the nerve to complain about the poor condition of their hair.

I believe in patronizing a quality salon with talented and capable stylists whose main concern is healthy hair.

If you don't have a regular hair stylist it's time to get serious about finding someone.

So here are my tips for finding a new stylist:

**Ask a friend who has great hair, "Who does your hair?" Referrals can be a great way to find your new stylist.

**Check out salons close to your job or in your neighborhood. Ask the receptionist who the best stylists are. I used to pass a very posh salon on my way to S'bucks every morning. I went in one day to get some information and possibly schedule a consultation. Not only was the salon very upscale, the staff had that 'more upscale than thou' attitude which I detest. Fancy and upscale aren't always good things.

**Interview potential stylists in person so they can see your hair. Ask what is their hair philosophy, what products they use, how do they keep up to date on the latest products, techniques, etc, do they have pictures of their work, what are their hours, what are their rates, how can they help with particular hair issues you may be having, what do they recommend for your hair? During the interview/consultation, the stylist should ask you questions as well and offer some recommendations based on your specific hair type.

**Schedule an appointment with the stylist you feel most comfortable with. It's also a good idea to take a picture of a hair style along so you can see how well the stylist can reproduce the look. If you don't have a picture, that's fine just tell the stylist how you normally wear your hair.

**Pay close attention to the stylist and the salon. Is his/her station clean? What is the salon atmosphere like? Does he have too many clients at the same time causing him to do what I call assembly line styling? Do the clients appear comfortable with the stylist? Is he/she super chatty? Are the clients smiling when they leave the chair?

**If you're pleased with your hair then schedule another appointment and start going to the stylist on a weekly or biweekly basis - that's how you build a good rapport with the hair stylist. It's important to stay with one person who can get your hair in the best condition. Consistency is important in achieving healthy hair.