So you’ve had a couple of bad salon experiences and its left you feeling a bit cautious ever since . Perhaps you even had a stylist you really dug and you still aren’t sure what exactly happened on that last appointment.
Well inspired by the late great Anthony Bourdain, here are some hard truths no one else will tell you about what really goes on in the salon that may help you make the most out of your next salon experience .
First , be mindful of going in for the 9:00 am Sat or Sun appointment if your stylist looks like they just graduated from cosmetology school. Even if it appears they’ve been in the game a couple of years you might still wanna be cautious. Many young Hairdressers are notorious for having the occasional after work Friday outing that turns always seems to turn into an “unexpected” long night . They are definitely prone to cut loose a bit on Sat evening as Sat is the most high strung shit show day , and the fact is that if your stylist did indeed cut a rug last night they are more than likely to be a bit tired and groggy on their first appointment, but fear not , because after one client everyone feels back in the game ! So if your stylist looks under 21 and you wanna be on the safe side ask for a time a couple appointments in if its the weekend. Of course that being said , some stylists have also been known to do their best work under these conditions so you never know….
Some might be surprised to know , as annoying as it is when you turn up and your stylist is running late, the truth is this is often because some one before you was late . This happens to everyone occasionally but people who do this notoriously annoy the crap out of their stylist. But if you show up on time or even a few min before your appointment time, even if they are running behind the stylist will often respect your punctuality and give you your full one hr even if that means they will be late again, but if you show up late w some story about parking, with a a fresh Starbucks in hand, don’t be surprised when you are being rushed through to the front wondering what just happened .
Also, keep in mind what your stylist goes through for you behind the scenes to make sure you have a smooth experience . Every stylist worth their own will always make sure every one walking out the door looks good, even the most high maintenance of clients, but the clients that come in genuinely friendly will always get that extra love, that extra mile, wether its something as simple as having your drink ready upon arrival to leaving the conditioner in a couple of extra min so your hair is extra soft for the weekend.
If you’ve been curious about a salon but you’ve been unsure, check out their Instagram, it’s the beauty industry’s new business card . If they don’t have one, might be safer to just stay clear .
Know that stylists get antsy, but telling clients they are moving can be quite stressful if the wrong people are near by and can feel be too sketchy for the stylist . So if you like your stylist get his or her contact info.
You can’t judge a book by its cover but you can judge a salon by its product lines. There are many fantastic product lines with great products that want to market themselves as attainable to most tier two customers while luxury lines such as and similar to Kerestes, Orbe’, and Bumble and Bumble limit how many salons are allowed to carry them to appeal to a different status of customer and the business must actually be approved by the company as suitable for their tier one target customer base . The product lines they carry can tell you about what kind of customers the salon is targeting itself to .
It always helps to niche down what it is exactly you are looking for in a stylist or salon, for example some people don't care very much for being at salons and simply aren't that bothered about their hair, in which case go for a lower price point I'm sure you'll be happier, and some people simply have a thing for the nicer things in life and really do enjoy a posh environment and hot looking blow out . Speaking for myself and the many extremely talented people I have been fortunate enough to work with , the later is where we feel at home .
Finally if you are one of the few left on the planet who is thinking about a perm, if you ask for some one with lots of experience they may just give you the same kind they did all the way through the eighties, and if you ask for some one young and trendy, they will have no idea what they are doing since ombré’s are all the rage now, and if god forbid a perm has just recently crossed your mind, don’t, just don’t .
