Tips for Communicating with Your Stylist to Get the Hairstyle You Want

The importance of clear communication with your hair stylist cannot be stressed enough. Effective communication can mean the difference between the best haircut you've ever hand and months of wearing hats and wigs to disguise a traumatizing trip to the salon. Even a very talented stylist can disappoint you if they don't clearly understand what it is you are looking for. Women and men spend hundreds of dollars and wait for months to book an appointment in order to put their hair in the hands of a stylist that they know and trust. They may eventually trust their stylist to the point where they can allow them complete artistic license to do whatever they want.

However, don't fret if you have yet to meet your stylistic soul mate or just don't have the time or money to waste on your hair. No matter where you go or what your budget is, there are some simple rules that everyone can follow in order to ensure that you get the results that you want.

A talented stylist is important, but you can't leave it all up to them. In order to effectively communicate your wishes to your stylist, you need make sure that you know exactly what you want. This means that you must plan ahead. Don't go to the hair salon on a whim, when you've just broken up with your partner, are having a severe case of PMS or if you simply have no idea of what you are looking for. Some of my worst salon experiences have been the result of being unprepared.

When you get the urge to reinvent yourself, spend AT LEAST a week exploring different styles and collect as many images as you possibly can. When paging through magazines hunting for styles/colors, remember that just because a style looks great on a model or celebrity, doesn't mean it will work for you. You need to take into account a model's hair texture and facial structure. You should also take into consideration how much care and maintenance each style will require and how much time and money you are realistically willing to spend on your hair. Your occupation or hobbies may also affect your choice.

When you've amassed a significant collection of visual images, share them with some of your close friends and family members in order to get some outside opinions. Make sure to consult with at least one friend that you know will be blatantly honest with you.

After you've made a final decision, give yourself a few more days to think it over before you actually schedule an appointment. This may seem like a lot of time and energy, but it's worth it to avoid months of unflattering hairstyles. Patience is a virtue when it comes to choosing a hairstyle.

When it comes to hair, language is typically not the best way to communicate. Hair terminology can be confusing to the non-stylist and terms often means different things to different people, so make sure that you are explaining what you want thoroughly and in your own words. For example "chunky" or "layered" may conjure up entirely different images for you than it does for your stylist.

Ask your stylist to visually show you how much they are going to cut off or show him/her yourself by holding your hair between your fingers. Verbally designating a certain number of inches may result in the stylist cutting off too much. Some people don't have a clear idea of how much an inch actually is and don't take into account how hair texture and the way that the hair falls will affect this measurement. You can always ask your stylist to take off some more, but there's no putting the hair back once the damage has been done.

This is also where having visual images comes in handy. The more magazines and photographs that you look at, the better you will be able to understand and communicate what it is that you want. Magazine images and photographs are an ideal means of communicating your wishes to your stylist.

A good stylist will take the time to listen to you and will give you an honest and professional opinion. They should know what questions to ask you and will take into account the texture and condition of your hair as well as the shape of your face and your lifestyle.

Make sure you explain your current daily hair routine and tell them how much time you are willing to spend styling your hair. A good stylist will be honest with you about whether or not a particular style will realistically work for you and will ask you questions to make sure that they are understanding your correctly.

If you feel like your concerns aren't being heard or if a stylist brandishes their scissors before your butt even hits the chair, get the heck out of there! Speak with the manager and request a different stylist or check out another salon. Don't worry about hurting someone's feelings. It's part of a stylist's job to do the best they can to please their clients and this includes listening carefully and giving their objective and professional opinion. After all, they are not the one that is going to have to live with the outcome for the next several months if it turns out disastrously.

Scheduling a consultation with a stylist a week or so before your actual appointment is also a great idea, especially if you are looking to make a drastic change. Most salons are more than happy to consult with you before hand, typically free of charge. You may need to schedule a consult or you might be able to get advice on a walk-in basis. By consulting with a stylist, you will gain a better understanding of what will work for your hair and lifestyle and also have a chance to get to know the stylist. If you are choosing between several styles/colors or if you are wondering whether a particular cut will be flattering to your face shape, getting a consult can help you to make a more educated decision.

Websites and computer software are also available to help you chose hairstyles and colors. Such programs typically allow you to upload a photograph of yourself into their system and then virtually "try on" a variety of hairstyles and colors. The better programs also ask you detailed questions about your hair texture and condition so that they can give you a more accurate picture. They also allow you to print out the options that you like in order to show them to your stylist. However, I wouldn't recommend relying too heavily on such programs, as they can often be misleading.