Stylist James with Adam
In the first part of this article, we presented why we view the consultation as so crucial to your hairstyling or coloring session (or any other beauty and health services, for that matter).
It might seem obvious when you hear us say it. But in practice, we see many stylists and clients gloss over it, spending a scan minute or two on the consultation. It's our belief that many of the mistakes which cause clients to leave unhappy occur because the consultation failed.
Our goal is to help you take charge of your consultation and make sure that you and your stylist are on the same page. Keep reading for some of our suggestions to help you do that!
Specific vs. General language
What does “short” mean to you? What is “don’t cut too much?”
It’s better to specify. The best way to do that? Use body landmarks as markers.
“I want my hair in the back to fall to the top of my shoulder blades” is much clearer than “I’d like it cut medium.”
Show versus Tell
Instead of talking about what you’d like, show your stylist. Use your hands! Move the hair around to illustrate where you want it to fall. This is called “shaping.” Shaping the hair to show what you want, according to Emmanuel, is much more meaningful than the usual descriptions like “long layers” or “bangs.”
Again, we want to get away from the abstract to the concrete. We’re talking about your hair here, so why not include it in the conversation?
Know What Kind of Client You Are
It’s good to understand how you communicate.
Are you timid or tend to minimize what you truly want? Some people, for example, might say “I want to go a little red,” when really they mean to go quite a few degrees of red more than “a little.” If your stylist doesn’t pick up that you really do want to go red, he might only do a mild change that will leave you dissatisfied.
And then there’s the “Whatever” client. They'll tell their stylist to do whatever they want... When does “anything goes” really go, though?
The “Whatever” client usually does have an idea of what they want. They just don’t know how to express it, or aren’t used to having the space to figure it out. Or they hope that the stylist is psychic. Don't assume it. Take the time to spell it out.
Remember, no good haircut can happen without a good consultation.
And if you really are open to any kind of style of color, make sure to have the stylist spell it out first. No surprises is better than a bad surprise when it comes to your hair!
Be an Equal Partner
Want to know a good way to help yourself? See yourself and the stylist as equals. You are collaborators for the next hour or two. Your stylist is an expert of hair; you are an expert of your hair and what you want. It’s a great match!
Allow yourself to feel comfortable, act like there’s no pressure. Part of the goal of this article is to help you not feel pressured by the consultation. I know in my own experience I feel like I need to rush through it, and let the stylist get to the haircutting—as if I’m using up their time. And some people think that the more time the stylist spends snipping or coloring the better the outcome will be. But it really isn’t the case.
Recall that Emmanuel thinks of the consultation as 50% of a good haircut!
Resolving Contradictions and Paradoxes
In French, we joke “On coupe, mais on garde toute la longueur” (We cut, but lets keep all the length).
Quite often we hear clients wanting to accomplish things which are simply not compatible.
“I want to get rid of about 4 inches; I want to let my hair grow longer”
“I’d like it cut really short, but keep the part.”
Well, you can’t really have a part with short hair!
What often happens is that stylists are nice people, and they try to fulfill conflicting requests, leading to unsatisfactory results. A lot of the responsibility of this part of the consultation falls to your stylist. It is their job to point where there are inconsistencies in your requests. But you can make it easier for them by picking up their cues.
Result vs the Steps to Get There
A lot of these contradictions and paradoxes come when clients confuse the result they want with the steps it takes to get there. Problems can arise when we don’t distinguish the two. Our recommendation? Focus on the result you want. Trust your stylist to know what it will take to get there. That’s their job!
Ready for more tips? Click here for the final part of this article!
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