Finding a hairdresser that understands you (and your hair)

Ever walked into a hair salon and felt that gut wrenching anxiety that you're a fish out of water? After hours, days or even weeks of scrolling through google trying to find that perfect picture, to help you get across to your stylist, exactly what it is that you're hoping for...you stand there at reception taking in the salon biz around you and you KNOW that picture will never surface today?

Hair salons can be daunting places. Filled with the loud resonance of style and confidence that vibrates through the room and doesn't quite reflect how you're feeling, as you stand there with hair that desperately needs rescuing and self esteem that seeks the same.

So, how then, do you manage to communicate the hairstyle you've been dreaming of to a busy stylist on a tight schedule? And by doing so, will they assume you're trying to tell them their job? Will you be left feeling a little silly, when they abruptly inform you that the model in the picture has hair that is lightyears from the style and texture of your own?

Firstly you should NEVER be made feel silly for not knowing something you haven't trained in or for finding an image or phrase to help you depict the style you dream of. Yes, you may have chosen something that your hair is incapable of achieving, unfortunately that is the disappointing truth for so many of us!!

But then isn't it human nature to desire the out of reach?! Why can't we dream big?!

And secondly the salon is EXACTLY the place to show these pictures and share your wildest hair style dreams!! It is our job as hair stylists to be your outlet and to provide the answers to all of the questions that help you understand exactly what your hair CAN achieve.

"Your hair is your crowning glory."

Hence the phrase "having a bad hair day" is more in relation to everything going wrong than it is to your hair directly.

When our hair isn't right it affects our confidence and when it is - we feel ready to take on the world!!

That's why, finding the right hairdresser for you is hugely important!

Just like our hair, we are all very different as people, the stylist we feel comfortable with may not be the same person as our friend or relative does, the look that is statistically right for our skin tone or face shape may not connect with our personality or taste. So when looking for a new stylist, there's more to take into consideration than just the most trendy salon space or the price range of the services offered. That isn't to say, these things aren't important, they most definitely are!? They too play a part in what makes you feel most comfortable and most confident. However, the most crucial and liberating factor is finding the place where YOU feel you fit!

When you visit the salon that you'll stick with for life...you'll feel at ease in the surrounding; you'll feel welcomed by the staff; you'll have no qualms about asking questions about your hair type or the latest trends - you might even have a laugh in doing so! You'll feel relaxed throughout the experience and you'll leave feeling transformed not just in look but in self confidence too.

A stylist can feel like a magician, a friend, a counsellor or coach and going to the salon CAN be an experience you enjoy and look forward to with pleasure. There's a salon out there for everyone and a stylist within it to suit. You just have to know how to find it!

The Secret??

Yes, I did plan on providing an answer to this dilemma!! My preach was not without solution!

Consultation! Consultation! Consultation!!!

The best advice I can give you, if you're someone who dreads the idea of visiting the salon, is to book a consultation. Book a slot with your stylist, where you can have their full attention, to simply just ask your questions, share your ideas, get to know how you feel within the space and get a feel for the the person you'll be dealing with. This way, you'll do it without your stylist juggling distractions around you and you won't run out of time and feel pressured to just have something done. then, when you leave, you'll know a lot more of what to expect of your experience and most importantly you'll understand YOUR hair!!

If you can understand your hair it will change how you feel about it - for life!!

Understand your hair and you'll achieve a style that suits your look, your lifestyle and the time limits within it, as well as that all important budget!

Why leave the salon with a style that looks wonderful for a day and then spend the next 6 weeks fighting with brushes and being tangled in tongs, just to still end up looking like a scarecrow in a storm?!? What you need, is something you can handle, something that lasts you well between visits.

You need to know how to care for your hair and give it what it needs to return the look you desire.

It's easy to forget that our hair is alive up there! It's absorbing and reacting, to everything that goes through our bodies. Whether that be stress and emotion or medicine and environmental factors...its ALL travelling through our hair. Think about how many intolerances, allergies and health factors can be discovered through testing a strand of hair?? It would blow your mind the things our hair carries!!

Yep, you heard it right...when you're stressed out your mind and life's upside down and then suddenly your hair decides to take on the look of your childhood doll, (all lifeless and wiry,) just to add to your troubles...not a coincidence!!

So there you have it! My infinite wisdom...

Get to know your hair and you'll banish your hair woes for life! And how do we achieve this if we haven't already?? Find the stylist and the salon that fits for you of course! It's easy...remember -

"Consultation, consultation, consultation!!!"

And if this post has inspired you to book one with me...just click on the link below!

Hairdresser for life...