A few tips from your friendly neighborhood Hair Stylist

Coming down from the busiest month of the year, I just thought I would pass along some advice.  Here are a few random tips that your hairdresser may be too nice to share with you. Lucky for all of us... I'm not that nice :). Enjoy!!

1.  When you ask us to "hook you up", what you're really asking us to do is basically hand you money out of our own pocket.  Most of us are commission based, or self employed, which means... time = money.  Believe it or not, we are not making a killing off of you.  We paid $10,000-$20,000 for an education that we may or may not still be paying on.  We have overhead costs, continuing education costs, and someone had to pay for that color I am putting on your hair, and if it's not you, it's me!  We have to buy our shears, and pay to maintain them, we have to buy our own brushes, appliances, and product.  We have to pay to replace the clothes that we ruin with color almost every day, and to replace the bras, that after a few wears have hair stuck in them that you can never get out.  In other words, it's not free for us to come to work, so we certainly don't want to work for free.  We offer discounts and promotions when we can, but when we do give you a discount, graciously accept it, don't EXPECT it.

2.  So you're ready for a major change, but you don't want to lose any length, you don't want any layers, you don't want to do color or a perm, and you don't want your eyebrows waxed??? I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do for you then!  Go buy a new outfit.

3.  I CAN NOT give you 3 layers.  Well, I can, but I can also promise you won't like it.  You pick where you want your shortest layer, you pick where you want your length, and we blend from there.  Trust me, you don't want me to chop 3 layers into your hair.

4.  3 terms your hairdresser can't stand: die, pluck, and roots.  People die... You COLOR hair.  You PLUCK chickens, you TWEEZE eyebrows.  You have "regrowth" or, you just need to get your hair done, but ROOTS are for trees.  Know that your stylist is silently cringing if you use these words.

5.  I would rather fix your hair and have you happy, than for you to leave hating your hair because you're afraid to hurt my feelings.  It's not going to hurt my feelings if we tried something and you don't like it.  Anything is fixable.  We will figure it out!

6.  Hair doesn't fix itself.  One of the biggest complaints I hear from people in my chair is that they can never get their hair to look like It does when I do it.  Your hair will never look like it does when your hairdresser fixes it if you don't buy the products necessary to style it.  We don't recommend these products just to try to sell you something.  Once again, believe it or not, we're not making a killing off of the product either.  We are tryng to give you the tools to put in your tool box to make it easier for you!  Just like the house doesn't clean itself, your hair doesn't fix itself.  You have to do what it takes!

7.  If Pantene worked as well as the commercials say, all salons would carry it.  Don't ask me what you can buy from Walmart that will work.  I, personally, will not recommend anything from a discount or grocery store.  In fact, I don't even know what they carry!  And by the way, the only way to fix split ends is to trim them, all Pantene and other like products are doing is coating your hair in wax, causing more build up, which leads to less shine, and less volume.

8.  Just as I have the ability to brighten your day, you have the ability to brighten mine.  I have some of the best clients.  There have been plenty of days that they have completely turned my day around.  On the flip side of that, there have been a lot of days that have been ruined due to someone taking their bad day out on me.  Bottom line... We're people too!  But always remember, don't be mean to the girl with the scissors.  Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, you can't see what I'm doing back there ;).

9.  Don't call me on a Saturday, 2 hours before I get off, and expect me to be able to squeeze you in. Sometimes, I can.  But a lot of times, I just can't.  It's not always possible for me to stay late to get someone in just because they didn't plan ahead.  If it's that important that you get your hair done, plan ahead... We have to.

10.  The biggest compliment you can give me, is a referral.  If you love your hairdresser, assure that she stays in business, and spread her name around!