If you’re currently getting your hair done or about to, take note and avoid giving your hairdresser ‘the ick’. Your hair will thank you for it.
A hairdresser and salon manager’s work goes beyond cutting, colour, blow drying, shampooing, and appointment bookings. They are our confidant, therapist, and saviour.
There’s nothing like getting your hair done to put an extra pep in your step. I know it’s my little treat!
But in a day’s work – there is us. The client. Plenty of hair owners are giving their hairdressers ‘the ick’ with their common habits and a video of a hairdresser recently went viral for it.
Some we are oblivious to, so we asked a few local hairdressers to share what they secretly battle with so we can do a bit better.
Don’t be late!
“Walking in late, not saying anything and sitting down like I don’t have 200 more clients,” Sydney hairdresser Mia vents to Kidspot about her top ‘ick’.
Yes, it can happen to the best of us that life gets in the way—we’ve all been there. But it’s all about what you do to mitigate the situation that counts. Don’t swan in like you don’t know the time. We all have our phones in our hands—they tell the time and hold our calendars, too!
Trust is a two-way street
It’s OK to be assertive and know what you want, but after that, you need to let your stylist do his or her thing. No doubt they’ve been doing this for a while before you’ve sat in the chair. You wouldn’t go into surgery and start working on yourself. Likewise, at a salon.
Of course, if you’re sitting for hours on end and your hair starts smoking, speak up. Although I wouldn’t, I’ll suffer in silence.
“My number one would be when I’m doing someone’s hair, they show me a picture of how they like it, and I think we’re on the same page, then they take the brush from me and show me how to do their hair and continue to do their hair,” Nadia shares.
We all know that knowledge is power, but there is a time when you trust the expert. That’s why they are called experts.
“When they try to explain anything hair to you. Hun, I know I’ve been doing this forever,” quips another hairdresser, Maggie.
Appointments matter…and not just yours
Let’s say this mantra together, “everyone’s time matters”.
Ask any service provider about their biggest pet peeve; it will be late cancellations. There are exceptions, of course, but these days, with the constant reminders and “YES” prompts, there’s no excuse to cancel minutes before an appointment.
It’s rude!
“Cancelling the morning of the appointment. Demanding to hold the appointment, they’ll tell me an hour before if they’ll make it!” shares Mia.
Jess says: “Demanding an appointment when you’re fully booked, and they can’t take no for an answer. Or you’ll be accommodating and try to make it work, and the time you offer doesn’t work, so they tell me they need, e.g., midday, but you have Susan booked at 12; she comes every week at 12, and they want you to move Susan because they are more important. You’re not.”
Lice
Need we say more? Admit it—you’re scratching your head now just reading this.
“Lice, for sure!! It’s proper disgusting and we have to disinfect everything!” Gabriel admits.
Don’t be gross
“Picking their nose while I’m blow drying, as I can’t see,” hairdresser Mary shares disgustingly.
Whoever you are, aren’t you sitting in front of a mirror? Surely, you see the person doing your hair if you see yourself? If not them, then the other people in the salon. It’s gross and unhygienic. Stop it!
Book in advance. No one is waiting for you!
This may shock some of you, but Christmas and New Year’s are highly coveted slots for hair and beauty. If it doesn’t, you likely already have your appointments locked and loaded for Xmas events and NYE parties. For the rest, don’t be surprised if you get nothing but laughter when you phone your stylist for an open slot on December 24th or 31st.
A word to the wise: don’t book in with a random either – your regular hairdresser doesn’t care for it when you return.
“The client doesn’t book early enough to get in over busy times, so they get the colour done somewhere else, pay cheaper, and then return with a booking for colour correction,” says Mia.
“That’s why her hair is so big, it’s full of secrets”
While your hairdresser might be your number one confidant, remember they have friends too. And they are likely offloading to them. Just because you share your deepest and darkest secrets doesn’t mean they have to reciprocate.
“When a client asks inappropriate and personal questions, and you don’t want to answer them, you change the subject, but they ask them again. It’s very awkward.”
Side note: there need to be more tell-alls by hairdressers!
The price is the price
“Questioning the price or trying to negotiate the price. You wouldn’t ask your therapist to discount your session,” Jess wasn’t the only one who feels ‘icky’ when clients bargain after they’ve had their hair done.
She’s not wrong. We often won’t ask for a discount from health professionals. We hand over our cards willingly. They charge for their expertise and time. The same goes for your hairdresser. And let’s be honest: they often play the role of therapists.
If you’ve ever had a head of foils, you know the time and dedication it takes. When you book your appointment, asking how much your treatment will be is acceptable. This way, you aren’t going blind and can save accordingly.
Once your hair is done, it’s hard to refund it.
If it’s hair washing day, wash your hair (please)
If you have a hair appointment coming up (by now, you should know it needs to be on your calendar, with many reminders), you shift your hair-washing days accordingly. If anything, think of the person washing your hair; if you don’t want to wash it, why should they?
“Coming in with greasy hair is ok, but not when it’s not been washed for weeks, and you’ve been cooking, and it reeks!” Reese tells Kidspot.
He goes even further to call out the gym junkies who come in right after class.
“Coming in dripping in swear and then having to touch them – I have a thing about smells, lol.”
He’s not wrong. Go home and shower. But don’t be late for your appointment!
Keep your hands to yourself
“It’s highly irritating when you’re washing someone’s hair at the basin, and they stick their hands back to help you shampoo their hair,” Nadia shares, a former Shampoo person turned stylist.
Washing my hair is a chore, but having it washed is a luxury. So, busybodies, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
So, real talk. How many have you done?
