How to find a good hair stylist
Great hair can make life easier. A great cut means less time spent styling your hair. Rich hair colour flatters and brightens your complexion. Clothes even look better when your hair looks good. The challenge: How to find a good hair stylist.
Finding the right hair stylist for you is more than just walking into the closest salon and booking an appointment. If you really want amazing results, you’ll have to do some research—and maybe a little legwork.
Create a list of potential salons in your desired area and take a close look at the services they offer, their prices, products they carry and more. Here are some of the ways you should evaluate potential hair stylists and salons:
Location
While searching online for “best hair stylist” might return some interesting results, first think about how far you’ll go for good hair. Do you want to walk to get a cut or are you willing to drive or take public transportation? Think about how your salon’s location will affect how often you go, how far you book in advance and what kind of cut you choose.
For instance, if you have to drive an hour to get your bangs trimmed or have your roots touched up, that will likely feel inconvenient. (Psst, bang trims for returning customers are free at Manzer!) Don’t give up on bangs or a bold colour because your hair stylist is too far away! While great hair stylists can be few and far between, they’re not unicorns. There is probably a hair stylist at a salon in your neighbourhood or a short drive away who is perfect for you.
Values and pricing
While you likely won’t care if your stylist is allergic to animals when you’re a pet person, you may care if the salon carries products that are tested on animals. Look closely at the salon’s website and review the products they carry. At Manzer, we only carry PETA-approved products [link to shop section].
Pricing is obviously also important and certainly fits with your values. Whether you can afford to go to a certain salon is key, but also deciding how much a haircut is worth to you is a decision you should make before choosing a salon and stylist. We offer gender neutral pricing [link to services], meaning that fees are based on length of hair and how long it takes to cut.
Training
Once you’ve found the salon for you, it’s time to look at specific stylists. If you’re able to check out their roster online, it’s a good place to start and will also give you more specifics on pricing. There are different levels of hair stylist from apprentice through senior stylist and they charge accordingly.
But just because someone is a senior stylist at one salon doesn’t mean that they’re of the same caliber as a stylist at another. Pick up the phone and ask about what training and credentials the stylists at the salon you’re interested in have. If anyone is offended, it likely means they’re not as senior as they seem. Who wouldn’t want to brag about their experience?
Specialties
Many great stylists can cut and colour all kinds of hair, but you may not want a generalist. Particularly if you have textured hair, very fine hair or have very specific colour needs, find out if any hair stylists at your potential new salon specialize in your hair length, colour or texture.
Relationship and communication
Even if you’re not looking for a hair stylist/confidante, you’ll want to find someone you can communicate freely with who also understands what you want. Your stylist doesn’t have to be your best friend, but they do need to get your hair references and be fun to talk to—even during the awkward small talk that can happen over the sound of the hair dryer!
How do you find out if the stylist is the right one for you? Book a consultation. Read our tips on how to make the most of your first hair consultation.