How to maximize your hair consultation

When visiting a salon for the first time, a hair consultation is key for getting to know your new stylist and discussing your goals for your hair. Hair goals? Of course. If you don’t tell your stylist your best case scenario, how will you ever achieve it?

At Manzer, hair consultations are $20 and the fee is deducted from the final cost of your service.

So what should you be asking, bringing and saying during a hair consultation to guarantee you get the hair you’re after? Follow these tips:

Be prepared with questions

Before your appointment, write your questions down on a piece of paper or list them in a document on your phone so you can literally read them off to your stylist. It’s easy to forget one if you don’t consult your list. Here are some suggestions for what to ask:

• What kind of training do you have? (And what does that mean?)
• How long have you been cutting/colouring hair?
• Do you have any specialties or are you passionate about certain types of hair or colour?
• How much do you charge?
• What is your cancellation policy?
• Do you have any suggestions for my hair? 

Bring photos

You can try to explain what you want your hair to look like but as the old saying goes, “a picture speaks hairstylist better than you.” But seriously, if you’re not a professional hairdresser, you likely don’t understand the intricacies of layers or types of colour. A photo can display all of that information and more to your stylist. What should you bring photos of?

• Your best hair cut and colour—yes, photos of you at your finest.
• What you’d like your hair to look like next
• What you don’t want your hair to look like

It may seem surprising to bring photos of what you don’t want, but it’s important. For instance, if you have dark hair and want to go blonde, that’s a long and difficult process and there are lots of shades of blonde. The one in your “what you want” photo may simply not be available to you because of the texture or natural colour of your hair, so bringing a photo of what you don’t want will help you and your stylist narrow down the options.

Share

Be prepared to share your feelings about your hair. You may want to write these down too. These are the key points to tell your stylist:

• What you currently like and dislike about your hair
• Your budget
• Allergies
• Your schedule

It’s important to share how much you can afford to spend on your hair monthly. Even if you’ve looked at the pricing, you may not realize how much it will cost to maintain highlights or keep a pixie cut looking fresh. It’s also important to outline when you have availability to come in for a cut or colour. Your stylist may not be in the salon when you want to visit.

Ask yourself

After the consultation, really ask yourself these questions:

• Do I like this stylist?
• Do I trust them?
• Did they listen to my concerns?
• Will this hair stylist be honest with me?

While you don’t need to find a new best friend, you will want a hairstylist that you like spending time with, whose conversation you enjoy. You also want to trust that they’re being honest about what will look good on you and what’s possible for your hair. And you want to feel that they get you and truly listen to your concerns. 

We have a team of kind, knowledgeable and dedicated hair stylists at Manzer and we’d love to meet you!