13 Secrets Your Hair Stylist Won't Tell You

Reprinted with permission from Reader's Digest.

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The clients I dread the most are those who say things like “Do whatever you want” or “I’m pretty easy to work with."

Nine times out of ten, it’s not true.

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We know you hate the word bleach, so we use words like lightener and decolorizer.

But no matter how we prettify the language, if we’re lifting a dark color out of your hair, we’re using bleach. 

Yes, I keep notes about you on your client card, and they can get pretty personal

I may note that you don’t tip well or that you talked loudly about how drunk you were last night. I may also write down that you’re going through a divorce or that you’re into tennis so I can remember to ask you about those things next time. 

After you’ve been late a few times, I ask our receptionist to say your appointment is at 2.

But really it's 2:30.

If there’s one rule to live by, it’s this: Don’t make your first appointment with me on a Saturday.

That’s our busiest day, and I won’t be able to give you the time and attention you want and deserve. 

Find out whether your salon offers a discount if you get a cut and a color together, and ask for one if it doesn’t.

Doing both together eliminates some steps and should save you about 20 percent.

It’s fine to use Groupon or another social media site to save money on your hairstyling, but be wary of salons that offer deals all the time.

That’s not a good sign.

Thin hair doesn’t have to be worn short.

I had a client who wore her super-thin hair short for years because she thought she had to. I finally talked her into growing it out into a stacked bob, and everyone now says she looks incredible.

Always dry your hair completely before using a hot tool like a curling iron or a flat iron.

If your hair still contains moisture, the iron will damage it.

Sometimes when I don’t have a client’s color—either because we’re out of it or because I forgot to write it down the previous time—I don’t say anything and just mix something new.

If you think I’m applying what you had before, you’re much less likely to complain.

I know you’ve heard you shouldn’t wash your hair before getting an updo, because a little grit can help maintain the style, but please don’t show up with hair that’s greasy, tangled, or smelly.

Wash it the night before, and don’t put any styling products in it. That way, we can start fresh and create our own texture.

Every year after school starts, at least one mom brings in her daughter with hair down to her waist and tells us to give her a pixie cut.

We know what’s going on: a lice infestation. But when we point out the nits and tell the mom we can’t do the cut, she always acts surprised and says, “I didn’t know.” We’re thinking, Yeah, right. To save the embarrassment for all involved, get the situation under control before your appointment.

We don’t “wash” your hair—we “shampoo” it.

When we’re trying to make you feel pampered, we can’t use the same word you use for doing dishes.

Sources: Hairstylists Dawn Trudden in Wellington, Florida; 
Ericka Sandstrom in Aurora, Illinois; Megan Moore in Salt 
Lake City, Utah, who blogs at thebeautysnoop.com; and 
Jenny Strebe in Scottsdale, Arizona, who blogs at theconfessionsofahairstylist.com.

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