By Jesse Ann Moser
While most of us harbor realistic hopes for a new hairstyle, many more of us can relate to leaving a salon disappointed. I've had some really bad hairstyles, but through them I've learned a few things. Here are eight tips for ensuring happier times and better styles at salons:
Tip 1. Pray before you go. Simple prayers like "Lord please help me not hate myself when I leave here," are good. In college I grew tired of the same old, same old so I went to that nether world, the world of the beauty salon. I came out butchered. The lesson here is don't forget to pray. Always pray.
Tip 2. Choose a place where you feel comfortable. I passed through the door of a small strip mall storefront and entered a world of metal and black décor. I would not have chosen this place but I finally found someone I liked cutting my hair. Kelly Jo (the best stylists are named Kelly Jo) was working at this place now, so I boldly went where no woman who shops in department stores with shopping carts has ever been before. If you are trying to find a new salon, go where you can relax and feel comfortable. If you like the way the stylists in the shop wear their hair, you'll probably like the way they cut yours.
Tip 3. To thine own self be true. Every good movie director knows that hairstyles define the social class of a movie character in the first couple frames in which the character appears. They are right: hairstyles do label and define. Do you want your hair to say something about you? Does your hair say "artist", "minimalist," "2004," "1955," "2060," " New Jersey ?" Don't be talked into a style you're not ready for. Talk with your stylist. If she's smart she'll work with you.
Tip 4. Don't make big hair changes when you are depressed. Tell the stylist if your mother just died, if you are depressed or if you have had a lot of change lately. There is a scale upon which stress can be measured. The most stressful life events are given a numerical value. Right up at the top of that list should be "bad hair changes." If you've already been dealt too much in a week, month or year, why deliberately schedule more pain? Reward yourself with a new look but be honest with your stylist. They are usually pretty good at figuring out how much change you are ready for.
Tip 5. Listen and enjoy the experience. A hair salon is the best place to take the pulse of the nation. You hear conversations. Some stylists talk. Some don't. Some talk small, some deep and some listen. Salons are good places for planting seeds. I'm not shy about sharing my lifestyle as a Christian, but it comes out naturally in the course of conversation-like telling her that I prayed for her (and my hair).
Tip 6. Learn from your stylist. A good stylist will educate you about your hair. I'm a number seven. It's not a shoe size; it's a dye color. Learn as much as you can about what works for you and make sure the stylist writes up a card on you (the good ones always do).
Tip 7. Resist the urge to cut your own hair. Hairdressers hate that. I was taking care of my mom when she was dying from cancer. I was running around with a job and a small daughter trying to manage my own household and keep my parents in their home an hour away for as long as I could. I didn't have time to be pampered in a hair salon. Sometimes we have to cut our own hair, but, when you can afford it, the best way to avoid the urge to cut your own hair between cuts is to always make your next appointment before you leave the salon.
Tip 8. Find someone you trust and stick with her. My hairdresser moves around from salon to salon and I move with her. Its nice to go to someone you trust. I can tell her, "Don't give me big hair,' or "Knock down the color," or "Help make my face not look so fat." She understands me. Finding someone you trust is probably the biggest factor in having a good experience at the beauty salon and liking your hairstyle. And don't forget to pray for her and your hair.
