I hear from clients all time how hard it was for them to find a great hair stylist. If you have ever had a bad haircut or color , you know what I mean. One bad hair cut or color can take up to a year or more to you back to a style you love. I have a degree in communication and I know how important it is to understand your client needs and desires.

So, how do you find a good hair cutter or colorist? One tried and true method is to ask your friends. If you have a friend, or for that matter strangers with great hair, it stands to reason that their stylist may be able to do a great job for you.

Another way to is to ask for the senior stylist or manager in a salon. They are usually the most experienced.

Many independently owned salons have owners and sometimes stylist who are their own boss, These stylist have spent years to build their skills and clientele and often go the extra mile to do a great job. These people are entrepreuners committed to keeping their clients happy.

Of course, none of these methods are fool proof. However they will certainly increase your chances of finding a great hair stylist.

PATRICK PROVOST
MASTER COLORIST
OWNER OF BLADZ HAIR COLOR SPA

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR HAIRSTYLIST

MY NAME IS PATRICK PROVOST, I, AM A HAIR COLOR EXPERT AND THE OWNER OF BLADZ HAIR COLOR SPA. I HAVE BEEN DOING HAIR FOR OVER 30 YEARS. I ALSO HAVE A COMMUNICATION DEGREE FROM ASU.
MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY ARE GOOD COMMUNICATORS. SORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU, BUT OFTEN TIMES WE ARE NOT. I CONSTANTLY REALIZE THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME I HAVE WITH GUESTS IN MY SALON IS WHEN I AM COMMUNICATING. MAKING SURE I AM DOING EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. I THINK ABOUT HOW AM I GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY WANT, WHAT THEY NEED, AND IF THEY EVEN KNOW, WHICH OFTEN TIMES THEY DON’T. SO THE WHOLE THING IS QUITE AN AMAZING ON GOING CREATION. TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH SOMEONE ON SOMETHING LIKE HAIR , SO PERSONAL ABSTRACT AND YET VERY REAL AT THE SAME TIME.

I START OUT BY ASKING , WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR HAIR? THIS TELLS ME WHAT TO KEEP OR THEIR TASTE.

THEN I OFTEN ASK. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU HAVING? ANSWERS LIKE DRYNESS, VOLUME, TONE, OFTEN COME UP.

I ASK ON A SCALE OF 1- 10 HOW MUCH CHANGE DO YOU WANT TODAY? LETS SAY AN 8, THEN I ASK WHAT THAT WOULD BE TO THEM. SOME PEOPLE AN 8 CHANGE IS 1/2 INCH OFF THE BACK, OTHERS ITS HUGE CHANGE.

ASK WHEN DO DID YOU LIKE YOUR HAIR THE BEST? WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LAST SALON. OR IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THEY HAVE TO COMMUNICATE? THIS IS WHERE I FIND OUT THINGS LIKE NOT TOO SHORT ON TH BANKC , OR KEEP IT LONG, OR I DONT LIKE RED. SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE SAY I DON’T LIKE RED THEY CAN EVEN MEAN NOT ANYTHING WITHIN GOLDEN FAMILY.
I LIKE TO SHOW THEN THE COLOR CHART AND HOLD IT UP TO THEIR FACE SO THEY SEE HOW THE COLOR LOOKS AGAINST THEIR SKIN AND EYES. AND CONFIRM WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT AND ASKING FOR, THIS IS GOLDEN BROWN, NOT RED. I THINK MOST STYLIST HAVE THAD THE OCCASION TO GIVE SOMEONE EXCTLY WHAT THEY ASKED FOR AND THE CLIENT DIDNT AGREE. WHAT THEY SAY IN THEIR HEAD OR THEIR EXPECTATIONS WERE DIFFERENT. THIS BRINGS ME TO MY FIRST RULE. THE CLIENT MUST LOVE THEIR HAIR. IF I DO GREAT WORK AND THE CLIENT DOESN’TLIKE IT, IT’S A FAIL. EVEN IF IT IS THE BEST WORK YOU HAVE EVER DONE.

CLIENTS, YOU TOO HAVE SOMETHING AT STAKE IN COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR HAIR STYLIST, LOOKING GREAT. ONE THING YOU CAN DO IS TO HAVE PUT A LITTLE THOUGHT INTO YOUR HAIR NEEDS AND DESIRES BEFORE YOU ARRIVE, THAT OLD ADDAGE ONE PICTURE TELL A THOUSAND WORDS, REALLY HOLDS TRUE WITH HAIR, SOMETIMES I HAVE CLIENTS COME EARLY , GO THROUGH HAIR MAGAZINES, AND TURN DOWN THE PAGES. THE, WE GO THROUGH THEN IMAGES ONE BY ONE. I LIKE THE LENGTH OF THIS ONE, BUT, THE BANGS OF THAT ONE, AND THE COLOR OF THIS ONE. THAT REALLY NARROWS IT DOWN ALOT ONE THING HERE, CLIENTS YOU HAVE TO MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS,FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE FINE THIN HAIR, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT LONG AND THICK. IF YOUR HAIR IS JET BLACK, IT MAY NOT GO BACK TO PLATINUM BLONDE.

AFTER I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WANT, I THEN REPEAT BACK WHAT I HEARD. YOU CAN EASILY CLARIFY BEFORE YOU GET OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT. IF YOUR STYLIST IS NOT DOING THESE THINGS, YOU TAKE THE REIGNS VOLUNTEER YOUR INFORMATION AND IDEAS, YOU CAN EVEN ASK WHAT THEY HEARD, THEY USUALLY APPRECIATE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY WANT.

AFTER WE ARE FINISHED, I SHOW THE NEW LOOK AND SEE IF IT MEETS EXPECTATIONS,. EVEN IF IS WHAT WAS ASKED FOR, I UNDERSTAND MUCH OF A CHANGE CAN BE SHOCKING OR MAY TAKE SOMEONE TIME TO MAKE IT THERES. THAT IS ANOTHER THING. AS A CLIENT IF WHAT YOU YOU ASKED FOR IS A CHANGE, GIVE IT A FEW DAYS TO GET USED TO IT BEFORE YOU CHANGE IT AGAIN. I WRITE DONE THE SPECIFIC IDEAS WE LIKED FOR EACH TIME THIS WAY I GET TO KNOW IN DETAIL MY CLIENT’S NEEDS AND DESIRES.

FINALLY, IF YOU REALLY DON’T LIKE YOUR HAIR, COMMUNICATE IT TO YOUR STYLIST, TELL THEM WHAT YOU WANT. OFTEN IT CAN BE A QUICK TOUCH UP AND ITS PERFECT. MOST HAIR STYLIST ARE EAGER TO MAKE YOU HAPPY IWTH YOUR HAIR.

GOOD COMMUNICATING AND GOOD HAIR.

PATRICK PROVOST
COLOR EXPERT
OWNER BLADZ HAIR OLOR SPA