So you know you have a good advice stylist

Have you ever gotten up from the stylist’s chair with a feeling of dissatisfaction? Have you ever felt downright unhappy with your new haircut? Have you ever regretted the hair on your head after your salon experience with your new hair style or hair color?  Probably. It happens to everyone sometime. But why is this? There are several reasons. Maybe you’re not clear about your needs or perhaps―and this is more likely―you have not seen the right hairdresser.

The importance of a good hairdresser

A good stylist is not only a technician who is aware of the best cutting and coloring techniques. A good stylist will give you personal advice and work with you to determine what your best (or worst) options are. Precisely for this reason “hair stylists” are more often called “hairdressers.”

It is very important to build a good relationship with your stylist. The better the barber knows you, the better he or she wants to accommodate you. This applies not only for the first visit, but also for all subsequent visits. A good stylist will guide you over time (and therefore you should not change once you’ve found a good hairdresser). Because hair grows and trends change, there is always movement in your hair. Each haircut recovers some of that movement, and a good stylist is very important if you always want a haircut that will fit your lifestyle and image―and will stay with you all day. A good stylist also recommends a good hair style for you, but also helps you to keep your hair in good condition through the years, and, if necessary, to improve its quality.

How do you know if you have a good hairdresser?

It is not always easy to judge whether you have a good hairdresser and if you’re getting good advice. To familiarize yourself with the hairdressing world, learn something about Salon B, a leading hairdressing salon with hair stylists of international caliber, such as Andy Uffels and Ilham Mestour (now the personal hair stylist to Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes). They prepared a sort of guide, according to Salon B, you know so when you do not get good advice:

What happens when you see your stylist for the first time with wet hair and a cape around your neck?
“When barber ‘scans’ as it were, a person who is going to be in his barber chair, he pays attention to the state of mind, self-confidence, and the person’s way of dressing,” says Andy Uffels, Salon B Director. “During the consultation we also encourage you to ask many questions about lifestyle, tastes and needs. Furthermore, we look at the hair. What condition is it in, how has it been taken care of, how will it behave now? Based on all these factors, we form an idea about this person and we take all this into consideration. Of course the hair―and the person―does not make a good map when it’s dripping wet with a big, black cape around the neck. “

What happens if you are asked: “How do you want to cut it?”
The barber is in charge. He or she is the one with experience and knows the different possibilities. You yourself can explain what your wishes are, but how the client wants it done will eventually be the real haircut.

What happens if the barber doesn’t pay attention to your needs and your desired styling routine?
Of course, your wishes, and also the time you want to devote to styling your hair daily, need to be taken into account. With your stylist’s good advice and attention, you should be happy with your new custom look when you leave the salon.

What if the stylist just advises that you just get a cut based on the shape of your face? Classic barber school curriculum teaches that in general, a hair style should be chosen based on the shape of the face. For example, someone with a round face should wear long straight shoulder-length hair, and someone with a long face should wear a jaw-length hair style. “That would mean that you could never change your hair style and that everyone in the Netherlands with same face shape should wear the same hair style. It only makes sense that a good hairdresser’s advice should be based on more than just your face shape, and would take into account many other factors,” says Andy Uffels. “It’s the final look that matters, and for that you have to talk to the person you’re working for―your customer. And in styling, you are allowed to go completely against the face shape rules, if that’s the look your customer needs.”

In short, a hairdresser should advise you before he or she puts the scissors in your hair or begins to color. In addition, there are all sorts of factors like personality, lifestyle, current hair trends and styling routines that need to be considered. A good stylist also gives you information and practical tips on maintaining and self-styling your hair. “And long-term treatment goes hand in hand with good advice,” Uffels says. ”This way, you and your stylist work together toward the best result.”