Issue link: https://beautysense.associatedhairprofessionals.com/i/917211
A S K A P R O F E S S I O N A L S T Y L I S T "My haircut isn't what I wanted. What should I do?" Gulp. While we'd love to pretend this never happens, the fact of the matter is that it occasionally does. Hair professionals are human. And sometimes hair can be unpredictable. Communication of what a client desires can get muddled, misspoken, and misinterpreted. And any number of sidesteps can throw off a service; so please, for the love of all that is good and pure, we beg you, tell your hairstylist or barber when you're unsatisfied! What Your Hairstylist Wishes You Knew I wish my clients knew how much it matters to me that they love their hair, how I think about anything that goes wrong for days, and how many [sources] I refer to if and when mistakes happen. Sammy Klinger LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS I wish every person who sat in my chair knew how much I care about my work. If they hate what I've done for them, it eats me alive. I'll think about it for days. Brandi Brown DALLAS, TEXAS If you don't want to come back, please let me know what I could have done to better serve you. Mandy Eich-Christy ALTON, ILLINOIS associatedhairprofessionals.com 3 SPEAK UP BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE SALON Don't worry that you may hurt your hairstylist's feelings—we are professionals and can take it. We would rather you tell us if your hair isn't 100 percent what you want than for you to tell your friends (our potential clients) without having given so much as a hint to us. Just speak nicely, don't be accusatory or snippy, and give us a chance to redeem ourselves. IF YOU DON'T NOTICE UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE LEFT THE SALON, GIVE US A CALL Even if you don't have time to come in right away to have your hair fixed, still give us a heads-up about the problem so we can work on, and work in, a fix for you. And don't be afraid to see the same stylist who performed your original hair service for the correction— everyone deserves a second chance. If it's only been a couple days and you notice the color or chemical service isn't holding, come in ASAP. Hair color and texture/chemical services grow out as your hair grows. Hair is constantly growing and some people have visible regrowth (roots) in as little as a week. The longer you wait to address your concerns with a chemical service, the more difficult it is to isolate your concerns from natural hair growth or improper maintenance (using unprofessional or poor-quality products), neither of which a hairstylist is responsible for. IF IT'S BEEN MORE THAN A WEEK, YOU'VE WAITED TOO LONG Let's be honest: you've touched your hair in the past week. You've washed it, styled it, taken it for more than one spin around the block. Going back to the salon, unannounced, for a "fix" after a week is often no longer simple but a complete re-do of the service. ■