3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Scheduling Your Next Hair Appointment

Today, there are so many resources for us to find inspiration for our hair. The Internet, more specifically sites like Pinterest, are filled with beautiful color, cut, and style options. However, just because you find a pretty picture, and bring it into the salon, does not mean that it is feasible for the stylist to achieve that look, at least not in one session. There are things that you must think about before coming into a salon.

Some questions you may want to ask yourself before getting a color service include:

Do you currently have color on your hair?

Image Credit: Kalyn Nicholson

This will affect the way the stylist must do the service. If you have dark color on your hair, and you bring in a picture of a lighter color, the only way to lift color out, is to use lightener (more commonly called bleach) or in some certain cases, a color extractor may be used. This is going to add, not only to the time, but also the price of your service. More product and more time equals more money.

If that color on your hair is not professional, that causes a much larger problem. Especially if you have been using box color for very long. Black box color is probably the hardest thing to lift out of hair, aside from red, and it will jeopardize the integrity of the hair. Box hair colors contain a very high amount of ammonia, along with other harsh chemicals, that will have poor reactions when mixed with other chemicals. If you have any of the vibrant, fun colors that you purchased from your local supermarket, or beauty store that is open to the public, good luck getting that out as well. It is a process, and one that should be taken slowly to keep your hair in good condition.

So when your stylist asks if you have professional or store bought color on your hair, don’t lie! It is not an opportunity for us to criticize you, it is so that we can take proper care of your hair. Also inform your stylist if you have any chemicals on your hair at all, including relaxers or perms, this can also have a negative effect on your hair if you do not let your stylist know.

Are you going to have multiple colors in your hair?

Image Credit: Susie Cushner | Getty Images

This involves a process usually with foils, to separate the colors. Which will usually involve more time, so let the receptionist know when booking your appointment, that you will be getting foils, so that plenty of time is booked for your appointment.

If you are going to get a haircut some questions you need to ask yourself include;

What is it about the picture that you like?

Is it the way it fits the models face? Face shape is a major factor when getting a haircut. If you have a round face, and you want to counter that shape, and have a sharper look to your face shape, avoid anything that is blunt, especially a full fringe. Try going with a sharp A-line haircut. You want to have your haircut in the opposite manner to offset the roundness. Find something that is going to have sharp angles. Or if you have angular features in your face shape and you want to soften them, try to find a cut with softness.

Also, ask yourself if your hair texture is similar to the models. If the model has fine hair, and it lays well, and you have coarse hair, you must understand that you have to spend a longer amount of time styling your hair, to get it to look like the picture.

There is a reason that we use certain products. If all of the “Salon Quality” claims were true from the products at the grocery store and supermarket, don’t you think your stylist would use them too? Professional products contain ingredients that are much better for your hair. So when we hear, “I can never get my hair to look like that at home”, we know that you need to be using the same products. You also need to make sure your stylist is educating you on how they are styling your hair, so that you may mimic the style at home.

If you ever are hesitant about what to book for an appointment, you can always go to your salon and request a free consultation, so that you can ensure that what you are going in for will be achieved.