7 Questions Your Hairstylist Wishes You'd Ask

Going to the hairdresser can be somewhat intimidating, particularly if it’s not a regular ritual. Sitting in that salon chair, surrounded by luxury furniture and clients who seem to know what they want, and a passionate hairstylist can often lead to being too agreeable. With a nod of the head, saying YES when you really mean NO ends with you leaving with an undesirable cut and colour – sound familiar?

The bottom line is your stylist wants you to like your hair. So, it’s important to ask them questions throughout the process. When you become more involved you will get the results you want.

The following questions will help to ensure you and your stylist are on the same page once everything is said, done and cut.

1. What shampoo and conditioner should I be using?
   Granted, this question is often answered with one of the branded products sold at the salon – great marketing on their end but this answer will open up the doors to new products you wished you had known about earlier. Your hairstylist is there to help point your hair in the right direction.
   
   Whether you’ve got damaged hair, coloured hair, frizzy hair, straight hair, curly hair or anything in between, the shampoo and conditioner you use makes a big difference, so be sure you’re doing your hair justice.
   
   
2. How Often Should I Be Washing My hair?
   You’ve probably heard it all before, but most stylists won’t recommend washing your hair everyday. The reason being, every time you wash your hair you are removing vital natural oils. Generally, you should be able to get a few days out of your hair before you need to wash it.
   
   If you fit into the basket of oily hair this may have stemmed from washing it too often - try and push out your washes to help reduce the production of natural oils – this phase will require a professional dry shampoo to get you by between washes. If oil remains an issue you may require a lower formula shampoo and conditioner to help balance out oil production.
   
   
3. What Is The Overall Health Of My Hair And Scalp?
   Have your hairdresser rate your hair and scalp out of 5, this will provide a comfortable means to approach your hair health. It may not be a topic you want to hear, but rather something that you need to hear.
   
   You may not be aware that the health of your scalp could be in poor condition, causing dryness, itchiness or excess oil. This is an opportunity for your stylist to provide recommendations such as treatments and aftercare options to help get your hair back on point.
   
   
   
4. How Can We Customise My Haircut To Best Suit My Face Shape?
   You may step into the salon with a Pinterest board filled with hairstyles of supermodels an expectations of looking like you’ve had the royal treatment. Unfortunately, the reality is if you don’t have the same or similar facial features you may leave on an unhappy note. An experienced stylist will be able to advise on how you can adjust your dream hairstyle to suit your best features. The key is to remember what looks good on Queen B may not look good on you.
   
   Another thing to remember is that these images that we are looking at consist of a lot of time and preparation to make that hair look a certain way and you should be aware of this because if your lifestyle doesn't call for enough time to style this look daily, maybe you should reconsider.
   
   

5. What Hair Colour Compliments My Skin Tone Best For This Season?
   Our skin tones change from season to season—so, be mindful of the upcoming season and if your skin will warm up. Sun-kissed skin can usually carry a deeper, darker colour than pale skin which tends to wash lighter colours out. Typically hair gets lighter in the summer months and darker in the winter, but talk to your stylist about which colour, besides your natural one, will work best on you. If you want to go from blonde to red hair, you may want to go for strawberry blonde instead of auburn so that the transition looks natural to your skin tone.
   
   

6. What Is Your Professional Recommendation For Home Care?
   Don’t you just love leaving the hairdressers with that new hair smell? It can almost feel disheartening washing it for the first time after leaving, feeling like you are about to undo all the hard work – sound familiar?
   
   Don’t feel defeated, pay attention to your stylist and ask them questions on how to replicate the fresh clean feel and look at home. Ask them for some realistic tips that are scalable to your everyday lifestyle.
   
   If you are to take any advice with you the no’1 tip would be to take care of your hair colour with your recommended aftercare. Your hairstylist isn't just trying to sell you products to make a sale, they are trying to help you maintain your look until your next appointment.
   
   We would hate for you to love your hair the day you get it done and then not be able to manage it once you leave the chair.
   
   

7. When Should I Schedule My Next Appointment To Maintain This Look?
   Knowing ahead of time how frequently you will need to be back at the salon is important. Your look should be conducive to your lifestyle, schedule, and budget. Opening the discussion about how often you want to come in and the time you have at home to style will allow your stylist to make adjustments to your colour and haircut to work within your needs.