Five Questions You Should Ask Your Stylist at Your Next Appointment

When you’re at the salon, what do you talk about? If you’re like most people, you probably spend the first 2-3 minutes explaining what you want your hair to look like before digressing into a story about your boyfriend/girlfriend or the latest celebrity gossip. Your hairdresser probably knows a lot about your favorite celebs, and he may give out great relationship advice, but his area of expertise is hair, and you might be surprised what he can tell you about yours. The trick is knowing what to ask.  Here are 5 must-ask questions to bring to your next appointment. –– Laura Martin

1. What type of hair do I have? You probably think you know the answer to this one, but you may be surprised. What you think is frizz might be curl that you’ve never learned to work with; what you think is oiliness might be product build up. It’s also easy to confuse “fine” (small individual strands) with “thin” (low density of strands).

2. How often should I be shampooing and/or conditioning? I know you’ve probably read a bunch of articles debating this issue, but the truth is there’s no one answer that’s true for everyone. The answer depends on your chemical history, hair type, and texture. Your stylist will help you figure out what’s best for your individual head of hair.

3. What is my one, must-have styling product? You probably have a shelf full of styling aides in your bathroom, but how often do you use them? Wouldn’t it be great to have one go-to product and know exactly how to use it? Just ask.

4. What’s an easy style I can do on my own for that upcoming wedding/party/etc.? It’s fun to watch styling videos on YouTube, but the best way to learn a new hairdo is by receiving personalized instruction from your hair pro. Your stylist knows you’re a walking advertisement for her work and she’d be happy to give you a quick lesson.

5. If I gave you free reign, what would you do with my hair? Asking this question doesn’t mean you have to let your stylist go wild on your mane, but it will give you some insight into her creativity and possibly suggest something you’d be open to but never considered. Besides, you can pick and choose from what she says; maybe you don’t want to cut off five inches, but those face-framing highlights sound great.
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Special thanks to Laura Martin for this post. Laura is a professional hair stylist, former senior educator at ARROJO cosmetology school, and a creative non-fiction MFA student at Georgia College, Milledgeville, GA. Follow her inspirations on twitter @LarMarStyle