Plan Your Style
When you look at this image what do you see? Most women see either a hair style they want or a color they want, or both. So they grab a screenshot, book an appointment and bring the screenshot to their stylist hoping they can leave the salon looking exactly like it.
As a stylist, we look at this image completely differently. We not only see color, style and shape... but we also see the guests' hair texture, integrity, and previous color while putting together a plan to get our guest where they want to be.
I cannot tell you how many times I have had guests walk in with an aspirational image, usually a color, not knowing that there are more steps involved than they thought in order to achieve that look. They usually end up being disappointed because they had expectations of walking into the salon and leaving an hour or so later completely transformed. I have the unfortunate job of telling them it is not possible or it will take more than one appointment to achieve the look that they want.
In the last few years, stylists have been bombarded with images like this from their guests. They ask, "is it doable?" Yes, we answer, but... and that but could be anything from 1) the guest not having booked enough time because they didn't know what was involved, 2) their hair is already colored and we must do corrective work over a series of appointments to get them there, or 3) they having an unrealistic expectation of cost and are surprised (or worse, blindsided) by a larger bill than they expected because their stylist didn't discuss cost.
One of the most common occurrences is when women come in with artificial black hair and expect to go from this...
to this...
in one appointment. It is simply not doable. Period. Any stylist that tells you it can be done is either 1) not educated enough to know or 2) lying to the guest. Yes, this happens. I've just had to deal with a guest whose former stylist actually chemically melted 6 to 8 inches of her hair off trying to achieve a color that was impossible to do.
So when you want a drastic change or a dramatic color transformation, please book a consultation appointment. They are usually free and will give you an idea of 1) the processes involved in achieving the look you want, 2) the number of appointments and/or time you have to be in the stylist's chair, 3) the cost of the transformation, and most importantly... 4) the cost of treatments and after care involved. You wouldn't purchase an expensive piece of clothing, wash it in Kirkland laundry detergent and expect it to be cared for properly, would you?
Viv is an award winning stylist with 30 years experience, constant training and a passion for style and service!
