Salon Etiquette 101: Make the Most of Your Salon Experience

The word “etiquette” might make you think of all the rules your mother enforced at the dinner table—don’t chew with your mouth open, don’t put your elbows on the table, don’t slurp through your straw, etc. However, etiquette actually applies to all kinds of activities, including driving, sitting in a class, or even going to the salon.

When people go to the salon, they tend to act like they’re going to visit a therapist or a dentist. They’ll either listen to the hairstylist talk, or they’ll bring their own gossip to the experience and discuss it with their stylist. But most people don’t think about the etiquette necessary for the experience.

How do you treat your hairstylist? Every relationship needs respect and open communication, and if you don’t have this kind of relationship with your stylist, you may find that your moods and opinions clash. Use the tips on this page to make your trips to the hairstylist not only pleasant, but constructive as well.

The Basics of Salon Etiquette

Hairstylists can’t change damaged hair into the luscious locks from a shampoo commercial in one sitting, and sometimes their mood or perception of the situation may give you a different haircut than you expected. This doesn’t mean you should treat them with disrespect.

To make the most of your salon experience, make sure you show your stylist respect by doing the following:

• Show up on time. This goes for hairstylists too. If you run late, tell the other party about the change in your schedule so they don’t have to wait a half hour wondering if you forgot them. If you run more than 30 minutes late, offer to reschedule the appointment so you don’t make the other person fall behind schedule.
• Interact with patience and understanding. A hairstylist can’t read a client’s mind, and a client can’t read a hairstylist’s mind. Use hand gestures, examples, or other methods to make sure the hairstylist knows what you want. And if the hairstylist uses a term you don’t understand, make sure you ask for a definition and an example if necessary.
• Ask about costs beforehand to avoid tension later. Nothing makes a client or a hairstylist more upset than arguing about money. Make sure you know the costs up front for every procedure.
• Don’t use your mobile phone during the appointment. This also goes for both hairstylists and clients. You shouldn’t let any distractions take your mind away from the experience. If a client uses a phone, it gets in the way while the hairstylist works, and if the hairstylist uses a phone, it could distract him or her and lead to mistakes.
• Keep conversation away from tense or inflammatory topics. You don’t want emotion to get in the way of a pleasant salon experience, so avoid talking about religion, politics, money, romance, or work altercations. You can gossip about your friends all you want, but you should stay away from polarizing topics.
• Tip your stylist if he or she does a good job. Stylists expect to receive a tips for excellent services rendered. If you don’t leave a tip, it tells the stylist that you didn’t like their work. If you did like their work, make sure you leave a 15 – 20% tip. If you didn’t like their work, make sure they know why, and tell them respectfully and reasonably instead of emotionally.

The Way to React When Something Goes Wrong

When hairstylists do something wrong, they should maintain professional courtesy by apologizing and offering to make it right. They don’t want you to feel traumatized, and they want you to know that the salon has your best interests at heart, so they’ll act accordingly.

Give your stylist the same kind of professional courtesy in turn:

• Don’t pretend to like it and then go fume or cry in the car. Make the experience constructive by talking about it with your stylist.
• If the stylist already has a new client, go and leave your concerns with the front desk or the salon manager.
• Instead of just stating that you didn’t like your haircut in general, explain in exact terms why you don’t like your current haircut. Did the stylist cut it too short or too long? Does it have too many layers or too few? Does it look darker, lighter, or more vivid than you wanted it to? Give details.
• When you go to the salon again, remind your hairstylist about your past experiences and concerns. Don’t harp on them, but respectfully remind the stylist not to make the same mistakes.

As long as you treat your hairstylist with respect and communicate openly with him or her, you should have a great salon experience every time you have an appointment. Use salon etiquette to improve your relationship with your stylist today.­

Canadian Beauty College is known as one of the best hair styling schools in Ontario. If you are interested in learning more about our courses, contact us or visit us online. We also offer a professional salon at our Vaughan location and take clients regularly. Contact us today!