A haircut can change your life. Making sure it’s a change for the better all depends on finding a good hairdresser.
Continuing on Hair Romance’s Salon Advice series, I want to help you to love your hair and navigate the salon with ease.
So how do you find the right salon for you?
The key here is the right salon FOR YOU. You have to feel comfortable there so choose a salon in your budget and that suits your style.
1. Ask your friends
Do you like your friends’ hair? If so, ask them where they get their hair done. Word of mouth is the best way to find a trusted salon.
2. Ask a stranger with great hair
Your friends may have completely different hair to you, so it’s also good to ask a complete stranger with great hair where they go. If you spot a girl with similar hair to you with a great style, chase her down and find out who does her hair. Trust me, she’ll be flattered.
3. Look around you
It helps to have a salon nearby your home or work. If all your friends’ recommendations are too far, have a look at salons that are convenient for you. See if they’re busy, pop in and check the standards and what products they stock.
4. Book a consultation
Good salons will allow you to book a free consultation with your stylist to discuss what you’d like to do and how it can be achieved in your hair. Talk to your stylist and make sure they are listening to you.
5. Give them a test run
If you’re still not sure you’ve found the one give them a test run. Book a treatment and blowdry or just a trim so you can really see how they work.
6. Visit again
Sometimes people are nervous on the first date. You’ll know on the second appointment if it’s working out or not. Make sure you explain to your hairdresser exactly what you want. Some people love to chat at the salon while others prefer peace and quiet. Finding a good personality fit with your hairdresser makes for a more enjoyable salon experience, though has no effect on the quality of the haircut.
Hopefully you’ll have found a fabulous hairdresser who understands your hair, but if it hasn’t worked out don’t despair.
Maybe you noticed another hairdresser at the salon who you’d prefer to cut your hair. Don’t be afraid to ask to switch at your next appointment, or try another recommended salon.
Do you have a great hairdresser? Share the love and give them a shout out in the comments. How did you find the right salon for you?
I really like your tip about asking a stranger with great hair! That seems like a great way to find a beauty salon that is perfect for you. I have been looking for a new place to go for a while now so I’ll be sure to keep these tips in mind, thank you for sharing!
Love this post! How did you do you hair in the picture??
Thanks Whitney! I’ve blowdried my hair with a huge round brush x
Help! I have tight corkscrew curls and have been searching these last four years to find a great hairstylist to cut my curls. I live in Perth Australia. Does anyone know of a good one??
Hi Niomi, I know Lee Preston is a fantastic salon in Perth. Give them a call and see who is a curl specialist in their salon xx
Hi!! I live in Miami and it has always been a problem to find a good hairdresser that understands my curly hair. Not only that, but it is hard to find one that makes suggestions for my hair. Being curly makes me be restless with my hairstyle and I tend to get bored. A couple of months ago I went shorter, just above my shoulders. I found a hairdresser that is trained in devacurl cut. She has straight hair and likes to have it permed! Talk about the grass is greener….For now, I am ok with my cut, but have found myself cutting my curls. My hair has a life of its own and sometimes decides to behave a certain way. It drives me crazy. I also think some products help. Right now I am using devacurl shampoo and conditioner(which I leave in) . I papertowel dry my hair and then apply a product by Ouidad which most of the time helps. Today, it is great! If you have a curly hairdresser in Miami, I would appreciate to know the name. Thanks!!
My hairdresser in Brisbane has almost the exact same hair as me and has been properly trained how to cut it (that seems rare). It’s one of the worst things about moving to Sydney – I only get my hair cut when I get home to Brisbane, which is not often enough! Hopefully, eventually, I will be brave enough to find a Sydney hairdresser who can cut my hair as well as she does!!
If you’re in Brisbane and need someone amazing, look for Nicola at The Hair Guru at Stones Corner. She is amazing, and lovely as well!
I’ve been known to travel for a hairdresser too! Once you find someone that good you don’t want to risk it. At least it guarantees some regular travel 😉
I moved two years ago. At my last haircut before the move, I lamented how long it might take to find someone new I liked. Her advice was to find a salon that sold certain products. According to her, those hair care companies do a ton of education for stylists and will not put their product into salons unless they’re confident the stylists are well-trained. It’s not foolproof, of course – even a well-trained stylist might not be sensitive to clients’ needs or might just not be a good match for you. But I followed her advice, and it worked!! Great stylist on the first try – a little good advice, a little luck, and voila! (the product lines she suggested looking for are Oribe and Bumble & Bumble. Oribe is very hard to find, but Bumble & Bumble actually has a salon locator on their website.)
Great point Noelle! Those brands are very particular about where they are stocked so it’s usually a sign of a good salon.
I have wavy/curly hair, and changed hairdressers countles times. These tips work for big towns, but in small town you have to settle with what you have or learn to do it yourselves. I always bring with me a photo of the hairstyle I need or try to find a hairdresser with similar hair type 🙂
Thanks Millie, it can be hard in a one hairdresser town, but being clear on what you want will help (or travel to a bigger town!)
i am neel and i love curly hair..so much so that i have a blog on all my curly haircuts.i am obsessed. check out my blog ‘neel loves curls’ to see how much i love them.
i am at Cherry Bomb salon Collingwood in Melbourne.
Good weave can change your life too!! I go to this woman in Charlotte http://www.facebook.com/Divaillusions
I remember when my hairdresser that I had for years moved abroad. Its quite scary at first as I have longish hair – its above my shoulders but long for the stereotypical guy. I always found that when I went somewhere else that they cut it too short or hardly took anything off. Finding a new hairdresser that understands how you style your hair can be difficult. I must admit however that in my situation sometimes it is best to stay with the same hairdresser once you try a new one as if they get it wrong you can tell them next time to leave it longer or shorter and hopefully after two or three visits they will understand the way in which you want it. Nice article by the way 🙂
Hello,
I have recently moved to Sydney, Australia and I would love some recommendations for a hairstylist. I have curly hair and so far have not be able to get a good hair cut so my locks and I ask for any information you may have!
Thanks so much,
Jacquie
Hi Jacquie! I go to Stevie English and they are great – see Elly or Jimmy for a haircut x
Try Bauhaus Hair in Waterloo – i bounced around to different hair salons for years before I found this place. Try Alex for colour, he’s fantastic.
Great post! Finding a good hairstylist is like finding a good partner. I’ve been to stylists I will never go to again because they didn’t understand the style I was trying to tell them. I would even bring in photos! Thankfully I have one that I love now and I will always use her.
Keep hold of her, it’s a special relationship
Love my Hair dresser use to hate going to the Salon. They never listened and the last place I went to ruined my hair. It took me almost two years to grow out the Highlight hack job they did.This salon is a dream come true. WIlliam EDGE salon is the best.
http://www.williamedge.com/
Love the article about How to Find a Good Hair Dresser! To add to it, Hair Street was just launched in Scottsdale, AZ and our intent is to help the public find a good…wait, a GREAT hairstylist!! 🙂 We have pictures, portfolios, bios, and contact info about all of our stylists! With Hair Street, you will never have to have “bad hair” ever again! Launched in Scottsdale, but soon to spread Nation wide!
I’ve been going to see my stylist Nicole at the Kelly Cardenas Salon here in Chicago, IL for about 3 years. The way I met her was when the salon first opened up, the stylists would walk around the neighborhood passing out business cards and offering free shampoos and blowdrys. My friend and I who were out shopping at the time decided to take them up on their offer, and it’s been love ever since. We both have become friends with our stylists and now we make “hair dates” to get our hair cut together.
Hair dates! That is such a fun idea!
I looooove my hair dresser. I met her at the salon my mom used to work at. She’s only the third person ever to do my hair. I switched from my mom (sorry mom) to her so I could get what I wanted done vs. what my mom wanted haha.
Not only is she my stylist, but she’s a friend and babysitting client haha. I would not trade Laura in for the world!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tryst-Hair-Salon-and-Boutique-Alpharetta/100361806696267
Help I need a good hairdresser for VERY curly hair! Mine has just left the country!!
Where abouts are you Sophie? ACT here.
No need to look any further. Men, Women, Children, Pets, whatever, they’ll all look better when they leave. Be like me and get rid of your “haircut anxiety”. Go see :
Rebecca Lucia @
Salon Sessions
112 South De Lacey Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-8856
Make an appt !