How Your Relationship With Your Hairstylist Affects Your Hairdo

Relationship Status: You Change Your Hairstylist After Every Visit

So why do you change your hairstylist after every visit? Do you like to experiment with different people and salons or are you afraid of them getting to know you? Changing your hairstylist so frequently is a bit like playing Russian roulette. Even if you insist on a full consultation everytime, chances are that you won't be totally happy with your new hairstyles. Why? Because it takes time to build a relationship with your hairstylist where they will begin to know you, your wants, needs, lifestyle and time issues as well as what you actually like and don't like. It's a common fact that the first visit to a new salon/stylist is not going to produce you with the best hairstyle possible. This doesn't mean that you won't be happy with your new look, only that it will get better with some tweaking and adjusting, or " fine tuning" as I call it, from the feedback that you provide your stylist on your next visit. Also, they can see how your hair settled into its new shape and how it grows out. The trick is to find someone that you are comfortable with, that looks like they will stick around for a while, and then stay with them. You don't need to divulge all of your personal affairs with them, only what's important from a hairstyling point of view.

Here are some positive points that show why longer term hairstylist relationships are best:

• Better understanding of your needs, wants and lifestyle requirements
• Better understanding of your hair, how it's cut/colored best
• Better understanding of how your hair settles down and the way that it grows back
• A better knowledge about your taste, what you like and dislike
• In time, being a part of your hair's history, good and bad
• You can relax and enjoy the service through feeling safe and trusting what's going on

There is a kind of therapy or unqualified counseling sessions that go on between hairstylists and their clients in salons all over the world. Your hair stylist is usually the best person to tell and dump all of your problems to. They are at arms length, not too close to give out your secrets and yet far enough to listen to your problems and speak with as a friend. They are a bit like bartenders; you know they have heard it all before. Also, I believe that the atmosphere and surroundings encourage this type of behavior. It's the perfect place to have a chat, catch up on the latest gossip or to complain about your neighbor. Everyone else seems to be doing it. Just sit back and listen next time you are in the salon and observe what's going on around you.

So, you see, there are some genuinely good reasons why you should try and find one good hairstylist and then stick with them.

How It Affects Your Hairdo: By having a short relationship with your hairstylist, you rob yourself of ending up with a style that will suit your individual needs, lifestyle and tastes. Such a brief relationship won't allow you to bond with your hairstylist and let them get to know you and your needs, which means they won't be able to provide the right hairstyle for you. You need to find one hairstylist that you feel comfortable with and that will listen and understand your particular needs. It could take several visits to get everything right so give them a chance.

Relationship Status: You Change Your Hairstylist Often

So, why is that you change your stylist often? Do you find that they only look after you as a new client and become complacent after a few visits? If this is the case you could try telling them to keep their guard up. That should generally be good enough to keep them on their toes. Do you feel that they lack new ideas or that perhaps you have given them a few times to get it right but they don't improve? That's a fair enough reason to try and find someone else, but beware, everytime you find a new hairstylist you have to start all over again. Also, if you have this happening to you all the time there is a pattern here that you need to have a closer look at.

Do any of the following things from the list below apply to you?

• Are your expectations (perceived reality) about what a hairstylist should do and offer fair and correct?
• Do you give them enough information about yourself, your lifestyle wants and needs for them to work off?
• Are you judging them by their appearance and personality instead of focusing on what they do to your hair?
• Are you perhaps frightened about getting too close emotionally to your stylist, or have you shared personal information with them that you now regret saying?
• Do you just like the thrill and excitement that comes with meeting a new person?
• Have you had a regular stylist that got up and left town overnight? Are you now always just deciding to leave them before they leave you?
• Is it a relationship thing where you expect more than what they are willing to offer?

Whatever the reason is for your changing hairstylists frequently, you are being robbed of the opportunity to establish a better long lasting relationship, one that you would undoubtedly benefit from.

The more that your stylist gets to know you, the better they can provide professional hair care one on one to service your needs. Finally, you should test the boundaries and ask yourself the hard questions above to find out what it is that is not right. Remember, you can't change anything unless you acknowledge it and accept it first.

How It Affects Your Hairdo: You are not getting the best results and making it harder for yourself when you change hairstylists every 2nd to 3rd visit. You need to understand why you change your stylist so frequently and find one to stay with for a while. Remember, the more that your stylist gets to know you, the better they can provide professional hair care one on one to service your needs.

Relationship Status: You Have Had The Same Hairstylist For 1 Year Or More

It's good to see that you have now had the same stylist for more than 1 year. This would suggest that you have found a hairstylist that you are happy and feel comfortable with. This would also suggest that you are what we call in the industry a "faithful" client, one that understands the importance and benefits of lasting relationships with your hair stylist. That's all good, but are you totally satisfied with all that your hairstylist has to offer?

Does your current hairstylist:

• Offer new hairstyle ideas
• Check to see if you were happy with the last hairstyle on the next visit?
• Give you a run down on your hair's condition and general state without you asking for it?
• Tell you about any new products, techniques or ideas that could apply to you?
• Give the same amount of consultation time every visit?

If you have answered no to any of the above questions then there is a chance that your hairstylist is becoming complacent. If this is the case, you need to ask for some extra talk time when booking in your next appointment to go over these points. It certainly makes more sense to fix any problems in your current hairstylist relationship before contemplating a new one.

There are just so many benefits in having a regular stylist. If, however, your stylist isn't giving you the attention you know that you should be getting, try talking with them first. If that doesn't fix things, then it's time to consider finding a new stylist.

How It Affects Your Hairdo: The advantages of long term hairstylist relationships are many. Just be sure to keep up the hairstyle talk for the first 10 minutes on every visit. This will eliminate complacency creeping in.

Relationship Status: You Have Had The Same Hairstylist For More Than 5 Years

It's totally awesome that you have now had the same hairstylist for the last 5 years or more. Both you and your stylist should consider yourselves lucky that neither party has moved away. It's so very reassuring to be able to go and see the same hairstylist for this long. I bet they have become a friend to you and quite possibly to all of your family now. They obviously keep you happy and make you feel comfortable and relaxed with them.

There are just so many benefits in having a regular stylist.

I guess the downside to having a hairstylist for this long, and yes unfortunately there is a downside, is if either of you ever leave, move away or they stop doing hair, it can be catastrophic for you. Speaking through experience, this is one of the harder things for clients to cope with. Finding a new hairstylist that they are happy with after so long, and here is the important thing, one that they are still happy with, is kind of like leaving your partner for someone else when you still love your partner. Well of course it's not that bad but I have had some clients convince me otherwise.

The other downside that can occur to long lasting hairstylist/client relationships is where you begin to just receive the same thing the same way every visit. Now that's okay because you don't have to think about anything new, you can stay inside your comfort zone and remain relaxed. But, you should still consider changing your hairstyle from time to time just as you did on your first visit to your stylist all of those years ago.

Now, if you are not totally happy with your stylist, then you need to sit down and have a talk with them listing the reasons why. It would be a crying shame to just throw away 5 years or more with them without doing this first. As crazy as this may sound, I have found over the years that some clients prefer this option rather than letting their stylist know what they are unhappy about through fear of hurting their feelings.

As a last resort, if after speaking with your stylist this does not work, then I am afraid that you will have to bite the bullet and move on to find a new one.

How It Affects Your Hairdo: With such a long history and good relationship, you should definitely be received the right hairstyle for you. You obviously have trust and respect for your stylist after all these years with them and you should be able to sit down with them and show and tell them that if you want a change without any problems at all.

Use TheHairStyler.com's hairstyle library to find a new hairstyle. We have 1,000's of styles to choose from. Including, long, short, medium length, wavy, curly, straight, bridal, formal, salon hairstyles, celebrity hairstyles and hairstyles for men.