Nikki, making good hair happen
I’d like to think that I know good hair. I’m not always the owner of it, but when necessary, I can make it happen. To me, it’s an exhilarating process to enact change in my own appearance, whether that be through a bottle of peroxide or a run-in with scissors. Though there are bound to be experiments that prove less than fruitful (hello, stagnant magenta bangs) in general, I’ve had a pretty good time of it with my hair over the years. While even the most cringe inducing styles won’t last forever, I started thinking: What steps can one take to ensure a “good” haircut experience?
1.) Be able to tell your hairstylist what you want.
Lighting up my life, and my hair, since 2006
This one seems like a given, but it’s really not. When I think back on the few times in my hair history that I’ve gotten a really atrocious cut, it was usually because I went to a new stylist or one who I could not communicate with comfortably. If you are going to trust a person to make you look good, you have to tell them, honestly and exactly, what you want. Think one side looks uneven, or you really wanted the bangs about half an inch shorter? Say so. It isn’t bratty or princess behavior; be assertive but polite. The person cutting your hair may have no idea that their execution doesn’t match up to your expectations unless you make your feelings known!
One thing that has made communicating my list of hair-related likes & dislikes to my stylist easier in the past years has been the fact that I am lucky enough to have a close friend who is going through beauty school. My good friend Nikki always keeps me (and my sister, and her mom, and a bevy of other beauties) looking fresh. Aside from the great conversation, though, I keep going back to her because I know that she understands exactly what I mean when I say things like, “short but not too short, long enough for a ponytail but leave the front layers alone since my roots are growing out, yeah?”
But you don’t have to have a best friend in a vocational trade in order to receive a satisfying haircut. What you do have to have, is the balls to speak up and say exactly what you want!
2.) Bring visual aid(s)
Case in point: Good hair on Nicola Roberts
Of course, in order to tell someone else what you want, you have to know what that might be. I’m usually in possession of some kind of visual aid. Pictures of celebrities printed out from search engines are always good, but usually hair salons also have “look books” with simple headshot type photos of hair models demonstrating hairstyles for short, medium, and long hair. Like the layers in the back of one cut, but the bangs from another haircut? Cool. Bring two or more pictures, then! Include all the angles.
Aside from just a picture – what other ways can you use to explain how you want your hair to look? Get creative, think about geometry and shapes, even reference cartoon characters. I have a friend who wanted her hair to look like Jessica Rabbit, the foxy animated vixen from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. If you have an awesome lampshade at home that flares out at the bottom just like you want your A-line bob to do, then maybe you should bring it with you.
3.) Bear in Mind
It's Not His Fault
Even the best hairstylist isn’t a magician. When looking for a style to aspire to, keep your natural hair texture/body, current length, and styling habits in mind. If your hair is super fine and low on volume (as mine often is) don’t ask for a super blunt cut, for example, that lays flat on your head. Also, if you hate blowdrying your hair, don’t get a haircut like straight-across bangs that only looks good when blow dried. Try to work with what you already have going on, not against it!
With that all said, it can’t hurt to repeat that your hair isn’t like your teeth – it can always come back! So if you got a bad haircut, don’t lose too much sleep over it; but try these simple how-to’s in the future to ensure an experience that is To Your Satisfaction!
photo credit 1 & 2: personal
photo credit 3: here
photo credit 4: here
Tags: how to get a good haircut, what to bring to a haircut appointment
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of yoga, which invariably reminds me that it’s time to change my polish since I’m hanging my head over my feet. I refuse to go to a nail place because I have a somewhat intimidating collection of China Glaze that could last a lifetime, so it would be a disservice not to use it. The only thing that professional pedicures do really well, in my opinion, is exfoliate.
To Your Satisfaction 