Sometimes all that’s standing between you and the perfect cut or color is knowing how to ask the right questions. Here are some excerpts from an article in Ladies Home Journal we thought might help you receive the perfect service.
LAYERS
For a stylist, layering may simply be trying to give your hair movement. If you are okay with adding movement but don’t want a choppy look, tell your stylist you’d like to keep the density of your hair.
TRIM
For a stylist, the standard trim is an inch or an inch and a half.
TEXTURE
A client has wavy hair and asks for enhanced texture. The stylists goes in with a razor and gives her hair a full-on feathery look when all she really wanted was for her natural wave to be more prominent.
“WHATEVER YOU THINK IS BEST”
Granting total creative freedom generally backfires. Be prepared with a photo or a clear description of what you want.
BANGS
They can be anything from a thick fringe to just a few strands swept across the forehead. So specify length, width, weight and angles.
AUBURN
This tends to suggest brown undertones, but many clients envision something cranberryish. The term “chestnut” causes almost the opposite confusion: we think reddish; many clients think rich brown.
ASHY
This generally means a subtly whitish shade. But if a client complains of ashiness, she often means dull or brassy. We might then add warm or gold tones that you never wanted.
BRASSY
To some clients, it’s a term for “drab” or “not pretty” and may not mean the metallic look “brassy”.
LIGHTENING
It’s a simple word but it can mean so many different things-from brightening to bleaching. For blonde clients who want to go lighter, “golden versus pale” is a good conversation starter, whereas with darker-haired clients, “warm caramel versus neutral brown” is best.
VOLUME
You may think you’re asking for a cut that allows for a little lift at the root. But the stylist could just as easily assume you’re asking for all-over volume and will give you something that looks far more mushroomy than you had in mind.
