So... You Think How Well Your Hair Gets Cut Is Not Your Responsibility, Do You?

So you think how well your hair gets cut is not your responsibility, do you? Well, guess what? Think again! Actually, it is!

Now I realise this concept is probably alien to you all, out there in your own worlds with god-knows how many responsibilities already. That you are probably thinking I just made a ridiculous statement; surely your hair-cut is wholly the responsibility of the man or woman you pay a shed-load of money to once it’s finished, and that they should be doing their very, very best to make sure that it’s everything you wanted – and more.

And why shouldn’t you think that? That’s a very reasonable assumption. And of course they should. But here’s the thing. Something you’ve probably never even thought about: A good 40% of the way your hair-cut turns out actually is your responsibility. Yep. That’s right. Yours!

To a large extent, you have control over the finished results almost as much as your stylist does. He, or she, is merely your means – your ‘tool’ – to getting the cut you want. A cut which will not only suit you and your lifestyle, but one which you will be able to handle!

‘How come?’ I hear you thinking. ‘What the hell is this woman talking about? I’m not the one wielding the scissors – bloody Bertrand/Sasha/Trevor/Jane or Joe flippin’ Bloggs is. And if they’re not paying attention my cut is screwed, whether I want it that way or not!’

Now obviously I don’t mean you to think that you should actually be cutting your own hair – that’s not even possible for the best stylist in the world (apart from the odd side-swipe at a fringe). Besides, that’s what your paying whatever-their-name-is for. No, what I mean is, how you feel and behave when you sit in that chair has a lot to do with the way your hair turns out. Really. It does.

Let me elaborate. Let’s start with the feel bit of that opening statement.

You know the feeling you get on a ‘good’ day? Great, isn’t it – everything goes right, all is wonderful, you can’t put a foot wrong. Well, that’s about vibes – good vibes. And the same, in reverse, for a ‘bad’ day: gold turns to concrete, the cat gets sick when you’re late for work, and the car breaks down. Bad vibes abound, they seem to impinge on everything, and the whole day is cack.

Well it’s a similar thing when you sit in a Hairdressers/Barbers chair – you impart your vibes onto your stylist, and vice-versa. Chances are, if you sit in that chair and you’re already fretting that you won’t get what you want then you probably won’t! In fact, there’s every possibility that if you’re already feeling needled, you will needle your stylist without even realising it. After all, they are in you personal space – you invited them there – and if it’s full of negativity, all your doing is passing it on!

But that’s just the tip of the ice-berg. There’s a lot more to it than just being in a good or bad mood. Even if you go into a salon in your very best I’ve-just-won-the-lottery mood, it’s perfectly possible you could still come out with the total grumps having not got what you asked for.

But don’t give up hope just yet, though. By taking note of the things you do once you’re in that chair – and being aware of what you are doing – you are helping your stylist no-end, and could therefore easily be half-way to getting the brilliant results you deserve out of them. So by helping them you’re automatically helping yourself!

I’ve been in and around the hairdressing field for more years than I care to remember, now. And have come across everything from the client equivalent of Attila the Hun, to your regular Mary Poppins, and back again. And while the vast majority of clients are truly lovely, there are those to whom a stylist is anything but a real person; is some kind of servant, there for no other reason than to carry out their bidding, whether that’s reasonable, or not.....