14 DAY TRIAL // Getting a cut that does not quite fit in with what we imagined about it or, even worse, something that looks downright atrocious can be an ordeal any woman would pay good money to be spared of. Marie Claire also knows this, so it has spoken to several celebrity stylists and has come up with several tips and things we must do when heading to the salon for a cut.
First things first, the magazine tells us, we must always pick a stylist based on what they can do and not because of their reputation. It’s always a bad idea to go to one just because they charge the most or because they say they’re good with their hands. One way to avoid this would be speaking first with our ever-reliable female friends, or even with strangers on the street with cuts similar to what we’d like to get.
This done and the stylist already carefully picked out, we should always bring pictures, Marie Claire stresses. Visual aids bridge the gap between how a stylist sees hair and our own perspective on it, while also helping the stylist see exactly which are our likes and dislikes. Naturally, the more pictures the better, because they can truly avoid a miscommunication between us and the stylist who, no matter how hard we try, might be totally missing our point.
Another thing that most women tend to ignore is that we must never present ourselves to the stylist with our hair not done. Marie Claire tells us that styling our hair before getting a cut is essential, as it offers the stylist essential information about us. For instance, if they can see we’re no good with a blow-drier, then they will know to go into the other direction, by giving us a ‘do that looks great when air-dried as well, the mag says.
Ken Paves, the man behind stars like Jessica Simpson and Eva Longoria, says that two other important things we should never overlook is, first, asking to speak with the stylist in our street clothes (meaning, sans cutting cape) and, second, to be honest. Both are meant to make the stylist get to know us better, and thus appreciate what would suit us just perfect.
As the stylist cuts our hair, Paves also says, we must pay attention – this is no time to start texting our friends or carefully studying our manicure. If we see the cut is heading in a direction that is not what we want, we must speak out so that the stylist knows to stop. Should shyness or excessive politeness stand in the way of us doing so, there’s always the option of asking to go to the bathroom, where we can carefully see what is going on with our hair, and then coming back to speak our mind.
“If, at the end of it all, you still don’t have the cut of your dreams, don’t just sit there sulking,” Marie Claire writes, quoting stylist Eva Scrivo, who owns a salon in New York City. We are advised to say if there’ something we don’t like, as the stylist will oblige us on the spot. Say, however, that we notice the waiting room is filled with women or that the stylist in a bad mood, we can say we want to spend a day with our new ‘do and then, if we’re still not happy, to come back for a “fix-it” appointment, which, as Paves points out, is free of charge. “This keeps a rushed - or defensive - stylist away from your hair, and it allows you to go home and play with it before deciding you definitely want a ‘do-over.” Marie Claire concludes.