The 3 Best Ways To Find A New Hairstylist
As Well As The Wrong Ways To Find A Hairstylist…
There could be many reasons why you’re on the hunt for a new hairstylist. Maybe you’ve moved, your current one has retired, or you just haven’t been completely happy with your service lately.
In this post I’m going to cover what to do if you suddenly aren’t happy with your hairstylist, how to find a new one, as well as the worst ways to find a new hair salon.
How do you know if you have a bad hairstylist?
Before you begin looking for a new hairstylist, if you aren’t happy with your current one, tell them that! I want to suggest giving the benefit of the doubt before trying someone new.
Don’t be that client that cheats and goes to someone else, is even more unhappy, and then comes back to have the original hairstylist to clean up the mess.
Make sure you express your concerns to them, what you’re looking for, what you aren’t looking for, and give them the chance to make you happy. We can’t read minds, so you need to be 100% open with us about what you like and don’t like! Bring pictures and examples other than just your explanation.
One time I had an elderly client ask me for platinum blonde, which is one of my specialties. After I made her platinum blonde, I could tell she didn’t appear extremely happy. When I asked her about it she then brought me a picture of a very golden darker blonde color. Gold is the exact opposite side of the spectrum of platinum in the blonde world.
Thankfully this was easily fixed with a toner. But it could have been much worse had she originally asked for a darker color than what she really wanted. At the end of the day, I take fault for this miscommunication because I didn’t ask her for a picture to begin with.
Something that we can all learn from my mistake is to make sure you are on the same page as your hair stylist and that you’re asking for what you really want.
If you aren’t sure of what words to use, bring in multiple pictures. And understand that it may also take several sessions to get you to your desired goal. Now, I ask every single client to show me a picture of what they want and what they don’t want during the consultation.
We are hairstylists, not magicians. And sometimes you may have hair goals that are not achievable for you. That being said, if you’ve given your stylist several chances and they still aren’t making you happy, then it’s time to begin the hunt for a new hairstylist.
How to find a good hairstylist
- Ask for recommendations
- Google/Yelp
- Social media
While there are many ways to find a new hairstylist, I’ve found these 3 techniques to be the most helpful. You want to be sure to do your research before blindly jumping in and trying a new hair salon.
Ask for hair salon recommendations from people that have your hair goals
Asking for a recommendation is hands down the best way to find a new hairstylist. Ask a friend or even a stranger in public that has similar hair color, length, or texture who their hairstylist is.
They will be happy to tell you if they are pleased with them. This way you can see their work, know that they are capable of providing what you want, and have someone to tell you about their experience.
If you have fine, thin, and blonde hair, asking your thick and dark haired friend for her hairstylists name may not be the best choice. Some stylists are good with thick hair, others with curly hair, some are capable of all things hair, and some only do blondes.
While her hairstylist may be completely capable of doing an awesome job on you, it’s best to do some research first to ensure they are going to be able to give you exactly what you need.
One of the main ways that I built up my clientele as a stylist is from referrals from my current clients. My clients sent all of their friends, family and neighbors. And over the course of a few years I ended up doing basically everyone’s hair that lived in the same neighborhood.
They even sent me people from their Zoomba class. It was fun keeping up with them and I actually felt like I was part of their friend group! I also cant tell you how many times I’ve received a phone call from someone that approached one of my clients in the grocery store and asked for my card.
Keep an eye out everywhere you go for awesome hair and ask them where they go. If they are happy with their hairstylist, they will be ecstatic to share their info with you.
Finding a new hair salon on Google or Yelp
Yelp and Google can be a great way to find a new hairstylist or salon if you haven’t seen anyone around that has totally awesome hair like you’re looking for.
And even if you’ve gotten a recommendation, look them up. You want to make sure there’s no terrible horror story reviews. But if you can’t find reviews, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t try them. No reviews can be a good thing, as long as there aren’t all really bad reviews.
I also want to mention that if they have tons of 5 star reviews, read them and check if they are real or not. Friends and family or the stylist themselves will often write fake 5 star reviews to get their rating up.
You can typically tell the difference between a fake review and a genuine one. Always click to see if there are any 1 or 2 star reviews, and if there are what do they say? Did the stylist respond to the review trying to resolve the problem? Did they post pictures?
The client could have been trying to get a free service, and it may not always be the stylists fault. The client may have had unrealistic expectations or was looking for a bargain.
Just because there is one bad review doesn’t mean that the stylist is terrible, so be sure to actually read the reviews instead of just looking at their rating. We ALL know that there are some cray-cray people out there, am I right? 🙂
Finding a hairstylist on social media
Social media is another great way to find a new hairstylist. If you are looking for someone who is trendy and up to date on all the new styles and fads, this is a great option.
Instagram is a terrific way for a stylist to showcase all of their work and their strengths. Search hashtags in your area, and try things like #phoenixhair, #arizonahair, or #phoenixbalayage to find hairstylists in your area.
This is also another step to take when you’ve received a recommendation from someone. It’s a great way to see their work and what they’re capable of providing.
I do want to point out that all of the photos on social media will likely be edited. The hair may not be as “icy” in real life as it is in the photo. And lighting makes a huge difference when taking pictures of hair colors. Just make sure you have realistic expectations when viewing these photos and when bringing in these types of pictures to show to your stylist.
If you can’t find her on social media or they dont have a ton of followers/likes, don’t completely count them out. Although it is a huge way for a hairstylist to showcase their work, some stylists don’t put a whole lot of time or effort into social media (it is a TON of work), and that is okay.
She may already have a full book and doesn’t need to advertise for more clients. Having a hard time getting an appointment with a new stylist is a good sign.
At this point, I do not use social media for my salon business anymore. I already have a full clientele, and I currently it’s not worth the effort for me to keep up with.
That being said, I am still getting clients from social media. I did the work in the past and it is all still up there for new clients to see.
How NOT to find a new hairstylist
- Beauty school
- Groupon
- Random selection with no research
Beauty School
Whatever you do, do not go to a beauty school to find a new hairstylist. In the long run, going to a beauty school will probably not save you any money. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a client come in for an emergency correction because they went to a beauty school trying to save a few bucks.
You’ll end up paying a lot more in the long run because it is much more work to fix the mess than if you would have just gone to a quality hair salon in the first place.
Yes, everyone needs to start somewhere. And it may be fine for very basic hair styles. But this is not an ideal method for finding a talented and awesome new hairstylist.
Groupon hairstylists
While it may sound like a good idea to try someone on Groupon, this too is not an ideal way to find a fantastic hairstylist. If the stylist is talented and successful, they probably should not need to advertise on Groupon. If they are successful, they will be getting referrals from their current clients and from positive reviews on yelp, google, and social media.
I have a little story of a time I made this mistake while getting my nails done once. A friend of mine had never had a pedicure before. I know crazy right?! So I wanted to take her for her first time; we looked on Groupon and chose a mani-pedi deal.
We should have turned around and walked out upon arriving. They asked us to pay and tip in FULL upon immediately walking in the door. But the women working there were very intimidating so we did what they said.
There were only 10 polish colors to choose from, and while in shock trying to decide what ugly shade we wanted, they even yelled at us to hurry up. They shared tools back and forth between the two of us, ate in the middle of working (um eww), and were incredibly rude.
I was actually holding back from laughing the entire time at how horrible the experience was. And I thought my friend was going to be scarred for life of pedicures. But luckily she’s given them more chances since.
I ended up reporting the salon to the Board of Cosmetology for being unsanitary. And I really hope that they are no longer in practice! Moral of the story, don’t look for the cheapest deals, look for quality and positive reviews.
Random selection
One of the most common ways people attempt to find a new hair stylist is to pick a random hair salon near you and book a service with whoever is available that day.
This is a bad idea.
You are going in blindly and have no idea what their strengths or weaknesses are, prior client experiences, or pictures of their work. This is a blind guess and you are setting yourself up for a bad time.
A good hairstylist will be booked out in advance. They likely won’t be able to get you in immediately, unless they happen to have cancellations. It may be unfortunate if you need in now, but trust me when I say that it is worth the wait. There may be a reason that the stylist has no one on their books.
Conclusion
There are a number of reasons you may be looking for a new hairstylist. If you are unhappy with your current stylist, give them the benefit of the doubt. Make sure you are properly communicating what you want AND don’t want.
If you have given them a number of chances, then it’s time to find a new stylist.
The best places to find a hairstylist are recommendations, Google, Yelp, and Social Media.
The worst places to find a hairstylist are Beauty Schools, Groupon, and random selections.
Leave a comment if you found this helpful or have any questions! Subscribe below to make everyday a good hair day!
Last updated 01/26/2023
share item
Comments