I like getting my hair done in the salon because my hairstylist always does a good job helping me with a hairstyle that suits my face shape and hair texture, and the hairstyles I end up with tread a nice line between sophisticated, elegant and trendy. But there's always a bit of a problem. It's the way my hairstylist styles my hair when she's done. I look in the mirror and can't help cringing.
For example last week I wanted to look like this:
All the ingredients were there for a great new hairstyle. Heidi Klum's hair would suit me because my face is kind of oblong and I've got a slight natural wave that can be tousled well. I brought this picture in with me and explained how I really like the casual sophistication of this style; I mean the way it doesn't look too over the top (as if Heidi had spent hours perfecting the placement of every single strand).
When my hairstylist was done adding the finishing touches to my hair and she stepped out of the way so I could take a good look at my reflection... I got that pang of “oh Lordy no” in my stomach. It's happened many times before when I look at my freshly styled salon hair, and each time I remind myself I've got to do something about it.
The thing is my hairstylist always seems to style my hair in a way that's slightly not me. Does that make sense? The hairstyle itself is great and it suits me and she's done an excellent job, but when I look in the mirror afterward I often get a shocked and embarrassed feeling because the person looking back at me looks a bit... wrong. Sometimes it's because the part is slightly in the wrong place, or the crown's just a little higher than I'd typically wear it, or it's styled a little over the top making me look and feel like a high maintenance Stepford wife. When I look in the mirror I just want to grab the hair brush and fix my new salon hair a little, make it more me. But I never do.
That's the problem right there: I should just fix my hair how I want it there and then. I worked the solution out the other day and it's that I should stop being all silly and polite and worrying about my hairstylists feelings and, when's she's about to style my hair, talk to her about how I'd like to style it. It's simple, I can stop feeling a little ridicuolous when I look in the mirror by being a little more upfront about how I like to style my hair. Easy.
So... if you're a bit like me and you're never really happy with the way your hairstylist styles your new hair and you can't wait to leave the salon and adjust your new hair in a public toilet or the reflection of a shop window or something, then stop! The solution's easy: talk more with your hairstylist. Communication is the golden rule of an effective hair consultation after all.
