How to piss off a Hairstylist

Hairstylists spend a large number of hours in the salon and on their feet, working hard to help make their clients look and feel their best. They politely listen as clients ramble on and on about their lives and they proudly do it with a smile on their face. You’d think that there’s nothing that can get to these selfless hair magicians, but that notion is actually far from true.

To find out what truly irks them, Rosy Salon Software surveyed busy salon professionals and asked them to come up with their worst client offenses. Read on to find out if you are guilty of any of these cringe-worthy salon no-nos.

Late to the Party

The most common issue with surveyed salon pros involves clients who are always late. We’re not talking a single unavoidable situation but the habitually late-every-time person who is oblivious to the issue. That 10-minute tardiness in the beginning of the day can easily turn into being an hour or more behind by the end of the day.

Taking Their Time

One salon pro explained that they have a few clients who think it’s acceptable to wander in 10-20 minutes late for their appointment. Or have ones who take their time as they wander over to the salon chair, which delays the stylist from getting started on their hair. What’s worse is when they get upset when the service can’t be finished in what they feel is a timely manner.

No-Show

The worst possible offense is to book an appointment and not show up, or to call last minute to cancel. It can be considered insulting to the stylist and is likely a financial burden to the salon owner. Most salons schedule their clients based on specific increments of time and a cancellation or no-show means that they now have unbookable spots and lost revenue.

Personally Speaking

Clients can sometimes get a little too personal with their conversations while sitting in the chair. Many have admitted to torrid affairs, some asked for dates and /or made unwanted advances toward their stylists, while a few actually wanted to spark up a fling, despite the fact that their wives were also clients.

Rude ‘Tude

There’s always that one client who feels that the world revolves around them. They talk too loudly, push their beliefs and opinions on others, and don’t care if they offend anyone else in the salon. Don’t be THAT person! The entire salon thanks you!

Get to the Point

While over-explaining what you want can be unnerving, arriving to your appointment unprepared or having stacks of opposing hairstyle photos may make your hairstylist’s head explode. Instead, go for a quick, to-the-point description and just a few photos.

Expect Much?

Some clients can be very unrealistic with their hair expectations. everybody wants to look like their favorite celebrities but coming in with overly retouched pictures of thick, perfectly-placed tresses does not mean that your thin strands can or will look just like the picture.

In other cases, clients want to remove years of dark hair color and take their saturated strands to a pure platinum. What’s worse is that they expect to do it in one sitting with no yellow, or breakage! Oh my!

One stylist explained that a client was upset when they realized that root had to be touched up every several weeks and that the touch up service is not free!

Ewwwww

One salon scenario involves a client coming in with a sample of hair for the stylist to use to color match, a common practice for color services. When asked where the clippings in the baggie came from, the client promptly pointed to her nether regions.

Oh My!

Taking pleasure from a great scalp massage at the shampoo bowl is one thing but moaning like a porn star is a definite no-no. It makes the situation very uncomfortable for anyone in earshot.

Overt Control

If you really want to piss off a seasoned hair pro, tell them how to do their jobs. Things like what tools to use, how to use them, how to layer hair or cut wispy fringe, etc. Oh, they so love that!

Expressive Encounters

Bouncing like a bobble-head doll or chattering away on your cell phone while sitting in the salon chair can really irk a hairstylist. When they are working on your hair, they need for you to remain somewhat still, otherwise your cut, color, eyebrows, or whatever, may not turn out quite the way you wanted. Nobody wants that!

No Thanks

Hairstylists thrive on positive feedback and hope that happy clients will express their satisfaction. Unfortunately, far too many stay silent or don’t leave a decent tip, or one at all. Just keep in mind that a hairstylist won’t be too eager to take another booking for you if you don’t at least say thanks.

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