Choosing a hairdresser. Female hair stylist

Entrusting your curls to a new hairdresser is always a big risk, but we will tell you how to choose the right hairdresser.

Probably every girl, coming to a new beauty salon or hairdresser, feels a slight jitters before getting a haircut, because a new hairdresser is always a mystery. We never know exactly how he will cut our hair (even if before the procedure we show on our fingers what exactly we want), what length he will cut and what length he will leave, and what hair color will come out of his experiments.

Few people want to risk their locks so much, so it’s better to know the rules by which you can choose that ideal hair stylist and never regret it.

But before we begin, we wanted to clarify that in the UK they even want to introduce a register of qualified hairdressers. This is because there are currently around 40,000 hairdressers, beauty salons and beauty salons in England. However, not always craftsmen can boast of qualified education and experience in this field. The Hair and Barber Council believes that state registration should be mandatory in order to select hair salons and their employees according to generally accepted quality standards.

It would be nice if such a register appeared in Ukraine - then it would be much easier to find the right qualified specialist. In the meantime, we don’t have such an opportunity, we offer you several ways to choose the right hairdresser.

Education

Pay attention to what degree your hairdresser has. Ask for his diploma of completion of specialized courses or hairdressing school; it must indicate the level to which your master has reached. Christopher Fox, master hairdresser at L’Oréal, shared his secret on how to differentiate between degrees and what they mean:

The Level 2 qualification is the minimum standard required to cut and color hair and is suitable for economy salons. Learning these hairdressing basics takes two years. Level 3 is a requirement for a senior stylist and requires an additional year of training to complete this degree. Most often, such masters can be found in premium and business class salons. Level 4 means that the master can apply for work in a luxury and VIP salon. A fifth-class hairdresser constantly studies the newest trends and keeps up with the times, makes unique haircuts, a first-class master is not just an individual, but a very individual approach.

What should a good hairdresser do?

A good hairdresser is a person who listens to your wishes and does not try to convince you. However, you need to find the right combination: a good hairdresser in a good salon. This means that the salon should also satisfy your needs so that you want to return there again and again. A good hairdresser should have excellent knowledge about products and trends. He is adamant about the importance of testing your skin's sensitivity to a product. If you are planning to change your hair color, you need to do this test beforehand. If your hairdresser does not offer this to you, remind you of the test.

To ensure that your new hairstyle does not become a disappointment and looks exactly the way you want, you need to choose a good hairdresser. What should you pay attention to? We'll tell you!

Many people, especially women, from time to time have the desire to get a new hairstyle to improve their appearance or completely change their image. Often people are afraid to realize this desire for one simple reason: they have already had negative experiences associated with hairdressing salons in the past.

To ensure that your new hairstyle does not become a disappointment and looks exactly the way you want, you need to choose a good hairdresser.

The following tips will help you choose a good hairdresser:

1. Don't choose the cheapest hair salons. Traditional booths called “Quick, Inexpensive Haircuts” simply cannot afford to hire professional stylists. It is better to spend a little more money on your hairstyle, but be sure of the quality of the work.
2. Read reviews. Before making an appointment with a hairdresser, find reviews about him on the Internet. The best stylists always have a regular clientele.
3. Pay attention to the photos. Photos of haircuts on a hairdresser's website or in a hairdresser's album must have a watermark with the name of the salon or the name of the hairdresser. Real photographs will help you understand the level of skill of hairdressers and study the types of haircuts that the salon can certainly do.
4. Pay attention to diplomas. Many beauty salons display diplomas, certificates, certificates and diplomas of their masters. Take a close look at them: only some of them may turn out to be worthwhile. For example, winning a competition for the best haircut for a fashion magazine means much more than a certificate of attending a course of lectures at a hairdressing institute.
5. Arrive at the hairdresser a little earlier than the appointed time. If you come to the beauty salon in advance, you will be able to find a previous client there and see with your own eyes the result of your master’s work.
6. Pay attention to the tools. All hairdressing equipment must be professional, clean and neat. Hairdressing tools such as scissors, combs and shaving machines must be sterilized after each client.
7. A true professional works not only with hair– he must first evaluate your entire image and understand what suits you. He will ask about work, hair care, be sure to ask what you want, and evaluate the condition of your hair.
8. Useful tips: a good specialist will always tell and explain during work what to do to make your hair more beautiful and healthy, what to pay attention to, what is trending now. He knows the latest news in the world of hairdressing and will definitely advise you on how to update your look. But remember that often the master needs to be as focused as possible, so try not to distract him over trifles, just because you want to talk.
9. Take a closer look at the master's appearance: of course, he may not have enough time for himself, but a creative and appropriate haircut and styling will immediately tell you that this is a fan of his business, a person who probably tries all the trends on himself and only then offers them to clients.

While sitting in the hairdresser, do not relax and check every intermediate stage of the work so that you can correct the hairdresser in time if something goes wrong. Remember that a good hairdresser will always take into account the characteristics of your hair and. He will definitely listen to all your wishes and give competent recommendations on how to choose a hairstyle that suits you personally.

The beauty industry is developing rapidly, but qualified specialists are rare. Finding a hairdresser with specialized education and good creative potential is the main problem faced by beauty salons of any level. It is not enough to just know the basics of hairdressing; you need to listen to the client and be able to choose the most harmonious image for him.

What qualities should a talented specialist have? What should employers pay attention to? How to find a good hairdresser? Advice from experienced recruiters, successful professionals and businessmen working in the beauty industry will help you understand this issue.

Choosing a specialist

Specialization plays an important role in personnel selection. Wanting to save money, hairdressers often hire one person, whose responsibilities include not only cutting, but also consultations on care, complex coloring and other types of services. Employers don’t even think about the fact that not everyone has the ability to work in different directions, and they demand the impossible from an employee.

Only a master from God, for whom the profession is a calling and a favorite hobby, can satisfy any client’s requests. Such a specialist is called a universal hairdresser. His responsibilities include cutting, styling, curling, coloring, consulting and selecting the appropriate look. On the labor market, a general hairdresser is the most sought-after employee; it is difficult to find him, and his salary is usually an order of magnitude higher than that of others.

In hairdressing there are narrow specializations and directions:

• a female master does haircuts and styling for women and children;
• a men's hairdresser works with representatives of the stronger sex;
• a hair extension specialist works to increase the length of hair by attaching extensions and tresses;
• a braiding specialist deals with women's and men's hairstyles using braiding;
• The hairdresser-stylist creates evening looks for special occasions, and also does styling and coloring.

It is important that the hairdresser not only cope with his duties, but also takes into account the wishes of the client. The hairdresser’s unique vision of the image can lead to the person feeling uncomfortable in the new image and being dissatisfied with the result. A professional, in addition to basic skills and abilities, must have good communication skills, stress resistance, charisma, and patience.

The key to successful activity is constant communication with the client and the ability to find a middle ground between the set requirements and one’s own ambitions. You should also take into account the neatness and cleanliness of the hairdresser. People will not want to be served by an unkempt master who does not pay attention to his appearance.

Creating an environment

The quality of services directly depends on the equipment and materials used in the work. For a beauty salon, it is important to create the most comfortable conditions not only for the client, but also for the hairdresser himself. Every self-respecting hair salon should have the following basic items:

• professional hairdressing chair;
• sink with cold and hot water;
• dry;
• metal cabinet for towels;
• wooden cabinet for dirty linen;
• laundry cleaning machine;
• working toilet with cabinets, mirror, drawers.

Consumables include perfumes, cosmetics and disinfectants, hair dyes, and curling compounds. Having professional equipment will greatly simplify the work of a hairdresser.

Where to look

Where to find a real hairdresser? In the world of information technology, there are many sources for recruiting qualified personnel. Let's list the main ones.

• Advertisements
  These are advertisements on the Internet, social networks, advertising sites, as well as publications in newspapers or magazines. Searching for a hairdresser on your own does not always lead to a successful result, since the employer may not know the criteria for correct selection and be guided only by his intuition. As a result, he chooses not a professional, but a person with whom he is simply comfortable communicating.
• Recruitment agencies
  They independently find and check applicants for compliance with the desired position (work experience, specialized education). However, it is worth considering that such services are paid.
• Job center
  Essentially, he does the same work as recruitment agencies. The employer just needs to leave an application and wait for the employee to be selected by specialists. The advantages of this method include the absence of payment and the presence of government programs that guarantee a reduction in taxation due to the employment of the unemployed.
• Educational institutions
  Schools, schools, colleges and training courses for masters are the most effective way to find the best specialist with hairdressing talent. All of the above-mentioned institutions are happy to cooperate with the owners of hairdressing and beauty salons, since their responsibilities include the further employment of students. You can post leaflets, or you can talk to the school director, offering your conditions and requirements for the future employee. The advantage of this method is that you can objectively evaluate a person's talent based on the example of his hairstyles and academic achievements.

If you want to find a truly valuable employee for your salon, listen to the tips below.

• Don't look at the availability of diplomas and certificates. They can only indicate that a person has attended a course of lectures and has basic skills. Creativity, professional qualities and the ability to communicate with people are worth much more than a sheet of paper with a stamp.
• The age of the applicant should not be an obstacle to employment in a beauty salon. The young master will try to do his job efficiently. In addition, good potential and a modern vision of style distinguish such an employee from a generalist hairdresser with many years of experience.
• It is desirable that the hairdresser knows how to listen to the client and is a good psychologist. The profession involves long-term close contact with a person, as a result of which the master learns many intimate details. Based on your life story, you need to choose a beautiful image and please the client. A reserved and silent hairdresser will most likely only scare people away.

Pre-employment check

If you decide to find a stylist yourself, carefully consider the interview. In addition to personal acquaintance, you should check the professional skills and abilities of the employee. Invite him to do a hairstyle on a mannequin, look at the portfolio - this will help you understand the level of skill. For a good master, the task will not cause dissatisfaction or panic.

Don't hesitate to ask about the reasons for leaving your previous job. No matter what the person tells you, take the time to talk to your former employer yourself. This way you can get a complete picture of the hairdresser’s personality, find out how conscientiously he does his work and whether he is hiding unpleasant facts from his biography.

Social networks are a very convenient tool for searching for information. Typically, clients post their photos and leave comments about the work of a particular hairdresser. It will be useful to find reviews from people who have received services from the proposed candidate. If the shortcomings are insignificant, you can consider him for the vacancy of a hairdresser.

Be sure to decide on your salary. This could be a fixed rate and monthly salary, a percentage from the client or renting a place. Discussing the money issue at the first meeting will help avoid misunderstandings and omissions in future joint work.

As some French women joke: sometimes finding a good hairdresser is much more difficult than getting married successfully. Because on the one hand, he should be akin to an artist, creating this or that splendor on your head, and on the other, be a healer, taking care of the condition of your hair. Well, and, of course, be a true professional in your field.

If you are just looking for “your master,” the very first thing you should pay attention to is his appearance. A good hairdresser, of course, wears a beautiful, well-groomed haircut. A true master has his own style, his own style, his own zest.

You shouldn’t be offended by a hairdresser who, for example, says during a haircut: “What a burnt hair you have! What do you do with it?” This is his job. A good hairdresser is interested in everything during his work and chats. A sure sign of a highly qualified master is when he twirls scissors like a juggler and at the same time chats (about your hair).

Before you sit in the hairdresser's chair, you choose a hairstyle and consult. See how he reacts. For example, ask to see something in magazines that you describe. The master must know exactly where the desired hairstyle is located. Don’t hesitate, if they not only show you, but also enthusiastically begin to describe in detail something related to your choice, talk about some feature that can be added. It is immediately clear that the master is dedicated to his work, and for him it is more creativity than work.

You can recognize a good specialist by the way he works on your hair: along the way, he tells and shows how best to curl and straighten your hair, apply gel or mousse. By doing this, it gives you confidence that you will look good not only today and tomorrow, but all the time - until your next visit to the hairdresser.

But the work done on you depends not only on the master himself. The result equally depends on you. Your own behavior can change your appearance.

A bad mood will especially change your appearance and not for the better, by the way. Then it’s better to postpone going to the salon; even a good hairdresser will have a hard time fixing a bad haircut.

But, be that as it may, do not forget to visit your master at least once every two months, or more often. Only in this case will your head always be well-groomed and look chic.

If you are lucky and you have found the hairdresser of your dreams, love him, take care and cherish him. After all, your appearance will depend on it. Never scold him - after all, no one is immune from mistakes. And hope that next time a real miracle will happen.

Nastya Kostyuchenkova

There are times in life when your master left the beauty salon and did not leave an address, or you yourself moved. You never know the reasons and situations when you have to look for a new hairdresser and puzzle yourself with the question of how to choose a hairdresser. Let's talk about this.

We must be aware that there are not too many chances to quickly solve such a problem. Only by taking risks and trying can you ultimately find a good hairdresser. In this case, mistakes and losses occur. But it’s one thing when you go at random, at random, hoping at random. And it’s another thing when, based on certain criteria, you filter out obviously unsuitable options, narrowing your search, reducing the likelihood of failure. Let's try to develop ways to evaluate and select a hairdresser.

Let’s immediately agree that we will talk about finding a good hairdresser, because if the main thing for you is a low price, then the chances of finding a decent professional working cheaply are close to zero. A penny will buy you nickels. If for you the result on your head is at least a little more important than money, and in caring for male attention you understand that saving on yourself is the last thing, then you can use folk signs that distinguish a good hairdresser from a bad one. After looking through many blogs, I wrote down and tabulated the advice that friends most often give to each other when looking for a good hairdresser. All these signs of qualifications and level of skill are not indisputable, but it is by them that the majority of residents of the blogosphere judge.

Most likely you should go to such a hairdresser	Carefully! You can get into trouble
It's hard to make an appointment with a hairdresser	Easy to get in, no line to the hairdresser
There are diplomas and regalia	No medals or certificates
Neat appearance	Sloppy look
High prices	Relatively cheap
You can find reviews	Word of mouth is silent
Photo gallery of work (preferably not on models, but on ordinary clients)	Portfolio is not visible
Middle age	Either too young (doesn’t know how), or no longer middle-aged (at age many stop learning new things and developing)

Before looking for a hairdresser, you need to decide on yourself

Before you go to an unfamiliar hairdresser, you need to understand what you want from your future haircut. Look inside yourself. If you don’t formulate this and mumble something unintelligible to the hairdresser, then there is little chance that you will convey your thoughts to him. This immediately reduces the likelihood that the result will coincide with expectations, because you simply will not understand each other and will not think the same way. Then the unsuccessful haircut will be partly your fault. If you don’t know what kind of haircut you want, cover yourself with magazines, print out something fashionable from the Internet (taking into account, of course, your face shape, hair structure and color, etc.). If neither one nor the other works out, then at least try to describe your mood and state to the master, exhale and say “do whatever you want on my head, I’m all yours.” Believe me, sometimes it's no worse. It’s worse when you neither give the hairdresser the opportunity to show his talents and skills, nor clearly define what you expect from his work.

The first screening of unsuitable options - first choose a beauty salon

There is little point in looking for a hairdresser on the other side of the city and wasting time on the road. Today, in every microdistrict there is a good stylist, and not just one. This narrows the search to two convenient places - where you live and where you work. There are few options, but they all work quite well.

The first method is word of mouth. You interview your neighbor friends, of course, those who have on their minds what suits you. And you get options.

If there is no one to ask, then all you have to do is just walk around the area, paying attention to the appearance of the establishment, or use the Internet to search.

On foot: you can simply walk around the area, examining local hairdressing establishments, as they say, live. Appearance and signage will say a lot. And from the people leaving the salon, you can always get an impression of who goes to this beauty salon, and in the warm season, you can evaluate the actual haircuts. If on the doors of the salon there is an announcement “discounts, discounts, discounts”, “half price for pensioners”, “masters needed for work” and so on - you should doubt that this is the right salon.

On the Internet by typing in the search bar something like “beauty salon metro Taganskaya” (metropolitan residents do not use the official names of districts, such as “Veshnyaki-Vladychino”, and sometimes don’t even know them. Therefore, they traditionally look for something in the area of ​​a certain metro station). A lot can be said based on the degree of presence on the Internet and the level of the site. You can also find independent reviews of salons in your area online. However, from the photographs on the website it is difficult to assess the color scheme, except perhaps the shape of the haircuts.

So, using one of the three listed methods, several beauty salons of candidates were selected. Now we will look for a good hairdresser in them.

The second filter is a call to a beauty salon

So, after filtering, we have several establishments left. A call to a beauty salon is the best way to select unsuitable establishments remotely and at the same time learn something about the hairdressers there. You will have to talk to the administrator. You need to briefly describe yourself and your tasks (for example, I’m blonde, I want to grow my hair long, treat it. The more detailed you set the task, the better). After listening, the administrator of the beauty salon can recommend one (ideal case) or several (already suspicious) hairdressers who, in the administrator’s opinion, will better cope with the tasks. After all, there are no absolute universalists among hairdressers. Still, some people cut short hair better, others long hair. Some are inclined towards creativity, and others towards classics. And the third prefers to do conservative and strict office haircuts. There are also those who specialize in evening hairstyles, and there are wedding hairstylists (most often the process is long, they meet with the future bride more than once or twice to discuss the hairstyle in combination with the wedding dress). As for hair coloring, the specialization of hairdressers is even more subtle. Not everyone knows how to dye blondes well (dark colors are always easier), do highlighting, dye three colors, and so on. And among the masters there are those who like to braid hair or add hair extensions. At the call stage, the final choice is made, and it is influenced by a lot - including politeness, and most importantly - the awareness of the administrator.

Arriving at the beauty salon

Having made an appointment with an unfamiliar master, you are not at all obliged to immediately sit down in a chair. If, upon arriving at the salon, you felt or saw something that did not meet your expectations - and this could be dirt in the salon, the unkempt appearance of the administrator or the hairdresser himself, rudeness, inattention, or simply an unhealthy appearance of the staff - it does not matter what exactly you did not like. Perhaps you just feel that this is not your salon, and not your master - it’s better to turn around and leave than to take risks. Don't cut your hair - you'll save both yourself and the hairdresser's nerves.

If the first impression is favorable, talk in detail with the hairdresser. A good master will definitely listen to your wishes. Tell us in more detail what exactly you want to receive. For example, you can ask to show similar haircuts in magazines that either every hairdresser has or is kept specifically for visitors. In addition to the fact that the master will show how correctly he understood your train of thought, he may offer to complement the chosen hairstyle with some additional details or, on the contrary, recommend a completely different haircut, which, in his opinion, is more suitable. If he agrees with all your wishes unconditionally, then this is by no means a sign of high qualifications. A good hairdresser, seeing that the client is wrong with his desire to have a certain type of hairstyle, must stop him. The master must tell in detail and explain why you should not wear this or that color or do this or that haircut. Most likely, as a result, the stylist will offer several options for hairstyles, taking into account the type of hair, because everyone’s hair is different, a good stylist will look at them carefully and take them into account when cutting or coloring. In addition, you will definitely take into account the shape of your face, hair color, etc. A good hairdresser must combine both the qualities of a hair doctor and a creator to create an image. The task of a professional is to emphasize your strengths and hide your weaknesses, so the more he knows about you, the faster he will succeed. When talking with the hairdresser, do not forget to mention your previous experience, especially negative ones (for example, there were unsuccessful experiments with some specific paints, etc.)