The 12 Most Effective Questions To Ask Your Hairstylist

Most of the time when we are sitting in the chair during the consultation part of the service, we have a lot of questions but yet finding the way to put them into words can be difficult. Asking questions is the key part in determining what your desired result is. To help make consultations easier and provide further educational information, I have compiled a list of questions to help.

1. How often should I be in the salon getting my hair done?

- Every service has a different time stamp on how long it can go between a retouches. The standard HAIRCUT should be maintained every 6-8 weeks. Yes that includes the people who are desperately trying to grow their hair out. Coming in that often will ensure your ends are growing out evenly, further breakage is being removed and the ends of your hair will remain thick and full. The standard ROOT TOUCH UP should be maintained every 4-6 weeks for the best and most consistent results. Highlights and or Lowlights can vary in maintenance periods if you get a root shadow or not. Not getting a root shadow means that your color is applied as close to the scalp as possible. That allows for Maximum root coverage but it should be touched up every 6 weeks. If you get a Root Shadow, that means that after your highlights were applied, a root color was applied ON the roots to soften, smudge and blur out any existing lines. Although that does not give your maximum coverage at your root area, it allows for a much softer and blended grow out, so that you can go for about 8-10 weeks. For Balayage services, the maintenance is a lot more flexible because balayage creates a soft blend to make the grow out much more natural looking. To maintain the PLACEMENT of your balayage, getting it touched up every 6-8 weeks will ensure the consistency of your look. If the reason you got a balayage is for the LOW MAINTENANCE factor, going about 3- 6 months between appointments can be just fine. However, there are products that you will have to use at home to ensure that your hair will stay looking and feeling good in between hair coloring visits: Toning shampoos, deep conditioning treatments, leave in conditioners, oils and creams and color safe shampoos and conditioners.

Ask your stylist what time frame is best for YOUR hair. How long will it need between services to keep it healthy and to keep your hair looking beautiful.

2. How much money should I budget for my hair appointment?

-It is always difficult to set an exact price on how much a haircoloring service costs. The way that prices are determined is: How much education/ money went into learning that technique, how much product is needed to create the desired result, how long/ thick the hair is, how long the service takes and if there are additional add on services (Olaplex, Ph Bonder, Deep treatments, Root shadowing and Color melting)

As of January 2022 these are the services I offer and the prices.

Root Touch Up: $105+

All Over Color: $115+

Full Blonding: $160+

Partial Blonding: $140+

Lived In Color Full: $160+

Lived In Color Partial: $140+

Extension Move Up: $65 per row

Extension Install: $80 per row

Gloss + Haircut: $85

Women's Haircut: $42

3. What products should I be using on my hair?

-Everybody's hair has a different texture, thickness and dry to oily ratio.

Personally I am addicted to my hair feeling soft and smooth so I love to use all the moisturizing, smoothing and shiny products that I can.

When I prescribe a hair care regimen for my clients I always break it down based primarily on what their dream hair would look and feel like. Does it have lots of texture and volume? Is it sleek and smooth? Is it soft and shiny? Identifying what your hair is lacking and what you are wanting it to be like will easier help your stylist recommend products specifically for you.

4. How often should I wash my hair?

-The longer you can go between washes, the healthier your hair will be. Your body naturally produces oils (although it can be very annoying) the oils provide protein and moisture to the hair. As contrary as it may seem, the more often you wash your hair, the more oily it will get BECAUSE your body knows that your hair needs those oils so the more often they get washed out, the harder your body works to provide more oil. Typically people go 3 days between washes. That is pretty standard BUT if on the 3rd day, if your hair isn't oily, go another day! Personally, I wash my hair once a week (it sounds gross doesn't it) but here's the thing: my hair used to be washed every 3 days but I started going longer and longer between washes to see how my hair looked and felt. For the first few weeks of going longer between washes, my hair got oily and it drove me nuts. BUT after that, my hair got used to it and now, my hair can easily go a week.

Benefits of not washing your hair a lot:

- Healthier scalp

- Helps keep your color looking fresh for longer

- Helps your hair grow longer

5. Based on my skin tone, what color would you recommend?

-We all want what we don't have. I personally have dark hair but have always loved and wanted platinum blonde hair. But based on my skin tone and the natural color of my existing hair, blonde would not be a good decision. I have always been drawn to ashy tones but with my skin tone, warm tones make me look more awake and they look a lot better.

As a hairstylist I see so many people who find a picture of the hair that they want (typically it is completely opposite of what they have) and although it may look gorgeous on the person in the photo, it will look completely different on you. I recommend when choosing a hair color to pick something that stays within the same color field.

Black to Dark brown hair: putting reds, chestnut browns, caramels and toffee colors will help keep your color looking natural and it will not be too much of a dramatic change so it will just warm up your skin tone and make you look a little lighter and brighter.

Medium Brown to Light brown hair: putting beige blonde, honey blonde, ashy brown and golden blondes will brighten up the hair a lot but it won't make the grow out very harsh. Putting those tones in the hair will create beautiful dimension without it being too overwhelming and hard to get used to.

Dark Blonde to Light blonde: With blonde hair, going lighter is a lot easier and I allows you to have a little bit of flexibility because for the most part, you could do any color in the blonde field.

Although most of the recommended colors may seem more on the subtle side, hair is meant to look as natural as possible. Could you go from dark brown hair to platinum blonde hair? Yes, you could! But just know that your skin tone, style and existing hair are different than the person in the photo. What may look good on one person may not look the best on you. If you stick in the color range that your hair will look best with, your hair will look way more natural and sunkissed.

6. My hair doesn't feel like it's growing! How do I help it?

- I wish there was a magic pill that would give you Rapunzel hair instantly but unfortunately hair has a mind of it's own. Although the growing of your hair takes a while, you would rather take longer to grow out your hair so that by the time it gets to the length you want, it is healthy, thick and happy rather than grow grow grow your hair and by the time it gets to the length you want it is breaking, thin and needs 6 inches cut off.

The process can be frustrating but it doesn't hair to be! Here are my top tips on how to keep your hair healthy and to get it to grow longer and faster!

-Use PROFESSIONAL HAIR PRODUCTS (Shampoos, conditioners, styling products and treatments) this step is the most crucial!!!

-Get the ends of your hair cleaned up and get a surface trim every 6 weeks. No I am not saying to cut off inches at a time. Just clean up the line and take care of the split ends. This will make all the difference in keeping your hair healthy!

-Go longer between washes (let your hair absorb those oils, it needs them to grow and be healthy)

-If you use heat on your hair, USE A HEAT PROTECTANT! Even if you spend lots of time in the sun, spray some on to protect your hair from fading and uv sun damage. My favorite heat protectants are: Oligo Blacklight 18 in 1 leave in conditioner with a built in heat protectant, Oribe Invisible Defense Universal Protection spray, R & Co Sun Catcher leave in conditioner and heat protectant, and the Redken Iron Shape Heat protectant.

7. How often should I get my hair cut?

I know you are probably trying to grow your hair out and you think that trimming it will never make your hair grow. WRONG! Getting your hair trimmed helps so so much in the process of growing out your hair. No I am not telling you to be in the salon every 4 weeks getting 2 inches taken off your hair because at that rate, you are right, it wouldn't be getting any longer.

I mean going into the salon and getting your ends cleaned up. Just making sure that the ends of your hair will never enter the wispy crispy phase. This only requires about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch. That little of hair, believe me you won't even notice that length is gone and yet it makes the biggest difference! After doing this I always do what is called a SURFACE TRIM. See those pesky split ends that are 5 or 6 inches from the bottom of your hair? You think oh my gosh if I want all the split ends gone I'd have to cut off that much! No way!! A surface trim cleans up those split ends that are up higher and it lets you keep all your length! No this technique doesn't add layers or make your hair thinner, all it does is make the hair healthier!

8. What type of extensions are best for my hair?

Extensions are a person by person type. Everyone has a different lifestyle, budget and time frame that works best for them. Getting extensions can be expensive depending on your hair thickness and length goal.

Personally, I love the Beaded wefts because they provide you with the most natural looking hair and it blends the best. These types of extensions lay flat to your head and so hiding them is insanely easy. These extensions need move ups around every 6-8 weeks to keep the hair where it should be. This type of extensions is best for someone who loves to continually have their hair with the thickness and length that extensions provide.

Tape in extensions: Tape ins are great in my opinion for filling in gaps. For example I used to add in a few just right in the front to make my front appear more full. I personally don't love a full head of tape ins because I feel it is hard to hide them all and washing them feels a bit more complicated. Tape ins need to be moved up about every 6-8 weeks as well.

Halo extensions: I have a halo and it is nice because you can take it out and put it in yourself very easily and you do not have to worry about getting it in the exact same spot every time. Halos are one weft and provide you with lots of thickness and length if desired. This option is more low maintenance because you do not need to be in the salon getting them moved up. However, halos are not ideal for someone with thick hair trying to go longer or short hair trying to go longer. Since halos are only one weft, they aren't providing a continual blend throughout your entire head. They are best suited for maintaining length but adding thickness or adding length to thin hair.

9. What type of Shampoo and Conditioner should I be using on my hair?

First off, NO GROCERY STORE PRODUCTS!! That stuff is cheap for a reason! It is filled with wax products and ingredients called fillers. They do not help your hair in the slightest so please do not use them!

Depending on your hair type will determine what type of shampoo and conditioner you should be using. Products are not one size fits all, they have specific things for a reason.

If you feel that your hair is very dry and brittle, using something like: R & Co Atlantis Moisturizing shampoo & conditioner, R & Co Bel Air Smoothing shampoo and conditioner, Oribe Intense Moisture Shampoo and conditioner, Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo and conditioner. These products will add protein and moisture into your hair to create softness, shine and help your hair feel a lot healthier.

If your hair feels really damaged and it tends to break off a lot, using something to strengthen your hair strands and add protein will make your hair a lo more tough so it doesn't break off as much. My favorite products for that are: R & Co Perfect Hair Shampoo and Conditioner, Oribe Gold Lust Repair and Restore Shampoo and conditioner, Redken All soft mega shampoo and conditioner.

If your hair gets super oily on the scalp area but your midshaft and ends feel super dry still, using a clarifying shampoo or normalizing shampoo and then pairing it with a moisturizing conditioner will benefit you a lot. The shampoo I love for this is: R & Co oblivion clarifying shampoo.

I could go on and on about what products to use because I love so so many, but for more in depth descriptions and lots more product recommendations for you specific hair type, visit the section of my blog titled products, then choose which hair type sounds most like yours, then read the posts!

I know I’ve already said this but the quality of Shampoo and Conditioner that you use greatly determines how your hair feels and how healthy it is. So please use good stuff, you won’t regret it.

10: How can I realistically look for hair color inspiration?

Looking for inspiration photos can be tricky because everyone's hair looks different to begin with and everyone's hair will react differently. One thing to keep in mind is that photos are for inspiration only. It is impossible to 100% recreate a Pinterest photo onto your head. As much as I would love to copy and paste, it doesn't work like that.

With big transformations, often people don’t quite understand what exactly goes into it. There is so much chemistry with hair color and what may happen for someone may not happen for you. The key when looking for photo inspiration is to be understanding. If you have really dark hair and you show your stylist a picture of someone with bright platinum hair, the odds are you’re going to be disappointed. Instead try bringing that picture in and saying that you want to eventually get there but you want to take things slow and not fry your hair. Then show some pictures that are more of a middle ground.

Always go into your stylist with options. Choose some photos that you really love and hope to be able to recreate but also find some that you’d be willing to do if your hair isn’t healthy enough to do so or it is unable to do because of how it looks prior to starting.

Remember that pictures are for inspiration and your hairstylist will try their best to recreate but sometimes things are not possible in just one session or ever.

11. What are the best tools to use on my hair?

The metal used in your tool MATTERS!! I am not here to say that certain brands suck or anything but I just want to share the tools I personally have used on myself and my clients and have absolutely loved them.

With heat tools, they come in a big variety of metals, however the best metals I’ve found are: Nano titanium, Ceramic, Porcelain Ceramic Or Nano Titanium Ceramic.

These metals are softer and so they provide more glide so that the hair doesn’t get stuck. These metals are higher quality and they do not produce as much damage as the standard Iron or Tourmaline materials.

Personally my favorite brand as far as tools go is

Babyliss Pro because they have tools in every metal, size and type. They also have adjustable heat and very good warranties.

12. How can I best maintain my hair at home?

-Use professional shampoo and conditioner as well as styling products.

-Always use a heat protectant when applying heat or if you’re going to be in the sun.

-Wait at least 48 - 72+ hours after your color appointment to wash your hair.

-Use Color safe products and a purple shampoo if it’s needed.

-Use heat tools that are made from quality metals.

-Get regular trims/ surface trims.

Thank you for reading and I hope you found this helpful! Don’t hesitate to ask your hairstylist any of these questions!

As always, if you have any questions, comments or other inquiries feel free to send those my way!

XOXO,

Becthestylist