Spring is here and some consider it to be the true new year, and others embrace it because they are sick of the winter gray sky and the depression that goes with. What we all crave is the rebirth of new life and the promise of longer days. How we feel is so infected by the weather and how we feel is so hung up on how we look.
Even if you are a no effort hair person you still make the decision to be just that. Like seasons change, we also go through changes in life which can be internal or external, or lets just say its like growing older or having a break up. Impulses and reflexes can alter our decisions with these changes, and our bodies can cause havoc on decision making too. With all these factors to juggle how do we even life? LOL amirite? Finding better ways to communicate to other humans is something I will always seek out because most of my job relies on communication and reading body posture and movements. Here’s a few things I’ve learned over the years as a stylist to help you better communicate with yours.

1. Do a little digging. You want to find the right stylist right? Weather you’re finding a baby sitter, plumber or massage therapist you want to do some research into their practices, costs and reviews. Hair should be no different. With so many social media platforms, the availability to find a new salon and stylist is literally at your finger tips. My hot tip as a stylist is to find someone who specializes in what you’re looking for. When you find a stylist who has specialized in certain ares of hair, this means they have spent hours educating and practicing those certain techniques. From my personal experience we these people love what we do.

2. Photo inpso. I never turn down a picture. Ive never met any stylist who doesn’t like a photo, yet I have met so many clients who are almost afraid to show me one. Don’t be afraid! We are visual artists and visuals are our thing. One picture equals a thousand words of hair questions I would otherwise have for you. One picture for a haircut can help determine lengths, what I will use to cut, and how I will finish that cut. For color it can help determine tones and placement. Pink hair color alone can mean anything from baby pink to fuchsia so having a visual representation can be very important. You may discover things about yourself when you dive deep into your hairstyle wants and needs. In a sense you want to create a mood board for you.

3. Trauma. So many stories I’ve heard about a bad bang cut, layers gone wrong or bleach melting hair off. Communication breakdown is usually the culprit. Its true hairstylists have vocabulary terms that people try to learn, color codes that most people will never understand, and all sorts of tools ranging in looks from a dentist office to a dominatrix dungeon. Learning the language will be a great ally to your conversation with a stylist, knowing the difference between point cutting and blunt ends for example will have a drastic impact in the end look of your cut..shags have layers but not all layers are shags.

4. Technique. “Ill never be able to do my hair and have it look like when i just leave the salon.” Who has said this and who has heard this. Don’t doubt yourself. We all have to start somewhere and you actually know your head best. We want to give you the best haircut that is suited to your wants and lifestyle and part of that process sometimes is drying the cut in a certain way so that when you go home and have to do your own hair, it is as seamless and easy for you as possible. We do want to make you feel special so the blow out is part of that magic and it is not just to blow dry your hair in a way that you can never do again. We cut hair both wet and dry and sometimes a certain finish is needed to fine tune the end product.

5. Okay settle down. At times when you go for a big change your hair seems to freak out after but all this really is that the hair needs to reset or even settle. Lets say you have parted your hair down the middle with no bangs, for the last 10 years. Now you have cut bangs and they still want to split. No freaking out necessary! Just a bit of retraining is involved and of course some heads of hair are more stubborn than others. It might take a few days to re direct but it can happen. A little blow dry, a little product and a little practice and repetition and you are on a new sweet journey with your hair.

6. We are what we are. You can accept and use what you arrived on planet earth with. All our different textures. All our swirls, whirls, widows peaks and duck asses, there are ways to use these pesky hairs to an advantage. We spend so much time looking at the greener grass across the way, we forget to embrace and love what we have. Different seasons and climates can bring different phases of our hair too, so don’t be too hard on yourself when all of a sudden your hair isn’t doing what it did before. Its part of the bigger cycle that is us and we sometimes forget its all connected.