7 tips to get a high fashion hair treatment at discounted prices.

Every day thousands of men, women and children have their hair cut, washed, styled or colored. Some pay 10 or 12 dollars, some pay hundreds of dollars.

Is there really that much of a difference between the $10 haircut and the $100 hairstyle? In a word, YES.

I’m not even going to pretend that you can get the $100 treatment for $10 or even $25, but I am going to explain how you can get a good, even great, hair treatment at your local mall.

You must know…

All hairdressers, talented or hack, have to start somewhere. A year or two of minimum wage internship, after spending the required amount of time in cosmetology school and passing the state licensing exam, is the standard. Many newbies work at the chains found at the local mall, where visitors aren’t just welcome, they’re the whole game.

To improve your chances of getting a high-quality cut or flush the next time you stop by your favorite sandwich shop for a quickie, follow this plan:

1. Pick your day and time: Go during peak hours because the best stylists work the busy shifts when they can make the most money.

You’ll spend more time waiting, but that’s a good thing. If you go during a slow time when only one or two of the newer stylists are working, you won’t have to wait, but they will take much longer to do their hair, so you’ll still spend the same amount of time. overall, and you probably won’t get as good a cut or color.

2. Don’t waste waiting time reading magazines. Use it to observe what is happening in the store. See if someone with hair similar to yours is in one of the chairs. Watch how your treatment progresses. Check out the other stylists. Even if they are doing a different type of client or treatment than you want, you can get a good idea of ​​their techniques and how your clients’ hair looks.

3. See what happens when a stylist starts a new client. Do you engage them in a conversation about how they want their hair to look? Do you offer a couple of alternatives or just follow the customer’s instructions?

4. Take a look at your workstation. It should be clean (obviously) and professional but with some character. Do you have your license in a frame or is it just taped below the edge of the mirror? Do your tools seem organized or are the cords tangled and the brushes just thrown in a bucket?

5. Talk to the receptionist. Ask her how long the stylist you’ve been eyeing has been there. See if she knows what school they went to (name brands aren’t just snobbish, they focus more on hair fashion and attract the most enthusiastic students). Ask him directly which stylist is best for your hair type or the treatment you’re looking for.

Choose one and tell the receptionist that you want to wait for that stylist.

6. ALWAYS start with a hair wash. The extra dollar or two will pay for itself with a better cut and a longer lasting new style. During the wash, you’ll be able to tell if your operator is confident or hesitant… with no permanent side effects!

If she scalds your scalp, picks her nails at your head, or does anything else that makes you suspect that this is her first week out of school, tell her that you just remembered an urgent meeting or that your mom just called from hospital, but get out before you get a cut or color you’ll regret!

7. Back in the chair, pay attention. Ask him what he is doing and why he is doing it that way. Once you get her to talk about one of her favorite topics, hair styling, she’ll be amazed at what she’ll tell you AND the better level of service she gets for the same price everyone pays.

In these shops, there isn’t much variation in prices, but sloppy customers get haircuts that look good on them, and nice people get more time and attention (and the stylist can usually confirm his impression by the size of the tip in relation to with the service provided).

If you’re really happy with your hair, let her know you’ll come back and ask for her again. Ask him for his card and what are his usual days and hours of work (write it on the back). Call before you go next time to verify that he is working that day.

Ask if they have a mailing list – tell them you’d like to know about special offers or if they’re moving to another store. You could even buy some of the products she uses on you so you can recreate that look at home!