Here are the five lessons Jesse Linares, Hair Stylist in the Sam Villa ArTeam, has learnt over the years and what he wishes he had mastered earlier.
"After 20 years working in the salon, I’ve learned a lot about what works at the chair - and what doesn’t. No matter how long we’ve been doing hair, a career-minded hairdresser should always want to improve!” says Jesse.
“Often, the best lessons come from 'mistakes' we make, and we grow from them - adapting our technique or habits.”
1. Plan Well
Our schedule can be very hectic when managing all the tasks loaded into a busy salon day. Stylists who arrive to work early and organise their day in advance are more relaxed as they work, and usually produce higher numbers.
Arriving early gives time to check colour or retail inventory, prep a workstation, return messages and forecast the salon schedule before the day begins. Even if your schedule is not fully booked, habits like this will help you throughout your career.
2. Be Present in the Salon
Having schedule gaps is something we all put up with, but a new stylist may have lots of free time during their shift. What you choose to do with that time makes a huge difference in how your day goes and how the salon flows in general.
You can spend valuable time between clients practicing techniques on a mannequin, forecasting a salon schedule, or, if our client is processing colour, educating them about retail or a possible add-on service opportunity. You could even shadow or assist a busy stylist to take some pressure off them and see what you can learn.
3. Customer Service is its Own Side-Hustle
People’s lives and schedules are very busy and to survive in today’s marketplace, you need to demonstrate flexibility and excellent customer service. Today’s consumer seeks a higher level of “concierge” customer service and will respond more positively when dealing directly with their stylist, without layers of salon messages or missed calls from reception.
This can be accomplished through simple, yet effective solutions such as being accessible via socials or text, handling issues personally and returning messages promptly. When clients feel they have direct access to us, their trust level will increase, which opens new doors to expanded services, referrals and retail – all of which are especially important in the first few years when we're building our book.
4. Stay Flexible and Informed
Social media have given us access to art and inspiration on a global scale, and client expectations can be influenced by anywhere on earth. A new stylist must have an “Everything Goes” approach to their craft if we want to build a diverse clientele. This means being aware of the latest trends, techniques, and images to which our clients are being exposed.
It is always important to practice new ideas regularly - but especially so at the beginning of your career.
5. Appreciate the Craft and Build Up Your Fellow Stylists
We’ve never had more free access to information and imagery about hair, and it is vital that a great stylist, whether new or old, learns as much as possible. When you have a diversified eye, any firm opinions about hair “rules” and “art” will relax, allowing us to appreciate the craft more deeply.
It’s impossible to say whether any hair is “good” or “bad”, it’s all in the eye of the beholder! All the great stylists I’ve known work toward a unified culture of hairdressing that supports diversity in technique and theory. We can support this concept by always speaking positively about other stylists’ work or ideas, whether in person or online. Adopting this habit early will open so many doors as your career moves forward.
