How To Talk To Your Stylist
Think back to your last haircut... How did you feel about it when you walked out of the salon? Disappointed? To avoid this from happening to you, let's cover some somethings you should communicate with your stylist before he or she picks-up that majic wand called shears.
Get the Perfect Haicut
Whats your style?
When you first sit down in the chair, try to give your stylist a general description of the style you want. Are you looking for a crew cut? Are you hoping to look like Don Draper? Perhaps you want a more modern style. You might want to bring in a photo of the look you’d like to have. Once you’ve got this covered, you can then get into the specifics.
How much do you want to be taken off and where?
After you tell your stylist what general style you want, tell him exactly how much you want to be taken off. Don’t just say, “Give me a trim” or “Just a little off the top.” One stylist’s trim is another’s close shave. To avoid getting your hair cut too short, be specific about how much you want to be taken off. Short and long are all relative from stylist to stylist. So say things like “an inch off the top” or “a quarter inch off the side.” If you don’t know exactly how much you want to be taken off, let your stylist know you don’t know. What he’ll probably do is just cut a bit off to see if you like it. Then if you want it shorter, you can go shorter. If you’re a clippers man, memorize the numbers of the guards you use. Then you can just walk into the salon and tell him “I want a 2 on the sides and a 3 on the top.”
taper cut
Taper Cut
Do you know what that means? If you’ve been nodding your head all this time when your stylist asks if you want a tapered cut, you've probably been saying “Yeah, give me that!” even though you have no idea what a taper even is, here’s a quick rundown on what a taper means when it comes to haircuts. A taper gradually changes your hair length from the top of the head down to the nape of the neck. The taper usually starts off long at the top and gets shorter as you go down to the neck. The length of the taper can vary. You can have a really long taper or a short taper. Most men’s haircuts involve some sort of taper, but some men prefer that their hair length be the same all around their head. Make sure to tell the stylist your preference. My prefernce to my male clientle is a taper cut.
Neckline
A lot of men don’t think about how their neckline looks because they hardly ever see it, but the people who walk and stand behind you get to see it every day. If you don’t keep it clean and trim, a great haircut can suddenly look unkempt. When choosing what sort of neckline you want, you have three options: blocked, rounded, and tapered.
Blocked
A blocked nape means cutting a straight line across the natural neckline. When done correctly, your neckline will have the appearance of a squared block. If you’re self-conscious about your skinny chicken neck, a blocked nape can give you the appearance of a wider, thicker neck. If you already have the neck of a drill sergeant, go with another type of neckline. The biggest drawback with blocked napes is that they will appear untidy as the hair grows out. Once the hair begins to grow under the neckline, the new hair growth sticks out like a sore thumb. If you decide to go with the blocked neckline, it’s recommended you go back to the barber once a week to clean it up. Or better yet, learn to do it yourself.
Rounded
A rounded neckline simply takes the corners off a blocked nape finish. Like the blocked neckline, the rounded nape can start to look untidy once hair starts growing below the neckline.
Tapered
Instead of creating a strong line at the nape of the neck, a tapered neckline follows the natural neckline and gradually shortens the hair as it gets closer to the bottom of the neckline. A tapered neckline can slim a wide neck. However, the biggest advantage to the tapered nape is that as your hair grows out, the neckline remains blended and neat. You won’t need frequent touch-ups as you would with a blocked or rounded nape.
After you’ve told your stylist what you want, listen to your stylist’s suggestions. A lot of guys come in with an idea of how they want their hair, but it’s just not possible with their hair type. Or what they’re asking for won’t look good on their face. You need to come in with an open mind and be flexible. Listen to what your stylist has to say and trust his expertise.
Your relationship with your stylist is like any good relationship-communication should be a two-way street. He should listen to what you’re looking for and give you feedback and advice. A good stylist will ask you if you’re happy with how your hair looks as he goes along.
If your stylist doesn’t communicate at all and doesn’t listen to your preferences, it’s probably time to look for a new stylist.
The stylist can become your buddy, someone you’re not only comfortable with but look forward to seeing.
After awhile, all you’ll have to say when you plop down in his chair is, “Give me the usual!”