12 Hairdresser Tips

Your hair is your crowning glory, so make sure you have the right hairdresser. How? Gain a first name-basis relationship with your hairdresser. Here are some tips to help you understand what's going through the mind of a hairdresser:

1. I'm a beautician, not a magician. I can give you Gisele Bündchen's haircut, but I can't give you her face.

2. Come at least five minutes early. If you're running late, please call ahead. Show me some basic respect.

3. Don't ask me to ''squeeze'' you in when I'm already booked. I'd be taking time and effort away from other clients. You wouldn't like being treated that way.

4. Hairdresser school does not teach about projection or personality disorders. If you're looking for a therapist, all I have is a comb and an opinion.

5. As you get older, you need to soften the lines around your face. Layers are the magic remedy.

6. If you want to buy a bottle of colour and do your own hair to save a buck, you can live with the consequences.

7. Some clients will say, ''Cut my hair just like you did last time.'' I have hundreds of clients. How am I supposed to remember exactly how I did your hair the last time? Take a picture and show me.

8. Standing all day and using scissors and a blow-dryer takes its toll – I have arthritis in my fingers, calcium deposits in my wrist, and ten percent less hearing than I used to. I am a physical wreck.

9. We see women at their worst. Their hair is wet, they have foils on their hair. So they tell us everything. The truth is, I really don't care what they do sexually. I'm only interested in their hair.

10. Bodies and hair change as hormones change. If your hair is dry, listless, or brittle, or if it's not holding your colour or style the way it used to, see a doctor.

11. Why do you think a child's haircut should cost less than yours? Kids don't sit still. Kids kick.

12. A trim is not ''just'' a trim. It requires my expertise, skill and knowledge. Would you say to your dentist, ''It's just a tooth,'' or to your doctor, ''It's just a leg?''