Mending The Split Ends Between Clients And Stylists.
One of the most common issues women with long hair have is properly maintaining it and keeping split ends to a minimum. I cannot explain how many times I’ve come across long beautiful locks that, upon closer inspection, have not been taken care of for what seems like months. I also know that a big reason this occurs is because most women are worried about a hair stylist taking too much off, which is also a common problem. Seems like a lose/lose situation…or is it?
Here’s the thing. I know hair length for a lot of women is a sense of pride. But if you want to have long hair, then take responsibility for it. In order to keep split ends from regularly occurring, it is mandatory to have your hair trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks, or as I like to suggest, once a month. ONCE A MONTH. That’s all. There are other preventative steps and product remedies you can try as well (ask your stylist for recommendations specific to your hair type), but the only surefire way to get rid of split ends once and for all is to cut them off. If your hair is beginning to split from the many ways that it can (chemicals, the sun, heated styling tools), having a small trim done by a stylist you trust on a regular basis will keep them from having to take off 6 inches of your hair because you let it go for too long. You can’t blame a stylist for doing their job and attempting to make your hair look healthy if you’ve failed to keep up with it.
However, hair stylists also need to take responsibility too. If a client asks you to not take more than an inch off, regardless of if their hair is splitting all the way down their back, do only what was requested. The fear our clients have about losing their length is justified because many stylists are not educating their clients enough to prevent this from happening and often get a little too trigger happy when it comes to properly trimming hair (it’s called a trim, not a cut, for a reason). You can also offer suggestions and treatments and try and explain to your clients prior to the cutting process WHY you would need to take a certain amount of length off to get rid of the split ends, but unless the client agrees to let you do it, don’t. It’s that simple.
What this all boils down to is that hair stylists and their clients both need to have a clear, open line of communication. If you care about your hair, listen to your stylists and don’t be lazy with recommendations. Likewise, hair stylists, if you care about your clients and your job, then take the time to inform them. The general public doesn’t know much about hair other than bad and inaccurate information they typically see on TV commercials anyways, so it is up to us to inform them. Together, with a little effort, we can bridge the gap of the client/stylist relationship and give more people a reason to fall in love with their hair over and over again.
