How to Find a Good Hair Stylist

Hair stylist and a salon client wearing her hair in an angled bob — Photo: In Green/Shutterstock

Trying to find the right stylist can be like trying to find the best player in a cutthroat game of hide-and-seek. There are many places for them to hide, anywhere from a shopping mall to the trendy little shop down the street to the hole-in-the-wall across town. You never know when that winning player will pop out into the open and enter your life.

Once you have finally discovered them, you never want them to leave your sight again. It's kind of like dating; once you find 'the one', you want them to stay with you forever. So, in the absence of an online stylist dating service, what is one to do? Read on, and hopefully, I can help you make a love connection.

The first step to finding your perfect partner is to ask around. Just as you wouldn't want to ask your friend who her boyfriend is and if she can hook you up with him, you wouldn't want to ask her who her stylist is. Many times, those close to you will lie like a rug. They don't want their secret, i.e., their stylist, to be revealed. It's often better to be hooked up by a stranger.

If you see someone with hair that you love or a style that you cannot live without, find out who was responsible for it. Strangers will take it as a compliment that you have taken the time to stop them and ask about their hair.

The second step is to choose a salon that makes you feel comfortable. If you are a soccer mom from the suburbs, then a very trendy salon may not be the most comfortable place for you. Find one that suits your personality and budget.

Once you have chosen a couple of hair salons that pique your interest, ask for a consultation. This gives you a chance to check out the salon, their services, their staff, and the environment without committing to a cut and style. Nothing is worse than sitting in the hairdresser's chair, trying to decide whether it is acceptable for a grown adult to just get up and run, screaming for the exit.

While you are checking out the salon, take a look at the stylists too. If they have over-processed hair or hairstyles that are not what you are looking for, it is best to leave. I once had a stylist who had purple and black hair, and I was seriously afraid to have her color my hair. Not only do you want a clean stylist, but you also want a clean salon. A salon run by people who are proud of their business will work hard to keep it tidy.

How to find a good hair stylist — Images: Getty Images via Canva

A proud hair salon will also work hard to ensure everyone is proud of their work as well. Find out how your stylist feels about the salon and her work; is she proud or a little standoffish? Asking many questions will also provide you with all the information you need to know about your stylist's personality, which can make or break a future relationship.

If you were starting a new relationship and your new partner did not do everything in his power to make you feel special and comfortable, your relationship would be over quicker than Britney Spears' first marriage. The same should be true of the relationship you have with your stylist. If they do not go out of their way to make you feel like a special client, then you should leave. You are the customer, and you should be taken care of.

Your stylist and their coworkers should also be taken care of by the owner of the salon. If the majority of the stylists look miserable and you overhear them complaining about having to go to work, then morale at the salon is low. Morale levels are directly proportional to professionalism.

We are all searching for the perfect person. Some of us have found that in a spouse or partner, but many are still looking. The hope in life is that once we find them, we stay with them forever and they with us. The reality, though, in salon life is that many stylists move on every couple of years. So, now what? Well, hopefully, you have done your research in choosing your hair salon. If so, there will be another stylist who can fill the void in your life. If only boyfriends could do the same.

By Irene | Updated May 23, 2024 | ©Hairfinder.com