Most people do not know the exact haircut they need. They know what their hair is doing that they do not like.
That is usually enough.
“This side sticks out.”
“It is too heavy back here.”
“The top goes flat.”
“The ends look thin.”
“It gets too wide right here.”
“I hate what it does around my face.”
That is the part I want to hear.
You Tell Me What You Don’t Like. I Look for Why It Is Happening.
When somebody points to an area she does not like, I am looking at the whole shape.
I am looking for imbalance.
Where is the weight sitting? Is one side fuller than the other? Is the perimeter too heavy, too weak or simply grown out? Is the crown collapsing because there is too much length or because of the growth pattern? Is a section sticking out because it needs to be shorter, longer, lighter, or left alone?
That is where the haircut starts for me.
The client usually sees the part that bothers her. I can see how that part relates to everything around it.
Sometimes You Know Exactly What Cut You Want
Some people do.
They know their hair. They know the cut that works. They may know exactly how much they want off, where they like their layers, how they want the perimeter, or what shape has worked for them for years.
If you know what works, tell me.
I am not going to make the consultation more complicated just to prove I am the professional.
But most people are not coming in with that level of certainty. They know what they do not like. That is normal.
“I Want Layers” Still Leaves Me With a Question
Layers can do a lot of different things, and they can create problems too.
If you tell me you want layers, I am still looking at why.
Are you trying to remove bulk? Create movement? Get lift through the crown? Break up a heavy shape? Help curl move? Add face framing? Keep the length but make the haircut feel different?
The word layers does not tell me which of those problems we are solving.
And sometimes adding more layers is exactly the wrong answer. Fine hair can lose the strength of the perimeter. Too much weight removal can leave the bottom looking thinner. Cutting into a growth pattern without respecting it can make the thing you hate even harder to control.
That is why I want to see the hair before I decide what the technique should be.
The Imbalance Usually Tells Me More Than the Haircut Name
Haircuts are shapes.
When a shape stops working, something is usually out of balance for the result the person wants.
Maybe too much weight has dropped to the bottom. Maybe the sides have gotten wide while the crown has gone flat. Maybe a strong cowlick is pushing one area away from the head. Maybe the perimeter has become too thin to support the length. Maybe one side has more density. Maybe the old cut was built for hair that has changed in texture or density since then.
I am not looking at one piece in isolation. I am reading how the whole haircut is sitting.
That is the part most clients should not have to figure out for themselves.
A Picture Can Help. So Can Pointing.
If you have a picture of the haircut you want, bring it.
Sometimes that gives me the answer immediately. The cut is compatible with the hair in front of me and we know what we are doing.
Other times the picture gives me a direction, but the exact cut would behave differently because the density, texture, curl, growth pattern or length is different.
And if you do not have a picture, point.
Show me the part you keep pushing back. Show me where it gets too big. Show me where it falls flat. Show me what you keep trying to tuck behind your ear. Show me the ends you think look scraggly.
I can work with that.
Sometimes the Fix You Ask For Will Create Another Problem
This is where I have to do more than follow instructions.
You may be completely right about what you do not like and still be asking for a fix that will make something else worse.
You may want all the bulk removed from an area that actually needs some weight to control a growth pattern. You may want the ends thinned when the perimeter is already weak. You may want the crown cut very short for volume when the hair will stand straight up or expose more scalp than you want.
That is when I need to say, “I see exactly what you don’t like. I would fix it differently.”
Then I can show you what I see, explain what I think will happen, and give you the choice.
Your Hair at Home Is Part of the Cut
I also care how you actually wear your hair.
If you air-dry every day, I need to know that. If you never use a round brush, I should not build a haircut that only looks right after a round-brush blowout. If you have to pull it back for work, that matters. If you hate product, that matters too.
The haircut still has to make sense when I am not standing behind you.
You Do Not Have to Solve Your Hair Before You Sit in My Chair
You are welcome to know exactly what you want.
But you do not have to.
If all you know is, “I hate what this part is doing,” that gives me a place to start.
I can look at the shape, the density, the texture, the growth patterns, the perimeter, the weight distribution and the way the hair is falling. Then I can tell you what I see and what I think will work.
You tell me what you don’t like your hair doing. I’ll read the haircut.
Next move: If your haircut has stopped working and you are trying to put the problem into words, read How Do I Tell My Stylist What I Don’t Like? and visit Hair & Scalp.
