Hair consultation tips: what your hairdresser wishes you would say
A good consultation is not a test of whether you know the correct hairdressing words. Your stylist needs to understand what you want, what your hair has been through and how the result needs to work once you are back at home.
These hair consultation tips will help you give your stylist useful information without arriving with a technical brief. A few honest details about your routine, budget and previous treatments are far more helpful than trying to diagnose your own hair.
Quick answers
What should I tell my hairdresser in a consultation?
Start with what is not working, then explain your normal routine, previous colour or chemical treatments, budget and how often you are willing to return. The most useful hair consultation tips are honest, practical details rather than salon vocabulary.
Should I bring photos to a hair consultation?
Yes. Bring 2 or 3 pictures and say exactly what you like in each one, such as the fringe, softness, length or colour placement. A photo is a starting point, not a promise that different hair will behave in the same way.
Do I need to mention old box dye?
Yes. Tell your hairdresser about box dye, bleach, henna, colour removers, keratin treatments, perms and chemical straightening, even if they were months ago. Old treatment can still affect the lengths and ends.
How long should a hair consultation take?
A repeat trim may need only a brief check in, while a major colour change may need a separate consultation and tests before the appointment. It should last long enough to agree the result, maintenance, timing and price before the service begins.
How do I improve my chances of getting the haircut I want?
For getting the haircut you want, show where the current cut causes problems, demonstrate how much length you are comfortable losing and explain how you style it at home. Ask the stylist to repeat the agreed plan before cutting.
Table of contents
Start with the part that is actually bothering you
Clients often begin with a solution: “I think I need more layers” or “I want a darker root.” It is usually more useful to begin with the problem.
Perhaps your hair goes flat around the crown by lunchtime. The front pieces fall into your eyes. Your colour looks too warm in daylight. Your ends feel thin when you tie your hair back. These details tell the stylist what needs to change.
You can then explain what you still like. If the length works well under a coat, the current fringe is easy to manage or the colour grows out softly, say that too. A stylist who knows what must be preserved can make a more precise plan.
Try to avoid broad words such as “fresh”, “natural” or “more shape” without explaining what they mean to you. One person’s natural blonde is another person’s obvious highlight. Point to the area you mean and describe the difference you want to notice.
Your real routine matters more than your ideal routine
Your stylist needs the version of your routine that happens on a wet Tuesday morning, not the routine you imagine doing when life becomes calmer.
Say how often you wash your hair, whether you usually air dry it and how much time you genuinely spend styling it. Mention regular swimming, gym sessions, cycling helmets, school runs and the need to tie your hair up for work. London rain, wind and crowded commutes are also perfectly relevant.
Imagine a client who wants a full fringe but washes her hair every 3 days, cycles to work and has about 10 minutes to get ready. A fringe may still work, but the shape and styling advice need to reflect that routine. A softer, longer fringe might be more forgiving than a precise blunt one.
Texture matters too. If your hair dries wavy underneath but straight on top, becomes much shorter when curly or expands in damp weather, explain what normally happens after you wash it. Arriving with your hair close to its usual state can help the stylist see its natural movement.
Hair history is useful, even when it feels irrelevant
One of the most important answers to what to tell your hairdresser is an honest account of previous colour and chemical treatments.
Mention professional colour, box dye, bleach, henna, colour removers, keratin treatments, chemical straightening and perms. Include treatments applied only to the ends or underneath. Those older sections may still be present even though the roots look completely different. You do not need perfect dates. A rough timeline is enough:
“Dark box dye last winter, colour remover in spring, then highlights in June.”
That is much more useful than “I have not coloured it recently.”
For larger colour changes, the stylist may recommend a strand test to see how a small section responds before treating the whole head. Colour services may also require an allergy alert test at least 48 hours beforehand, depending on the product and the manufacturer’s protocol. A strand test checks the likely hair result. An allergy alert test serves a different purpose and does not guarantee that a reaction can never occur.
Tell the salon before your appointment if you have experienced itching, burning, swelling or blistering after hair colour, or if your scalp is currently sore or broken. A hair consultation is not medical advice. Persistent scalp problems, sudden hair loss or a previous reaction should be discussed with a pharmacist, GP or dermatologist where appropriate.
Pictures help, but explain what you see
Reference photos are useful because words such as “bob”, “copper” and “soft layers” can describe several very different results.
Bring 2 or 3 images rather than a large unsorted collection. For each picture, explain the specific detail you like. It might be the length against the collarbone, the broken outline around the face or the amount of natural root showing through the colour.
It is also useful to bring a photo of your own hair on a particularly good or bad day. That shows the stylist something an inspiration picture cannot: how your hair behaves away from salon lighting and professional styling.
The person in your reference image may have a different density, texture, growth pattern or starting colour. That does not make the picture useless. It simply means the stylist should translate the idea rather than copy it literally.
If you dislike something in the picture, say that as well. “I like the length, but I do not want that much volume around my cheeks” gives the stylist a clearer direction.
Budget and upkeep belong in the same conversation
A result can suit your face and still be wrong for your diary or bank account.
Be clear about how often you are prepared to return. There is a meaningful difference between being happy to visit every 6 to 8 weeks and wanting a result that can grow for 3 or 4 months. Neither choice is better, but it will affect the cut, colour placement and amount of contrast your stylist recommends.
Ask what the service is likely to cost today, what is included and what the normal maintenance appointment would involve. For a colour change, ask whether the target is realistic in 1 appointment or whether it will need several stages.
The best salon consultation questions are often very simple:
“What will this look like as it grows?”
“What will I need to do at home?”
“How often would I need to return?”
“What is the likely total before we start?”
A good consultation should leave enough room to change the plan if the cost, timing or maintenance feels unrealistic. Finding that out before the service begins is better for everyone.
Hair consultation tips for getting the haircut you want
For a haircut, show the stylist what “keep the length” means to you. Point to where you want the finished line to sit or show the amount you are comfortable losing with your fingers. Measurements such as “an inch” are easily interpreted differently.
Explain how you wear your hair most often. If it must fit into a ponytail, sit neatly behind your ears or work with glasses, demonstrate that during the consultation.
If you are discussing layers, talk about the effect rather than prescribing a technique. You might want more movement through thick hair, lift around the crown or softness without losing density at the ends. The stylist can then choose a method that suits your texture.
Fringes deserve an honest conversation about growth patterns and upkeep. Show where your hair naturally separates, mention whether you are willing to style it each morning and ask how it will grow out. If you have had a fringe before, explain what worked and what became annoying.
It is also completely reasonable to say what you do not want. “Please do not thin the ends too much” or “I do not want layers that fall out of a ponytail” gives the stylist a useful boundary.
Leave with a shared plan
Before cutting or mixing colour, you and the stylist should be describing the same result.
The plan should cover what is happening today, how much length is being removed, the intended colour or shape, the likely finish, maintenance and price. If part of the result is uncertain, such as how previously coloured hair will lift, that should be explained plainly.
Ask the stylist to show you the proposed length or repeat the colour plan if you are unsure. This is not being difficult. It gives both of you a chance to catch a misunderstanding while it is still easy to correct.
You should also feel able to slow the consultation down. If the proposed service sounds different from what you expected, ask why. Sometimes the stylist has spotted a genuine limitation. Sometimes you have simply pictured different things. Either way, a little more conversation is useful.
A calmer consultation at Margaux Salon
At Margaux Salon, consultations begin with your hair as it is now, your previous treatments and what you can realistically maintain. Our award winning neighbourhood salons in Kentish Town, Highbury and West Hampstead use natural and sustainable products chosen for performance, while keeping the condition of your hair central to the plan.
If you are unsure which cut or colour service to choose, book an appointment or consultation at your nearest salon.
The useful version of “do whatever you think”
Giving your stylist creative freedom can work well, but it helps to add a few boundaries.
You might say: “I trust your judgement on the shape, but I need to tie it back, I do not want a fringe and I will only style it for about 10 minutes.”
That still gives the stylist room to use their experience. It also defines what a successful result needs to do once you leave the salon.
The best consultations are straightforward. Explain the problem, share the relevant history and be honest about your routine, budget and appetite for upkeep. Your stylist does not need you to speak like a hairdresser. They need enough real information to make good decisions with you.
Sources
National Occupational Standards: Provide client consultation services
National Occupational Standards: Cut and clipper hair using hairdressing techniques
National Hair and Beauty Federation: Example consultation, allergy alert and industry tests record
National Hair and Beauty Federation: Professional code of conduct for salon owners
NHS 111 Wales: Hair dye reactions
Wella Professionals: Considering hair history and using strand tests
Margaux Salon: The Margaux approach to consultations and clear pricing
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