We have spent several years studying curly hair and the curly-haired client. The way we communicate with our clients was born from moments that were epic failures and moments that were full of celebrations. I want to share 5 of the top things we've learned to incorporate into our curly appointments, and in 2020, trust me you are going to want to implement them as well.
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When a client calls for an appointment, before we lockdown the appointment, we ask them to send in a current picture of their hair status. Notice how I said current? Ask them to take a picture of the sides and back of their hair in a well-lit place. Now why do we say side and back? Here's what we’ve learned: Most people don’t like how they look in pictures, and, if that’s how they feel, they are either going to do the most and pose with the duck lips or add a filter, or even worse, they won’t book the appointment just to avoid sending pictures. But when they do, this will allow you to determine wether you are the right stylist for them or if they are the right client for you.
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When the appointment has been booked, ask them to come in with clean, natural hair. They may use a little gel or product, but ask them not to come in with too much product. We realized most clients, especially curly girls, will have gone days with out washing their hair prior to their appointment. If that's the case, there is no way you can perform the best dry cut possible for their needs and hair shape. Hair that is dirty is most likely also knotty. This will lengthen the time of a service because detoxing can take up a good 1/2 hour of your service. You can kindly explain to the client that their will be an added detox and detangle fee, and stress the importance of them coming in with clean hair .
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Ask clients to come in with pictures of shapes and lengths that they love and could see themselves wearing. This gives you a direct and realistic understanding of how they see themselves and what their future goals are. This can also help you understand if they are comfortable with their own texture and curls or are they infatuated with something that is completely different then their own.
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Curly hair appointments can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours depending on what you are trying to achieve. When booking a client, ask them if they have that time available. The worst thing you can do is book someone whose service may take a good three hours and comes in and wants to be done in an hour and you have to cut, detox , treat and diffuse. Oh, and she wanted a few highlights, too. Make them aware of the time commitment ahead of time. Curls cannot be rushed!
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Don’t be offended when a client is a YouTube junkie who has brought you the opinions of an influencer who is not a licensed professional. Just breath! I know that moment can be very frustrating for you because you are a professional. Instead of having a conversation that can lead to you wanting to prove her favorite YouTuber's information wrong, listen to the information, and in a fun and polite way ask her if she would allow the YouTuber to cut her hair. This will direct the attention back to you and the reasons she is now seeing you as her new curly hair expert.
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