September 13, 2024 | Hair Tips
Introduction
Importance of Finding the Right Hair Salon Near Me
When it comes to looking your best, investing in an amazing salon is a great way to start the season with a look that makes you feel confident and beautiful as you walk out your front door! With so many hair salons near me available, it’s important to find a salon that’s right for you. It all starts with knowing your hair type, knowing your hair care budget, knowing your hair needs, and knowing your desired look. How do you find the best salon and hairstylist that works for you? It’s as easy as following these simple steps.
Defining Your Hair Care Needs
Identifying Your Hair Type & Hair Issues
The first step on your search for a hair salon near you is to take a good look at your hair type. This can help you find what truly works for you and your hairdresser upon your first consultation. Some of the different hair types and hair issues are:
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- Curly Natural Hair
- Wavy Natural Hair
- Straight Natural Hair
- Coily Natural Hair
- Oily Scalp
- Dry Scalp
- Thick Texture
- Thin Texture
Knowing your natural hair type and general hair issues can play a factor in daily treatment, maintenance, and even style. For example straight hair may have the tendency to become oilier. This can affect the type of shampoo recommended as well as how often the hair needs to be washed between salon visits. For curlier hair, you may need to find a good hairdresser that can understand the products needed to specifically keep your curls bouncy and full. For a dry scalp or scalp that produces dandruff, specialized scalp treatments and shampoos can help keep those flakes to a minimum.
Specific Hair Styling Services You Need
Once you know your natural hair type, it’s time to get a feel for what type of hair style you are looking for. Your hairstyles and hair needs may even change depending on the season or upcoming events. It could be that you may not know exactly what you want yet but are hoping to find a trend that suits you and your specific face shape.
Are you looking for natural beaded row extensions to take your length and volume to the next level? Then be sure to find someone like Trademark Salon who specialize in NBR hair extensions. Hand-tied hair extensions
Do you want to try a new vibrant color to cover those sneaky greys? Then find a salon or stylist who works with some of the most reputable brands on the market like Goldwell, KMS, and Oribe. Are you looking to straighten your hair and get rid of that pesky frizz? Then perhaps its time for a Kerasilk Keratin Treatment or Brazilian Blowout that lasts for up to 6 months. Your hair goals should always be a priority when it comes to finding the best salon in your area.
Budget Considerations
Before you book an appointment with a new salon, your next consideration should be “How much do I want to spend?” If you are looking for high-end hair services, be sure to do your research. Many great salons may ask for a larger investment into their services but it can also mean they provide more for their staff and into their continuing education. A well educated hair stylist could be a good indicator of great results overall. A higher price tag could also come from the use of better products which could also produce a much better result as well.
If your budget is limited but affordability is your main concern, many salons provide haircuts, color, and treatments at a modest price point. Salon services don’t have to always cost a fortune but when your financial resources may become limited, your options may have to expand as well. Paying less however may not get the achievable results you are looking for if your hair needs are extensive. Take the time to call the salon first for a consultation to be sure your budget and your hair care needs align with what the salon can provide for you.
Salon Experience and Ambiance
Importance of First Impressions
Everyone knows that first impressions are important. This begins from the drive over to the salon, to the cleanliness of the parking area, the signage out front, and even the ambiance from the moment you walk into the front door. All of these things should align to a great overall feeling before you ever sit down in your hairstylist’s chair.
When someone wants to get their hair done, you want to feel comfortable and welcome. This is why having a fantastic receptionist with a friendly smile can make all the difference. A salon can have the best hairstylists in the world but if they don’t receive a friendly greeting when walking in, it can ruin the entire experience. The receptionist will set the tone for the experience and feeling like you are greeting a friend who is there to make your haircare adventure a great one can keep anyone coming back for more.
Another thing to consider in a great salon is the cleanliness. No one wants to walk through piles of hair, spilled product, or sit in a chair that hasn’t been prepped just for you. A high-quality hair salon should keep every station clean. This ensures that each experience will feel personalized just for you.
Salon Size and Clientele
As you continue to search for the hair salon for you, size can be a deciding factor. Some hair salons are a part of great big chains while others could be a small boutique hidden gem right around the corner. Not everyone feels that size matters but here are some of the major differences in small, medium, and large chain salons.
Small salons and boutiques can be amazing depending on your needs. Small salons can give you a cozier feel and more personalized experience due to their space capacity and fewer people per station. With a smaller amount of space and stylists, you can feel that perhaps you are the only one in the room. The downfall however can be limited stylists could mean limited available appointments.
For medium size salons, clients can get a more open-spaced feel without feeling more confined and have a larger variety of hairstylists to choose from. This could mean more availability for appointments, more space for hair care services, and still maintain the feel of a personalized experience.
For larger salons or chain salons, clients can generally get hair care services for a more affordable rate. A chain can set their standard rates from the lower to middle end due to the corporate structure. Depending on the salon however, turnover can be high so your stylist may tend to vary. This can tend to take away the tailor-made salon experience and trust factor as time goes on without a guaranteed result with a stylist you trust.
Whether it’s a boutique, medium size, or large chain salon, be sure to take into account what factors are most important to you: Quality, Size, and Experience.
Customer Service and Hospitality
When you are ready to sit with a stylist and discuss your hair desires, customer service and hospitality become essential! A good stylist will make you feel comfortable, fully discuss your haircare needs, hairstyle desires, and won’t give you unrealistic expectations. To find the stylist that suits you, do your research. Many stylists offer a portfolio of their previous work and many showcase their results on social media.
Yelp is not always the best source but it can give an overall view of how the salon treats its customers and reacts to any customers who may have any issues. You can also search google customer reviews for related stories for similar hair desires or experience. One way to get a feel of each salon is through the word of mouth of another client.
The top 3 hospitality criteria I check for in a great salon is:
- How long was the wait? If the wait was longer than expected, was I checked on and reassured I would be attended to shortly?
- Was I offered a beverage?
- Do the staff smile and greet me as I walk by?
These factors are often important to many others as well who want to feel attended to and just as important as the customer sitting next to them.
Checking Stylist Qualifications
Professional Certifications and Training
Every stylist should at a minimum have a cosmetology license. A cosmetology License ensures you that your hairstylist is licensed to practice working with clients’ haircuts, hair styling, and all other requirements from the state safely. This generally includes an apprenticeship under a licensed cosmetologist as well. The salon itself should also have an operator license and sanitation license to ensure the environment is clean and safe for everyone.
Years of Experience
Many hairstylists at your local beauty salon have over a decade of experience and some are fresh from the board certification. Rest assured, each one has put in many countless hours of practice before hitting the floor. Experience can be an important factor to a potential client so it’s important tip is to ask around or inquire about experience when booking your appointment.
Specializations, Expertise and Hair Extensions
Depending on the type of salon and structure, each stylist can achieve multiple levels of mastery (entry level to master stylist). However no two stylists are generally the same. One may be an expert in balayage while another may be known for their mastery in haircutting.
For example, to master Natural Beaded Rows Hair Extensions, it’s important to find someone who has attended extensive education in the process of how extensions are skillfully applied, properly moved, and carefully removed. This indeed is a time consuming and delicate process so finding someone who has achieved expanded education on the process is very important.
Hair Salons Nearby: Location and Convenience
Hair Salons Near Home or Work
Location can be very important for many when it comes to finding a salon that is best for you. For some, transportation is not always a convenient factor, so the closer the salon is, the better it can be for the client for convenience. This has been the case for many who are elderly, disabled, or unable to drive for medical purposes.
For others finding the best salon with high-end expertise and services are more important than local convenience. Some clients have been known to fly in or travel for hours once they find the hairstylist or salon that works for them. Not everyone lives close to a salon so travel is not always the number one factor in the decision making process.
Salon Hours and Appointment Flexibility
A great salon is generally busy and bustling with clients. This can mean that getting appointments is not always guaranteed. Some salons have hairstylists who make their own hours while others adhere to a strict salon schedule. Be sure to call ahead to see about hours and availability for the right haircare services for you. Another way great way to get a guaranteed appointment is booking far in advance. A great salon always has available appointments and an even better salon has a waiting list as well to get you in at your earliest convenience.
Lack of Transparency in Pricing
No one likes to be presented with a larger bill than expected, especially when you have budgeted for a specific price point before you walked in. A great salon will be very transparent with you about their cost ranges for each service and won’t tack on any extras that weren’t discussed far in advance. Prices should always be discussed before the services were performed and clearly communicated very early on.
Poor Communication or Pressure Selling
Salons have to make a profit to stay in business and to provide you as the client with amazing haircare services. In order to do that it makes perfect sense to sell the incredible products to keep your hair looking it’s best and to offer you services to keep your tresses looking top-notch. A great way to do this is to talk about the products as they are being used (shampoo, conditioner, round brushes, etc.). Who wouldn’t want to replicate that salon look day after day?!
However, every step should not include a sales pitch. No one wants to feel like they are walking a car lot and pressured to buy every car they see. A great stylist will definitely make recommendations but no one should feel any pressure to buy unless absolutely necessary.
For example, if a client remarks how fragrant and lovely a shampoo is, the stylist should let them know what the product is, why they love it, and list the added benefits it could give them. If they have free samples, these could always be an added perk in their bag to entice you to come back and buy it after you have tried it for yourself. Overloading a client with products could also drive up the price tag and ultimately drive away the customer in the end.
Making Your Final Decision
Now that you know about the important decision making factors that goes into choosing a salon, it’s time to do your research, call your top 3 choices, and book your first consultation. After taking into account all the important factors to you: Location, Hair Type, Reputation, Expertise, and More, making your decision should be a much easier one. For the best haircare and salons, be sure to visit Trademark Salon and Spa.