Have you ever had a client arrive in your chair with what she thinks is clean and dry hair? In that case, here are my bridal consultation tips.
But it’s oily at the crown – and let’s not talk about the nape!
Over the years, I can honestly say this used to happen to me way too often – and I made a decision that if it ever happened again it was MY FAULT!
Why? Because I didn’t educate or train my bride on how to prepare her hair during our consultation. Think about it: a bride comes to you and she has a file full to the brim of pictures of the dress, the wedding venue, the flowers, and quite often she even has a sample of her dress fabric.
But where in her planning folder is the hairdresser?
We need to be in this folder, because if you’ve simply just instructed her to have clean, dry hair when she arrives, you can bet she will either forget, or worse, plop a dollop of shampoo on the top of her head andstart to spread. By the time it gets anywhere near the nape there’s not enough left to remove any excess oils.
But where in her planning folder is the hairdresser?
We need to be in this folder, because if you’ve simply just instructed her to have clean, dry hair when she arrives, you can bet she will either forget, or worse, plop a dollop of shampoo on the top of her head andstart to spread. By the time it gets anywhere near the nape there’s not enough left to remove any excess oils.
We eliminate this by not only verbally educating them, but also by making our preparation instructions visual with our consultation sheet. We added in head sheets so I can draw the hot spots and explain to them how to shampoo properly.
HOT TIP:
Make yourself the expert! Be fun and firm in your conversation with a client. After all, I’d say hairdressing is 80-90% communication skills. Do you agree? (leave me a comment below).
So my conversation might go a bit like this:
Lorna: Sally would you like your hair on your wedding day to be amazing?
Sally: Well, YES! YES I would.
Lorna: Me too, that’s why I need you to follow my crucial preparation instructions to the T, so when I arrive, your hair is the perfect canvas for me to work my magic on. Are you up for that?
Sally: I sure am! So what should I do?
By having this conversation, you now have your client’s attention and she is listening to her expert stylist: YOU!
Now it’s time to step her though what you’d like her to shampoo & condition with. I also personally like my clients to apply a light oil (I use UNITE U oil) and apply the first layer of mouse to her wet hair (I use UNITE Elevate Mouse). It’s also the time to share with her how to get the most beautiful blow dry at home with my Time Saver Brush.
You also need to make sure that she knows NOT to put the straighteners through her hair after she has blow dried it (you would be surprised how many clients think they’re helping you by doing this).
The trial is your time to shine, and time to make YOU the expert that your client will listen to, respect and best of all: tell all her friends about! All because you have gone that one step further.
Do you have a unique way of educating your clients?
I would LOVE for you to share your bridal consultation tips in the comments below. After all, sharing what we do is how we learn!
Want a copy of the consultation sheet? Click here to have it sent straight to your Messenger inbox. Online bridal hair courses available via The Collective.
