Top Ways to Make Your Barber or Stylist Hate You

You may not realize it, but making your barber hate you won't do much for the quality of your haircut, while knowing how to talk to your barber or stylist will. Sure, I'm a professional and pay meticulous attention to detail when I'm cutting a guy's hair. Most of the time. While I would never give someone a bad haircut, I may be a little less perfect on those clients who really get on my nerves and I'm not alone. We had a conversation in the shop one day and these are what we came up with, in no particular order, as the top ways to make your barber or stylist hate you by violating proper salon and barbershop etiquette.

Moving Your Head Doing a great haircut takes a steady hand and some good focus, which is impossible when a client is moving around while in the chair. One of my clients recently shifted suddenly to grab his cellphone while I was trimming around his ear and, well, let's just say he left with a haircut that was MUCH shorter than he expected. The guy actually had the nerve to blame me as if I could anticipate and react to his sudden, unexpected movement.

Clients who are constantly dodging from side-to-side to check out the haircut will also work the nerves of the person doing the cutting. When doing a haircut, we're often cutting from the side and must look at you in the mirror to see the shape of the haircut. When the client turns his head to check himself out, it prevents us from seeing the shape of the cut.

Finally, most barbers and stylists prefer clients to hold their head straight. Some clients will try to tilt their head forward or to the side in an effort to "help," but this can also cause problems. When in the chair, simply sit straight and allow your haircutter to direct your head where he or she wants it to go.

Slouching/Crossing the Legs I have a client who is a chiropractor and, yet, he has the worst posture and can often be found slouching forward in the chair. This causes me to have to lean forward to cut his hair resulting in my need to occasionally see a chiropractor. Maybe the guy is trying to drum up business? It's a tough day to stand in one spot for eight or nine hours, so do your barber or stylist a favor and sit up straight.

Coming in With Hat Head For many stylists who are inclined to wash your hair before a haircut, this is not really much of an issue (unless they want to see how you style your hair prior to the haircut). For most barbers, who like to cut in dry hair with clippers, the dreaded hat head poses a big problem. The line created by the hat makes it difficult to achieve a good blend, without first washing the hair (which leaves the hair wet, which is less than ideal for clipper work). So, do your barber or stylist a favor and get rid of the hat hair (and styling product) before you come in. This will allow the person who cuts your hair to see the natural growth pattern of the hair and then proceed to perform the haircut with their technique options more open.

Chewing Gum You may have never thought of this one, but chewing gum can make the haircutter’s job much more difficult. Put a piece of gum in you mouth and stand in front of a mirror and chew. Notice how your ears and cheeks move? This can make it difficult to cut a clean line around the ears as well as making it nearly impossible to produce even sideburns.

Cell Phones This should actually be at the top of my list as it drives me nuts when someone talks on a cell phone during their haircut. In addition to having to work around the client with a phone pressed against the side of the head, the client's conversation can distract their haircutter and makes communication impossible.

Looking for Therapy Sometimes, in addition to being a barber, I also feel like I'm a therapist (I know my bartender feels the same way sometimes). It is amazing to me what people will reveal to their barber or stylist and, while the trust is flattering, having someone asking advice on very personal matters can be a bit much. I'd much prefer to joke around and make a client laugh than have a ton of emotional stuff unloaded on me.

Telling Your Barber to Just Cut it Like They Did Last Time This is another favorite of most barbers and stylists -- when a client comes in and says, "Just cut it like you did last time." Here's the deal... I do about sixty or seventy haircuts every week. If you come once every six weeks, that means I've seen probably four or five hundred people since I last ran a comb through your hair. If I've been cutting your hair for awhile, I've probably got it down, but if you're relatively new, be prepared to explain what you are after to ensure you get exactly what you want!

Making the most of your salon visit requires knowing what you want, great communication, and making sure not to make your barber or stylist hate you!