7 Things All Stylists Can Relate To
Being a stylist certainly has its perks (free products, fun conversations, the #fiercest looking hair of anyone you know) but it also has its, well, moments. Spending 10 hours a day, 7 days a week on the salon floor can certainly create its fair share of hilarious situations.
Here, Redken Artist Kyle Pinneo shares six situations that every stylist can relate to.
The "shampoo bowl stare-down"
That awkward moment when your guest leans back in the shampoo bowl and you start to massage their head and their eyes are open just staring at you. "It's my one time to zone out for a second while I'm shampooing and massaging your head and you're staring at me, and I'm like, 'oof this is awkward.'"
Having to stop a foil-time conversation
Chatting with guests can be one of the most fun parts of styling ... until it comes time to do a foil. "One of my biggest pet peeves is when I'm going and doing a foil, and I'm trying to weave, and the client is talking and moving their head while I'm trying to put lightener or color on the actual foil," says Pinneo. "And they keep moving, so then the actual foil is slipping out from behind the hair, and I'm like, 'you're going to get a bleed spot if you don't stop moving right now!'"
Cursing a client's cellphone
In 2017, pretty much everyone is glued to their cellphones, and their time in the salon chair is no exception. "If their phone rings while you're blowdrying and they pick it up, it's like, 'I'm not going to stop blow drying for you to take a phone call. I'm on a time crunch here as well, I have clients coming,'" says Pinneo. "Or when you're applying color and they're trying to get on their phone." There's no reason to continue working until they get off the phone, because it's pretty much impossible to work around it, anyway. (Unless they want their color pattern to be in the shape of an iPhone!)
Being seriously stressed out by an iWatch
Even if they’re only checking it for their messages, there is nothing more unnerving than a client who is constantly looking at their watch! "People with iWatches will get their text messages and they'll look at their watch constantly, and as their stylist… it freaks me out! I'm like, 'oh I'm sorry, are you on a time crunch? Do you need to hurry?'" says Pinneo. "I get paranoid every single time! ... Like they're in a hurry, and I need to hurry up finishing their hair." Ah, technology.
The awkward moment of having to explain "the haircut you want won't work for you"
Between magazines, Instagram and Pinterest, most clients come in with a photo, or at least an idea, of what they want their hair to look like. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't always work out in their favor. "I have to be honest and say, 'hey, listen, we can use this as inspiration, but you don't have this hair texture, you don't have this much hair," says Pinneo. "I feel like a lot of clients will also come in and like it because of the model or the person's face, not necessarily the hair." And, sadly, even with the perfect cut and color you won't be able to transform your guest into a celebrity’s identical twin.
Hiding in the bathroom
Pretty much every stylist can relate to the idea of just needing some peace and quiet away from the chaos of the salon floor. "Using the bathroom as an excuse to get away for a couple of minutes and just be in complete solitude and silence," says Pinneo. Ahh, the quiet.
What are some hilarious situations you experience as a stylist? Tell us in the comment section below.