Elements of the Right Hairstylist
Brian O'Connor
Men's Hairstyles
Behind every good man, there may be a woman. But behind every good-looking man, there’d better be a pretty good hairstylist.
Unless you want to walk out of the barbershop looking like that homeless dude with the golden pipes, you’d better figure out how to choose a stylist who is the right match for you and your ’do. So before you let some dude start shredding your wheat, you need to make sure you and your potential stylist comb every corner of possibility when it comes to your haircutting needs. The perfect stylist …
… knows about your hair, but asks about it anyway.
“A professional hairstylist should not only be able to say they’re familiar with your hair texture, but they should sit down with you before the wash to see and feel exactly what kind of hair you have,” says Ceron, owner of the renowned Ceron Salon in Dallas. “They need that information to determine -- with you -- how to cut it. They need to ask direct questions about your desired appearance and previous experience with other stylists. They should also be asking questions like, ‘What do you like about your hair? Is there anything you’d like to change?’”
… doesn’t talk (too much).
Ceron says to be wary of the chatty hairdresser. Although some do excel at multitasking, the perfect hairstylist should be focusing more on your hair than the weather or Lindsay Lohan’s sobriety issues.
… works efficiently.
“The haircut should not take more than 35 minutes,” says Ceron. “If it takes longer than that, they’re talking too much, or they’re confused, or they’re not very busy -- which means they don’t have a following, which means they’re probably not very good.”
… finishes with a straight edge.
At the conclusion of the haircut, the ideal stylist should use a straight razor on the back of your neck. “It gives a cleaner look, but it also allows the stylist to work with your natural hairline and avoid giving you the straight, square or perfectly rounded look, like you just got out of the military. It should be a natural-looking compromise between the two.”
… let’s you do the styling.
Afterwards, if the hairstylist suggests you use gel or creme, they’re not doing their jobs. They should hand you the product, not apply it themselves. “You’re the one who will be using the gel,” says Ceron, “so the perfect hairstylist will observe as you do it, and then offer tips on how to do it better.”
How to Thank the Perfect Hairstylist
Have you found your perfect match? Make sure to tip your favorite stylist appropriately to keep this ’do-gooder content to cut your crops.
“It’s a service,” says Ceron. “If you’re happy with the service, 20 percent makes us very pleased.”
So tip well, friends. Remember, they have the scissors -- and the power to do whatever they want with them when you come back.
Brian O'Connor is a print and online journalist. He is a former contributing editor at Men's Fitness and executive editor at Genre. He has also written for Slate, San Francisco Weekly and the New York Daily News, among other publications.
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