Travel and Leisure

Getting your hair cut and styled at a hair salon can be a very enjoyable (even thrilling!) experience if everything goes according to plan, but the experience can also be a nightmare if you end up in a bad salon. A bad haircut can take a lot of time and money to put right and will leave you feeling stressed out and lacking self confidence. It is therefore important to find the best place for your haircut in your local area.

First of all, think about your price range and what style you want. If you want to use a more expensive salon, you may have to compromise on the complexity of the style you choose if you are on a tight budget. If you want a more complicated style, you may have to look at mid-price range salons, or try asking a top salon about special discounts and deals. Be very careful of very cheap salons; they may use less well qualified staff or lower quality hair products, so if you want to use a specific brand, they may not have it, or the stylist may not have the skills needed to make your style look great. It is possibly to find great cheap salons, but see if you can find any reviews before taking any chances.

Look on the internet or in a local directory to find a list of salons in your area. If you are willing to travel to a good hair salon, consider how far you would be willing to go. If you find the salon on the internet, you may also find photos or customer feedback. It is up to you to decide if you like what you see. If you visit a salon in person, ask if they have a guestbook you can see, or even try to talk to a client in the waiting area!

Ask your friends and neighbours about their personal experiences. If one of your friends has a brilliant new haircut, make sure you ask them where they had it done and specifically which stylist they used. Some people might not be keen to share their stylists with everyone, as they don't want "their" stylist to be any harder to get an appointment with, but if you don't ask, you will never know! On the other hand, if your friend feels that they have had a terrible haircut, make sure you find out which hair salon they had it done at and exactly what they think went wrong. If people have had truly terrible experiences, it is best to avoid a salon.

Even if many other people have had good experiences at a particular hair salon, this does not necessarily mean that it will be the right salon for you. Using salons and stylists can be a very personal experience and customers can be forced to place a lot of trust in a relative stranger. Try to find a stylist you are comfortable with and who understands you. A good stylist should make you feel at ease and make having your hair cut a pleasant experience.