Being a stylist certainly comes with its perks─free
products, fun conversations, the fiercest looking hair of anyone you know─but
it also can have its moments. Spending up to 10 hours a day, seven days a week
on the salon floor can give rise to hairy situations from the hilarious to the
awkward to the downright annoying.
Here, Redken Artist Kyle Pinneo shares six
situations that every stylist can relate to.
The
"Shampoo Bowl Stare-Down"
It’s that uncomfortable moment when your guest
leans back in the shampoo bowl, you start massaging their head and their eyes
are open just staring at you. "The one time I get to zone out for a second
while I'm shampooing and massaging your head, and you're staring right at me,”
says Pinneo. “I'm like, 'Umm this is awkward.'"
Clamping Down
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 doing a foil and weaving, 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 the actual foil keeps slipping out
from behind the hair. I'm like, 'You're going to get a bleed spot if you don't
stop moving right now!'"
Cursing a
Client's Cellphone
Everyone is glued to their cellphones right now,
and that includes while they’re sitting in the salon chair. "If their
phone rings while I’m blowdrying and they pick up, I'm not going to stop blow
drying so they can take a phone call. I'm on a time crunch here as well─I have
clients coming," says Pinneo. And when he’s trying to apply color and the
client reaches for 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,”
he says. “Unless they don’t mind their color pattern 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 text messages and
they'll look at their watch constantly, but as their stylist, it freaks me out.
Oh I'm sorry, are you on a time crunch? Do you need to hurry?" says
Pinneo. "I get paranoid every single time because if they're in a hurry,
then I feel like I need to hurry up finishing their hair." The joys of
technology!
The Awkward
“That Haircut Won't Work For You" Moment
Thanks to Instagram, Pinterest and
magazines, most clients come in with a photo, or at least an idea of what they
want their new hair to look like. Unfortunately, it’s not always in the cards
for them. "I have to be honest and say, 'We can use this as inspiration,
but you don't have this hair texture or 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, and not necessarily the actual
hair." Because even with the perfect cut and color, there’s only so much
you can do to transform your guest into a celebrity’s identical twin.
Hiding in the
Bathroom
Pretty much every stylist can relate to 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 be in complete
solitude and silence is a go-to," says Pinneo. Sometimes, silence really
is golden.
Photography: Shutterstock
