The EMOTIONAL Side of Salon Color

I think most of us have been asked to do something we think is "rather crazy", and which

is not in the client's best interest. Managing this requires quick thinking, and the ability

to maintain a harmonious atmosphere. This is not always possible...........

My very blonde client, who traveled to me every 21 days for her retouch, regularly told me that she was upset; as her six year old daughter's blonde hair was getting darker as time

went on. Clearly, this client identified with all things "blonde" and wanted to assure that her

child's color matched what I created for her at the salon........ Why was this so important to her?

Fast forward: One day she brought her daughter with her to the salon. She requested that

I bleach this little girl's hair so that it would match hers! I will spare you the back and forth discussion that took place between the client and myself. In my judgement, color or bleaches should not be used on a child. So, I told the client that I had a "special treatment

for children"....

My lovely staff and I made a big fuss over this little girl. We used a booster chair at the sink,

where we applied my baking soda shampoo 'treatment", generating lots of lather. We covered her hair with a plastic cap and with a bright pink towel; sat our "customer" next to her mother, to "process" her treatment and provided milk and a cookie. After 15 minutes, we went back to the sink for a thorough rinse, shampoo and condition. Basically, we'd

simply removed any product or mineral buildup from the hair. It DID look a BIT lighter

and shinier after we blew it dry. Needless to say, this child had fun, felt very grown up,

and thought her hair looked pretty. The mom... not so much. She said it was "better" but

not exactly what she wanted. At that point, I apologized and said that this was the best we could do on someone so young, and that it might be best for her to find a salon where the

staff there could provide what she wanted. I stand by what we did. In my opinion, this

"case" was about a lot more than a hair color change on a child.

We all have stories we can share.. what we do involves more psychology than we might

have bargained for. Comment here if you want to share your own interesting experience. B