We reached out to a licensed hairstylist and makeup artist, Andrea Claire, to get to the bottom of why clients often feel like they never get what they ask for at a beauty salon. 

“Clients not getting what they want really comes down to communication and failed expectations,” she says. Which can come from both clients and hairstylists, Claire adds.

“As a client, one may come in with an unachievable vision and the hairstylist may not properly articulate that this is not achievable,” she says. Therefore, to receive the expected result, it’s crucial to communicate.

The not-so-desired hairstyle, makeup look, or manicure, is also hugely influenced by the many challenges that beauty specialists face to meet clients' specific needs (which the person sitting in the chair doesn’t usually take into account). 

“The hurdles we stylists need to overcome with clients’ expectations these days often lie with misinformation within social media posts. Filters and editing on their inspirational images and videos really play a huge part in barriers when it comes to successful hair transformations. Even many hairstylists filter their work,” she tells us.

Claire mentions that lighting can impede the person evaluating the end result, too. “You may get a desired cool tone blonde but your bathroom lighting at home may have warm lightbulbs, or you're taking a snap in the golden hour sunshine, now your selfie looks like your cool blonde is golden. Going back to your hairstylist asking for a color fix [isn’t really possible] when it might just be a lighting issue.”

Something else that might interfere with a successful hair transformation is if the person previously had layers of colored hair and now wants an immediate drastic change. “Artificial color will NOT lift artificial color,” Claire explains. “Stripping color is stressful on the hair shaft. You may require harsh chemicals or even bleach to push through, often multiple appointments are needed to hit your desired look and can compromise the integrity of the hair. Instagrammers show us before and afters but may not include the full story of the 4 other appointments in-between that before and after.”

Since cool and ashy hair tones have been trending in recent years, Claire reminds clients that they need to trust their hairstylist and not believe the information influencers share, as they aren’t licensed with proper education and training.

As for how people can avoid failed beauty makeovers, Claire says, “Talk it out. Make sure that you feel that you are on the same page. If you aren’t sure repeat the plan. Both the hairstylist and the client need to have a clear understanding of the process and the desired end result.”

She also kindly shared additional tips that could be helpful for anyone looking for a big change. “Ask for a consultation when going to a new stylist or having a big change. Then book an appointment for your change for another day. This way if you’re not keen on the stylist or the idea, you’re not thrust into something that you didn’t want after all.”

Bringing visual photos may help to better communicate your desired result. “I love visual references from clients,” says Claire. “This tells me where their head is at. I recommend to clients to bring in references of hair types that are the same as theirs. If you resemble a celebrity, try to find a reference of them since celebs have countless images online. Sometimes celebs’ hairstylists do interviews sharing how they got the look which is also very helpful. Share images of what you don’t like as well,” she advises.

Lastly, Claire urges against using professional hairstylist terms to describe what you want. “That’s almost always going to be a fail. When a client uses a hairstylist language with me I flip it back to them in layperson terms so they are clear. The best example of this is when someone says they only want one layer. One layer is impossible because that’s a vivid line in the hair. You most likely mean that you want long layers. But one layer, no. You definitely do not want a standout, ill-blended line in your hair.”