For hair and beauty lovers, a regular trip to the salon is an unmissable calendar date – whether it is to maintain their super-sharp bob, keep their hair extensions looking flawless or banish roots from spoiling their hair colour.

But, if the 2020 lock down has taught us in the salon industry anything, it’s that aftercare really is key to clients. While there are more important things to think about than hair at the moment, having unruly tresses does little to help our clients out in this most unusual situation – leading many to think about reaching for the kitchen scissors for a trim, or worse, grabbing a box dye at the supermarket!

Desperate measures indeed! So, what can we do to help clients on the brink of a serious hair mishap?

While we might not be able to be there for clients in the salon, we can still be there for them in person, thanks to social media. If you have already gained the loyalty of your clients with a Facebook or Instagram follow, use it to communicate with them.

Why not try out some of the following ideas…

  • Host live Instagram sessions to allow clients to ask questions about caring for their hair at home
  • Post videos showing easy tips and techniques clients can follow at home to maintain their hair style or condition
  • Create guides or hair care routines for clients to refer to
  • Sell some of your retail products to clients online that might help them care for their hair
  • Let them know the risks of using at-home hair dyes and other chemical treatments – do they really want to spoil their professional colour for the sake of waiting a few weeks?

Clients will be faced with some hair concerns they have never worried about before. Maybe they really don’t want to jump on that work video call with their roots and greys showing. Or perhaps bedraggled hair extensions are really getting them down.

So, we’ve put together a few tips and pieces of advice you can pass onto your clients to help keep their spirits up – and prevent their hair from becoming a downer!

Home Hair Colour Advice

While home hair dye kits might look easy to use, they really aren’t the solution to a client’s problems. You might even have had a few requests asking for you to recommend a particular brand or shade to use at home, but the advice should always be the same – don’t do it!

Box dyes are the fastest way to put all the investment clients have made into their hair colour completely to waste. Colour build-up, hair damage, blotchiness and nasty orange tones are all common problems caused by client’s dying their hair at home.

So, what can you recommend to them instead?

  • Toners. There are plenty of toning shampoos you can recommend to help keep colour looking fresh. For clients with vivid colours, you can mix up some of their colour with a pot of conditioner for them to apply at home.
  • Advise against over-washing. This is pretty standard advice for hair colour clients, but it is more relevant than ever. Since we doubt they will be heading out anywhere special, skipping a few hair washes can help preserve colour for longer.
  • Use the correct shampoo. Again, most clients who colour their hair use a colour-safe shampoo, but make sure they have the correct one. Offer to source them a shampoo that will preserve their colour better than what the supermarket has to offer.
  • Take a break. The truth is, sometimes our hair can actually benefit from a break from the chemicals in hair colour. Maybe now is the time to have a colour consultation catch-up with clients? Perhaps they could grow some natural colour back in ready for a gorgeous new ombre look? Or maybe now is the perfect time to make that colour transition back to their natural shade?
  • Suggest hairstyles that help. If clients are feeling self conscious of root growth, maybe there are some easy hairdos you can suggest to cover them up? Head bands, braids and updos can help, so why not create some tutorials?

Related: The Best Salon Shampoos for All Blonde Hair Clients

Home Hair Cutting Advice

Who is expecting a few clients to return to the salon with a home haircut? While a fringe trim over the bathroom sink might not be the worst thing clients can do for their hair, it might be best if the line is drawn there.

While a trim every six weeks or so is best to maintain healthy lengths, a little extra TLC can help clients wait it out a bit longer.

  • Stop heat styling. Swapping hair dryers, curling tongs and straighteners for air drying is top advice for maintaining hair at home. Breakages make ends look scraggly much quicker, so let hair rest for a while. For curls and frizz, a moisturising shampoo and smoothing serum can help out, or a hair scarf to keep untamed locks out of the way.
  • Hair masks. Again, maintaining a healthy condition is essential for when a trim isn’t possible. Why not retail your favourite hair masks and hair oils to help give clients’ hair a treat?
  • Keep using Olaplex. If your client has had an Olaplex treatment in the salon, they can maintain it at home with the Olaplex shampoo, conditioner, bonding oil and bond smoother. If you retail take-home Olaplex products, make sure your clients have enough of what they need.
  • Go with the growth. If clients have been wanting to grow out their hair, now could be the perfect time to do it, giving them chance to step away from heat tools and apply regular masks. If not, the extra length could open new cut options when back in the salon.

Related: The Best Treatments for Damaged Hair | The 3 Best Hair Oils for All Clients Needs

Looking After Hair Extensions at Home

The issue many clients will be facing with their hair extensions is the need for removal. Depending on what type of extensions they are, they could need replacing anywhere between 4 weeks and 4 months.

So, with salons closed for the foreseeable future, there could be many clients desperately wanting their extensions removed.

It is never usually recommended that extensions be removed at home, as it can cause damage to the natural hair – particularly in the case of individual bonded extensions or sewn in wefts.

Tape-in extensions can sometimes be carefully removed at home with oil based products, but we wouldn’t recommend leaving clients to do this by themselves. At the very least, why not arrange a video appointment so you can advise them on removing the tape without causing matting or damage by pulling on them too much. Be careful though, as if this doesn’t go to plan, you won’t be able to go around and fix any issues.

Otherwise, remind clients of the best extension care process. Gentle regular brushing with a wide tooth comb, careful washing and conditioning are the best things clients can do until they can get their extensions replaced. If clients are finding them a nuisance, suggest keeping them loosely tied back in a low ponytail with a scrunchie for minimal damage.

Find the professional hair supplies you need online today at Salons Direct.

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