Professional hairdressers

I have no advice unfortunately, but good luck with it 🙂

What there's not a lot of is alt hairdressers. I'd pay you to come to me if you went for it! I can not get the style I want for love nor money, it's driving me nuts.

Even though I trained in hairdressing, I don't have much advice as it was so long ago and I never qualified! Maybe see if there's a part time course at a collage to see if you really like doing it.

Hairdressing is a profession that I think is great.  I'd love to do it but I simply don't have the creative vision or co-ordination skills to be any good at it! 

The thing I struggle with most is finding a hairdresser that can interpret what I want.  I'm notoriously bad at knowing what I actually want with my hair - what I really want is to go into a salon and say 'I'm bored with my hair, do something funky and crazy that looks good on me, suits my personality, face shape and hair type, and make sure I don't LOOK like I'm a 40-something please'.  I haven't found anyone yet that I can really do this with!  😉

From a user of hairdresser services, having someone that would understand the concept of 'not mainstream please' and give some creative flair would be a godsend that I would definitely pay for.  As it is at the moment I trawl the internet before every appointment to find a style that "I" think would look OK, and hope that it is.  I don't trust them with colour because they just don't go far enough for me.  (I once went to a salon for "the brightest red you can", and came out looking very auburn & mainstream - that was the last time I used a salon for colour other than bleaching). 

So not the answers you were looking for as I'm  not trained or professional - but from the point of view of a user this is what I'd be looking for. 

Also - I'm a big follower of John C Parkin's "F*** It" approach to life.  If it's what you want just go for it - you can always change your mind later if it doesn't work out for you.  ;D  Good luck!

If it's what you really want to do and have a passion for, then I'd go for it 🙂 It takes a lot of hours, and you occasionally get clients that are just never happy, or some that get irrational about the salon prices, but if doing hair is what you love to do it's all worth it. If you love it it really doesn't even feel like you're 'working' at all, like you're an artist in a studio. Making others feel more confident about themselves, sexy, beautiful, is so rewarding. A lot of times people will be stuck in a rut, or just gotten through a divorce or a serious medical issue and feel really down about themselves. Being able to work with them to bring out heir inner beauty is just the best feeling ever.

There are times where it's slow, and if you're commission based or renting a booth it can be tough financially. My best pieces of advice are to stay consistent in your skills and always try to build them and your knowledge up, don't slack because someone walked in 5 minutes before close for a cut and style, try to find a salon you feel at home at where it's somewhere you can really grow + try not to move around a lot to different salons because you'll always lose some clients, and be willing to take any client that walks in + make them feel like they are important + not feel like you would rather be doing something else. Also, don't get involved with salon drama! The best thing I ever did was stopped going out to bars, clubs and whatnot with the people I worked with. Keeping it professional + just going to hair shows, classes, or fundraisers really helps keep the drama away.

Have you spoken to Poppy about it? I imagine she's got lots of advice

Have you thought about getting an apprenticeship and training that way? I dunno what pays like but my sister started training that way (she didn't finish her training though). Good luck and I hope you become an alt hairdresser and then open your own salon so we can all get our hair done by you! 🙂

Thanks ladies. I think I'm going to try for a higher end course with someone like Toni n Guy, asI'm too old to be an apprentice & college is very basic aparently.

I haven't Rachel. I'll pop her a message.

Thanks again everyone =D

I was also going to suggest talking to Poppy : )  I think she found it really difficult shortly after she got her full qualifications, but now she's in the process of opening up her own mobile alt hairdresser's.

Good luck!! I have no helpful advice but it sounds really exciting 🙂

I really enjoyed my college experience at college, except my placement, but that's another drama in itself. I wouldn't suggest anyone to train as a hairdresser at college as it is so basic.

I learnt quite abit from a lovely friend I made while at college especially regarding cutting. Cutting is my favorite part! I found it much more creative than colouring but there was only me and my friend who would have a colour besides just natural colours so there wasn't much creative outlet in regards to colouring. Colour removers and semi-permanents are not anywhere near the top of the most used products at the college I went to.

When I was looking for work, I couldn't just volunteer, I needed to support myself. I never had enough experience to get a hairdressing job, generally it's 3 years experience, so I think working with a specific company is the best way as they train you to their standards and you should hopefully get a job with them at the end.

I do feel their is a great need for more alt hairdressers (they seem to be on the rise), I'm sure major cities are the best places for that.

I'm not sure my input is that descriptive as I never worked in a full fledged or busy salon but I did see all my training through for two years and enjoyed every last minute of it. It is a very rewarding job transforming someone with just a bit of colour and some scissors.

generally it's 3 years experience,

I've found out recently that nowhere is allowed to specify how much experience you must have for a job because it can be seen as age discrimination, may not have been the same then but something to bear in mind for the fiture

Ahh that's good! It wasn't that long ago xD. It was only 4 years ago but alot can happen in 1 year nevermind 4. Ahahaha xxx

I sometimes wish I could be a stylist because I want to do my own hair, particularly bleach my own hair. however, i do not think I am artistic or detail-oriented enough to be a good hairdresser. I loooove changing my own look, but being a hairdresser is not my passion. Psychology is, haha.

But anyhow, I will tell you:
1-if this is what you want then go for it! follow your passion in life!

2- when you do have clients, explain to them what you are doing. some might not care, but many of us feel better knowing the steps of the process of whatever you are doing and what products you use.

3- the client knows best-to a reasonable limit. if he or she wants something that is not possible without completely ruining the hair, tell them. for example a box dyed black going blonde in one sitting. tell her or him why it will not work and the steps to get there. don't say "i don't get why you want to go blonde for" or "that's stupid." The bottom line is, it's your client's hair. Beyond destroying it completely, if it isn't your ideal look, that's not your concern. for a long time my hair dresser told me she doesn't get why i want to be so blonde for. me wanting to be that blonde is my business, and with pale pink tone skin, light brown hair, and blue eyes, blonde suits me quite well. basically...don't interject your own personal opinion into things too strongly unless your client asks for it.

good luck!!

4-don't be abrasive with your clients, or give them an attitude. let them feel free to openly discuss their goals and what they want, without making them feel shut down or stupid for asking or giving their opinion.

these are all based on my own experiences

^^ being a hairdresser barely makes bleaching your hair any easier, its sods law, knowing the skills but it can be so hard to try on yourself! But I did teach my husband the best way to section my hair off, so at least i could pass on my training to him.

Pippa I used to want to do it all over again a few years back but you do need a lot of support financially to stay stable. I started training when I was 16/17, (£50-£70 a week!)and gave up a few years later. I did lose the love because I hate the salon enviroments. So much drama, in most places i went.

I felt trapped too - in the salon I trained with, staff were only ever allowed L'Oreal colours, nothing like semis. This was in case a client requested a colour - they could replicate it. Because L'Oreal didn't so fashion colours expect flipping majicontrast, the most i could do was red.

In interviews, a owner told me I could have the job if I "dropped the goth look" I had black hair and black eyeliner, nothing OTT at ALL! Needless to say every time I walk past his salon all the girls are blonde and wearing black clothes, like little robots.

This is was the same attitude I got from a previous employer too, they wanted to mould me into something I wasn't. Hair, make up, everything that wasnt ME. Do be warned, there are places that won't let you be YOU.