Standing behind the salon chair everyday, we see and hear it all from emotional moments, milestone achievements and incredible life experiences.  Essentially Hairdresser's are vaults adhering to a strict code of honour to not divulge the dirty shared with us and the mystical mirror.

We often get so involved in our guest's lives and become such close friends we have to consciously remind ourselves why we are actually being paid.  Hairstylists are, first and foremost, here to recommend the right products and services to enhance your beauty regimen and empower you to achieve all desired levels of self confidence.

So why, oh why, would you want to speak poorly to a service provider about to work such magic on your head?  Communication is such a key part of our lives and emotions can get the best of us and take over - ever have that happen?  I experienced first hand on the receiving end the other day.

Long story short.  A team member has experienced great loss in their life and we had to re-schedule their reservations for the remainder of the week.  A guest's husband experienced a drop in communication with our front end team previously and with this frustration of the reservation being moved, decided to rudely and abruptly bring it to my attention over the phone.

Photo: Contributed

After minutes of ranting and being told how poorly I run my business and that this certain online promotion was a scam, (at 9 AM) I was allowed to speak.  To calm tension and the nerves, with a little work, we were able to move reservations around, delete some lunch breaks and accommodate the reservation later in the day.  This could have been achieved with a civilized discussion.

Of course I empathize with experiences people have in their lives that affect them deeply - it is horrible.  However, it is not the fault of myself or any other service provider and we shouldn't be the therapeutic outlet to essentially spit on.  After all, we are talking hair colour here, not brain surgery.

This is going out to my fellow Hairdressers, Flight Attendants, Customer Service Professionals and Servers (sorry if I missed a well deserving profession)--my advice to customers or guests who are getting frustrated:

Take three deep breaths, calm your mind and understand the situation can be solved without raising anyone's blood pressure.

As professionals we are committed to delivering the best service to everyone who kindly visits the salon.  Sometimes it takes reflection to understand how our words affect another person's day and life becomes effortless when we can all live in a state of compassion and understanding.