As a hair stylist's child, I spent a lot of time sitting in a salon or in the chair right next to my mom's chair watching. The lessons I learned sitting in that chair I will never forget. The struggles most hairstylists deal with are put aside because you need a haircut or you want a pedicure, they always listen to you complain about how you're struggling they think I'm struggling just as bad. Some of us who come to work with our hairstylist parents know what they're thinking about and how much they're struggling to make ends meat. Hopefully the lessons I've learned being a "chair kid" will help you be more than empathetic to your hairstylist the next time you see them.
Hairstylists survive off tips, and so do their families.
Most of the hairstylist you meet are single and/or single parents, there's some hairstylist that are married but out of all hairstylist I've met are single parents and about two people I met were married. Their income depends on their commission and pricing of the service being done. So if you don't tip on a cheap hair cut because for some odd reason the hairstylist makes relatively nothing off the haircut. That tip you could've given them if you had been the only one to tip could put food on that families table. A friendly reminder, tip your hairstylist because chances are it will put food on their table for their kids or pay a bill just barely to keep something important like water.
Don't expect to get everything you want if you come before closing or anything at all.
If you want a mani/pedi for four people call ahead and make an appointment, don't just walk in 30 mins before closing. Some salons only have two people who do this and it will take longer than 30 mins if you want a decent one. They also want to get home to their families so try and be respectful of the salon's hours. As well as not walking in as they are closing to go home and wanting a service done right then and there. Let's not be inconsiderate, they have things they need to do too.
Always be polite.
They aren't getting paid to give you advice yet they do because they are kind human beings. Also if you want the best possible service is to be nice to them don't just talk about you. They will remember that and help you out in more ways than one, and as everyone know if you're a rude customer the hairstylist may decide to try to rush the service to get you to leave. So lesson three is always polite don't be too far up your own butt to disregard the human being doing the service you came in for and their feelings.
Out of all the lessons I've learned these three I value the most. As a college kid and hairstylist kid, I understand that I and my mom's budget is always flowing with cash for us to go watch a new movie but we always give the stylist who does services for us a tip, as well as waitresses. But this is not a rant it is a salon's kid calling some of you out for the $1.00 tips when you get over $20 services not caring that our water may be shut off or our hairstylist parents may not eat because the dinner was too small for a family of 4. So think about that next time you want to be a Scrooge at a hair salon.
