Shelving

Even before I did hair, the sight of terrible layers caught my eye. It wasn't until hair school that I learned what causes these non-blended, shelf looking layers to occur. While I won't share with you the cutting techniques to avoid this sad situation, I wanted to give you a few tips, as a client, to avoid leaving with jacked up layered hair.

1. I have said it before, but don't leave with wet hair!!! Shelves hide in wet hair. By having the stylist dry it, she should see things that need a little more work, but if she doesn't, you can! 
2. That brings me to my next tip. Check your own haircut. Don't be shy. Play with it, look at it from all angles, do whatever you want. It is your hair, you have the right to give it a good look over and request changes.
3. Last of all, make sure there is good communication between you and your stylist. This is important for many reasons, but in this case, "layers" can be a vague term. You need to discuss length, texture, intensity, and blending for all areas of your head to really be on the same page. Use words like blended, soft, or subtle if you are wanting longer, light layers. Be careful with words like choppy or heavy. Although more intense layers are awesome, you want to be clear that you still want the hair blended. One more thing to be cautious about is saying you want a taper or layers to frame your face. These often end in shelving, be very specific about how intense you want it.You can't talk enough when explaining your expectations.

This is also when it is important to choose a stylist wisely. Find someone you are comfortable with, and who takes their time to ensure you have fabulous hair. You also need to agree with your stylists style, we all have our own touch whether we like it or not, you need to make sure you like what we have to offer.

In the event it is too late, and you are currently living with terribly choppy, undesirable layers, do not fret! There are people to help. If you aren't comfortable returning to the same stylist, ask around for a referral. I have spent many hours fixing layers. A little texturizing and blending can go a long way and really help you feel better about your hair.