You Know You’re a Hairdresser When…

In a 2005 survey, 2 in 5 hairdressers rated themselves as extremely happy with their jobs.

In total 40% reported being happy with their jobs, placing hairdressing at the top of the scale in this regard.

Americans trust you with a lot: their hair, their beauty product choices and their deepest secrets.

This notwithstanding, there are some peculiarities of the profession that only you and your hairdresser friends can understand.

Here are some hairdresser confessions you can definitely relate to:

1. You Know More Than Your Clients’ Therapist
84% of people on your chair would trust your advice over their therapist’s. Stylists know way more than they should.

From a client’s relationship troubles to who is stuck at a terrible job to who got a handsome divorce settlement. You know it all.

And not just that; there are also tears (of joy and otherwise). And requests for good advice – whose result you will have to sit through at the client’s next appointment.

What makes you a target for these disclosures? For one, the non-facing physical position is non-threatening. Secondly, you are a non-judgmental party who will not impose change on your client.

Lastly, your fun, bubbly personality does not scream: keep your personal business to yourself.

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2. A Social Invitation Turns into Work
When was the last time you attended any function purely as a guest? Take your time to remember.

For a hairdresser, most invitations lead to work. The more open ones will say “and kindly bring your shears.” Some will just wait for you to settle for your meal before making requests.

Your day off work ends up with you giving hair color suggestions, to suggestion on who has a good forehead for a bang.

And yes, some will have scissors in their bags conveniently for you to work on their hair.

It just never stops.

3. You’re Always Stopped at the Airport for Stuff on Your Carry On
What’s in your bag? While most other people are able to leave work tools behind, not you.

There is always a random pair of shears or scissors at the bottom of your bag, which means longer conversations with the security officers at the airport explaining your beauty salon titbits.

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4. You Watch a Horror Movies and Notice Nothing but Hair
You will admit to this if you are perfectly honest. You get time off of work and decide to go watch a movie.

But do you watch the movie or the hair?

You definitely know you are a hairstylist when all you remember from the movie is how bad or dated the cast’s hair was.

5. A Bathroom Break Is Nap Time
Your life requires you to be on your feet for what feels like a million hours a day. Sitting-even for a meal is a luxury.

This makes a bathroom break one of the best times of your day. You get to sit for a few minutes and maybe even whip out your phone for two minutes of social media.

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6. You Do Mental Make Overs to Total Strangers
Touching stranger’s hair is outrightly rude. The next best thing is styling their locks in your head.

Whether you’re at the airport or the supermarket, somehow your creative juices are on overdrive when you are out in public.

So you end up doing what most stylists do: try out imaginary hairstyles, colors, and cuts on total strangers.

7. You Have the Same Conversations 5-10 Times a Day
Your conversations have the same theme over and over.

What can I do for you today? Who did your hair the last time? Or why did you take too long to come back?

And you are likely to hear the same answers over and over throughout the day.

8. You Cannot Switch off Being a Hairdresser
Most people have a healthy fear of dentists. The dental chair’s recline, the mask over the dentist or hygienists’ mouth, it’s all a little intimidating.

So why are you lying there wondering why the hygienist picked that awful color that makes her look ten years older? Because you’re a stylist. That’s why.

9. You Remember a Client by Their Hair Formula
What comes easily, a name or a hair formula? It depends on who you are.

If you’re a stylist, you can completely forget a client’s name. This is until they tell you what hair formula you used at their last visit. Suddenly you can recall every detail of their treatment

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10. You Want To Give Product Advice to Strangers
It’s not uncommon to peek into other people’s shopping baskets. But hairstylists take it a step further.

A stylist will pay attention to the hair products a shopper is picking out at the hair section.

Unfortunately, it becomes a battle to try and not say anything regarding the quality of products the shopper has picked out.

11. You Celebrate Late Clients
With the crazy hours and back to back clients, who wouldn’t?

A client calls in to say they will be ten minutes. Most people would be at least a bit frustrated because this throws off their day’s schedule. But not you.

You just got 10 minutes to do something wild, like sit down or gobble down your lunch.

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12. Your Hands, Nails, and Fingers Are Multicolored
There are gloves, but you don’t have the time to slip them on-or you think they are for amateurs.

At the end of the day, your nails, fingers and upper hands are all differently colored. And you wear them like a badge of honor.

After all, they represent the hours you spent on your feet, the over demanding clients and the therapy sessions you sat through.

13. What Does That Mean?
It takes your last client on Friday evening to say ‘enjoy a restful weekend’ for you to realize that you do not understand what that means.

As a stylist, you’re busy during the week and busier on weekends. With most people off work on the weekends, they become the best time for clients to troop into your hair and nail salon.

If weekends have become a distant memory, indeed you are a stylist.

Chances Are…
If you are like many a hairdresser, you love your job.

This is despite the hours, the draining sessions and the lunches you eat hurdled up in the product room.

Watching your client’s leave your salon with a pep in your step makes it all worthwhile-and then some. However, despite being a rock star in your own right, you also deserve as much help as you can get.