A topic I have been thinking about recently is the tendency for my clients to want "wash and go" hair. Long gone are the days of weekly salon visits for your set. No more sleeping in rollers or pin curls. Not a lot of pressure to look a certain way.*
I think that today's lifestyle of go-go-go has led to people not necessarily wanting to have to style their hair much. The best I can get out of some is that they are willing to blow dry just a little. But no more than 5 minutes out of their day is to be taken for this. This is a relatively new phenomenon in the world of hairdressing. I would say it's been in the last 20 years or so.
When I began my beauty career, I had a number of elderly women that were still coming in for their weekly set. They would get a good shampoo, sometimes twice, and then be set on rollers to wait under the dryer for 30 minutes. After which the hair would be backcombed and shaped to meet the style expectations. This would be good for a whole week until they came back to start the process again. I haven't done a proper shampoo-set in about 5 years or more.
Today's client wants something that is easy, takes little time and/or effort to care for, and looks good with 5 minutes(or less) of fussing. I think it is important to provide the service that the client wants. Creating a style that doesn't require much maintenance or styling is a craft. In my opinion, no one should have to style their hair to make it look good. I think that it is imperative to be able to literally wash and go. A quick brush or comb through and be nice enough for the daily activities. I also think that anyone should have the ability to style up a little bit more for nicer occasions.
I am sure there are many people out there that, whether they want to or not, will still continue to spend time in front of the mirror every morning to make sure that they look "just so". However, the majority of my clients are opting for something easier. I can encourage the hair to "behave" a little and help to create a cut that is versatile and serves its purpose. I would love to do more sets and vintage styles, but where I am at the moment, it's not what is on trend. I will continue to provide the best in the services that I do, so I can give every client what they want.
*At least in my part of the world.
