Services

All you need to know about a hair consultation | Abingdon | Didcot | Wantage | Oxfordshire

All your need to know about a hair consultation | Abingdon | Didcot | Wantage | Oxfordshire

Opening in 2018, our space is now one of the busiest. Our creative team are celebrated for their signature haircuts, hair colour, perms, blowdries and more.

CALL: 01235 534705
EMAIL: [email protected]
4 EAST ST. HELEN STREET, OX14 5EA

Hair Salon Opening Times

Tuesday
First Appointment
Last Appointment

Wednesday-Thursday
First Appointment
Last Appointment

Friday
First Appointment
Last Appointment

Saturday
First Appointment:
Last Appointment:

10 am
3:30 pm

11:30 am
7:30 pm

10 am
6 pm

9 am
4:30 pm

All you need to know about a hair consultation in Abingdon

Consultations are an important step before any appointment. They ensure clarity, a common understanding between you and your Stylist and in many ways they are effective at managing client expectations whilst addressing concerns early on before they become a bigger problem. However many clients don’t recognise the benefit or try to avoid consultations at all costs! Achieving the perfect result begins long before the first the scissors or colour touch your hair. It all starts with a hair consultation.

A hair consultation is an essential step to ensuring that the client and stylist are on the same page. In this blog, we’ll explore common themes, what a typical hair consultation looks like, the benefits and the normal topics that are considered.

If you’re unsure, visit our price list page for more. Alternatively if you’re unsure what to book, contact us and we can schedule some time to walk through various options that could help you.

Got a Question?

Send a WhatsApp

Hair Consultation FAQ's

What is a hair consultation?

A hair consultation is the first contact you will have with someone from your chosen hair salon. This is a one-on-one conversation to explore every aspect of your current hair and the journey to achieving your desired hair before any work begins. It represents an essential part of the service, whether you’re a regular client looking for a haircut or a first-timer hoping for a complete transformation.

During a consultation, (for hair colour) we skin test initially before evaluating your current health of hair we work through your goals, your hair history, and base recommendations on your preferences, lifestyle, typical frequency of appointment, budget, needs and what’s realistic within the designated timeframe. The initial consultation therefore ensures that the result not only meets your expectations but also fits in with your lifestyle, budget, and any ongoing habits.

What should a hair consultation consist of?

Like and dislikes: One of the first things we ask during a consultation is what you like and dislike about your current hair and any possible options. For example, clients visit us and may explain that they don’t like warm colours however anything beyond that they aren’t sure. In this instance we would explore the below topics before presenting various options and working through those pros and cons. This allows us to offer an insight into the styles or colours you naturally gravitate towards, as well as any past experiences that may have left you unsatisfied. For example, if you’re constantly frustrated by the regrowth of highlights, we would break down options initially to expand upon why certain types of highlighting create harsher regrowth alongside options to alleviate this.
What you’re hoping to achieve: Next, we explore what you’re hoping to achieve. This step usually coincides with pictures which you may have seen, however not in all cases. This early step in the consultation helps to narrow down some options ensuring that we recognise whether you are looking for a stark change, something subtle, an improvement on what you already have or something similar.
Your hair history and timeline: Your hair history matters. Whether your hair is dark, light, coloured (or multiple colours!), colours grown out, damaged, dry, coarse, resistant, dry etc. This makes the difference as to what can be achieved, how long it will take, whether it’s within your budget, whether we would recommend it, how achievable it is, if it will take one appointment or more and whether hair could benefit from something else.
Recommendations: Recommendations typically follow the final stage once information about you has been gathered to represent the best offering above all else. It’s surprisingly common how many times there are better options based upon a clients hair. This is effectively a fact-finding mission to establish what could work or work better than your current hair. This often translates into saving money and reducing frequency of appointment which for you is win-win!
Budget and frequency of appointment: Certain haircuts or hair colours are more efficient that others in terms of cost and ongoing maintenance. This also ties in with your level of disposable income against anticipated frequency of appointment. For example, not all types of highlights are as economical as the next so our role is to guide, inform and pose questions to ensure what you’re hoping for meets early expectations. In addition to budget, we’ll talk about how often you’re willing or able to come in for appointments. If you want a colour that requires frequent touch-ups but typically only visit the salon once annually, we may suggest a lower-maintenance option to avoid disappointment later.
Lifestyle and occupation: Your lifestyle and occupation play a big role in choosing a haircut or colour. For example, if you’re a busy professional with little time to style your hair in the morning, a low-maintenance cut like long layers may be more suitable than a high-maintenance fringe. If you work in a professional workplace, vibrant colours might not be practical.

Why would I need a consultation if I already know what I want?

Managing Expectations: Not every style is achievable for every client. Whether it’s because of your hair’s condition, your lifestyle, or your budget, we’ll discuss what’s realistic during the consultation. This ensures you won’t leave the salon with any surprises. Why managing client colour expectations is really important. Our blog might help our readers understand.
Clarity: A good consultation ensures that both you and your stylist are on the same page. By discussing your preferences, lifestyle, and expectations, we can avoid any misunderstandings and deliver a result you’ll love.
Appointment Type: We infrequently receive requests to book before a skin test or to avoid the consultation altogether. Skin tests are legal requirements, however the consultation plays just as an important role. For example, highlights come in various forms. Babylights (delicate highlights) takes less time than say, back-to-back foils which also forms a different appointment time than say, highlights with three colours. This is balanced against existing health of hair, thickness, porosity, what’s already on the hair, what’s required, anticipated processing time and so on. Effectively there is a lot of guesswork that would go into an appointment with times varying from anything from four hours up to seven in much more extreme cases. The consultation answers most of these points and helps to ensure you don’t arrive for an appointment disappointed both in relation to how long it may take and any surprises around cost, what it might look like or what’s achievable. It’s also just as vital we know you’re happy and how long we need to book alongside other appointments.
Spend: Do you have a budget? Some clients have a limited budget and we can work to that. For example in 2024, we now allow clients looking for subtlety to pay by the foil. This is much more cost effective and allows clients to spend less and still achieve a hair colour. So if you have £50, where this would fall short at most salons, £50 in 2024 could achieve 10 foils (light of darker) to create dimension. Whereas if your budget was £50 and you were hoping for back-to-back foils which is oftentimes a four hour appointment, this is an alternative to meet budgets more effectively.
Better Options: More often than you might think, the ideal frequency of appointment doesn’t match the request for a hair colour or cut. For this reason we work with you to establish what would work and recommend suggestions for keeping on top of hair colours and haircuts more effectively.
End Goal: What you are hoping for matters for a number of reasons. Firstly if it’s not achievable, the consultation will identify this early and realign expectations accordingly. Second, this is our opportunity to set boundaries and ensure that what your hoping for can or can’t be met, yet with other options being presented. Once we understand what you are hoping for, this helps form a next set of questions to manage your expectations and ensure we are recommending the right product of service.
Potential Concerns: Sometimes there will be concerns that we have which we try to mitigate before they escalate. For example, some stylist may ignore conditions of damaged hair in pursuit of giving you your ideal hair colour. However if the hair is compromised, it is sensible to address this in advance of any colour work. The consultation addresses issues such as these early to ensure satisfaction.

Conclusion - is a consultation worthwhile?

A hair consultation is an essential, forming the successful outcome of your eventual hair appointment By discussing your likes and dislikes, goals, budget, and lifestyle, your stylist can with advance notice prepare and ensure they meet your needs.

Before making a firm decision on your next haircut, consider your hair type, face shape, and lifestyle. If you’re ready for a change, book a consultation with your hairdresser to discuss the best approach for your hair. For more information, call Wisteria Avenue or send us a WhatsApp. Mobile users can scroll up to hit ‘Send a WhatsApp’.

@wisteriaavenuehairsalon
💭 Thinking about an all over colour?... If you're transitioning from highlights, balayage or with bleach already in your hair... HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! ✋ Applying a tint directly to turn will turn your hair into lots of different colours!... BUT THERE IS A BETTER WAY!... 😎 Check out our video below with Anya for a cleaner and consistent all over colour! 👇 If you have any questions about pre-pigmentation and tints, let us know! #Hair #Hairdressers #Hairdresser #HairSalon #Salon #HairColour #Colour #ColourCorrection #HairColourCorrection #PrePig #PrePigment #PrePigmentation #Highlights #Balayage #AllOverColour #OneColour #Tint #Abingdon #Didcot #Wantage #Oxford #Oxfordshire
♬ original sound - Wisteria Avenue Hair Salon

Opening in 2018, our space is now one of the busiest. Our creative team are celebrated for their signature haircuts, hair colour, perms, blowdries and more.

CALL: 01235 534705
EMAIL: [email protected]
4 EAST ST. HELEN STREET, OX14 5EA

Opening Times

Tuesday
First Appointment
Last Appointment

Wednesday-Thursday
First Appointment
Last Appointment

Friday
First Appointment
Last Appointment

Saturday
First Appointment:
Last Appointment:

10 am
3:30 pm

11:30 am
7:30 pm

10 am
6 pm

9 am
4:30 pm

Want to know more about a hair consultation?

Complete the below and a staff member will contact you at the earliest opportunity with further information about a hair consultation. Any questions, call or send a WhatsApp to the salon on 01235 534705 or book your appointment online.

wisteriaavesalon

We are a boutique hair salon in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. For hair appointments, visit www.wisteriaavenue.co.uk
☎️ | 01235 534705

#Oxford #Abingdon #Didcot #Wantage #Oxfordshire #H

Load More Follow on Instagram

Hair Consultations

For the best Hair Consultations in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, we would love to discuss your plans with you! To book your hair appointment or consultation, get in touch with Wisteria Avenue Hair Salon by booking online or calling us on 01235 534705.

Wisteria Avenue on instagram

wisteriaavesalon

We are a boutique hair salon in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. For hair appointments, visit www.wisteriaavenue.co.uk
☎️ | 01235 534705

#Oxford #Abingdon #Didcot #Wantage #Oxfordshire #H

Load More Follow on Instagram

Where are we?

Our Latest Hair Trends Blog

Our hair trends blog looks at the latest hairdressing trends, hair styles, hair colours, gents haircuts, ladies haircuts, perms, seasonal styles and much, much more!

For regular updates and blog postings, check out our recent blogs.