Vivienne Mackinder asks new clients about budget on paper, not out loud, with three boxes to tick. That one question changes what she recommends. Here is her whole consultation, and a form you can copy.
The best hair consultation questions cover budget, time, lifestyle, how noticed the client wants to be, what she loves about any photo she brings, and her hair history, followed by a look at her face and head shape before you recommend anything. Most of it is easier to collect on a written form than in conversation. This guide is built on how Vivienne Mackinder, a seven-time NAHA award winner and educator, consults, from an interview I recorded with her. Before Storm, I produced editorial photo shoots and education for Vivienne in New York.
Why the consultation gets skipped
Vivienne's view is that stylists rush past the most important part of the appointment:
"we are so technical in execution of the hairstyle we often negate the most important thing which is the consultation and face shape."
Vivienne Mackinder
And when the consultation is weak, clients fill the gap themselves, with an app or a photo:
"They are looking and why are they looking because the hairdresser is not giving them the advice and able to visualize"
Vivienne Mackinder
Put the awkward questions on paper
New clients fill out Vivienne's consultation form before they sit down, because some questions are uncomfortable face to face:
"there are certain questions on that consultation form that can be a little awkward to ask in person, but they're not in a form."
Vivienne Mackinder
Budget is the clearest example. She does not ask what a client can afford. She asks how important budget is, with three answers to choose from:
"So in the consultation form, I ask a question, how important is budget to you? Somewhat important, very important, not important."
Vivienne Mackinder
If budget is very important, she recommends color that lasts longer between visits and steers away from high-maintenance looks. The client never has to say a number out loud.
Ask about time and maintenance
A cut that needs 30 minutes every morning will fail on a client who has five. Vivienne asks directly:
"how much times you want to spend on your hair every day? Is it like, you know, five minutes? Is it half an hour?"
Vivienne Mackinder
She also asks whether the client would come in once a week for a blow dry that lasts four or five days. Between budget and time, you already know whether you are designing something low or high maintenance.
Ask about lifestyle, and how noticed she wants to be
Vivienne asks about age and occupation, and whether a client needs two looks, one for the day job and one for the evening. Then comes the question most stylists never ask:
"some people want to walk into a restaurant and not be noticed. Some people want to walk into a restaurant and everyone's head turn."
Vivienne Mackinder
Some hairstyles are loud and some are quiet. Knowing which one she wants matters as much as knowing her hair type. Vivienne also asks how feminine a client wants to look, on a range from soft and sensual to androgynous, and she puts it on the form so the client can think about it quietly instead of answering on the spot.
Then look before you recommend
With the answers in hand, Vivienne takes the hair away from the face and looks at the face shape and feels the head shape, round or oval or small. Then she checks proportion:
"And I always do the measurement of three forehead to brow, brow to nose, nose to chin, they must be in proportion. And then finally, the neck should be the fourth proportion"
Vivienne Mackinder
Her goal is balance. And she does not hand down one answer. She usually recommends three styles, each phrased as a question about how the client would feel about it.
When she brings a photo
Clients bring in pictures because they have fallen in love with a story, not just a haircut. Vivienne's advice is to treat the photo as inspiration you interpret, not an order you copy. Ask what she loves about it: the length, the color, the movement, the feeling. Then be honest about what will and will not translate to her hair, her face and her morning routine.
A hair consultation form you can copy
Put the first two sections on paper or in your booking app's intake form. Talk through the rest in the chair.
Before the appointment (on the form)
- How important is budget to you? Somewhat important / Very important / Not important
- How much time do you want to spend on your hair each day? 5 minutes / 15 minutes / 30 minutes or more
- How often would you like to come in? Every 4 to 6 weeks / Every 2 to 3 months / As rarely as possible / Weekly for a blow dry
- What do you do for work, and do you need a different look for day and evening?
- When you walk into a room, do you want your hair to be noticed or to blend in?
- Which words describe the look you want? Soft / Polished / Edgy / Natural / Bold
Hair history (on the form)
- When was your last color, and what was it? Any box dye or color done at home?
- Any chemical services in the last year: relaxer, keratin, perm, lightening?
- What products and heat tools do you use most days?
- Any scalp sensitivity, or a reaction to hair color in the past?
In the chair
- If you brought a photo, what do you love most about it?
- What do you never want your stylist to do?
- Look at face shape, head shape and proportion before recommending.
- Offer up to three options, each with its upkeep and cost.
For salons, the form is a front desk job: hand it out at check-in and make sure the stylist reads it before the client sits down. More on that in salon manager and front desk duties.