Time is always a precious commodity, especially if you want to succeed financially while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Being proactive about how time is spent while working reduces stress, increases productivity, and saves time that can be spent outside the salon.
As a stylist, I focus on saving time where I can because it allows me to see more guests and make more money, as well as to be able to work fewer hours to have more time outside of work with my family.
Aa a salon owner and associate trainer, I strive to teach my staff these techniques so they can work efficiently as a team, work fewer hours, and see more guests.
Many styles take hours to create, and for many guests it’s not convenient to spend hours and hours in the salon. So incorporating efficiency techniques helps us move guests in and out quicker.
Here are my favorite time-saving tips!
Eliminate “Time Suckers.”
Identify and correct the small movements made throughout the day that add time to everything. Examples: Hold onto combs instead of putting them down in between sections. Move color carts with you instead of reaching to them. Move clips to another area of the head rather than setting them down in between sections.
Dry-Cut Hair Before Doing Color.
This method gets the cut out of the way, which also helps with not wasting unnecessary color.
Dry Hair 80-90% Before Round-Brushing.
Going in right away with the round brush slows down the blow dry.
The tighter the bristle, the smoother it will get — but also, the slower the blow dry will be. I use a Sam Villa Signature Series Paddle Brush to wrap dry, or my fingers if the hair does not need a whole lot of tension (if it’s not curly, for example).
Smart Foil.
Space out foils in areas of the head that will not be seen if other hair falls over top of it. That saves time plus color product and foils.
Do a Pre-Consultation.
Have virtual or phone consultations to cut out long discussions in the salon. It also allows for better planning and prep.
Use Tools That Save Time.
My brand's TeasyBoard is specifically designed to streamline the coloring process. With one movement, you can tease the hair section, place the board, and apply color with precision and ease on all textures of hair.
Dry-sectioning clips keep my sections nice and tight, especially while foiling. There’s nothing worse than hair slipping out of a clip while foiling, and these clips work really well even on fine hair.
Use foils that won't stick together — which will both slow you down and annoy you during a color service — like my brand's KG Foils.
Also, the Sam Villa 7" Signature Series Dry Cutting Shear makes quick work of cuts because it can handle larger, more condensed sections.
Being conscientious about saving time during my workday lets me slow down when it matters. I'll need more time for tedious tasks like face-framing foils and cutting precision haircuts, so by utilizing time-saving techniques, I have that room to do time-consuming work when it's needed.
Kyleen Garcia, a Sam Villa Ambassador and Redken Artist, is the owner of Union Street Salon and host of the Detangled Podcast. Learn more about Kyleen and the Sam Villa Team here, and book an in-salon class here.