does/should your hairstylist work on 2 clients at once?

[ez]

I have been going to the same stylist for a very long time, she does color and highlights on my hair. In the past couple years she has cut down her work schedule and sometimes she is doing color/highlights on me and another client at the same time, like puts mine on and as I sit with the color and she starts doing another persons color than comes back to me and rinses me when she done. I only have gone three times this year and two times now I have been unhappy one time I think she left the highlights on too long and it was super ashy almost green looking to me. She corrected that the next time, but now this past time I feel like I still have a bunch of dark roots that she missed. I cant help wondering if this is because she is working on two people at once and I was wondering if this is commonplace. Im thinking about switching to someone else if I can find someone who is recommended. I would really like a bit more consistency in how I look coming out of the salon. Plus its 125 bucks a pop just for the color. It seems to me that would warrant her undivided attention!!

 

[Wishing on a star]

No... I don't think I would be happy with a hairdresser that does that.
I have even been to salons where the hair dresser or nail tech spent a lot of time chatting with the others who worked there, on the phone, etc... And, I really noticed that.
I would consider this to be a personal service, and would expect more undivided attention than that.

 

[msjprincess]

My hairdresser does it all the time. There are sometimes 3 or 4 people getting their hair done at once. But it's never caused any problems.

 

[wilkeliza]

When I do make it to the salon with my grandma her hairstylist always works on multiple people.

She'll put the color in on person A and put a timer down next to them. While person A is drying, she starts the color in person B who also gets a time when the application is done. If person As timer goes off and they are still busy with person B they call the shampoo girl over to rinse or whatever it is the next step is. My grandma doesn't seem to care. I do know they ask what you you want down and how long your hair is before you schedule so I always figured she knew about how long it would take for application when double scheduling.

 

[Poohforyou]

I only get my haircut but I see my stylist and plenty of other have several clients going. My 17 yo daughter just had blue highlights in her hair which required bleaching, washing, coloring, washing, cutting and blow drying. It was a 3 hour process. I can't imagine my stylist only doing my daughter's hair in that time period. I think she had about 6-8 other people during the time we were there. I never felt like my daughter wasn't getting the appropriate service.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

Yep, mine is always working on more than one.

 

[msjprincess]

I only get my haircut but I see my stylist and plenty of other have several clients going. My 17 yo daughter just had blue highlights in her hair which required bleaching, washing, coloring, washing, cutting and blow drying. It was a 3 hour process. I can't imagine my stylist only doing my daughter's hair in that time period. I think she had about 6-8 other people during the time we were there. I never felt like my daughter wasn't getting the appropriate service.

I agree. My daughter gets a Brazilian Blowout which takes over 2 hours to do. I can't imagine the stylist waiting around during that time. She'd never make any money.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

You can't expect your hairdresser to just sit around during a long process and do nothing. They have to make money too.

 

[cabanafrau]

My stylist does that while she's doing my highlights, but it's usually one of my daughters' getting a haircut while my color is on. It's also in a home hair salon and my cut and color run me about $40. If I'm paying salon prices and not getting satisfactory result, nope.

BTW, my friend who does my hair is pickier about my results than even I am, no matter that it's not in a commercial salon for top dollar. I'd say it's time for somebody new.

 

[DebbieB]

Mine typically does. Puts my color on, has me wait and then works on a cut or another color. Then the shampoo girl does the shampoo and by then she is ready for me again. My color is usually on for 30 minutes, I wouldn't expect her to sit around.

 

[smiths02]

I get foil highlights. I have long hair that is really thick and takes forever to wash and dry. For as long as I have been getting highlights (since 2003), I have always had hairdresser who apply my highlights and then go do something else (usually someone else's haircut or color) while I wait. He/she checks on me regularly and has always rinsed at the appropriate time. If s/he is busy, then a "shampoo girl" or another sylist washes my hair. If I am not getting a hair cut, the shampoo girl might also blow dry my hair or start that process. (Even if I am also getting a hair cut, someone else will help with blow dry).

 

[BunsenH]

At Angelo's Barber Shop, I get the undivided attention of my guy for the entire 15 minutes of the process.

 

[smiths02]

No... I don't think I would be happy with a hairdresser that does that.
I have even been to salons where the hair dresser or nail tech spent a lot of time chatting with the others who worked there, on the phone, etc... And, I really noticed that.
I would consider this to be a personal service, and would expect more undivided attention than that.

But the lady just talked to me for nearly 30 minutes painting my hair color on, then she is supposed to sit next to me for 20-30 minutes chatting and constantly checking my head while it sets? I kind of just want to read my trashy magazine (that I don't get to read at home because I wouldn't pay for them) and be left alone.

It's also a waste of her time and skills. When I go to the doctor with my kids, the receptionist takes payment, the nurse takes vitals, updates records, etc., the doctor sees the kids, the nurse gives shots. I don't expect the doctor to do all the intake that the nurse can do. I would never be able to get a sick appointment for the kids!

Now if OP thinks that the hair stylist is not skilled, then that is another matter.

 

[Julylady]

Yes. My stylist does my hair color with foil. After that, I go under the dryer for about 20-30 minutes. Most appointments she cuts someone else's hair during that time. Sometimes she comes over to check my hair and turns off the hair dryer and I just sit there for a few minutes until she is done with the cut. Other times, she appears to be doing bookwork during that time or making reminder phone calls. It really doesn't bother me.

 

[ez]

Thanks so much it seems like its business as usual then to work on more than one client so I guess that's not the problem. I appreciate the replies.

 

[iivye]

I have been going to the same stylist for a very long time, she does color and highlights on my hair. In the past couple years she has cut down her work schedule and sometimes she is doing color/highlights on me and another client at the same time, like puts mine on and as I sit with the color and she starts doing another persons color than comes back to me and rinses me when she done. I only have gone three times this year and two times now I have been unhappy one time I think she left the highlights on too long and it was super ashy almost green looking to me. She corrected that the next time, but now this past time I feel like I still have a bunch of dark roots that she missed. I cant help wondering if this is because she is working on two people at once and I was wondering if this is commonplace. Im thinking about switching to someone else if I can find someone who is recommended. I would really like a bit more consistency in how I look coming out of the salon. Plus its 125 bucks a pop just for the color. It seems to me that would warrant her undivided attention!!

In this case I would definitely go to someone else. Not because she works on two people at once but because 2 out of the 3 times you have been unhappy. If you are paying $125 get someone who does a good job. My stylist does another person while doing my color but I have never been unhappy with the job. Just like all professions there are some that are great at their job and some that just get by. It took me years to find a stylist that I was happy with.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

I left one hairstylist because of this, my hair was getting fried while waiting for the second client to be finished. The hairstylist didn't have anyone else to shampoo out the chemicals once the color was done.

 

[SC Minnie]

Mine will work on someone while my hair is processing but I've never been unhappy with the results. The one time I was it wasn't because she was working on someone else and she fixed it to my satisfaction before I left.

 

[wenrob]

I only get my haircut but I see my stylist and plenty of other have several clients going. My 17 yo daughter just had blue highlights in her hair which required bleaching, washing, coloring, washing, cutting and blow drying. It was a 3 hour process. I can't imagine my stylist only doing my daughter's hair in that time period. I think she had about 6-8 other people during the time we were there. I never felt like my daughter wasn't getting the appropriate service.

Yep, this. Highlights, color, perms take hours to complete. They have to piggyback their customers to get everyone done. If they didn't you wouldn't be able to get in for months. I usually schedule it so that while my color is processing my kids are getting their hair cut.

 

[design_mom]

My stylist also does something else while my color is processing. In fact, in their computer system, it books a color and cut as two "chunks" with a break in between -- where she is able to schedule someone else. I don't think my stylist usually has more than one color appointment going on at once, but she has taken a plain haircut (no color, perm, etc) during the gap.