It is exciting when you get your first chair at the start of your career as a hair stylist. You want to be sure to have all the tools and products you need to provide the best services for your customers. It is not just about selecting the right brand, you also have to choose what type of styling products to use, such as oils, serums, mousses, creams, gels, and sprays. There are so many products available that it can often be difficult to choose which ones are the most necessary and which ones are simply excessive. The following products are the most essential to have to provide great hair care for your clients.
Hair Oil
Hair oil provides protection to hair while reducing frizz and moisturizing hair. There are a variety of oils from which to choose, including olive, macadamia, almond, argan, and coconut. This type of product is versatile, so you can use it on wet hair that will be either blown or air-dried or on already dry hair for some extra moisture and frizz protection.
Deep Conditioning Treatment
Many clients have very dry and damaged hair, especially if they use a lot of heat when styling or have colored hair. A deep conditioning treatment can provide the healing their hair needs for a shinier, healthier appearance. You can also find some treatments that also use oil that creates a leave in conditioner and style tool in one great product.
If your clients do not need a deep conditioning treatment but could use some extra moisture in their hair, having a leave in conditioner on hand can help you. A leave in conditioner makes it easy to comb through hair, especially curly or thick hair that tangles easily, and it can also act as a moisturizing primer before applying any other styling products.
Hair Spray
You need to have some type of hair spray on your counter to finalize almost all of the hairstyles you create. Certain styles, especially updos, may require more hold than others, but spraying hairspray is a fairly typical finishing touch so that styles will last longer. You will need to find the type that you prefer. Some of the best products are flexible while also keeping the hair in place to provide a more natural look. This also makes them more versatile so that you only need one product.
Heat Protection
Before you curl, straighten, or just blow dry your clients’ hair, you must protect it. Therefore, you should have a heat protecting spray or lotion to put on wet hair before you bring out the heat. Some items may also provide more than just heat protection, such as texture or holding ability.
Targeted Styling Products
You may also want to have on hand an arsenal of styling products, or you may just need one. The most versatile is mousse, which can be used on any hairstyle, length, or texture of hair for a boost in volume. If your clients typically ask for more stylized styles, then you might want to have some pomade or wax on hand, which can really hold the hair, especially for pixie cuts or other short and spunky looks. You can also choose to include a volumizer or texturizer, which both changes the appearance of the hair. You may not need one of each of these styling products, depending on your typical clientele and the type of styles you provide, but you will want at least one.
There are many different brands and types of style products available, and finding your favorite is often a trial and error experience. The salon in which you work may have a relationship with a particular brand, which means that you will most likely have to use those products for your clients. No matter the brand, you want to be sure that you have high quality oil, conditioning treatments, hair spray, heat protection, and styling products on your counter so that you can provide the best styles to your clients.
Check out our courses if you are in need of continuing education credits to renew your cosmetology license.