Salon Straight Talk

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In Marian Keyes' novel Angels (Perennial, 2003), the heroine goes into her local salon for a simple blowout and leaves with the Edward Scissorhands special. Did she voice a complaint, you might wonder? Alas, no. "What could I say?" the character asks. "Don't we all know it's harder to be honest with hairdressers than it is to get a camel through the eye of a storm, or whatever?"

Here are four ways to avoid similar salon disasters with the help of expert insight straight from stylists and colorists themselves.

1. Style your hair before getting a cut or color. If you're going to a stylist or colorist for the first time, it's better to avoid the ponytail-and-unwashed-hair look in lieu of arriving with your hair styled the way you would do it on a typical day. The experts say this gives the stylist a better idea of what they're working with -- and what you want to change (including the length). "That way you can say, 'I always get this flip and I hate it,' or 'I like this flip. How can I get it all over?'" explains Jo Ann Welch, a Pensacola, Fla.-based regional educator for the Fantastic Sams salons.