Salon Business
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21.01.2020
A Hairstylist Can Help When A Client Is Being Abused
A Hairstylist Can Help When A Client Is Being Abused
Salons are a place where your clients can literally and figuratively let their hair down. You not only create hair cuts to make them look confident and refreshed, but you also provide a safe haven which allows them to discuss intimate details of their lives. Think of the clients who melt during a scalp massage or beg you to go home with them to blow-dry their hair every morning! They likely aren’t as open or expressive with other high-touch professionals they visit –– not even doctors.
Spending hours behind the chair with a regular client means a hairstylist will develop close relationships, hearing about everything from weddings to babies to gossip. A hairstylist knows about more than your grey hairs –– in some ways, you’re almost like therapists (but more fun). It’s a commonly held truth when talking about salon culture. Counseling may not be something that you signed up to do, but because of this level of comfort you provide clients, it happens on a daily basis anyway.
This creates a unique and valuable opportunity for anyone who works at a salon to recognize signs of domestic violence. Some states now require one hour of domestic abuse training every two years as part of continuing education programs. If your state is not one of them, or you feel like you could be doing more, PBA (Professional Beauty Association) developed the CUT IT OUT® program: training material that provides steps you can take to potentially help a client.
POST THIS IN THE RESTROOM OF YOUR SALON: If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or chat online at thehotline.org for help.
What can you / your salon do?
Get Involved in the CUT IT OUT® Program – offered by the Professional Beauty Association, order materials for your salon, find a local trainer, get educated.
- Believe the person
- Be a trusted confidant and remain confidential.
- Guide the victim to find help. Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE).
- Do not try to fix the problem or become a counselor. Your local domestic violence agency is staffed with trained personnel, so you do not put yourself in harm’s way or increase the danger for the victim.
Resource: probeauty.org/cutitout/
