How was the last visit to your salon? Do you find yourself avoiding calls from your beautician to set up an appointment? Truthfully, was your last visit a wonderful experience, just so-so, or a complete nightmare? If the last two answers are more common than the first one, something is definitely wrong! Although there are hundreds of things that can ruin your salon experience, a lot of it can be avoided.

The first thing you have to do is determine the source of your frustrations. If you don’t know where to begin, let’s try to figure this out. The four most common reasons why some salon visits can be just so-so or become a nightmare are listed below as well as some helpful hints on how you can avoid such problems.

1. Problem #1: The Forever Wait: Are you the type of person who simply walks into a salon to get a hairstyle? If you are, then that is definitely one way to ruin your entire experience. These businesses that even allow walk-ins service their clients on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are a walk-in client and you came during peak hours, you will most likely end up in a queue of a dozen or more people for hours. Now there is a perfect recipe to ruin your day!

2. Solution #1: In order to save yourself from the frustration of waiting in line for hours, why not book an appointment at least a day or two ahead of time? Call your favorite beauty parlor in advance and set an exact date and time for your beauty treatment. Booked clients are always prioritized over walk-in clients. Just be sure to come on time for your appointment or else you will still end up waiting.

3. Problem #2: Boredom: So there you are at the salon waiting for your hair treatment to finish. You asked the attendant for some magazines to which she apologetically replied that there weren’t any available. So you are left in your chair for half an hour with nothing to do. As we all know, there's nothing worse than not having anything to do while waiting on time to pass.

4. Solution #2: Bring some reading material along with you! You could bring a book, a magazine or better yet, a friend to chat with. While you are at it, why not bring along some food so you can have something to nibble on while waiting for your treatment to finish.

5. Problem #3: Bad hairstyle: You probably have had your share of hairstyles that didn't end up quite the way you expected, right? If this hasn’t happened to you, then you are extremely fortunate. Most people have unfortunately experienced such a frustrating occurrence. There are many things that can cause this to happen. It could be a bad hairstylist, a wrong choice of hairstyle that just doesn't go along with your face or hair, or perhaps you didn't communicate well with your stylist.

6. Solution #3: For the first two problems, the solution would probably require that you either find another hairstylist or choose a more appropriate hairstyle that goes with your hair type. For the third problem, there are many things you can do to remedy the problem. The simplest approach is to bring with you a photo of what you wanted the hairstylist to follow and discuss it with that person before beginning the cut or treatment.

7. Problem #4: Bad weather: At last, after an extended time in the chair, you are ready to leave the salon. You have gotten your hair done, you are sporting shiny shimmering nails, and you look absolutely perfect! You are ready to head out to your next destination. Boom! You are suddenly greeted by a huge thunderstorm.

8. Solution #4: Check the local weather report before heading out to your salon. Come to your appointment prepared if there is a prediction of rain or bad weather. That way if you are caught in a sudden downpour, you will have your umbrella handy and ready to protect your new hairstyle!

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, hopefully the solutions offered will help you change those bad outcomes with your hair appointment into an experience you always happily anticipate. It’s up to you to make the difference!