What can I chat about with my hairdresser?

Respect the silence. You don’t have to chatter ever. Hairdresser makes small talk every day all day long and might like a little rest, also.

If you feel the need, mention a movie or video you recently enjoyed, “Did you see . . .?”

Tell a funny anecdote from work or life.

Talk about Michael Jackson’s death.

Ask about the hairdresser’s family or romantic life (people love to talk about themselves).

Sometimes not saying anything is the best – my hairdresser can get quite animated about things we discuss (usually husbands) and then I see my hair flying this way and that way and I just gulp and think “I hope I have some hair left!” It can get especially bad when she is upset with her husband!

I agree with gailcalled. If that’s a time for peace, you are paying for it – enjoy!

Whatever you talk about, make sure you agree with her, or not piss her off.

hey, i know that feeling! great question, actually.

usually i just want you to cut my hair and make sure you don’t eff it up either. and oh, by the way, get me in the chair as soon as i walk in and don’t have me wait too long. and also, you should know i have a lot of other things to do today, so could ya just cut my hair and stop jaw-jacking? those are the things going thru my mind.

the slowness of the barbershop “big easy” environment can frustrate the customer, but i will jump in conversations that interest me, like food or clothing, cigars or beer or topics dear to me.

for men, we will chat, but we will need to get in and get out too.

genocide is usually a good salon topic

You can talk to them about everything.

@Zendo i agree.

whatever is on your mind, you can talk about that to your stylist and all that needs to happen is an ear nearby to pick up on it and it becomes a topic. i will never forget getting my hair cut when i was young and the topic while i was in the chair was:

“do chickens have lips?”

i just came back from mine – talked to the colorist about first names. (later on i overheard her talking to the next customer about weight issues). talked to the stylist about my cousin, who used to be his customer, then we talked about michael jackson’s life and death. he told me something i did not know, which was that vincente minelli, judy garland’s husband, was a flaming queen. he also told me michael jackson wanted to buy a castle in scotland, (hairdresser is scottish) and scotland would not let him because they did not want to deal with the chaos. anyway, sometimes he’s quiet and i’m quiet, and that’s fine with me. he kind of goes with the flow, so i don’t ever feel guilty sitting quietly.

I like the idea of having some peace, but when I go silent, my colorist strikes up a loud conversation with another stylist, a waiting customer, or a passerby. I hate having a shouted conversation take place over my head, and I feel as if I should have his full attention while I am paying for his services. Romantic advice, entertainment culture, top news items, and supernatural phenomena are always good for starters. As a matter of fact, “How’s your [mother / niece / boyfriend / dog / vacation plans]?” is all it takes to get him going.

The stylist who cuts my hair is an intelligent conversationalist and can talk equally facilely about world travel, Russian history, opera, musical composition, politics, literature, and a host of other subjects. I chose him among several possibilities precisely because he wouldn’t serve up inane monologues.

I don’t feel like I have to entertain them. I just want to hold their attention so they focus on my hair and not on a multitude of distractions.

I had the same hairdresser for 25 years. In the beginning we talked (positively) about the mutual friend who had referred me and about different things I might want to do with my hair.

After a while I asked her about her angel collection and found we were raised in the same religion so we had that to discuss. I never felt the need to impose my beliefs on her, just kept it noncommittal.

We talked about our children and I was able to listen when her son died in a traffic accident, she was able to listen to my concerns about my daughter.

We talked about our jobs, and the news. We talked about our love lives. It is great to have a friend you are close enough to talk with but you are not so close you argue. An hour every two months keeps the friendship nice and you both part with something good-she had money and I looked better than when I came in.

I don’t enjoy small-talk….for me it is often forced and nearly always awkward. And like bartenders, hair dressers face that kind of talk regularly, and in bursts. My hair dresser was very conscientious and courteous and made certain I was aware of her schedule and that often led her to share vacation plans or upcoming activities. But I never felt compelled to get into a small talk volley. I paid a premium price and expected attention to my hair, not to me. And I would hate it when a hair dresser thought it was OK to cradle a phone and ramble on with someone else and making me feel like my hair was not getting proper, undivided attention. Come to think of it, perhaps hair dressers require small talk and if the customer doesn’t put out, they’ll look elsewhere for their fix?! Here’s an idea: talk to your hair dresser about the entire communication phenomena…may even make a fine magazine article, which you can read on your next visit while awaiting your turn. Why am I so dizzy, suddenly?
PS: Shampooers have you for such a brief period, its usually a brief comment about your hair, a quick inquiry into your comfort with the water temperature, a word or two about the weather and they are on the ejection seat button.

@whatthefluther: Due to mild vertigo issues (no bending head backwards), I arrive at salon with washed, conditioned and wet hair. And my young woman (who is, unfortunately, leaving to be married) is not a chatty-Kathy. I’m quiet; she’s quiet. Now I have to train someone new.

I never chat at the barber’s. I sit down; say, “Hey, how’s things been?”

He says, “Good, good. Same old.”

And that’s it. I close my eyes and chill. I’m there for a cut, a shave and to relax.

@all Thanks for the great feedback! I have major issues with small talk just as wtf mentioned, I don’t watch contemporary movies or tv, and I used up all my Michael Jackson observations on the last visit. And genocide is so last week. I talk about old movies and who is and isn’t a flaming queen with my regular guy, but I had an appointment with a new person today. I agree with Jeruba; the ability to have a good conversation (or the option of silence, as gailcalled emphasized) is important in choosing a long-term hairdresser. It would be really nice to have a friendship like galileogirl’s going on.

The conversation ended up starting with the weather, and moved on to how her husband was at the shore this weekend running a martial arts tournament for the school they jointly own. It turned into a really interesting discussion about Brazilian jujitsu and My Tai (sp?).

travel is, i think, a topic everyone enjoys talking about.

@deni: True, if you feel like talking (or if you travel).

Tell him or her about Fluther.

@cprevite, I wish my guy had trained under your barber.