The ideal hairstyle is not found in a photograph
It’s not about recreating an image — it’s about designing you
When a client shows me a photo of a hairstyle,I sometimes hear stylists say things like:
・“Your hair isn’t long enough to do this.”
・“Your hair texture is different, so it won’t work.”
・“You don’t have the same amount of hair.”
They say this, convince the client, and gently steer them towards a style that feels safe —
often something the stylist is simply good at.
But I don’t believe clients are asking to look exactly the same as the person in the photo, down to the last millimetre.
What truly matters is what about that photo attracted them.
・Is it the length?
・The way the layers are cut?
・The balance of the silhouette — vertical or horizontal?
・Or the texture created through styling?
During the consultation, I carefully put those feelings into words, while prioritising them in my mind.
Then I ask myself:
How can the most important elements be reconstructed within this client’s current length, hair texture, and lifestyle?
To do that, I may sometimes ask something of the client:
・Would you be open to slightly widening your fringe?
・Could we try changing your parting?
・Is it possible to spend just five more minutes styling in the morning?
・Would you consider using a different styling product?
Of course, there are times when the answer is no.
・“I can’t spend any more time in the morning.”
・“I need to tie my hair up for work, so I can’t change the fringe.”
When that happens, we go back to the drawing board —
and think together about how close we can get to the ideal within those limits.
Through these careful discussions, the final design often takes inspiration from the original photo —
but becomes something entirely different.
It becomes the best possible design for the person in front of me, given their reality right now.
Designing hair and shaping it beautifully is, of course, part of a hairdresser’s job.
But clients don’t always know how to:
・clearly articulate their ideal, or
・find a style that truly suits their lifestyle and who they are.
And that’s completely natural.
Guiding them to that answer is also an essential part of my work.
While I’m with a client, I am constantly asking myself:
What hairstyle will allow this person to shine the most?
After the appointment, as I write my notes, I always reflect:
・Was that truly the best choice?
・Was there anything I could have done better?
Even between appointments —
from the moment the next booking is made until the day they return —
I replay the previous result and their reactions in my head, building multiple ideas and possibilities.
To be honest, I spend a considerable amount of time strategising after clients have gone home.
Because for me,
the most miserable thing is regretting my own work.
After every appointment, I ask myself:
・Did I give everything I had?
・When they come back next time, what do I need to do to surpass what I did today?
If I don’t continue to grow, I can’t continue to move my clients.
That’s why I have no interest in the so-called “tips for increasing repeat customers” that you often hear about in this industry.
What I do is very simple.
Better than last time.
And better again next time.
I keep thinking deeply about each individual client, keep growing myself, and keep refining the quality of my work.
I simply repeat that process.
And it’s those accumulated hours that have shaped LOWONIDA as it is today.
