Dear Leah B.,

Tell Me How heifers be spending $350 on weaves & sitting in your chair with stank breath? You can spend $350 on the service plus $300 on the hair for a total of $650 but you can’t spend $1.25 on a pack of Trident? Tell me how! I said, Tell Me How dammit?


Sincerely,

Disgusted Stylist

Dear Disgusted Stylist

Welp…I feel your pain! But the issue is not the $1.25 for the Trident. Although it seems logical right, $650 +$1.25 for gum? You’d be surprised!

It really depends on the client, if this is your Bougie client that’s always rocking the latest fashions and pushing the newest whip, she may not be aware of what she’s giving off. She may not be aware that that cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee grew stale in her mouth as she drove to the salon or she may have a newly rotten tooth that hasn’t caused her pain yet but is behaving badly via her breath. OR, if this is a client that routinely jumps up on Saturday morning without showering and brushing properly before flying into the shop half late with the mindset of “oh I’m just running to the salon”. See, this client is perfectly ok with singing your nose hairs clean off with the breath of a wolf/dragon crossbreed. Has no shame, with holding a full length conversation while her tongue tastes likes a handful of pennies and nickels…

Either way, you gotta tell her. 

 Why should you suffer in silence and remain the beneficiary of this magical breath? Stylists are often referred to as Therapists, so you’re now in session! Your mission is the correction of either a problem or a behavior. Most importantly, be discreet and tactful. This is not an announcement for the entire shop. This is a very private conversation AND you want to keep your Schmoney flowing.

Inquire if she’s been experiencing any tooth pain or sensitivity lately. If she says “Yes” or “Why do you ask?” Politely say, “I ask because when you were talking I caught a whiff of what my breath smelled like when I had a cavity and didn’t know it” Turned out, I need a root canal blah blah blah. The point is you want to educate not alienate. Could be the truth or it could be a bold face lie… But, you’ve put it out there that she’s killing you with the wolf/dragon breath without saying “You’re killing me with the wolf/dragon breath”. Now if this is a client that’s just unhygienic, I guarantee the next time she comes to the shop, she’ll brush first because now she knows you’re paying attention!

Leah B.