Warning: that scalp massage move everyone does is actually making clients flinch | Cosmetologists - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Warning: that scalp massage move everyone does is actually making clients flinch
Got a new client at my chair in Tucson who kept wincing during the shampoo, and I figured out it was because I was rubbing her scalp with my fingertips like everyone taught me in school. She told me her last stylist did the same thing and she thought that was just how it felt. I switched to using the flats of my fingers and slow circles at the crown, and she literally melted into the sink and rebooked on the spot. Turns out the fingertip scratch thing feels like nails to a lot of people, not a massage. Anyone else ditch the fancy moves and go back to basics at the bowl?
Watched a guy at a barber shop in Phoenix years ago do the whole bowl routine with his knuckles, not his fingers, and the old man in the chair snored through the whole thing. I started messing with knuckles after that and half my clients hated it, said it felt like being kneaded like dough. Took me way too long to figure out that pressure and speed matter more than whatever trick you use. Some folks want deep circles at the crown like you said, others just want warm water and a light touch, and you can't guess it, you have to watch their face. The scratchy thing probably came from a class where the teacher had short nails and never tested it on anybody with thin skin.