Here are my tips that have helped me avoid hair salon anxiety and have the best experience getting my hair done by the professionals…

Do your research

Don’t get too stuck in the research phase, that you never take the leap to actually go to the hair salon. I’m going to be honest that this is the part that I get stuck in. I do so much research that I never feel like I know enough. But trust me when I say, you’ll learn more about the salon when you actually call the salon or go into the salon in person to see the way the shop runs. If the person on the phone is really nice and helpful, then that usually calms my nerves and makes me trust them more. The same goes when I walk into the salon with a ton of questions and everyone is super nice when replying to my essay.

Look at photos of the hairdresser’s work

A picture says a thousand words, right? Same goes for pictures of a hairdresser’s work or the salon’s work. You can see what the beginning and ending of each hairstyle, including if you like the results. I always look to see if the hair stylist can do amazing work on different types of hair textures. With my curly hair, I need a pro to make magic happen.

Read any reviews

I always check out Facebook and Instagram for the true reviews of the artist’s work. Nothing tells it all if there are stunning reviews from former customers posting about their new do. Plus that means I get to see more angles and more photos of their work, so it’s a win-win.

Make sure to discuss every aspect of the hair cut or style before they start

During the last haircut that I got, I made sure to ask every question that I had and my stylist made sure to walk me through everything that she was doing. Every snip or turn, I knew exactly what and why she was doing what she was doing. That calmed my nerves so much, and I really enjoyed myself. So ask away!

Making sure that you’re comfortable with the salon and the individual hair stylist is the best way to levitate any anxiety that getting a haircut gives you. Knowledge is power, and it’s the same for learning more about who’s going to take care of your hair. Truly see what you like and don’t like it before making a decision. Going to the hair salon doesn’t have to be scary!

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It’s hard to believe I’ve already been out of college for almost half a year. Time has definitely flown by recently, and it feels so weird to not be starting classes this fall. I miss school so much, I’m in the process of applying to graduate programs in my local area so I can keep studying what I love. In light of the new semester, I wanted to share some of the things I wish I knew before graduating college!

Apply to jobs before you leave college

I started applying to jobs 4-6 months before I graduated, and my career counselor told me this was too late! Honestly, I think she was a bit crazy, and starting any earlier than that wouldn’t have made much sense. Because I applying to jobs while I was still in college, I was better prepared to financially transition from college to the “real world.”

Now, I work as a freelancer, and if I could go back I would have spent more time building my own business. Knowing what I do now, I would have liked to spend more time looking into my options for careers after graduation. I felt really lost and unsure of myself in the weeks leading up to graduation, and it took a few tries to figure out what I really wanted to do with my time.

Think about graduate school

In my senior year, I didn’t really give grad school much thought. As an English major, I couldn’t really find any logical reason to go to graduate school unless I planned to teach, which I didn’t. Now, I wish I had explored more options while I was still in college, because applying after graduation is a bigger hassle. Yes, I have more time to prepare for the GRE, but now I have to reach out to past professors which can be challenging since I’m no longer on campus. If I had thought about graduate school seriously sooner, I could have arranged professor recommendations and other application materials from the comfort of campus!

Spend time on campus

After my first year, I moved off campus. This worked for me since it was cheaper to live off campus, and I enjoyed the freedom. However, looking back on my time in college, I wish I spent more time on campus. I commuted 15 minutes each day to campus, and I missed out on a lot of local events on campus and around town.

Take advantage of everything

My biggest regret is waiting too long to take advantage of all the opportunities college has to offer. I spent the majority of my college experience working 25+ hours a week to pay my living expenses. Because I worked every day after classes, I was never able to join clubs or organizations.

It wasn’t until my last year of college that I cut back drastically on work hours and started to get involved. I was able to do an on-campus internship with the New Department which then led to me becoming the Editor in Chief of my college’s literary magazine. The latter became one of my greatest joys, and has led to a lot of opportunities after college. I wish I had time to discover these passions earlier!

Remember college isn’t everything

I think a lot of the fear that comes along with leaving college is rooted in this idea that college is the best time of your life. That’s what all the movies and TV shows say, right? Everyone says college is supposed to be the best four years of your life, so live it up while you can. Honestly, that’s a really depressing thought.

The truth is that college is great, but so is everything that comes after! I mean, I get to spend my days writing in my PJ’s and if that isn’t the American Dream than I don’t know what is. If you had a great college experience, that’s awesome! If you didn’t, that’s okay too!

The point is that college is temporary, and it is in no way the best experience of your life. You have the rest of your life to learn, make friends, and have fun! I wish I had someone to tell me that when I was having a nervous breakdown before graduation! Ultimately, I’m not going to tell you to make the most of college. I’m going to tell you to make the most of every day, because the fun doesn’t end after graduation!

Sam can be found at Samanthability.com where she blogs about the struggles of transitioning from college to the “real” world. When not writing, you can find her obsessing over books and watching bad reality TV from her home in Orlando, FL. 

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