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Going to Premiere Orlando this weekend?
Make sure you come to the HAIR+ presentation, Monday 6/5 at 11 a.m. in W309A, to learn more about hair thinning and loss! 

Broaching the topic of thinning hair can be intimidating with any client, and it’s important to read your guest and how they might react to you introducing the subject. Often, male clientele can be a little bit moretight-lipped when it comes to issues of hair thinning and loss than females.

“Some guys start thinning as young as 18; other guys might start at 38 or 40,” says Diana Schmidtke, celebrity men’s groomer. “It’s a sensitive conversation, so it’s okay that it doesn’t naturally come off the tongue the first time.”

JB Shelton, owner of Detour Salon & Style in Anderson, Indiana, says her male clients don’t usually bring it up but occasionally make an off-hand joke about it.

“However they broach the subject, I let them know I can help if they are interested,” Shelton says. “I let them take the lead.”

Schmidtke recommends doing your homework first—education will help you feel confident when talking about thinning, and your client will be able to tell you know what you’re talking about.

“With men, if they can detect you don’t know the right information or if you’re struggling, the conversation’s not going to go well,” she says.

Once you feel equipped with the knowledge you need, try practicing with friends and family at home to see how the conversation might go once you have a paying client in your chair. If this is something you’ve talked about a lot—even if it’s just practice—the conversation will fl ow more organically.

“Men, as a rule, don’t like change or too many steps, so I will suggest starting with the Bosley Professional Strength Nourishing Shampoo fi rst and let them see how it works for them,” Shelton says. “As their hair grows and increases in density, I add other Bosley Pro treatments to their regimen.”

Overall, Schmidtke says you want to have built trust with the client—she doesn’t recommend talking about this with a first-time client—and make sure you’re armed with the right education and knowledge about thinning hair.

“To have the perfect conversation, it’s your responsibility to be educated so you don’t get caught in the corner and scared,” Schmidtke says. “You don’t want to ruin a chance to have that guy in your chair for the rest of his life.”

Want to learn more about how you can help clients with hair thinning and loss?
Join MODERN SALON at the 2017 HAIR+ Summit, September 24-26 in Atlanta! For more details and to register, go to hairplussummit.com

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