Washing the hair

Before starting any style, it may be necessary to wash the client/model's hair... 

• First of all, place a gown on your client and put a towel over their shoulders
• Carry out a client consultation at the workstation towels ensure you know which products to use and the amounts, e.g. thin hair = not a lot of conditioner, dry scalp = small amount of products and no conditioner on scalp
• Ensure you have a dry towel to hand so that you are able to dry your hands when necessary, e.g. when you are stopping the water from dripping down the clients face
• Always go for a mid temperature because people have different preferences in regards to hot/cold. Test this water on your hand first, then on your wrist (because it is more sensitive)
• Apply water to the client, and ensure the water has gone through the hair and is touching the scalp before asking how it feels
• Cup your hand around the forehead to direct the water off the face
• Make sure you get underneath, by lifting up the clients head slightly if necessary
• Once the hair is saturated, add shampoo (remember less is best and you can always add more)
• Gently smooth the shampoo over the hair, going round the hairline and then bring it down to the ends
• Rub the shampoo in quite firmly to get foaming (if this doesn't happen, try adding water before more shampoo)
• The main area to focus on is the scalp - use your fingertips and talk to the model to ensure it is OK
• Use the towel to take any excess water off of your hand
• Rinse the shampoo out by continuously moving the hair around (should listen for squeaky noise)
• Repeat shampoo process again if necessary
• Apply conditioner to the mid length and ends of the hair, then use whatever is left on the top
• Comb the hair at the basin to remove knots with lubrication and barrier 
• Comb from top to bottom in smaller sections
• If the hair is knotty, give slack to the scalp so that it doesn’t pull the client’s head
• Rinse the comb off
• Rinse the conditioner out of the client’s hair, and remove any excess water by folding over the ends and squeezing
• Ask your client to sit up, out a towel around their head and again squeeze out any excess water
• Take this towel with you for when you comb the hair through
• Go back to the workstation and comb through
• Finally, blast the hair dry (or however is necessary)