Huffington Post: Gina Rivera on Holiday Hair Appointments

Time for my annual warning. Get your salon appointments scheduled now for the busy Holiday Season.

Halloween is here, baby! Temperatures are dropping. Don’t get left out in the cold.

Maybe all you’re doing next Saturday night is walking your little goblins around the neighborhood but, if you’re lucky enough to be headed to a killer Halloween party, you already need great hair. Don’t rely on the costume alone to turn heads for your big entry.

Right around the corner is Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s… This is the busy season for stylists, nail technicians and other salon professionals. Good ones are booking up fast. If you don’t call soon, you may end up on a waiting list or taking an appointment at an odd time of the day or week, and that’s if you’re a favorite client!

Here’s an option: ask for a referral. If your first choice is booked, ask her to recommend someone else. No stylist wants to lose work but if she doesn’t have an opening, she will probably help you with a referral to an experienced stylist who is new in town or perhaps a young stylist without a lot of experience but great skills and talent. These people are definitely out there and they want and need the work, even at this time of year.

Here’s another option: Go looking on your own. Begin by asking friends where they get their hair done and what they think of their stylists. See someone with beautiful hair? Don’t be shy. Ask her where she got it styled.

Got a referral? Then move fast. Don’t wait around. Get that appointment. Lock it down. Get two appointments! How you wear your hair for New Year’s Eve could be completely different from the style for that Christmas party. And you’ll certainly need another appointment after Thanksgiving.

Don’t wait any longer. Make the calls now.