After a practice, it is often difficult to see the flaws in your work with absolute clarity. A form might feel good to the eye when viewed from the front but not from the back, or the dry might be easy when you run your fingers through the hair but not in good lighting. The hairdressing novice can benefit from feedback when it points towards the real, visible and reproducible. Empty praise does not help, and general criticism confuses. You are looking for more than opinion; you are looking for observations which will help you improve your craft.
To begin with, it is better to show one thing that is done, and not a pile of half-completed tasks. For instance, if your aim is to work on better sectioning, do not ask for comments about your line of cut, blow dry, and finishing, all in the one go. Highlight one small thing and make a particular request, such as “Are my partings clear?” or, “Do the parts look the same on each side or does one feel tighter than the other? “ This means the eye has something specific to judge. The idea is the same with cutting and blending. If you are practising a blunt line, ask “When the hair is let down does the line look balanced?” If you are working to create a smooth finish, ask where does the hair look out of balance? The faster you will improve in the art of hairdressing, the more you can receive feedback which is specific and concrete rather than vague.
A common error is to ask, ‘Does this look good?’ This allows a shallow response to a request that is too broad and too subjective. The other pitfall is to wait for feedback at the conclusion of the whole look, when a combination of problems is present. You can make a small but significant adjustment by requesting feedback earlier and more narrowly. Show a completed small part and ask, ‘What do you notice about this part?’ If their answer is unhelpful, bring it to the craft; for example, ‘What do you see that feels unbalanced, heavy or uneven?’, ‘Which of these features feels rough, or disconnected?’. You do not want feedback which comforts, you want information that you can try in the next practice. This can be a significant difference, in transforming feedback into feedback that you are requesting, and into feedback that helps.
A small practice of this habit could follow these steps. Decide on one thing that you would like to work on, such as creating cleaner section lines or steadier cutting lines, or blending the mid-lengths smoothly. Focus completely on one task in one section and, if you can, photograph it from three different angles. Review the photo and identify one thing in it that you would have asked for feedback on. Ask a person you are working for, ‘What do you see in this photo which catches your eye first?’ After your friend has made a comment, do the same thing but focus on their comment. It is better to keep feedback tied to doing, rather than feedback as information. One observation that leads to an immediate repeat practice can teach much more than gathering many random comments.
Sometimes feedback can be disheartening. When this happens, remember that it is the part, not you, that is being criticised. Heavy sections, uneven tension and poorly blended areas are no judgement on your ability as a stylist. What they do show is that your hands were not as clear on that section. The feedback should enable you to read that criticism as direction; so what was the change that was made? where did you lose sight of your technique? how could you do that better the next time? Eventually, this will train you to see this yourself, so that you are able to make changes before you even have to ask for feedback, and so your practice sessions become more intentional, relaxed and more fruitful.