What to write in your client notes

Good client notes let you pick up where you left off, even months later, and let anyone covering for you do the same. Some things you write once per client. The rest you write after every visit.

Once per client

• How to reach them: name, phone, and how they like to be contacted.
• Allergies and sensitivities, and the date and result of the last patch test.
• Their hair: texture, density, natural level and how much gray.
• Chemical history: box dye, relaxers, keratin treatments, henna. Anything that changes how color or lightener will take.
• How they wear it: how much time they spend styling, whether they air dry, what they didn't like last time.
• The small things they share: a birthday, a new job, a trip coming up. Remembering them is part of the service.

After every visit

• The date and the service.
• What you did, in numbers: length taken off, guard sizes, layers and where they start, the technique.
• The color formula, if there was one: shades and amounts, developer, ratio and timing. See how to write down a hair color formula.
• Products you used, and anything they bought to take home.
• The price and how long it took, so you can book the right time and quote the same next visit.
• How it went, and what to change next time.
• A photo of the result, in daylight if you can.
• When they should come back.

Tips for notes you can use later

• Write during the service or right after, not at the end of the day.
• Be specific. "Took 2 cm off, #2 on the sides" helps next time. "A trim" doesn't.
• Write a new note each visit instead of changing the old one, so you can see what changed over time.
• Write it so a colleague could follow it without asking you.
• Keep personal notes kind and short. Write as if the client could read them.
• Your notes hold health details and phone numbers, so keep them behind a lock, not on an open counter.

Keeping client notes in HairSync

HairSync is salon booking software built for stylists, with every client's notes next to their appointments. Each client has a card with their phone, email, birthday, hair type, and a box for preferences, allergies and notes. Each visit gets its own note: the service, the date, what you did, the color formula, the price, how long it took and photos. Next time, search the client by name or phone and their visits are listed newest first.

It runs in the browser on your phone, tablet or laptop, with no app to install, and costs $20 a month per stylist with text reminders included. It's free for up to 100 clients.