Client consultation, communication and aftercare advice
Client consultation, communication and aftercare advice
This domain tests whether you can gather accurate information, obtain consent, recognise contraindications and give aftercare that the client can actually follow. It also tests professional communication: open questions, active listening, confidentiality and record keeping.
Core rules
- Use open questions ('What do you dislike about your hair?') before closed checks ('Have you ever had a reaction?').
- Record the consultation: products, timings, test results, advice and consent.
- Carry out patch tests and strand tests where the product manufacturer requires them, and record the result and date.
- Explain risks in plain language and obtain informed consent before service.
- Refer medical conditions, undiagnosed scalp lesions, pregnancy-related queries beyond your scope and allergy symptoms.
- Aftercare must be specific: product type, frequency, heat protection, when to return, what reaction to report.
Worked example
A client wants a dark colour but mentions 'a bit of itching' after a previous colour. The stylist does not proceed. They ask when and where the reaction occurred, advise a patch test per manufacturer instructions, record the refusal, and offer a cut and style instead. Reasoning: itching may be an early allergy sign; a patch test is a control, not a guarantee, and medical referral is needed if symptoms are active.
Traps
Leading questions that suggest the answer; promising 'no damage'; failing to record a test; giving generic aftercare ('use conditioner'); discussing a client's details in the staffroom.