Hanover  - A visit to the hairdresser that ends in embarrassment, tears and a cap over the head certainly is undesirable.

Ideally, the customer returns home with exactly the hairstyle she wanted. The path to this goal is forged by preparing well. Knowing your own style helps, as does understanding your hair type and the shape of your head and matching colour. Looking at photos in a

magazine provides little assistance, experts say.

If the result is not what the customer wanted, in most cases it's due to poor communication between the customer and the hairstylist, said Hans-Rudolf Meyer of a German association for hairstylists. Before the stylist starts to cut, he or she should ask exactly what the customer wants. And the customer should think about their hairstyle ahead of time and formulate what it is they desire, said Meyer.

When a customer says they want their hair "like in the photo," it sounds like standard operating procedure. And phrases like "a picture is worth a thousand words" sometimes come to customers at the hair stylist. Many bring a photo of their dream hairstyle along to the salon.

"Pictures from a magazine are not really suitable for choosing a style that you like," said Rudolf Wiegand of a German association of hairstylists. "They are at most a suggestion. The facial features of the actors and actresses or models in magazines are as a rule quite different from those of the customers." Wiegand therefore recommends women take suggestions from their friends.

When choosing a hair colour, it can help to compare colour samples with the customer's hair. She can then see whether the colour matches her complexion and eye colour. But Wiegand said the customer should be informed that the colour samples were done on white hair. Thus, as a rule they look different on actual hair.

Generally, women should prepare for an appointment at the hair salon only after coming up with a clear idea of what they want, said Stefanie Koehn, president of Germany's federal association of hair stylists.

"There are two types of women: Ones that want to look like someone else and ones who are comfortable with who they are. Women should have the confidence to count themselves among the second type." She advises her customers not to go to their first appointment all decked out. They should wear as little makeup as possible and put on something they would wear on a regular day.

It's also helpful when women bring photographs of themselves from the last five years, Koehn said.

"Then we can see what looks good on her and what she likes," said Koehn. A thorough consultation is important in the first appointment. It should take about 15 minutes. It can be even longer, though, and some salons charge extra for the consultation.

"A good hair stylist looks at the structure of the hair and the direction of the cowlick," Koehn said. Questions about the type of hair care products the customer uses, what she does for a living and what sports she does also play a role. They also should find out when the last colour or highlights were applied and how much time the woman spends daily on hair care.

Occasionally, there are misunderstandings over terminology such as layered or fringed. Therefore, it's important to ask exactly what a layered or fringed haircut really looks like, Koehn added. The customer's idea of what a sassy haircut or a light perm is can vary greatly from the hairstylist's. While the stylist is thinking of a totally flipped out hair style or a particular size of curl, the customer has something completely different in mind.

If at the end of the haircut, the hair isn't lying as the customer imagined, she must tell the stylist. That's the only way he or she can understand what the customer meant and the next time he or she can grasp it.

"They shouldn't simply go to another hair salon the next time they need a haircut," said Koehn. The work the customer did ahead of time then goes out the window. This is also true when the customer isn't satisfied with her hair at some point later. Sometimes all they need are a few styling tips for blow drying the hair. (dpa)