Hands up who is on a diet and exercise regime for Christmas? Loads of you will be wanting a hair overhaul too but how many of you find yourselves backing out when you get to the salon and walking out with a 2cm trim? What are you so afraid of, asks Jed Hamill of Graham Webb International.

The hairdresser will talk me into cutting off too much hair

Tell the hairdresser what you want and be clear. Don’t just say “Oh whatever you think” as many people do, because what you think and what they think are almost certainly different!

Start with a little and then if you feel it’s not enough, get him/her to take some more off.

You are in charge!

What if the colour goes wrong?

You should always be offered a full consultation before a colour service, where the colourist will chat to you about what kind of shades you are looking for, how much maintenance you want to give your hair and so on.

You should be shown some hair swatches with ideas of shades that might suit you. It’s also a good idea to be able to tell the colourist what if anything is already on your hair in terms of previous salon or home colours. This is very important as the finished result can vary enormously depending on what is already on your hair and the condition it’s in.

Do listen to what they advise though - there is no point going into a salon with a picture of your favourite celebrity and insisting on exactly that colour when your actual hair or skin tone just won’t work with it.

I’ll be given the hard sell and forced into buying a load of products I don’t want

A lot of people’s worst nightmare. You go into the salon for a relaxing cut and blow-dry and an hour away from the kids and you end up getting your ear bent about what you should be buying.

The situation is this - salons sell styling and hair care products that you cannot buy in the shops, for example Clynol is the salon exclusive and the brand consists of products specifically formulated for hairdressers.

Hairdressers use their expertise and knowledge of you and your hair type to specifically recommend something unique for you. They would not be doing their job properly if they didn’t propose you a full after-care service to complement what is being done in the salon.

They know their onions so take advantage of it!

I’d be too embarrassed to say if I didn’t like it

Now get real! If you bought a pair of red shoes and when you looked in the box they had actually given you blue ones would you do nothing about it? No, of course not!

If you pay for something, it’s got to be exactly right and this is definitely true of a trip to the salon.

You should be walking away no less than 100 per cent satisfied. Any good hairdresser will care if their customer is unhappy. A cheesed-off client who hates her look is the worst publicity a salon can get.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of your treatment, tell your stylist/colourist what you don’t like and I’m sure they will do their utmost to rectify it for you.

If you are still unhappy, then ask to speak to the salon manager. It’s part of their job to deal with problems so don’t feel bad about it.

Whatever you do though, speak up, it’s much easier to sort out any issues there and then and don’t forget, the salon wants you to return again and again so it’s up to them to keep you happy!