How to choose hair care for your salon

Hair care as part of your décor

When we talk about hair care in hair salons, the talk often ends up on ingredients, techniques, and offers. But the products shape your décor, set the mood, and tell the story of your brand (that is, who you and your salon are). Clients see, smell, and touch them – often before they have met your scissors. That is why it is worth choosing with just as much care as when you choose chair, mirror, and lighting.

What do your clients think?

Try to see your salon through a client’s eyes. They step in, feel the light, the colours – and the shelves. Is there a messy “shelf zoo” of brands in every colour and shape, or are they met by a selection that fits your style? Bottles, pumps, and labels are, in practice, small décor elements. Matte, sand-coloured bottles speak a completely different language from glossy, metallic designs. Both can be right – the question is what is right for you. 

What does your hair care smell like?

Scent also matters more than we talk about. The first hair wash is often where the client settles down. A signature scent – clean, herbal, warm, or completely neutral – can become part of your experience, which people connect with your salon in particular (that is brand building). On the other hand, too much scent can clash with a minimalist, “clinical” look or give sensitive clients a headache. Let your choice of hair care support the feeling you want: spa-calm, fashion-fresh, or close to nature. The same goes for texture: a rich, creamy treatment sends a different signal than a light, watery lotion.

Labels and brand building

There is also a brand layer: values. Do you want to come across as sustainable, uncompromising on results, allergy-friendly, vegan, or a mix? Products with a clear position make it easier to communicate, but that requires you to choose on purpose. Just remember that many clients may not care as much as you do, so if your salon is set up to get as many clients through as possible, labels matter less.

Consistency

Your clients listen for consistency: if you talk about gentleness and calm, but the shelves scream in neon, confusion appears. On the other hand, a small, carefully chosen accent range (for example a styling line with more edge) can add personality without confusing.  Also think about consistency between backbar/colour bar and sales area. What the client experiences at the wash should be what they can buy to take home – the same scent, the same feeling, the same quality. That creates recognition and trust. Better to choose fewer ranges that you can stand behind 100% than fifteen half-hearted ones. When you/your team know the range, the recommendations become warm and believable instead of mechanical and memorised.

The practical side matters

Bottles with drip-free pumps (normally that is standard) keep the wash area neater, and labels that do not peel look professional for longer. A well-thought-out display – perhaps in the same wood type as your reception desk, or with shelf lighting that does not distort colours – lifts both the products and the room.

A small tip: set up three alternative “shelf scenes”, take a step back, and feel which one feels most “you”. You can also sit in the chair and look in the mirror: what does the client actually see?

Finances

Finances and brand go together. An expensive, iconic brand can carry a luxury profile and raise the average spend; a more “normal” line can support an inclusive brand where “everyone should be able to join in”. Neither is “right” in itself – but it has to match your dream. 

Maybe most important

You do not have to choose blind. We run Denmark’s only impartial showroom for hairdressers – we do not sell shampoo. That means you can drop by, test different ranges in real salon settings, and get guidance with no hidden motives. Together we can look at your colours, your lighting, and your target group and match it with hair care, scent profiles, and categories that make sense for your clients.

If you already have a favourite, we are happy to help make it work better in your salon: the right shelf width, rhythm in the heights, small “breathing spaces” on the shelving, so everything is not standing shoulder to shoulder.

In short

Products are not only products. They speak to the client’s senses, confirm your style, and become part of your reputation. If you feel like trying, seeing, and smelling your way forward in peace and quiet, then drop by our showroom. See you!