EP 338: Courageous Hair Talks

Ever freeze when you spot thinning at the bowl or see a wider part but don’t know how to bring it up? We walk through a calm, confident way to start the hair-loss conversation that strengthens trust, keeps clients informed, and leads to earlier, more effective help. From the exact words to open with to the questions that reveal stress, sleep, and nutrition patterns, you’ll learn how to guide without overstepping—and why your chair may be the first place real change begins.

We break down a simple framework: observe, ask permission, document with photos, and create a baseline you can revisit together. You’ll hear why clarifying boundaries—“I’m not diagnosing; I’m observing and educating”—actually builds credibility, and how timely referrals to dermatologists, trichologists, or primary care providers can uncover hormone shifts, vitamin deficiencies, or inflammation that hair so often reflects. Along the way, we connect inside-out hair health to daily choices: sugar and inflammation, cortisol and shedding, protein and growth, vitamin D and scalp comfort, omega-3s and shine. Expect practical, realistic steps clients can take now, from gentle scalp care and professional products to supplements and small habit shifts that add up.

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Chapters

• 2:25 Naming The Awkward: Hair Loss
• 3:20 Why Stylists Are First Responders
• 5:53 Fear, Boundaries, And Empathy
• 6:58 Document, Track, And Share Findings
• 8:26 A Lesson From Waiting Too Long
• 9:59 Scripts For Gentle Openers
• 11:33 Lifestyle Clues And Intake Questions
• 12:58 Not Medical Advice: Make Referrals

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:13

Have you ever spotted thinning at a client's crown or noticed more shedding at the shampoo bowl but froze because you didn't know how to bring it up? Look, talking about hair loss can feel awkward, but it doesn't have to. In fact, the way we start these conversations can build trust, deepen our relationships, and even help our clients protect their hair before things get worse. Welcome to All About Hair, where we talk shop, share stories, and spill the secrets behind great hair and a great career. I'm your host, Denise Keilitz, a former salon owner, educator, and a lifelong hair crusader. Whether you're a new stylist building your book, or just someone who loves learning about all things hair, you're in the right place. I know I talk about hair loss on this podcast more than you probably want to hear about hair loss. But I have to tell you why. It is probably one of the main concerns people come to me with. And I think as stylists, we are on the front lines of hair health. We're the first to notice changes in our clients' texture, density, or if there's unusual shedding. Often long before clients see it themselves. Yet many stylists avoid the subject because they're worried it will feel negative or they're unsure of what to say. That hesitation means clients miss out on early support and proactive care. I get it. The biggest hurdle here is fear. Your fear of the fear of scaring the client. That's real. The fear of saying the wrong thing, totally get it. Or the fear of stepping into a medical conversation. We're not doctors. Okay. But here's the truth: you are not diagnosing, you are observing and educating. And when you do it with empathy and positivity, it builds confidence and loyalty. I when I see people in my chair and I see anything weird on their scalp, I ask their permission if I could take a picture of it and put it in their file. That way we have a date. We have a physical evidence of what this spot looks like. I don't care if it looks like a mole, if it looks like stitches, if it looks like a thin spot, if it looks like a crusty spot. Take a picture of it. Maybe even share it with them so they could take it to their doctor because they don't know what's on their head. I didn't know I had alopecia ariata until my daughter, who I think she was like eight years old at the time, said, Ooh, mom, what's this on the back of your head? I had no idea. So people don't know what's on their head, okay? So I'll never forget a guest early in my career who started coming in about every six weeks for color because that's what we coached to, right? And over time I noticed more scalp showing at her part. And I didn't say anything for months because I didn't want to embarrass her. And I didn't, frankly, I didn't know what to say. And when she finally brought it up, she was upset and said, I wish someone would have told me sooner. So you see, that moment changed the way I approach hair health. We don't know what we don't know. And I'm talking about the person sitting in your seat, in your chair. They don't know. You are the professional. So here's how to talk about hair wellness with confidence, without making it scary or awkward, because it does not have to be. You start with positivity. Say something like, I love keeping an eye on your hair's health for you. Lately, I've noticed a little more shedding than usual. It's common and it's often manageable. Ask them if they've noticed it. Maybe they haven't noticed it. More than likely, they'll tell you they've noticed it. And then ask some lifestyle-focused questions like, have you noticed changes in your hair's texture or thickness? How's your stress level been lately? Are you getting time for self-care or rest? Are you getting enough sleep? Are there any changes to your diet or your energy levels? Look, you're not diagnosing, you're gathering info and helping them connect the dots. Okay. You are not a doctor. You want to make sure they understand that you are not a doctor. I am not a doctor. These podcasts are not meant to be medical advice. These are just knowledge. I'm just sharing the knowledge that I have, that I read, that I hear about, and you want to point them to a medical doctor, either a dermatologist, a tricologist, or their general practitioner. Um, you want to educate about inside-out hair health, hair sensitive to whatever is happening in the body, like stress, hormones, nutrition, inflammation. Inflammation's huge, guys, huge. I could tell you from personal fact that what I put in my body causes inflammation. And it is usually sugar. Sugar in my body causes inflammation. And how can I tell? My scalp will get flaky or irritated, my joints will get stiff and they'll hurt. Um, I'll just feel a little bit more achy all over. As soon as I, not as soon as, about four or five days after I cut all sugar out of my diet, I don't have any of those symptoms. As soon as I eat that cheesecake, girl, it is back on. I have to tell ya. So I know myself that sugar is it produces that result in my body. Everybody's different, okay? Everybody's going, everybody's got different effects on their body. So clients often think it's only a scalp issue, but we can explain that whole body health matters too. Okay. Those hormones, stress, it's a real deal. Okay. So then I would encourage them to seek a medical evaluation. Say, I'm not a doctor, but sometimes blood work can reveal things like hormone shifts, vitamin deficiency, or stress responses. A dermatologist or a primary care doctor can help if you're concerned. You want to make sure you are directing them to go to their doctor if there's something going on, right? You can offer solutions and hope. You could share that there's proactive steps that they can take from professional products that you may carry in your salon to supplements like neutrophil to stress management and nutrition. Okay. Neutrophil is a supplement, a vitamin. There's plenty on over-the-counter vitamins for hair. And you're not going to go wrong. You want to make sure there's biotin in there. You want to make sure there's vitamin D, uh uh omega-3s, things like that. You want to make sure that they're getting enough nutrition. Look, I just talked to a college student the other day and she was um talking about losing her hair. She's not into hormone shifts like I am. You know, there's a 30-year age gap here, but she has a lot of stress in her life. So it could be that. And nutrition, guess what? She's a poor college student. She might not be eating all the greens that she needs to be eating. She might be eating a lot of ramen noodles. That's not really good stuff for your hair or anything else for that matter. I have to say, though, that sometimes I miss a good ramen noodle. But just let them know that their hair wellness isn't hopeless, that there are things that they could do. Okay, Doug. Um when we frame hair health conversations as caring, proactive, and hopeful, clients leave feeling a little bit more empowered instead of worried. And that's the goal, okay? They see us not just as stylists, but trusted advisors. And that strengthens our relationships while helping them achieve healthier, fuller hair. Wouldn't you agree? If you have any questions about this, or if you've had a situation that you haven't really known how to handle, send it to me. Shout it out. Send me your questions over on Instagram. It's Denise Kylitz. Um, or you can go to my website, get a hold of me there. You can shoot me an email. Um, any way you want to get a hold of me, you can. Remember, the best conversations about hair loss are compassionate, hopeful, and focused on solutions. As stylists, we have the power to notice changes early and guide clients to help before things become overwhelming. All right, for more tools to help you confidently talk hair health, you can go over to my website. I've got tons of freebies over there. Grab yourself something over there. Um, I tons of stuff, okay? I would love for you to pick up something that might help your career and help you better communicate with your guests. And remember, when you know better, you do better. Thanks for tuning in to All About Hair. If you loved this episode, hit subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with a fellow stylist or hair loving friend. You want more tips, tools, and behind the scenes goodness? Follow me on YouTube or head to my website at deniseKeilitz.com. Yes, I know it's hard to spell, so don't worry, the link is in the show notes. Until next time, keep learning, keep creating, and keep loving what you do.