Checks, not questions
The difference between a checklist and a conversation guide is that the first contains verifications with a binary outcome: done or not done. Strand test run, technical history reconstructed, number of sessions stated, upkeep agreed. None of those entries allows a maybe.
The moment to apply it is before mixing the product, not during the consultation. It's a final control: if an entry is missing, the service doesn't start and you go back two minutes instead of two hours.
The checklist also has a function towards the team. It makes it visible to anyone whether a service was prepared properly, without anyone having to check a colleague's work: whoever comes next sees the ticked entries and knows what they can rely on.
Which verifications prevent the most problems
The chart is qualitative and shows how often each missed check is behind a colour service that went wrong.
The entries and what each prevents
The table lists the essential checks with the problem each one catches.
| Check | What it prevents | When |
|---|---|---|
| Complete technical history | Unexpected reactions on previous colour | Before the proposal |
| Condition and porosity assessed | Damage to already stressed hair | Before the proposal |
| Sessions and total cost stated | Dispute over the intermediate result | Before the quote |
| Upkeep agreed | Shift blamed on the salon | Before starting |
How to apply it
Before mixing the product
It's a final control, not a guide.
Four or five entries
A long list gets ticked mechanically.
No exceptions
A checklist you can bypass stops being used.
Review every six months
Starting from cases that went wrong.
How to use it
- Apply it as a final control, before mixing the product.
- Keep it short: four or five entries, not twenty.
- No exceptions: a checklist you can get around doesn't get used.
Length determines its survival. A list of twenty entries gets ticked mechanically after two weeks, and at that point it catches nothing. Four real checks, which occasionally do stop a service, stay useful for years.
It's worth reviewing it every six months starting from the cases that went wrong. If a problem recurred and no entry would have caught it, that's the moment to add one; if an entry has never stopped anything, it can probably go.
When consultation becomes the real bottleneck
Saloria turns these questions into guided phases and connects the answers to the look plan. The product works on tablet alongside the client: face analysis, prudent preview, technical protocol and look plan.
Frequently asked questions
How many entries should it have?
Four or five. A long list gets ticked mechanically and stops catching problems.
When should it be applied?
As a final control before mixing product, not during the consultation: it exists to stop a service starting incomplete.
How do you update it?
From the cases that went wrong every six months: add an entry if a recurring problem wasn't caught, remove one that has never stopped anything.