EP 338: Courageous Hair Talks

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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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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (01:28):
Have you ever spotted thinning at a client's
crown or noticed more sheddingat the shampoo bowl but froze
because you didn't know how tobring it up?
Look, talking about hair losscan feel awkward, but it doesn't
have to.
In fact, the way we start theseconversations can build trust,
deepen our relationships, andeven help our clients protect

(01:51):
their hair before things getworse.
Welcome to All About Hair, wherewe talk shop, share stories, and
spill the secrets behind greathair and a great career.
I'm your host, Denise Keilitz, aformer salon owner, educator,
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylistbuilding your book, or just

(02:13):
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the
right place.
I know I talk about hair loss onthis podcast more than you
probably want to hear about hairloss.
But I have to tell you why.

(02:34):
It is probably one of the mainconcerns people come to me with.
And I think as stylists, we areon the front lines of hair
health.
We're the first to noticechanges in our clients' texture,
density, or if there's unusualshedding.
Often long before clients see itthemselves.

(02:56):
Yet many stylists avoid thesubject because they're worried
it will feel negative or they'reunsure of what to say.
That hesitation means clientsmiss out on early support and
proactive care.
I get it.
The biggest hurdle here is fear.
Your fear of the fear of scaringthe client.
That's real.

(03:17):
The fear of saying the wrongthing, totally get it.
Or the fear of stepping into amedical conversation.
We're not doctors.
Okay.

But here's the truth (03:27):
you are not diagnosing, you are
observing and educating.
And when you do it with empathyand positivity, it builds
confidence and loyalty.
I when I see people in my chairand I see anything weird on

(03:47):
their scalp, I ask theirpermission if I could take a
picture of it and put it intheir file.
That way we have a date.
We have a physical evidence ofwhat this spot looks like.
I don't care if it looks like amole, if it looks like stitches,
if it looks like a thin spot, ifit looks like a crusty spot.

(04:07):
Take a picture of it.
Maybe even share it with them sothey could take it to their
doctor because they don't knowwhat's on their head.
I didn't know I had alopeciaariata until my daughter, who I
think she was like eight yearsold at the time, said, Ooh, mom,
what's this on the back of yourhead?
I had no idea.
So people don't know what's ontheir head, okay?

(04:29):
So I'll never forget a guestearly in my career who started
coming in about every six weeksfor color because that's what we
coached to, right?
And over time I noticed morescalp showing at her part.
And I didn't say anything formonths because I didn't want to
embarrass her.
And I didn't, frankly, I didn'tknow what to say.
And when she finally brought itup, she was upset and said, I

(04:52):
wish someone would have told mesooner.
So you see, that moment changedthe way I approach hair health.
We don't know what we don'tknow.
And I'm talking about the personsitting in your seat, in your
chair.
They don't know.
You are the professional.
So here's how to talk about hairwellness with confidence,

(05:13):
without making it scary orawkward, because it does not
have to be.
You start with positivity.
Say something like, I lovekeeping an eye on your hair's
health for you.
Lately, I've noticed a littlemore shedding than usual.
It's common and it's oftenmanageable.
Ask them if they've noticed it.
Maybe they haven't noticed it.

(05:33):
More than likely, they'll tellyou they've noticed it.
And then ask somelifestyle-focused questions
like, have you noticed changesin your hair's texture or
thickness?
How's your stress level beenlately?
Are you getting time forself-care or rest?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Are there any changes to yourdiet or your energy levels?

(05:55):
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 theyunderstand that you are not a
doctor.
I am not a doctor.
These podcasts are not meant tobe medical advice.
These are just knowledge.
I'm just sharing the knowledgethat I have, that I read, that I

(06:20):
hear about, and you want topoint them to a medical doctor,
either a dermatologist, atricologist, or their general
practitioner.
Um, you want to educate aboutinside-out hair health, hair
sensitive to whatever ishappening in the body, like
stress, hormones, nutrition,inflammation.

(06:42):
Inflammation's huge, guys, huge.
I could tell you from personalfact that what I put in my body
causes inflammation.
And it is usually sugar.
Sugar in my body causesinflammation.
And how can I tell?
My scalp will get flaky orirritated, my joints will get

(07:04):
stiff and they'll hurt.
Um, I'll just feel a little bitmore 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, Idon't have any of those
symptoms.
As soon as I eat thatcheesecake, girl, it is back on.
I have to tell ya.

(07:25):
So I know myself that sugar isit produces that result in my
body.
Everybody's different, okay?
Everybody's going, everybody'sgot different effects on their
body.
So clients often think it's onlya scalp issue, but we can
explain that whole body healthmatters too.
Okay.
Those hormones, stress, it's areal deal.

(07:46):
Okay.
So then I would encourage themto seek a medical evaluation.
Say, I'm not a doctor, butsometimes blood work can reveal
things like hormone shifts,vitamin deficiency, or stress
responses.
A dermatologist or a primarycare doctor can help if you're
concerned.
You want to make sure you aredirecting them to go to their

(08:09):
doctor if there's somethinggoing on, right?
You can offer solutions andhope.
You could share that there'sproactive steps that they can
take from professional productsthat you may carry in your salon
to supplements like neutrophilto stress management and
nutrition.
Okay.
Neutrophil is a supplement, avitamin.

(08:30):
There's plenty onover-the-counter vitamins for
hair.
And you're not going to gowrong.
You want to make sure there'sbiotin in there.
You want to make sure there'svitamin D, uh uh omega-3s,
things like that.
You want to make sure thatthey're getting enough
nutrition.
Look, I just talked to a collegestudent the other day and she
was um talking about losing herhair.

(08:53):
She's not into hormone shiftslike I am.
You know, there's a 30-year agegap 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 thegreens that she needs to be
eating.
She might be eating a lot oframen noodles.
That's not really good stuff foryour hair or anything else for

(09:15):
that matter.
I have to say, though, thatsometimes I miss a good ramen
noodle.
But just let them know thattheir hair wellness isn't
hopeless, that there are thingsthat they could do.
Okay, Doug.
Um when we frame hair healthconversations as caring,
proactive, and hopeful, clientsleave feeling a little bit more

(09:38):
empowered instead of worried.
And that's the goal, okay?
They see us not just asstylists, but trusted advisors.
And that strengthens ourrelationships while helping them
achieve healthier, fuller hair.
Wouldn't you agree?
If you have any questions aboutthis, or if you've had a
situation that you haven'treally known how to handle, send

(10:02):
it to me.
Shout it out.
Send me your questions over onInstagram.
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 ahold of me, you can.
Remember, the best conversationsabout hair loss are
compassionate, hopeful, andfocused on solutions.

(10:22):
As stylists, we have the powerto notice changes early and
guide clients to help beforethings become overwhelming.
All right, for more tools tohelp you confidently talk hair
health, you can go over to mywebsite.
I've got tons of freebies overthere.
Grab yourself something overthere.

(10:43):
Um, I tons of stuff, okay?
I would love for you to pick upsomething that might help your
career and help you bettercommunicate with your guests.
And remember, when you knowbetter, you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
If you loved this episode, hitsubscribe, leave us a review,
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair loving friend.

(11:06):
You want more tips, tools, andbehind the scenes goodness?
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy 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.