PERHAPS I CAN blame it on the robe. Or maybe it's the hydraulic chair. But something about sitting in a hair salon deactivates my inquisitive-reporter skills, and makes my familiarity with hair vocabulary fly out the window.

或许我可以怪那件袍子，或者那把理发椅。但只要坐在发廊里，我作为记者的刨根问底的技能就莫名其妙地失效了，和发型有关的词汇也跑到了九霄云外。

Things get worse once the stylist starts making suggestions-typically proposing ways to remove some of the weight from my fine but very thick straight hair. Instead of speaking up, I nod in agreement, disregarding my knowledge of what works on my hair-or doesn't. A decade ago, I let a stylist cut wispy bangs, knowing my cowlick would never cooperate. And when I do make requests, I'm often not specific enough. On several occasions, I've asked for 'long layers,' only to walk away with the dreaded 'Rachel,' long past its '90s heyday.

一旦发型师开始做推荐，事情就会变得更糟──我是直发，头发很细，但是非常厚，所以他们一般都会提出几个减少发量的方法。我不会说出自己的想法，而是点头表示赞同，将我对自己的头发适合做什么以及不适合做什么的见解全都抛到了脑后。10年前，我让一个发型师给我剪了薄刘海，尽管我知道前面的发旋永远都不会乖乖合作。有时候对发型师提出要求时，往往我又说的不够具体。好几次我都要求剪“层次分明的长发”，结果每次走出发廊时都顶着可怕的“瑞秋”(Rachel，《老友记》中的角色)头，而这种发型早就过了90年代的全盛时期。

Jenna Blackwell, a 30-year-old publicist in New York, has found herself flustered, too. 'I can picture the cut in my head. I know the terms, but it never comes out right,' she said. Ms. Blackwell now brings in her iPad with several pictures of a single celebrity to show her stylist of 2½ years the haircut from multiple angles. Her inspiration of late is Gwyneth Paltrow's long bob circa 2009.

30岁的詹娜・布莱克威尔(Jenna Blackwell)是纽约一名公关专员，她发现自己也有这样的问题。她说：“我的脑子里能够浮现出发型的样子。我也知道那些用词，但说出来就是不对。”现在布莱克威尔会在iPad里放上一个明星发型不同角度的几张照片拿给发型师看，她固定找这位发型师做头发已经有两年半时间了。她最近的灵感是格温妮丝・帕特洛(Gwyneth Paltrow)2009年前后的长波波头。

Even a stylist you see regularly can get it wrong. On Ms. Blackwell's recent trip to the salon, after a five-month lapse, she left her Paltrow photos at home. Instead, she showed her hairdresser an old picture of herself on the small screen of her iPhone, asking for her original style. She walked out with a cut much shorter than she expected. 'I feel like it isn't my fault,' she said.

即使是固定的发型师也会犯错。布莱克威尔最近一次去这家发廊的时候把帕特洛的照片忘在了家里，此时离她上次光临这里已有五个月时间。于是她用iPhone的小屏幕给发型师看了自己的一张旧照片，要求做原来的发型。结果头发剪得比她想像得短。她说：“我觉得这不是我的错。”

As much as we would like to remain blameless, communication is a two-way street. There are things you can do to better explain your needs. For starters, be honest when answering a stylist's questions, especially about the kind of daily maintenance you're prepared to undertake. 'It can be tempting to overstate your intentions, as if going to the dentist and proudly announcing you floss daily,' said Emily Weiss, founder of the beauty site Into the Gloss. It may save you embarrassment, she added, 'but you're also not telling them the whole truth.'

尽管我们都希望错不在自己，但沟通是双向的。有很多做法可以更好地解释你的需求。首先，回答发型师问题的时候要诚实，尤其是关于每天对头发的护理。美容网站Into the Gloss创始人埃米莉・韦斯(Emily Weiss)说：“人们很容易会夸大自己的意图，就像去看牙医的时候骄傲地宣称自己每天都用牙线一样。”她说，这样说可能会避免难堪，“但你并没有说出全部的真相”。

Honesty with yourself is the best policy, too. You may aspire to spend 45 minutes adding waves to your straight hair each morning, but is that realistic? If your stylist doesn't ask, offer the information up.

对自己诚实也是上策。你或许立志每天早晨花上45分钟的时间把自己的直发弄卷，但是现实吗？如果你的发型师不问，那就主动提供信息。

When talking about the cut-or color-you seek, a picture can be worth the proverbial thousand words. 'A lot of clients say one thing, but they don't understand what they're saying,' said Patrick Melville, co-owner of two salons in New York City. With a photo, Mr. Melville said, 'I get an idea of where they want to go-and whether it's realistic for them.' But adjust your expectations. The star with the hair of your dreams likely had a few people spend hours perfecting it.

讨论你想要的发型或颜色时，图片往往胜过千言万语。在纽约与他人合伙经营两家发廊的帕特里克・梅尔维尔(Patrick Melville)说：“很多客户会说出某个要求，但他们不知道自己说的是什么。” 梅尔维尔说，有了图片，“我就会知道他们的想法，以及对他们来说是否现实”。但同时要调整你的预期。拥有你梦想发型的那位明星可能有好几个人花好几个小时为她打理发型。

The picture isn't by any means a flawless way to communicate, especially if you pick an unrealistic shot. Look for a celebrity with a hair color and texture that seems similar to your own. Perhaps more important, take the time to figure out what you like about the 'do. Is it the technical cut itself or more the overall vibe?

图片绝不是沟通的完美方式，尤其是如果你选了一张不切实际的照片。寻找发色和发质与你相近的明星。也许更重要的是，花时间想想你喜欢这款发型的哪些地方。是发型手法本身还是整体给人的感觉？

Even the professionally beautiful take this approach. When model Karlie Kloss was ready to cut off her hair, she began with some research to show her stylist, the mono-named Garren. 'I brought in a bunch of photos before we pulled the scissors out,' Ms. Kloss said. Her starting point: '60s model Jean Shrimpton's long, side-swept bangs. Garren then took it shorter, resulting in the style now known as the Karlie Chop.

就连以美为职业的人也在采用这种方法。模特卡莉・克洛斯(Karlie Kloss)准备剪头发时，做了一些调查，把结果拿给她的发型师加伦(Garren)看。克洛斯说：“我带来了一堆照片，在开剪之前先看这些照片。”最开始的参照是60年代模特琼・诗琳普顿(Jean Shrimpton)的长斜刘海。加伦把刘海长度改短，打造出了现在被称为“Karlie Chop”的发型。

Another option is to bring in a picture of yourself when your hair was at its best-or even its worst, said Leanne Citrone, co-owner of the Andy Lecompte Salon in Los Angeles. It gives clients the chance to say, 'this is what works for me [or not],' said Ms. Citrone. The show-not-tell approach is also advisable for communicating length. What you picture as an inch might really be a half an inch or an inch-and-a-half. It's better to use your hands to mark the desired length.

洛杉矶Andy Lecompte Salon美发店的老板之一利安娜・西特伦(Leanne Citrone)说，另一个选择是带一张自己的发型处于最好状态的照片──或者最差状态的照片也行。她说，这样客户就有机会说“这样的发型适合我（或者不适合我）”。沟通头发长度问题的时候也推荐用这种展示的方法。你想象中的一英寸或许其实只有半英寸或者一英寸半。最好用手来比划出你想要的长度。

If you don't want feel like you're shouldering the entire burden of communication, shop around for stylists who make it a priority to understand clients' wishes. Fuat Celik, a New York City stylist known professionally as Cedric, is one such professional. During the decade he spent working for Fr谷d谷ric Fekkai, Mr. Celik said, 'I realized that the most successful people in the industry were not the most talented-they were the best communicators.'

如果你不想由你来完全承担沟通的负担，那就寻找注重了解客户意愿的发型师。本名福阿德・切利克(Fuat Celik)的纽约发型师锡德里克(Cedric)就是这样一位专业人士。切利克说，在供职于Frederic Fekkai的10年里，“我意识到，这个行业里最成功的人并不是最有才华的，而是最擅长沟通的”。

In fact, highly skilled stylists can get caught up in giving a good technical haircut at the expense of a guest's wishes. 'You can have the best steak, but if you asked for fish, it isn't the best steak,' said Mr. Celik. His advice is to be wary of a salon that sends you off to the shampoo sinks or even offers up a robe before you get a chance to talk with your stylist. At his salon, called A.k.a. Cedric, Mr. Celik first brings a client over to his station and then steps in front of the chair to get a good full-body look.

事实上，技术高超的发型师往往会不盲从顾客的意愿以打造出一个好发型。切利克说：“你可以吃最好的牛排，但如果你要的是鱼，那就不是最好的牛排了。”他的建议是小心那些在你还没跟发型师说上话之前就让你去洗头或者递上袍子的发廊。在他的美发店A.k.a. Cedric，切利克首先会让顾客去他的工位，然后走到椅子前面，将顾客全身上下好好打量一番。

'Everybody communicates without speaking,' he said. He takes note of clothing and accessories, to determine a client's taste. So resist the temptation to wear your comfy but frumpy Saturday morning sweatpants and opt for an outfit that better reflects your personal style.

他说：“所有人都在进行着无言的沟通。”他会注意顾客的衣服和配饰，从而判断顾客的品味。所以最好不要穿星期六早晨穿的舒服但过于懒散的运动裤，选择能更好体现个人风格的服装。

Mr. Celik also studies a client's body language for hints on how ready for change she may be. Someone who touches her hair repeatedly while talking is likely quite attached to her locks, so he treads carefully. He then peppers his guest with questions about her hair and her daily routine, listening carefully for cues and hints. If she maintains a regular exercise habit, she might need her hair long enough to be pulled off her face.

切利克还会研究顾客的身体语言，以判断顾客对改变有多大程度的准备。交谈时老是摸头发的人可能对自己的头发感情很深，所以他会小心应对。接着他会问很多有关头发和日常护理的问题，通过顾客的回答仔细寻找线索。如果顾客有固定锻炼的习惯，她可能需要头发足够长，以便扎起来方便运动。

Ultimately, there is a time when relinquishing control to the experts makes sense. 'People who come to me, they trust me,' said Sally Hershberger, the woman responsible for giving Meg Ryan her famed shag. For Ms. Hershberger, too much talking interferes with the creative process. 'I just know,' she said. 'That's why I'm hired to do Prada.'

最后，有时还应该把控制权让给专业人士。为梅格・瑞恩(Meg Ryan)打造了著名的凌乱发型的萨莉・赫什伯格(Sally Hershberger)说：“来找我的人都很信任我。”对赫什伯格来说，太多的交谈会干扰创作过程。她说：“我心里有数，这就是为什么我被请来为普拉达(Prada)模特打造发型的原因。”