Beauty Diaries: Why on Earth Are Mirrorless Salons a Thing?

Mirrorless salons are on the rise in Malaysia—here’s why our Beauty Editor is not on board with the trend.

The beauty world thrives on trends. One day we’re peddling clean girl slick backs and minimalist makeup, and the next we’re all for stage looks and big wigs—believe me, I’ve seen it all. However, there is one movement that has recently come on the rise, and I could not have predicted it in a million years: Mirrorless salons.

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Imagine any other salon that offers cuts, colour, wash, and style services, only there are no mirrors in sight. In theory, the logic checks out. Without mirrors, the stylist is free to work in peace, without having to fend off nervous complaints and ramblings from clients.

Things aren’t all bad for the client, either. Suppose you’re somebody who struggles with self-image and you find yourself nitpicking excessively throughout your appointment, or you just want to soak in the more sensorial aspects of your me-time. In that case, a mirror-free environment could be liberating! Still, I myself have found a few holes in the practice, and like any good investigator, I set out to challenge my biases and answer this question once and for all: Are mirrorless salons a yay or a nay? To do so, I sent two friends to a fully mirrorless salon to see whether we could be fully convinced by the trend. TL;DR: We could not, and here’s why: 

Reason #1: It can be either exciting or terrifying

As someone who is terrified of salons and needs to be kept in the loop at each stage of any hair makeover, having no mirrors around is my own personal nightmare. For context, I’ve had many bad cuts and colours imposed on me against my will, and as such, I’ve become very particular about my hair. So, not being able to tell what is going on up there (except through my phone’s front-facing camera) sounds like a stressful experience, to say the least.

That is definitely not the case for Friend #1, a regular at this particular salon. She says she liked it for two key reasons: that she is indecisive by nature and also loves the surprise element of each appointment. I cannot personally relate to this, but if you’re not precious about your hair and you’re willing to leave your locks in your stylist’s hands, the “chef’s recommendation” vibe of a mirrorless salon might be the solution you’ve been looking for. That said, I would be remiss to leave out the fact that Friend #1 has since switched salons due, in part, to a surprise gone wrong.

Friend #2, on the other hand, expressed that he had no trouble with the lack of mirrors. It was “a cool idea”, even, but only because he was going in for a pretty standard men’s cut (or so he thought—more on that below). He did, however, add that if he was doing anything crazier than a short-back-and-sides cut, he’d have had far more reservations.

Reason #2: An even haircut isn’t a given…

While a big bleach or colour service doesn’t necessarily require a mirror for great results, a haircut absolutely does—at least from what I’ve seen. One big red flag I noticed with Friend #2’s haircut is that it was, for lack of a better word, wonky. That, and it took around three times longer than it usually takes at his regular salon. I do feel it’s important to mention that the wonky cut might be a skill issue on the stylist’s part and not a direct result of the salon’s interior setup. Still, I can’t help but wonder if a reflective surface of some kind would have come in handy here…

You see, Friend #2 didn’t notice anything strange during his cut (duh, he couldn’t see what was happening), but sat right in front of him, I could clearly tell that his stylist was looking back and forth at each sideburn in a panic, struggling to match the sides of his hair accurately—something that a mirror definitely would have helped with. Fortunately, the wonkiness of Friend #2’s cut was easily concealed with the longer lengths on top, but if you were a long-haired girl looking for even, face-framing layers, you might not be so lucky. 

Reason #3: It’s harder to pick up on red flags

Like I said, I’m no stranger to botched salon experiences, so I’ve had to become pretty astute with salon red flags. I wouldn’t say that I’m at all a fussy client for my regular stylist, but if I’m trying out a new salon and I spot anything awry, I will speak up. Unfortunately, the mirrorless salon experience takes any control out of my hands (hence, why I can’t bring myself to buy into it). That’s not necessarily a bad thing—honestly, escaping my reflection and anxious nitpicking almost sounds very relaxing—but being at the total mercy of an unfamiliar stylist is a less-than-ideal scenario for me. If you ask Friend #1, though, being at the hands of a familiar stylist can also have undesired consequences.

Unfortunately, Friend #1 ended up quitting the mirrorless life altogether after having the worst experience with her usual salon. She’d specifically asked for cool, jet black tresses that were close to her natural hair colour, and she walked out with… blue hair. In fact, it wasn’t just a flat dark blue—with every wash, it got more and more neon. All in all, not what she’d asked for in the slightest. There are creative liberties that every stylist takes when a client briefs them, and then there’s whatever happened to my good friend’s hair. 

Ultimately, she rolled with the blue for a couple of months before getting a colour correction, but had she been able to see the way the colour was developing ahead of time, she could have advocated for herself and stopped her stylist in his tracks instead of faking a smile at the reveal.

The takeaway

While this read certainly may come off as a hater hit piece to some, I’m not actually saying that all mirrorless salons are bad. Ultimately, this is just an account of two people’s experiences at one salon. There are plenty of reasons one might want to make the switch to a mirrorless service, and if you’ve been considering it, then go for it!

Again, it can be a great way to unplug from the world for a couple of hours and give you some place to indulge your senses in peace. Really, I only have one piece of advice: Make sure you trust your stylist wholeheartedly and completely. 

If not, then avoid going in for a big dye job or a riskier haircut until you do find a stylist you trust. Or, just get a mirror in front of you, stat. If neither of those things is ticked off during your appointment, I’d suggest you bolt.

For more hair reads like this, click here.

...