I've been a hairdresser for ten years and I rent a chair. I see about 30 clients a week, and around 5 of them don't turn up. That's roughly one in six.
What a no-show costs me
A colour appointment takes anywhere from 2 to 5 hours, and I charge over £100 for it. When a colour client doesn't turn up, that slot has stayed empty. Those are the no-shows that hurt most.
Take a deposit and make the rule clear
I take a £10 deposit, and every client knows it's the rule. Clients who've paid a deposit nearly always turn up. Before I started taking them, no-shows were noticeably worse, because people treated booking as optional.
A new client sometimes asks why. I explain that it holds their slot. If you're thinking about starting, don't be afraid to ask. Clients respect a clear rule.
Text the day before
I text the day before: "Hi, you have an appointment tomorrow for [treatment]. Please confirm you can attend." If they don't reply, I assume they might not come, so I call an hour before to check.
Write your cancellation policy down
My policy is 48 hours' notice for colour and 24 hours for everything else. It's on my price list and my social media, so clients see it before they book. If someone is genuinely ill or has an emergency, I move their deposit to a new date.
A template you can adapt:
A £[amount] deposit holds your appointment and comes off your final bill. Please give at least [48 hours for colour / 24 hours for other services] notice to change or cancel, and your deposit will be moved to a new date. Late cancellations or missed appointments may mean the deposit is kept.
Charge fairly
UK guidance on fair contracts says a deposit you keep should match what you would actually lose when a client cancels, and a cancellation fee should allow for what you can do to limit that loss, such as filling the slot with another client. You can usually keep a deposit in full if it is a small percentage of the price and you have made clear when it stops being refundable. Keeping money when the client isn't at fault is unlikely to be fair. Read GOV.UK's Writing a fair contract for customers for the detail. This is general information, not legal advice.
When a slot opens up
When a slot opens up at short notice, I message a few regulars to see if anyone wants it.
A note from JandEveFlow: we're building software to send reminders, collect deposits and let clients reschedule. It hasn't launched yet. Join the waitlist for launch news.
More from the blog: booking systems for hairdressers, client management for nail techs and client retention. You'll find more free templates in our resources.