The 3 mistakes that will make hairdressers lose clients in 2026
In 2026, a good haircut won’t be enough: if you get communication wrong, you lose clients. Here’s why.
Article by: Opux
In recent years, Italian salons have become more beautiful, more digital, more refined. But the truth is that many are losing clients without understanding the real reason.
Not because of technique. Not because of price.
But because of old habits and communication that no longer speaks the language of the people walking into the salon.
In 2026, competition will be brutal: Google, TikTok and artificial intelligence are rewriting the rules.
Here are the 3 mistakes I see every day — the ones that will make even the best hairdressers lose clients.
1. Talking only about hair, never about people
People don’t want to see just a “before and after.”
They want to feel understood. They want to feel seen.
Those who post only perfect cuts but zero emotion will disappear from the feeds in 2026.
Marketing isn’t showing what you do — it’s showing why you do it better than the rest.
👉 Solution: tell stories, not services. Show real faces, real clients, and explain why they choose you.
2. Ignoring AI and staying “analog”
“I don’t have time for artificial intelligence.”
I’ve heard this sentence a thousand times — always from businesses that will shut down within a year.
In 2026, AI won’t be optional: it will be the filter that decides who exists online and who doesn’t.
Those who use it create content, reply to clients, manage bookings, predict trends.
Those who ignore it fade into the background.
👉 Solution: use tools like MdP h(AI)r, the first AI created by hairdressers for hairdressers, and start automating your communication for real.
3. Not understanding that trust is worth more than a perfect color
You can be the best technician in the world, but if a client feels you are “distant,” she won’t come back.
In 2026, the winners will be the ones who put relationships at the center.
Personalization will be everything: every experience, every consultation, every post must speak to the individual person.
The new loyalty can’t be bought with discounts — it’s built with empathy and consistency.
👉 Solution: every week, take time to reply to messages, thank those who tag you, ask for feedback. It’s your most powerful advertising.
Conclusion
2026 will be the year when salons willing to change their mindset will explode in growth.
The others will keep saying, “There aren’t any clients,” while the smartest ones will have a waiting list.
Because clients don’t disappear — they simply go to the salon that knows how to speak their language.
✍️ Opux – Founder of MdP
📍 Il Magazine del Parrucchiere – Marketing, culture and ideas for those who live and work in beauty
