Client consultation & record card

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• The consultation is where you catch the problem before it happens. Two minutes asking about allergies, skin conditions, medication and past reactions is what stops a bad reaction, a botched result or a complaint. It also shows you took reasonable care — which matters if a client ever does react. Make it a habit for every new client, and a quick check-in for regulars.
• Write the formula and the detail down — your future self will thank you. Recording exactly what you used (the colour formula, timings, products) means the next visit is easier and more consistent, and it's your evidence of what was done if there's ever a query. "I think it was a 6.0..." is not a record.
• This is health information — treat it like it. What a client tells you about their health and medication is sensitive personal data under UK GDPR. Keep these cards secure (locked away or in a password-protected system), don't leave them on the desk, and only keep them as long as you reasonably need. Your client privacy notice explains this to clients.
• A "no" today isn't a "no" forever. Health, medication and pregnancy change. Check in each visit rather than assuming last year's answers still hold — a client won't always think to mention a new prescription that matters.
• It supports your insurance. Most salon insurance expects you to consult, record, and (for colour) patch test. A missing or skipped consultation card is exactly what an insurer looks for when deciding whether to pay out on a claim.
• Applies UK-wide. Good consultation and record-keeping are expected everywhere, and UK GDPR applies across the whole UK. Some treatments (anything piercing the skin) carry extra local rules — see your infection control policy.