“I wish I were taller and thinner, but the hair you can do something about.”

— HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, during a 2003 trip to London to promote her memoir, “Living History.”

The trick is to ensure that when you do do something, it’s the right thing. Here are insider tips for getting the best cut possible, from Sassoon Salon’s Fiona Sinclair. (She also dispelled a major myth: “Everyone
assumes stylists want to cut off a lot of hair. We don’t. There’s nothing in it for us.”)

DO make sure you and the stylist focus on your hair.
If this is a return visit, tell him what worked last time, and what didn’t.

DO wear your hair to the salon the way you generally wear it. “We want to see the cut in action,” Sinclair said.

DON’T arrive late. “It’s
going to cut into the time your stylist has with you.”

DON’T text during your whole appointment. Watch. “You need to be a
participant in your own cut,” Sinclair said.

And finally: If you’re looking for a new stylist, when you call a salon, ask who’s the hardest to book.
Otherwise, Sinclair said, “You’ll get the newest
stylist on the floor — which sometimes can be great, but they have less experience.” — BETH TEITELL