What is a salon client intake form?
A salon client intake form is a one-page questionnaire a new client completes before her first appointment. It captures who she is, how to reach her, what has been done to her hair and skin, anything that could cause a reaction and the policies she agrees to when she books with you.
Think of it as your first consultation on paper. A stylist who knows that a client used box dye three weeks ago, or that she has a sensitive scalp, can adjust a service before something goes wrong, and she looks professional while doing it.
What to include
A salon intake form works best when it is short enough to finish in five minutes and specific enough to prevent problems.
- Contact details, date of birth and an emergency contact.
- How she found you, so you know which marketing works.
- What she wants and when she last visited a salon.
- Hair history: colour, bleach, relaxers, keratin, extensions and home dye. Be specific about the last twelve months.
- Scalp and skin conditions, previous reactions, allergies (especially PPD, latex and fragrance) and medication.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, which affects some chemical services.
- Patch test acknowledgement before colour.
- Photo permission, marketing consent and your cancellation policy.
- Data consent, signature and date.
Group related questions under headings so the page feels easy to scan.
When to use it
Send it before the first booking if you can, or ask clients to arrive ten minutes early to complete it. Digital forms save time and are legible, which matters when you need to read a handwritten allergy list in a hurry.
Update it whenever something important changes, and at least once a year. A quick yearly refresh catches new medication, pregnancy, a change of address and the home dye experiment she tried during a holiday.
Do not use it as a replacement for a service-specific consent form. For lash, brow or chemical treatments, add the relevant consent on top of the intake form.
Tips from salon owners
Read it before she sits in the chair. A form no one looks at is worse than none, because it gives a false sense of security.
Ask about home colour directly. Clients do not think of box dye as "chemical treatment" and will tick no, then you find a stubborn black base under her highlights.
Keep your cancellation policy simple and visible. Salons that put it on the intake form and the booking confirmation have far fewer arguments about late fees.
Use the marketing tick box properly. Only message clients who said yes, and say what you will send. It is better for trust and, in many countries, for the law.
Store forms securely. They contain personal data and health details, so keep them in a locked drawer or a private, password-protected system rather than a shared folder.
Finally, use what you learn. If the form shows a client has a sensitive scalp, put a note on her card so any stylist who sees her next gets the same warning. The best intake forms do not sit in a file; they change how the next appointment is run.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Asking for too much on the first visit. A seven-page form puts people off. Ask for essentials and learn the rest in conversation.
- Collecting health information with no plan for storing it safely.
- Forgetting patch tests for colour services. Write down when it was done and the result.
- Treating the photo permission as a blanket tick. Let clients choose how photos are used.
- Never updating the record. A form from three years ago may hide a new allergy.