5. Visit - Contact your top three choices and arrange a time to meet face-to-face. Each visit should last no more than 15 minutes. That is more than enough time to survey your surroundings and get a feel for the person performing the services. I can't put enough value on the importance of meeting potential braiders face-to-face. Know what you're walking into before you walk into it.

Be up front and let them know that you are interviewing braiders and would like to come by to meet them personally. If they object, take them off your list. Otherwise, plan your visits within two to three days of each other so each experience is fresh in your mind and you can make a sound decision. If you're choosing to have your hair braided in a salon, you can usually walk in during normal business hours without an appointment. I still recommend making the arrangements ahead of time as a courtesy.

Quick Safety Tip: Always let someone know when you'll be visiting a new braider and give them all the contact information. You can never be too careful!

Once in front of each braider, ask the same set of standard questions so that you can compare the responses. Take notes and share your past experiences. Make sure your expectations are crystal clear.

Pay attention to the vibe you're feeling while you're with each braider, it makes a difference. And remember, the objective of the visit is to evaluate the overall level of professionalism. This is the time to tie in what you already know with what you will learn in the face-to-face visit to see if they match.

Here are the criteria you should look for from start to finish in a professional braider:

* Prompt - Answers your initial phone call or e-mail request for more information (such as price for a certain style) within 24-hours.

* Reliable - Someone who is dependable, punctual, and who will contact you immediately if their schedule changes.

* Appearance - They don't have to be dressed to strut down a runway, but they should at least be dressed!

* Focused - While braiding, the focus should be on the task at hand, not anything that will be a distraction from completing the job. In a salon or in a home, this is a business and it should be treated as such. Bathroom and lunch breaks within reason are of course acceptable.

* Clean - Surroundings should be clean and well kept. You want to feel comfortable and not have the creepy crawlies the entire time you're there. If getting extension hair and the braider provides the hair in their price, the hair should be new and in an unopened package. Never accept partially used hair.

* Friendly - While you may not become best friends with your braider, you do want to feel comfortable with the person who will be "in your head". Especially if this is someone you are considering going back to in the future.

* Hair Health Conscious - As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of braiders out there. Unfortunately, not enough of them are really tuned into the needs of hair. Braiding is a wonderful method to use to give the hair a rest so that it can grow to optimal potential. However, if done incorrectly, braids can cause severe damage and breakage. The hair braider you choose should be gentle, doesn't use a lot of tension while braiding, doesn't put too much extension hair on each braid that weighs down your natural hair, and should provide hair maintainence tips before, during and in-between each set of braids.

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