A bad client reaction showed me it's never safe to skip.
My sister calls me every Friday for a quick trim before her weekend plans. Last month, she wanted balayage for a wedding and I spent hours on it. She never offers to pay, not even for the products. My cousin at least brings coffee when I do her hair. I think we need to be firm and charge family a small fee. It's about respect for our craft. Letting them walk all over you just teaches them your time isn't valuable.
I always thought neon hair was too loud and hard to pull off. When getting ready for a local art show, I had to create bright looks for models. Mixing the dyes and seeing them under gallery lights proved how awesome they can be. Now I'm cool with suggesting neon bits for clients who want to stand out.