Whether you’re considering a career as a hair stylist, or are about to graduate from cosmetology school, one question you’re probably asking is “How much does a hairdresser make?”
Hairdressing can be a good paying job, especially with the right training, experience, and location.
While the average salary of a hair stylist can vary depending on a number of factors (we’ll go into this in more detail later), there are a couple of ways that a hairdresser can earn an income.
Salary: This is the most well-known and straightforward way that hairstylists make money. They work for a salon that usually creates a salon budget plan and provide services to clients, and the salon will pay them a salary or an hourly wage. If you’re wondering “What is the average salary for a hairdresser”, don’t worry- we’ll take a look at that soon.
Commission: In this business model, a salon will pay its hairdressers a percentage of the profits from each service they perform, or each retail product they sell. One of the benefits of this is that you can make more than the average salary if you’re very popular or can take a lot of customers and book many appointments with new clients. Many salons pay their stylists both an hourly wage and commission.
Self-Employed: Assuming that you’re ready to be responsible for a small business and build your own client base, you can be your own boss and work out of your own salon, or rent a suite/ chair. Then, you can set your own prices and you’ll be paid directly by each client. Of course, you’ll need to keep track of your own expenses, too.
Tips: Along with the cost of each service, a hairdresser can usually expect to be paid tips by their clients. Nowadays, tipping isn’t just customary- it’s expected, and has become an important part of the money a hairdresser receives.
As a hairstylist, you can increase your income in a few key ways, and these go beyond just providing your clients with great services. Here are some things that you can do.
Upselling and Cross-Selling: Upselling involves convincing clients to invest in more expensive or high-end services during their visit, whereas cross-selling means offering them other services, like coloring or deep conditioning treatments during their visit. You’ll make more this way than you would by just providing haircuts.
Offer More Services: A salon or hairdresser that expands their offerings will appeal to a wider range of clients, especially if you can fill a need in your local area. This benefits both you and your clients. Do some research and find out what’s already offered near you, and what might be in demand.
Update Your Skills: Another thing you can do is enroll in courses at a cosmetology school to get trained in new techniques. This can be great for the rest of your career if you work in a salon, and may make you more employable overall (or eligible for a raise if you consult with your employer and come up with a career plan).
Optimize Your Bookings: Use salon software to organize your schedule and make sure that you get the least amount of unproductive downtime each hour. You can also help prevent no-shows by sending automatic booking reminders, and even let clients know that you’re available for walk-ins by using an automated waitlist.
Loyalty Programs and Gift Certificates: Keep clients coming back by implementing a loyalty program that rewards them for repeat visits and encourages referrals. You can also offer gift certificates as a way to spread the word and bring in new customers.
Assuming that you’re working at a salon in the USA and being paid by the hour, rather than being self-employed and renting a chair, or working on a commission-based salon pricing structure, the average hourly rate that you can expect is $23.24.
Of course, this will vary depending on your salon’s location, and your own level of experience. A hairstylist working at a high-end salon that charges more for a haircut is likely to make more per hour than one at a standard salon chain, and stylists with more than 10 years of experience make about $27.86/hour on average.
In short, the question of “How much does a hairdresser make an hour” isn’t an easy one to answer, since it depends on a couple of different factors.
How Much Does A Hairdresser Make A Day
Most salons in the USA are open six or seven days a week, but any hairstylist or salon owner will tell you that some days are busier than others.
If you’re paid a salary or an hourly wage, this won’t affect your overall earnings much, but if you’re self-employed or on salon commission, then your earnings might be double on certain days, compared to others.
The busiest times and days for most salons on Saturdays, and weekdays from 12:00pm-2:00pm, and 5:00pm- 7:00pm, since that’s when many clients aren’t at work. On average, Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be less busy than Wednesdays to Fridays, for the same reason.
How Much Does A Hairdresser Make A Week
This depends a lot on where you’re located.
If you’re part of a team of stylists working at a busy salon in San Jose, California, then you’re in luck- stylists here make about $1,060 a week, well above the USA average. Other high-paying cities include Seattle, Washington at $1,029/ week and Mexico, Illinois at $1,026/ week.
Again, it’s important to remember that things can fluctuate a lot from week to week, so it’s important to track these numbers over time and take seasonal events like holidays or slower periods into account in order to correctly judge how much you’re really earning.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics divides the average annual wage for hairdressers in the United States is $34,970, but this is just a small amount of the information you’ll need to answer the question of what a hairdresser annual salary is, since this number is the average of all the states together.
The average hairdresser salary in Washington is significantly higher, at $62,410, and many people in the hair and beauty industry make amounts above or below their state’s average earnings.
What Is A Self-Employed Hairdresser Salary?
So, how much money do hairdressers make if they’re self-employed?
If you’re starting your career in the hair industry and considering whether to take a position at a salon or work independently, this is an important question.
The answer is, it depends. While self-employed stylists are able to charge more for each service and set their own hours, they also have to cover all of their own salon monthly expenses.
How Much Do Hair Stylists Make With Tips?
Another important consideration is how much does a hairdresser make in a year, with tips included.
The average hairdresser salary with tips can go up as much as 15-25%, since it’s normal for clients to tip this amount when they’re happy with hair services.
Recommendations
So, do hairdressers make good money?
The answer is that they can, with the right training (from a reputable cosmetology school or training program), and a position at a salon or self-employed job in a good location. The real question isn’t “How much does a hairdresser make”, but rather “what can I do to maximize my earnings as a hairdresser?”
Bartek Kulasza creates informative content that focuses on efficient business management. He covers salon software, marketing and sales, budgeting and reporting, salon design and equipment, inventory management, growing customer base, helping businesses optimize operations, enhancing customer experience, and increasing profitability.
Bartek Kulasza
