Going to haircutting school opens the door to a rewarding and entertaining profession as a hairdresser.
You may go from sitting at a student desk to styling hair in a stylish salon in a short of months.
Classroom training, hands-on learning, graduating from cosmetology school, passing a state cosmetology licensure test, and looking for your ideal job will all be part of your professional path.
Your job is not just with hair, but you also need to interact with customers.
Since you do many different things, you might wonder how much do hairdressers make? We will answer this question in this article.
Summary
| Guide | How Much Do Hairdressers Make? |
|---|---|
| Average Income | $20,900 and $36,730 per hour |
| Highest Income | $50,000 |
| Education Qualification | State-approved cosmetology training school and hairdresser license from your state’s Board of Cosmetology Examiners |
| Training | Needed |
Who Are Hairdressers?
Helping customers attain a fresh style that increases their confidence is what hairstyling is all about.
Your task will entail proposing appealing cuts, hair treatments, and helpful products to get the ideal hairstyle.
Shampooing, conditioning, dyeing, trimming, blow drying, braiding, curling, and straightening hair will occupy your days.
Depending on your job description and licensure, you could also conduct eyelash extensions, eyebrow waxing, cosmetics application, and facials.
Nail technicians are certified and licensed by certain cosmetologists.
Maintaining a clean and hygienic workplace, keeping account of tips, doing inventory, refilling supplies, folding towels, and selling things on commission are some of the other responsibilities.
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How Much Do Hairdressers Make?
Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists make a median annual pay of $26,090, or $12.54 per hour, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Fifty percent make between $20,900 and $36,730 per year, or $10.05 to $17.66 per hour.
According to the BLS, retail salons pay the lowest salaries, at $10.37 per hour.
If you’re willing to specialize in a field, try styling hair and wigs for a theatrical performance group, where hair stylists earn an average annual salary of $84,540.
1. How Much Do Hairdressers Make an Hour?
Hairdressers makes a minimum of $6.73 an hour and a maximum of $30.53 an hour.
2. How Much Do Hairdressers Make a Month?
Hairdressers makes a minimum of $1,167 a month and a maximum of $5,292 a month.
3. How Much Do Hairdressers Make a Year?
Hairdressers makes a minimum of $14,000 a year and a maximum of $63,500 a year.
Highest Salary of Hairdressers In 2023
When you are a hairdresser, there could be no limit to your earnings because of the potential to grow your customer base.
However, when you are working with a salary at a store, and you are in the top 10% with your experience and salary, you can expect to earn (without any specialization) close to $50,000 annually.
Is Being a Hairdresser Good or Bad?
Being a hairdresser requires a lot of work both before starting to work and also while you are working.
You need to understand the fundamentals really well and do well with clients’ hair.
You also need to accommodate everyone’s needs while being patient. Being a hairdresser is a good choice if you think you can handle all this.
Pros and Cons of Being a Hairdresser
Pros
- Short length of program
- Flexible job
- Can start your own salon
- Best for extroverts
- Work-life balance
Cons
- You have to deal with difficult clients sometimes
- Low pay
- Getting mortgage becomes a problem
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How to Become a Hairdresser?
Here’s how you can become a Hairdresser:
- Most states require hairdresser applicants to be at least 16 years old and have a high school diploma or GED.
- You need to apply for a state-approved cosmetology training school and complete a set of skills training hours, such as 1,500 hours for cosmetology and 600 hours for esthetics.
- For this, you can discover approved cosmetology programs on your state Board of Cosmetology’s license-lookup webpage which you can commonly find in public and private vocational schools.
- A state-approved cosmetology training school and a hairdresser license from your state’s Board of Cosmetology Examiners are necessary for your job.
- The laws for hairstyling licenses differ by state, so learn about the requirements in the state where you wish to work.
- You can start applying once you have your certificate and training done.
How Many Hours do Hairdressers Work?
Most hairdressers work full-time, and some also work part-time. On average, a full-time Hairdresser work for 40 hours a week.
If you start your own Salon, then you will be working for more than 40 hours, at least for the first few years.
What is the Starting Pay of Hairdressers?
You can choose to work under someone for as long as you want & if you want to earn more money, then after a few years of experience, you can start your own Salon.
The starting pay for Hairdressers is $6.73 an hour or $1,167 a month, and at the peak of your career, you will be making a maximum of $63,500 a year.
Who is the Richest Hairdresser?
Rossano Ferretti is known to be the richest hairdresser in the world and is known for his “invisible cut” method. He has 20 salons globally and charges $1500 per haircut.
Hairdressers Training Programs
Hairdressers can get training programs depending on their state requirements because they earn certifications through them.
You can search for schools approved by your state. The majority of cosmetology schools last less than a year.
You’ll study the fundamentals of hair cutting and coloring and how to deal with clients and manage your professional interests during this period.
Several beauty schools offer flexible hours, part-time schedules, or night classes to meet your needs.
Online courses are not accessible due to the hands-on, technical nature of the work.
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Conclusion
To conclude, being a hairdresser is a lot of work but not much money.
You can still increase your income way more than the average highest salary, but you need to be extremely good at socializing and not just doing hair.
Overall, many people choose this career path, but not many are happy with some disadvantages.
FAQ
How much do hairdressers make without any experience?
When you do not have any practical experience, you start from the base salary, which is lower than the average.
How much do hairdressers make with decades of experience?
If you are experienced and have spent a lot of time in the industry, you generally have a customer base or the skill-set to provide a great service. This means you will be in the top 10%.
How much do hairdressers make when they are in training?
If you are in training in a school, you do not earn anything, but if the store you will be working at has put you in training, you will probably get something like the base salary.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.
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