Hair Stylist Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a hair stylist. Feel free to use our hair stylist job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a hair stylist.
Who is a Hair Stylist?
Hair is one of the attractive parts of the human body that enhances beauty when styled. A Hairstylist can also be called a hairdresser who specializes in styling, beautifying, cutting, shampooing, bleaching, and coloring the hair to make it beautiful. Hairdressers can also use different chemicals that are not harmful to curling or straightening hair.
A hair stylist observes a customer’s face and recommends the best hairstyle that will suit the customer. They also recommend the best hair products that customers will use to enhance their hair texture. Clients can also give their hairstyle preference by looking at a picture in a salon or spa that has diverse hairstyles. Hairstylists are business-oriented and so they keep hair products and hair extensions for sale so that their customers will not suffer the stress of going to the market to purchase them.
A good hair stylist will build a strong relationship with customers so that they can keep on patronizing him or her. The normal norm for customers is for them to change their hairstyle every two to three weeks; a good hairstylist will maintain a steady relationship with customers to increase patronage. Hairstylists can also maintain customers by cleaning the salon and beautifying it to attract and retain customers. Hairstylist builds a strong relationship with clients when making their hair; they make sure that the client is never bored. They listen to the client and offer solutions to some of the client’s problems. There are larger and smaller salons; a hairstylist reports to the manager of the salon and inquires about the best hair recommendation for customers.
A hair stylist also takes into consideration hair texture when styling a client. We have diverse hair textures in the world due to the different races. A hairstylist in Africa for instance will discover that Africans love to braid their hair because of their hair texture. A good hairstylist will specialize in a certain aspect of the hairstyle based on the geographical location he/she is working. There are different styles hairdressers must know in their profession such as; curly styles, straight styles, short styles, and long styles. A hairstylist also performs other services like pedicure, manicure, and sometimes make-up for clients. Hairstylists must have a good eye for beautiful designs and they must know how to appreciate beauty. A good hairstylist should know how to effectively listen to customers and interpret correctly what customers are saying. A hairstylist can have his/her salon or they may rent a salon to use for a particular time. They are also in charge of setting prices for their customers; a good hairstylist that wants to maximize profit always set a standard price for customers. A hairstylist that set up an affordable price will get more patronage from customers than a hairstylist who sets up a high price.
The work schedule of a hairstylist is very flexible because they can work weekdays or weekends based on the customer’s schedules. They work 40 hours per week; it can be more or less but this depends on the customer’s demand. In some countries of the world, hairstylist gets more patronage during festive seasons such as Christmas because many customers will love to style their hair during such period. The work setting is usually a salon that is decorated with hair extensions and products. Good hairstylists make their salons look very aesthetic because that is one of their selling points.
Hairstylist also delivers hair products to their customers at home and they also offer home services; they can follow a customer home to style their hair
The job of a hairstylist is very versatile and so the hairstylist must specialize in certain processes and techniques such as:
- Perms
- Hair coloring
- Artificial hair extensions and weaves
- Wig Styling
- Braiding
Most people feel a hairstylist is just someone who makes beautiful hair but there are other functions that a hairstylist does that have to the fashion world. Hairstylists are sought after by celebrities and also during weddings because of the incredible services they offer. The fashion world cannot be complete without hairstylists because hair is a beauty enhancer.
Hair Stylist Job DescriptionJob Description
Below are the hair stylist job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a hair stylist job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a hair stylist include the following:
- Weave and braid hair
- Perform hair trimming, cutting, shaping, bleaching, and straightening
- Wash customers’ hair with shampoo
- Recommend hairstyle to customers based on their hair texture
- Sell hair products and cosmetics to customers
- Provide strong customer service and build a working relationship with customers
- Educate customers about hair products
- Consistently provide incredible services to customers
- Offer pre-booking working appointments and flexible working hours to customers
- Keep up with the trend in the fashion industry, especially in hair
- Perform hair treatment including scalping and conditioning
- Clean the salon and the sterilize hair tools regularly
- Abide by salon policies and procedures to ensure effectiveness
- Maintain professionalism and a sense of decorum
- Advice junior hairstylists and teach them different styles
- Counsel customers about hair products they can use at home
- Deliver hair products to customers in the comfort of their homes
- Listen to customers to understand their hair preference
Qualifications
- High school certificate or diploma
- License from a cosmetology school
- Proven experience as a hairstylist or colorist
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Customer service
- Proficiency in English or any other language based on your locality
- Friendly and polite
- Manual handling skills with hot irons, curlers, and brow-dryers
- Good verbal communication skills
- Professionalism
- Time-management
Essential Skills
- Communication: A Hairstylistmust never leaves customers bored when styling their hair but instead initiate a conversation with a customer when making their hair. Hairstylists can also call customers to recommend diverse hair products for hair.
- Manual Handling: A hairstylist must be very good with equipment such as a dryer, iron, and other equipment to avoid any accident when making a customer’s hair. They must be very sensitive when making a customer’s hair and adjust when the customer’s hair is paining him or her.
- Interpersonal Skills: people will always keep making their hair and a hairstylist must build a strong bond with customers so that they can retain them. A hairstylist can retain a customer by offering affordable hair services to customers and giving loyal customers discounts. This kind of attitude will bring new customers to the salon.
- Multi-tasking: Hairstylists are very busy people and they should be able to multi-task to avoid a crowd of customers in their salon waiting for them. For instance, they can be washing one customer’s hair and putting another in the dryer.
- Time-management: Customers usually pre-book a hairstylist. Hairstylists should be accurate about the time they give to customers and they should also be able to style customers’ hair very fast. A customer should not complain that a particular hair is taking so much time; a good hairstylist should master their skills and deliver beautiful hair in a short frame of time.
- Creativity: a hairstylist must be very creative and bring about diverse hairstyles. He or she must be very visionary in brainstorming the best hairstyle that will fit a client. A creative hairstylist will always give the perfect hair recommendation to customers.
- Problem-solving skills
- Analytical skills
How to Become a Hair Stylist
- Acquire a high school diploma
To become a hairstylist; one does not need a formal education but some employers may demand a high school diploma.
The profession of a hairstylist mainly entails dexterity but it is requisite to have a high school diploma to qualify. Most cosmetology schools only offer admission to candidates with a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Enroll in a Cosmetology School
- An individual desiring business as a hairstylist must enroll in a college or vocational training that teaches cosmetology. Training programs can take 6 months to 2 years to complete; this solely depends on the program you register for. Before you enroll in the program; make sure it is registered by your state to enable you to pass your state’s licensing exam. Some states may mandate certain hours of completed apprenticeship hours instead of formal training in a vocational school. Requirements generally differ from state to state; you must know your state’s requirements before you enroll.
- Get Experience
A good hair stylist can get the necessary experience through state board apprenticeships, state-approved private cosmetology schools, or internships at a license. No employer wants to hire a novice and getting experience will distinguish you as a hairstylist. By acquiring these experiences, you will get to know how to make different hairstyles before starting your job as a professional hairstylist. You need to work with someone who has more experience than you to gain more exposure to the job. The experience you will gain includes hairstyling, cutting, highlighting, lights, perming, and relaxing hair. You will also learn how to analyze your client’s hair to recommend the best hairstyle that will suit the client. A good hairstylist should also know how to maintain a clean and tidy environment to attract clients and protect clients’ hair. Attend classes on business administration to know how to manage your business well.
- Get Certified and licensed
There are certifications you can acquire that will distinguish you as a hair stylist. This includes classes in advanced training not included in standard hairstylist programs. You can also master areas like hair extensions, hair replacement, semi straightening, hair prosthetics, or coloring.
After you have acquired your certification, proceed to get your license. The minimum age for a license in some states is from 16 to 18 years of age. Your license gives you a legal ground to practice your profession freely. After you have completed your training, an exam will be administered to you to test your knowledge. The exams have the written and the practical license. Once you excel in the exams, complete the required paperwork and submit the fees to your state license agency.
- Lookout for employment opportunities
Once you have become a licensed and certified hairstylist; seek out employment opportunities in your location. The school you graduated from can offer you an opportunity. The best place for hairdressers to work in the salon; you can also seek out employment opportunities by taking pictures of hairstyles you made for friends and family and posting them online; someone may see the hairstyle online and book your services.
- Keep a good Portfolio
When your client’s hair comes out beautiful, take a picture and post it on social media to showcase your creativity. This will bring foot traffic to your business. Keep a good record of all the hairstyles you have completed such as haircuts and colorwork. Be very sensitive to situations when you did a bad haircut or dyed a hair wrongly; discover the reason for your fallout and learn from it.
- Be updated with the current trend in the fashion industry
As a hairstylist, you are part of the fashion industry and this industry is very dynamic because of emerging trends. Do not be an old-fashioned hairstylist but get to know the latest or trending hairstyle in town. Once in a while, enroll for further training or mentoring from a hairstylist that is more experienced than you.
Some states require that hairstylist should maintain their license by renewing it on annual basis with a fee. Check the requirement of your state and fulfill them so that your current license does not get expired.
- Enroll for further studies
As a hairstylist, you can acquire a bachelor’s degree in cosmetology to increase your opportunity for job placement. A hairstylist can also act as an individual who recommends treatment to customers such as manicures, pedicures, and facials customers in a spa or salon.
Where to Work as a Hair Stylist
- Self-owned Salon or Self employed
- Spa
- Hotels
- Malls
- Hospitals
- Nursing Homes
- Cruise Ships
Hair Stylist Salary
- In Nigeria, an individual working as a hairstylist earns 23,436NGN to 58127NGNper month in the year 2022. An entry-level hairstylist earns 23,436NGN to 73,925NGN per month at the start of the job. An experienced hairstylist who has worked for at least five years earns between 24,262NGN to 70,124NGN for working 44 hours per week.
- In the United States, a hairstylist earns $23,070 to $34,117 monthly. The average salary is $27,785 and $20.16 per hour.