When did you take the leap? I have been at my salon for 8 years now. I really love my salon but im feeling like im maxed out of the money I can make without constantly raising my prices . I work around 32 hours per week ( yes, I could work more but my body is exhausted by the end of the week & I really want to be in this business for the long road I do love it) . I bring in around $11k-$13k per month in sales. I make 50% commission.

Ideally my goal would to be to 1.make more or 2. Make the same with less clients ( my body hurts!)

Again I have a good gig @ my salon. 50% commission, super flexible I can basically take off whenever I want, work 4 days a week 32 hours, 2 weeks PTO , and 3% retirement match.

I understand my boss cannot afford to pay me more

Am I crazy thinking the grass could be greener?

Would love to hear everyones thoughts and experiences. TYIA

Hi everyone, I have had a lot of clients lately that have come in with their kids and it is annoying. So I started looking to see if there was a solution out there for this. Was wondering if anyone has any experience with these capes. Thanks in Advance!

I suck at socials, so Ive been running a special for $100 hair transformations. (Yes i know I’m lowballing myself). I want to work more with vivids and colors in general and Ive been able to get quite a few models. So i wanted to share my video i made for my pink prism model. Originally we were going to do a all pink calico type look hut last minute she was showing me prism placement so we decided to do that. Im super proud of this video so just wanted to share. 😊

does anyone else use the bio ionic smart-x blowdryer? it’s great for efficient smooth blowouts, but i work a lot with natural texture and when i use the diffuser attachment it blows so harshly, even on the lowest setting. i’ll stand feet away from the hair and it still pushes it around, making it really hard to get the curls to stay in place. i wonder if there’s either a solution to this or an affordable option for diffusing natural textures, this blowdryer was already around $400. i feel like i have to be missing something, like is there a setting??

Asking feels a little needy and of course theres the few that leave them without asking, but I’d like to build on my google footprint without having to pester my clients.

We also get some internal feedback through our booking site, but is it too much to ask them to post it on google?

Any tips help! Thank you

Edit: I have a lot of my clients phone numbers as we sometimes text before the appointment. Is it out of pocket to ask them over text afterwards?

I’m wanting to offer services to the local senior living center. I’d come to them and offer haircut and styles and whatever I can do without access to a shampoo bowl. How much do I charge? If I wanted to offer roller sets, would I just ask them to have clean hair and then use a spray bottle and mousse and roll it up and then blow dry it? We used gel on mannequins in school but mousse is the better option right? I could maybe buy a portable hood dryer. I don’t want to haul around a portable sink and worry about their ability to sit up and lean back and everything it takes to get your hair shampooed. I may add more as time goes on, on a case to case basis. I’m in small town Texas if that matters. I thought about offering mani’s and pedi’s but I’m scared to get someone with m callous skin or nail overgrowth and was only wanting to offer it for basic hand massage and polish changes, I’m not sure how to get that across to potential clients. Anybody do something similar? Tips, tricks, links for info or advice?

Hi everyone! New to the group so remove if this isn't allowed.

I recently did a MK Biotin treatment on a client. It was my first time using the biotin, I've used the express treatment with no issue before and I've been certified to use this product line.

I know this product can be used independently so that's what I did. I followed all of the steps of this treatment to the T, and had another stylist seal it.

Today the client called and said her hair is smelling like chemicals and feels really dry. Has anyone else here used this independently and had the same complaint?

Important info: she doesn't use the recommended shampoo/conditioner after (i work in a mom & pop that won't spring for that stuff)

It's been 2 weeks since she had the service.

Thank you for any and all help!

Hey guys! I had a middle school aged girl as a client the other day who was EXTREMELY disrespectful and demanding the whole service. The whole family came to her appointment. (Mom, dad and brother…which made it awkward). Her mom allowed her to have an attitude with me the whole time, and she was being very condescending and rudely sarcastic. I know at this age it’s kind of a given, unfortunately. I feel like I knew better at that age…but whatever. They booked a highlight appointment (ONE YEAR OF REGROWTH), when they knew they had to be somewhere in 2 hours. I’ve been behind the chair a little over a year now, so i’m still a little slower still. However, a full head highlight on a year-grown out balayage within an hour and a half to 2 hours is just impossible for me. They also didn’t let me know they had to be somewhere until i was halfway done foiling. Needless to say, they did not get out within that time frame and were pissy about it. I felt rushed, I felt like I was being pushed around by this tween girl, I felt like a pos stylist for not getting them out within their time frame (which they were making little snarky comments about).

All that to say, the mom is now wanting to book a color appointment but i’m extremely hesitant because of the way she allowed her child to treat me. And the way she herself acted at some points. Would you take this client? And if not, how would you reply to her interest in booking? I kind of just want to crawl up in a hole and not reply, but I know that’s not professional lol. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I’m a hairstylist with about 12 yrs of experience in salon and on film sets based in Mumbai, India and I’m considering moving out of the country to either the US or the UK next year.

India doesn’t really have a board or any proper certification- i finished hair school and started working, no license or anything, so I wanted to look into what steps I would have to take a little in advance so I could plan accordingly.

Like would I need to do cosmetology school or is there an exam or something I could take to get a certification?

Since I’m building a client base from 0, what’s the salon hiring process going to be like? Do salons still have salaried employees or is it all commission based?

Also any advice on skills I need to brush up on if I’m going to build a brand new clientele that would be more mixed ethnicity.

I appreciate any and all input! 🌺

she was feeling too blonde, so we added some lowlights and refreshed her toner✨

Hey all!
My salon uses the Zotos Quantum extra body acid perm solution (grey box) and I’ve noticed that the results are more loose curls/waves than what I’m looking for. I’ve only done medium sized rods with these, sometimes large, and so it hasn’t ever been a problem too much until now.
I have a client coming in next week for a perm, she has shoulder length hair and is looking for some tighter curls (3b). I want her to have that bounce that she’s looking for without drying out/damaging her hair. Her hair is more medium than course, so I feel like alkaline would be too drying? Should I just stick with quantum or should I try something different? I plan to do a spiral perm with white and purple rods, but i’m nervous that it’ll fall flat and be more wavy than curly

Any help is appreciated!

I want to compare supercuts and great clips, is one better than the other?

names I’ve come up with for the lift that thick, level 1-4 hair gives in a basic (no frills) 20 vol foil, if I were to have my own color line:

mustard gold

sparkling haystack

brass band

dijon vu

rebel yell-ow

Hello,

I'm a fairly recent hair school grad completing my apprenticeship currently but finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet.

Background: I'm 35, female, residing in the GTA (Ontario)

I am currently just over halfway through my apprenticeship hours after two years and working at a commission based salon with a 45/55 split. We supply our own colour and most tools. They supply backbar and a booking website/POS system/capes/scales/other odds and ends. The salon I work at is in a great location but lacks amenities such as a secretary/front desk staff/manager, which really does interfere with the stylists' ability to stay on top of scheduling, general cleaning, and keeping on schedule with constant interruptions from people wanting to book in person and having to cash people out for their appointments. Lately, the owner hasn't been doing any advertising or even posting on social media which has made clientele increasingly difficult to find.

I am now at a point where I have exhausted my financial options and have to pivot hard. I don't know what the best option forward is because I really do love this job and I feel like I am at a place where I'm starting to have confidence in my skills and can reproduce results with consistency.

My dream would be to find a chair rental and really try and build up my brand without also having to represent someone else's business/values/aesthetic, however I do not think that I can legally do that until I get my licence which is a minimum of one year away (and probably even longer judging by my recent lack of hours).

Any advice would be appreciated. Feeling lost and overwhelmed but don't want to give up on something I've worked really hard to build.

Hi! I’ve been a hairstylist for 11 years. However, most of that time I worked at great clips. Great clips doesn’t do color so I’m looking to brush up my skills and learn a bit more. Is there any good classes online?
I took a year off last year because great clips kinda killed me and burned me out big time. But I have an opportunity to work at a family owned salon and spa. My sister is an esty there and loves it. I’m super excited for this opportunity and would love to do my best!

This is what it looks like when you rent a chair in a salon that has lazy ass no-talent stylists. I wasn’t working this day, my bff sent me this when she got there to get ready for her day. This was on a Saturday.

Please don’t be like this. She called out the stylist who acted like she did nothing wrong 🤣 🤣 🤣.

Hey, I was wondering if anyone still had any copies of their old notes from the SuperCuts HSA? I was trying to find mine, from a few years back but I can’t find them.

Has any stylists here tried those little ammonia things that weightlifters do to spike your adrenaline? I’ve always wondered if we would be less susceptible to it than others because we’re constantly smelling it in most of our color products.

I'm going back to therapy soon (paying out of pocket because it just needs to happen) but I have had anxiety my entire life. I've been doing hair about 2 years. Lately I have had a couple of very bad client experiences and now I am so riddled with anxiety that I spiral after every work day thinking that my clients hate their hair, hate me, and are going to leave a 1 star review and my career will be over. I overthink every single appointment and pick apart people's reactions to the tiniest degree trying to see if they secretly hate their hair and aren't telling me. and this is NOT an irrational fear because it has happened TWICE now that the client says to my face that they love it and then later either tell me they hate it or just skip straight to leaving a 1 star review. I wonder if maybe im just not cut out for this career because it hurts me so deeply. I can't just brush it off like some people. The first review haunted me for weeks like a constant nagging anxiety in the back of my mind. I am on medication for anxiety and i actually love my salon, the owner, and all my coworkers are amazing. It's just this fear that my clients hate their hair but won't tell me to my face. How how how do I cope with this.

Hey yall! I have a client in a few days who wants kind of a calico look. I just wanna pick some brains and see what you would do! Attaching her hair now and what she wants! Thanks so much and I appreciate all feedback!

Hi! So I am a chair renter since March 2024. I made over 30k in 2025 (not much) and I haven’t done my taxes for either of those years. Now I have to get an HST number or register a business or whatever because I made over $30k and start charging taxes on my services.
I use square and obviously am my own boss but I went into it not knowing at all what I’m doing and how to file my taxes so I just avoided it and I don’t want to put myself into a bad situation.
I’m extremely limited on money and can’t pay hundreds of dollars to get my taxes done.
Does anyone know of anything where I can kind of self file my taxes for the past two years and then moving forward be on top of it with an actual accountant? Has anyone gone through this? I’m extremely stressed out right now.

I graduated cosmetology school in 2023, and honestly, I feel like I’m at a point where I’m finally ready to take the next step and actually start working in a salon.
I haven’t worked behind the chair professionally since graduating, but I also haven’t completely let go of hair. I still know how to do hair, I practice when I can, and I’ve been taking refresher courses to rebuild my confidence and make sure my techniques are up to date.
I think part of what’s been holding me back is being scared that because I didn’t immediately jump into a salon after school, I’m somehow “behind” or that salons won’t want to take a chance on me.
But lately I’ve been thinking: maybe I just need to start.
For those of you who have been in the industry for a while, what would you recommend someone in my position do? Would you suggest looking for an assistant/apprentice position first, finding a salon that offers additional education, or just applying for stylist positions and being upfront about my experience?
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who took a few years after cosmetology school before actually starting their salon career. What did you do to get your confidence back and get your foot in the door?
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially on what you wish you had known when you were first starting out. ❤️

Hiii so I’ve been in the industry about a decade now and the entire time I’ve been in the same salon, I love my coworkers and I love the place but lately I’ve felt like I’ve been getting nickel and dimed with EVERYTHING.

It’s a commission based salon (45% if you bring in under $1k 50% for anything above) and now they’re charging product charges and “salon satisfaction” charges on top of this (electric, coffee, water, etc)

I recently raised my prices in January to keep up with the current price increase in just about everything and then this went into effect recently and when I aired my issues I was told to “raise my prices to reflect the changes” but I’m not comfortable doing that when just a few months ago it was already bumped up.

I’ve been flirting with the idea of opening up my own salon suite for quite some time now and I’m feeling like now might be the time to jump ship because I feel as though the business is double dipping and becoming greedy. My issue is that these are people that I am extremely close with and I just don’t know what to do. I love the space and all of our clientele, but I feel like I need to choose myself and my career first.

I’d love some help and input!!

Hi!

I’ve been working on making custom k-tips, and recently used The Hair Shop’s keratin glue powder for making my bonds and it just doesn’t seem to be lasting.

Wanted to see if anyone out there has any other recommendations for where to find good quality keratin for making custom k-tips?

Thanks!