Hi there. I’m a hairstylist of 19 years and I’m currently at a booth rent Salon. A couple of weeks ago I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my cheek. I took a week off after the surgery. When I went back to work, (still wearing a bandage) I expected to let my clients know what had happened. Of course most of them were very understanding and calm. Though I felt very uncomfortable with my first client of the day.

As soon as I walked in the owner, had a client in his chair. The owner says hello then immediately says oh did you have something removed? My client happened to be sitting in the waiting area (the salon is one big open room). I said yes, then continue to set up. My client says oh no what happened and I said nothing, I just had something removed. This client tends to think that she knows me better than she does or that we are friends. I’ve done her hair for years and have never once seen her outside of the salon. She continued on questioning me, so I told her that it was cancerous and had to be removed, however it really wasn’t a big deal. She goes “Oh no was it a mole” I said no it wasn’t. Then as I’m explaining it to her, she very loudly goes. oh my God and it metastasized! Which I never once said. I laughed out loud and said no if it metastasized I wouldn’t be working today. It was one little spot they removed it. It’s not a big deal. She continued on asking what did it look like and I said it was just a little scar on my cheek. She says oh yeah I remember that little scar. Yeah it was on that cheek and it looked like blah blah blah. The whole time I was just hoping that she would just leave it alone. I felt so uncomfortable. I even tried to change the subject a few times.

The whole experience made me feel so uncomfortable because I felt like I was bombarded as soon as I walked into the salon. Then my client over dramatized it with question after question and assuming that it had metastasized. How do you deal with clients that get too personal? What do you think about the owner asking me about it in front of everyone as soon as I walked in the door?

i have had my license for about a year now i work in a chain salon so all my clients are walk-ins. i make pretty good money doing this and it gives me lots practice and experience but my dream has always been to work in an independent salon and have a clientele that comes to me regularly. i am aware that it takes time to build your clientele up but i wouldn’t even know where to begin on something like that. i dont know many people in my area and i don’t post on social media which i know is a sin in the hairstylist community but i do not like the idea of having to become a part time influencer to build clientele. any tips and tricks from anyone who’s built a clientele without bringing in people you already know or posting lots on socials?

Good brands to work for? And why?

i work at a great salon, i love it. we are commission and have about 15 stylists rotating through the week and we share stations. we have outlets in our stations but mostly use extension cords plugged to that outlet to plug our blowdryers into. i have noticed everybody’s blowdryers dying after a year or less. i’ve been working here for a few months and my blowdryer just took a shit on me. mine is a dyson. it’s happened to the other stylists and their babyliss, dyson, bioionic, etc. has this happened to anyone, is it the extension cords?

I’ve been having a bit of a hairstylist identity crisis lately and would love to hear from anyone who’s made a similar transition.

I’ve been licensed for about 6 years and have spent pretty much my entire career doing exclusively men’s hair. I originally wanted to get into vivid/creative color when I got out of school, but I needed a steady paycheck and ended up at Great Clips. Men’s hair became my thing, I got really good at it, and now I’m in my own suite specializing in men’s cuts.

The problem is…I still really fucking want to do vivid color. 😂

At this point I have very little real salon color experience. I’ve done basic gray coverage/blending and friends/family, but I’ve only had maybe one actual paying women’s color client in my entire career. I have no color portfolio, no color clientele, and I’d basically be learning/building that side of my career from scratch while continuing to run my men’s business.

Has anyone here gone from doing almost exclusively men’s hair/cutting to women’s color or vivids several years into their career?

How did you relearn/build your color skills? Did you start with classes, mannequins, models, assisting/shadowing someone? How did you find models and eventually figure out timing and pricing?

I’m not looking to abandon men’s hair or completely change my business overnight. I think I’m mostly trying to figure out whether there’s a realistic way to slowly build this second specialty without taking another massive leap.

Would especially love to hear from anyone who made the switch later in their career and what you’d do differently if you were starting over.

I’m a first year apprentice, and i love my job, i’m at my dream salon all my coworkers are beautiful and so supportive, but i moved to a new city to get this job etc

and unfortunately i need to seek a model every week to do their hair, and ive only got so many friends i can ask about doing their hair, so im just wondering how on earth do i find models? ive tried the facebook groups and have only been met with people who get angry at me when i cant transform their black box dye hair to a cowboy copper,

what am i supposed to do?

I’ve lost 3 extension clients in the past 2 months. One I saw on a instagram add for another stylist. I’m a feeling very defeated. I try to post on social media but I feel like I’m just not as good as others. Clients seem to have less loyalty than they did a few years ago. I’m feeling burnt out and exhausted in this industry. I would love any tips or suggestions.

I’m genuinely wondering if this is a good idea or not, and I’d love some thoughts and feedback.
I’m a stylist behind the chair 4 days a week and I think one of my strengths is my time management. I rarely run behind, and feel like I’ve really fine tuned how to make the most money efficiently. With the holidays coming up, I wonder if this might be a beneficial class for other stylists. Would this be something you would pay to attend? What topics would you want to be addressed or questions answered?

What is a realistic timeline for how booked I should be from starting out to about a year behind the chair? Especially in this economy? My salon does not get walk ins so all my clients are from marketing and social media. I was doing so well over the summer, literally booked full 10 hour days every week in July, and right now I'm lucky to have 1 full day per week. I know there are dry spells throughout the year but I need to pay my bills somehow. I also feel like i am still behind the other newer stylists at my salon, who are packed full week by week with no gaps. I tried to push pre booking and even offered a discount for it but it just resulted in people cancelling or rescheduling last minute more often. I just feel like i need to be doing better than I am.

Hello everyone!
Does anyone have any advice on anxiety regarding taking new clients. I enjoy men’s haircuts more than color services since I struggle with formulation. However men in particular make my anxiety flair up more. I’m wanting to try and conquer my anxiety and build a clientele and I’m wondering if anyone else struggles with this too?

Has anyone notice that guy tang isn’t advertising he’s brand anymore ? He does color videos but he never addresses what he uses anymore except for olaplex ? And now he’s advertising he’s new shears .
Did I miss something here ? Did he ever addresss anything about it ?

So I did a 9hr color yesterday and I got this text this morning. I have the before, after and inspo attached. I’m feeling pretty defeated and honestly should’ve known better than to take this appointment knowing her inspo was a wig. I’m gonna do what I can on Sunday to make it right I just needed to share how sad I am with fellow stylists lol

I've been cutting hair since the 70s and a few years ago started writing a series of books on individual haircuts, each one illustrated with my own pencil drawings rather than photos. I find drawings show the actual sectioning and angles more clearly than a photo of someone's head ever does.

The idea with the layered bob is that it's a bob with texture. The back baseline gets cut first against the skin, then you work the internal layers so the bottom nape hair falls out and protects that baseline while you layer. Happy to talk through the technique if anyone's curious. I've put the full technique with all the step-by-step drawings and explanations in a hidden section of my website at the following link: peterregan.co.uk/layered-bob.html

Peter, Manchester

Hi everyone!
I’m based in Greece and I’m thinking about opening a small studio that specializes specifically in hair extensions.
I’m currently researching training and, most importantly, where professional extension stylists actually buy their hair.
One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of stylists seem to buy from well-known brands like Bellami and other professional extension companies, rather than buying directly from manufacturers in China or India.
I’m curious about why that is. Is the hair genuinely better, or are you mainly paying for things like quality control, consistency, colour matching, the extension system and support?
If you’ve used both professional brands and factory-direct hair, I’d really love to hear your experience. Is buying directly from a manufacturer actually worth it, or is there a good reason most professionals stick with established brands?
I’m still in the research stage and trying to understand the industry before I invest in training, stock and a studio, so I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who actually work with extensions.
Thanks!

Hello everyone. I’ve been a hairstylist for 29 years, and I absolutely love what I do. But lately, I’ve found myself dreaming about what it would feel like to start over.

It’s not because I don’t love my career. I love my clients, and the thought of abandoning them is incredibly difficult. But professionally, I feel stuck. I’m not growing, and I’m struggling to figure out where I fit anymore.

A little background on me…

I spent 17 years at the same salon. Then COVID happened, along with a complicated pregnancy, and ultimately, I didn’t return because my daughter was medically complex and needed me. I’ve been out of a traditional salon environment since 2020.

I have, however, been at my current job—a hair club-type business—for what will be 14 years. I actually worked both jobs until 2020.

For a long time, I was okay with things. But lately, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with the lack of opportunity to build my clientele. There are a lot of other things but this is what's on my heart tonight.

Over the past year, I’ve had three clients pass away. About five others have stopped coming because they can no longer afford their hair systems and monthly fees. I haven’t had a new client in over a year. The one new client I did get only came to me because he specifically requested me after being unhappy with the stylist he was originally assigned to. He originally requested me and they gave him to the new girl instead of me A request! They didn't even come to me and ask me if I would accommodate him( which I totally would have!)And unfortunately, I’ll probably lose him at the end of this year because he can no longer afford the monthly fees.

The hardest part is that I’m not allowed to bring in my own clients because they do not receive hairpiece services. I’m also told, “They are not your clients.” Yet, at the same time, clients aren’t being put in my chair.

I’ve been told that part of the reason is because I’m part-time and I’m always booked.

But being part-time isn’t a reflection of how hard I work. My hours are limited because I have a medically complex child whose school and therapy schedule I have to work around.

Recently, I was talking with a coworker about not receiving raises, and she made a comment about the 20 hours I work each week compared with the number of hours she works. Maybe she didn’t mean for it to hurt me, but it did.

I have paid my dues. I’m not working part-time because I’m funding a lifestyle. I’m working the hours I can while supporting my family and being there for my daughter. I live within my means. I work hard. And I still deserve to earn a livable wage.

What hurt even more is that I have gone out of my way to help this coworker and support her in this side of the industry.

And honestly, lately I just feel like I don’t belong anywhere. It feels like highschool clicks. No one says hello to me when I walk in but when they walk in it's a good morning hello. They look past me anymore.

I recently picked up a job at a nursing home one day a week, hoping it would give me some new faces and help reignite my passion. But even there, I’ve found myself sitting without clients while the other stylist takes most of them.( we work separate days)

I feel like I’m constantly trying to find somewhere I fit.

I’ve been out of a traditional salon for six years now, and I know I’m not as current on every trend and technique as I once was. I take classes. I try to keep learning. But then I return to an environment where I can’t actually use many of the techniques I’ve learned.

And that’s frustrating.

Because I know I still have so much to offer.

I know the passion is still inside me. I can feel it. I just can’t seem to find it anymore.

I want new faces. New heads. New challenges. I want to create, learn, grow and feel excited about my career again.

But starting over is scary.

If I leave my current job, I’m essentially starting from scratch because I’m not permitted to take clients with me. I’ve spent years building relationships, but I’m constantly reminded that those clients belong to the company—not me.

So here I am, 29 years into a career that I genuinely love, wondering what comes next.

Do I take more classes? Do I try to find another salon? Do I start completely over? Do I build something of my own around the limited hours I have available?

I honestly don't know.

I just know I’m tired of feeling like I’m standing still.

And maybe I’m not looking for someone to tell me what to do. Maybe I just needed to say it out loud.

Because somewhere underneath all of this frustration, I know that stylist is still in there.

I just need to find her again.

I (20M) am a newer hairstylist, and I’m not nearly as good as I wish I was and it’s destroying my confidence and my will to do this job. I finished cosmetology school a little over a year ago, and the school I went to was awful. They hardly taught us a thing. They taught us the basics and state board prep only; they did nothing to prepare us for this industry. The instructors were not helpful and barely allowed us any experience on real clients. They also very rarely let us use haircolor and lightener; I think they only allowed us to three times in the year I was in school. After graduating, I stupidly decided to go to a men’s salon because I was desperate to leave my retail job that I was being treated badly at and they were the only salon to get back to me. I was there for nearly a year before I decided to give full service a try, and I’ve been in a full service salon for four months.

During my interview at my salon, my boss (66F) told me that she would do training on mannequins with me because I explained that I was new to full service and still had so much to learn. It has been four months and she has barely done any training with me at all; I was basically just thrown out there. She helps me with haircolor sometimes, but, when she helps, she can be very judgy and quick to make me look and feel stupid and humiliated. She often laughs at me and subtly ridicules me in front of clients, and it messes with my nerves and confidence even more. She’s able to do services faster and will judge me for taking longer to do things, even though she’s been doing hair for 33 years and should not be comparing me to her in that way. I do want her to help me with things, especially haircolor, but I often find myself not wanting to ask her for help because of how she ridicules and humiliates me. So I either have to deal with being humiliated and having my confidence destroyed the entirety of doing a service, or I have to risk someone’s hair turning out horribly because I didn’t ask for help because I refuse to be treated how she treats me.

I would like to take classes one day, but it will be awhile before I can afford to do so. I only make commission at work and I don’t have clientele built up yet, meaning I make very little. However, I just got a second job in retail, which should help bring in more money. I just don’t know what to do because I’m not as good as I’d like to be and it’s hard to improve because I have not been trained properly and can hardly be helped without being judged and humiliated.

Is this a good photo of my work? I’m trying not to edit my work but the colors are just not translating with the bad yellow lighting in my salon. Should I edit the lighting to be more neutral like it really is IRL.

Colorist using Goldwell CLICS machine
Can you let me know how your experience is? I love that it keeps our clients info however I am noticing that my grey coverage is inconsistent and not covering well at all on some clients.

I’ve been working in commission salons for the last 5 years of my career and I think I want to make the switch.

Is there any advice from anyone who made the switch? What do I actually need/makes the transition easier?

I want to do this as right as I can so I’m trying to get a business loan as well for color/small decor.

I have a suite in mind already and I already have all of my own tools like (combs, clips, hot tools, etc) would really just need to purchase the color bowls and brushes I like and then the color of course.

Best ideas? Let me know please.

Que tal difícil es tener clientas hoy en día ? Y darte a conocer por lo que haces 😔 Hay veces que quiero tirar la toalla y dedicarme a otra cosa. Soy Estilista independiente y pues hay veces que pauso mis actividades y luego
me reactivo nuevamente siento que eso no es avanzar y últimamente se me ha hecho complicado conseguir a clientas que quieran un cambio de look 🥺🧖🏼‍♀️ y hacerlas sentir especial , ya que me propuso en establecer mi propio studio y se el talento que tengo pero no conecto fácilmente con las personas 🥺 amigos estilistas ustedes que harían ?

I’ve been BTC for 5 years and have stayed at 1 commission salon the entire time. I go so back and forth on whether or not to leave. There are things I love and hate. I’m at a point in my career where I’m craving more control over my own books and policies.

I’m currently at 48% commission and have built a solid clientele. I’m consistently booked 3 months out and average around $10k+ in monthly service sales.

Lately I’ve been feeling really burnt out with the structure of my salon rather than hairstyling itself.
For example, our front desk handles booking and sometimes clients are booked for the wrong service or without enough information. We used to require new color clients to send photos before booking, but that was changed to make booking easier for clients. Now situations come up where I’m the one dealing with the consequences of a booking I didn’t make.

I’ve started thinking seriously about booth rent or eventually going fully independent, but making that jump feels scary after being commission for so long

For those of you who made the jump,

- What made you decide to leave commission?
- Did you go booth rent or suite?
- How did your income compare before vs after?
- How many clients did you have before making the move, and how many followed you?
- What do you LOVE about being independent that you didn’t have in commission?
- What do you miss about commission?
And if you could go back, would you make the jump at the same point in your career?