READ THIS: 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 BEFORE  BECOMING A HAIRDRESSER 

Image Credits: Cottonbro for Pexels

 1. Your ‘desk’ will have a table and chair but you will never sit in it 
Get your fitness tracker ready because you will be taking steps. As a hairdresser, you’ll be on your feet pretty much all day, which is great if you dread the idea of sitting at a computer all day.

 2. You will hear A LOT of stories 
Some really interesting people will sit in your chair, often for an hour or more. Each of those clients will have a different story to tell that may surprise or excite you. Equally, some of those clients will want to sit quietly and read a magazine. Either way, you will develop some pretty good interpersonal skills to read the situation and ensure your client is happy.

 3. You will always be learning 
Hairstyles change along with fashion, and you will constantly be updating your skills as you work. Did clients even know what Balayage was 10 years ago? Probably not, but now they’ve seen how good Chrissie Teigen looks, they definitely want it!

 4. It’s all about practice 
As with most creative jobs, you will only get better with practice and passion. Hairdressing isn’t about haircuts; it’s about cutting hair. To cut hair better than anyone else, you have to understand how it grows, how to distribute the weight of it both vertically and horizontally; you have to think about your client’s bone structure, their skin colour, their hair texture, their skin formation… You can’t learn all this straight away, but the more haircuts you do, the more clients that sit in your chair, the more you will see and the more you will learn.

 5. You have to be safety-conscious 
This might not be the first thing you think about when you consider hairdressing, but there are definitely safety precautions you need to be aware of when working in the hair industry. Cuts, burns, allergic reactions, trips and falls are all real possibilities in salons. You need to keep yourself, your client and those around you safe.

 6. You may never need to go to the gym again! 
A day in the salon is full of transformations, talking and teamwork. Hairdressing is a physical job – probably one of the best arm workouts you will do each day is completing a perfect blow-dry!

 7. There is huge potential to be your own boss 
Hairdressing boasts more than double the UK average business owners aged 25 and under*. Whether your goal is to own your own salon, to rent a chair in a salon or to go mobile, you’ll be able to choose your own working hours, your pay (client list depending) and everything in between. Being responsible for your own marketing, finances, client lists and still getting to cut hair might seem like your dream career. But if not, then you might find it working for someone else.

 8. You have a skill you can take anywhere 
Maybe one day you might decide you’re going to move to Europe. You can work there. You might decide to take a year out backpacking around the Far East. You can work there. You might want to spend your summers in England and your summers in Spain. You can work in both these places. When you’ve learnt the art of hairdressing, you can take it with you wherever you go.

 9. You will become obsessed with scissors! 
Scissors will become fascinating to you: the weight, the size and specific purpose of different types of scissors. You’ll want to own numerous pairs! You will probably develop a favourite pair that you cannot/will not work without. (NB this might also happen with combs!)

 10. You will love helping people look and feel their best 
Hair has a huge impact on how people feel about themselves. Stepping into the salon to get their hair transformed can also transform a client’s mood and sense of wellbeing. Lucky you! You get to make people feel good about themselves every day.

(Bonus reason: with more than half the workforce aged between 16 and 34*, hairdressing is a great industry to be in if you like to party and have FUN!)

*UK Hair & Barber Council
** National Hair & Beauty Federation