Salary, Pay scale & Growth of a Hairdresser in India.

Everything you should know about the earnings, ways of increasing a hairstylist's earnings & growth opportunities.

Before we make any career-related decision, one of the first & most common questions that come to our mind is how much can I earn?

All aspiring hairstylists & hairdressers, if you are looking for the answer. You're at the right place. All your questions about earning, how to increase your earnings, etc., are answered right here.

Read on to find out.

The most direct answer to start with would be -

The average pay of hairdressers in India is INR 350000/ yearly.

This is an average amount for hairstylists working at a decent salon with a decent year of experience.

At the beginner's level, the starting salary in India is between INR 8000 - 15000/ monthly. At the experience level, the salary in India is between INR 25000 - 40000/ monthly.

Now to dive deep into different categories & different figures, the pay figure would change accordingly. Here is a 360-degree view, as per other websites.

As per the data provided by payscale.com, the highest pay amount for a hairdresser is INR 608000/ year.

The lowest pay amount for a hairdresser is INR 59000/ year.

As per the data provided by indeed.com, the average base salary for a hairdresser is INR 245352/ year.

The average pay of hairdressers in India is INR 288779/ yearly.

If to go by the reports on glassdoor, the average base salary for a hairdresser is 318336/ year (26528 INR a month).

The highest salary for a hairstylist in India is INR 52277/ month.

The lowest pay amount for a hairdresser is INR 14455/ month.

Similarly, according to the ambition box, the average base salary for a hairdresser is INR 250000/ yearly.

Whereas the senior hairstylist's salary can go up to an average of 360000/ yearly.

Yes, if we saw the figures of these top websites, we can understand it's all on average. The salary figure differs from one another.

This holds true. There is no one correct figure to give for the "pay of a hairstylist in India" as there are numerous factors behind deciding the pay amount.

To understand the pay scale, let's dive deeper.

Let's look into different factors affecting the salary of a hairstylist.

Years of service - as your service years in the industry increase, so does your experience & exposure. This means you are excelling in your work, have polished your skills & are good at your job. If you portray these signs, your employer would not mind increasing your salary.

Work City - another thing to keep in mind is the city where you work. Different city within India provides different pay opportunities.

Now, suppose you wonder why there is any difference. In that case, it can be because of the paying capacity of customers, the trends, the earning opportunities of the place, the expenses incurred n a place, etc.

As per the indeed report, the salary of hairstylists working in Chandigarh is INR 379068 yearly, while the lowest paying city is Gurgaon, where the hairstylist's salary is INR 267025 yearly.

Choice of workspace - even though the task of stylists is more or less similar. The pay one gets can differ from salon to salon. Your pay may be different at the salon you work at, and at the other salon, the salary for the same role may be different. Some salons' brand names are built, like VLCC 2.9L, Jawed Habib - 1.9lL (reports as per ambition box, yearly pay), while other salons with solid brand names have the following pay structure.

Urban company - 528799, Jean Claude 417504, Lakme 417953L (report as per indeed website, yearly pay).

Job role - your designation as a hairstylist also impacts your salary. If you have just started & are at the basic level as a junior stylist, your earnings would be less compared to the senior stylist. Also, many salons have director stylists, they are experienced & salary is quite more compared to other stylists in the salon.

Formal Degree & experience - if you hold prior experience or have worked previously, your salary would be higher than those with no experience. Here with experience, formal education also impacts the salary figure. If you hold a degree certificate from a reputed Beauty Academy, your pay would be higher than those without any proper degree.

Let's look into different ways to increase the salary of a hairstylist.

Educate yourself - the beauty industry is a growing industry with new trends coming & regularly going; keeping yourself updated and acquiring skills. Also, having a professional degree & adding an advanced level of degrees helps one increase the pay and chances for higher roles and better promotional opportunities.

Provide training - when you train and teach the newcomers or junior stylists, you end up learning & practicing even more. This makes you suitable for earning more, a better job role, and more opportunities with added responsibilities at work. Without saying, all this leads to higher pay at the salon.

Build your portfolio - your work speaks for itself, and when your work is good & is appreciated, then the salon owner never wants to lose you as their salon hairstylist. Therefore, what you can do is document all your work & build your portfolio showcasing your talent.

Acquire popular skills - In today's time as a hairstylist, one can't just be limited to cutting & styling. You have to build yourself 360 degrees. Keep learning & growing. Develop yourself, Learn management and beauty skills, become a personal stylist, be well versed with the beauty industry, be knowledgeable about tips given to your clients, etc.

Change your workplace - If you feel you are getting paid less or want to increase your income. You can make a shift and work at another salon that is ready to pay you more & increase your salary. Remember, no salon would simply increase any hairstylist's salary. They will be ready to pay you higher than your current pay if they find it worthwhile.

Charge your worth - quote your price; once you've gained experience, have a formal degree, and have built your name in the industry, it's time you understand your value of time & work & quote your price accordingly. It doesn't mean going off the board or charging a price too much ahead of the industry pay level.

Network - Meet & greet new people, maintain coordinated relations with co-workers, clients, etc. You never know who could be impressed by your work & provide you with more significant opportunities. Attend seminars to meet influential people from the beauty industry. All this comes in handy while you want to grow & climb higher at work.

Let's look into other pay components that increase a hairstylist's salary.

Tips - If you feel the earnings are less, don't worry. The hairdressers can earn a lot through tips. Especially at big salons, it's a trend, or you can call it a culture of giving tips to the salon staff for their service. In a day, depending on the number of customers you serve, one can easily earn up to INR 5oo n a day. And during the festive season, it can go up to 1000. Monthly tips can range from INR 3000 to 10000.

Bonus - The bonus is paid on the company front. Usually, during the festive time, which is a rush time for salons, many salons provide rewards to its staffs & team. A hairstylist can earn up to INR 10000 as a bonus in a year.

Extra projects undertaken - Just as the festive season, there is wedding & party time when the clients book hair & makeup services for their special occasion. Here the salons are given.

The salon sends its stylists & artists. For these kinds of projects, the stylists are paid extra according to the project. The salon decides the amount. It could be percentage based or a part of the money earned.

Let's look into future opportunities as a salon hairstylist.

Become a manager at a salon.

Open your salon.

Become a hairstylist trainer in an academy.

Open a beauty or hairdressing academy.

Let's look into if hairdressing is a good career option.

If you are passionate about hairdressing or starting your career in this industry & thinking if it would be your best career option? Let's see!

As per the research, Indian hairdressing Industry is growing at 40 percent annually. People being conscious about how they look & the concept of self-care has increased the number of each person visiting. Hairstylists will always be in demand; if you provide your best work, then there is no stopping to move ahead in your career.

Passion & dedication, along with continuous learning with a knack for beauty & style, is a great combination to take you ahead in your hairdressing career.