The Top Hair Industry Careers
The global haircare market is one of the most rewarding and lucrative industries around.
Plus, there are plenty of job roles you can embrace both inside and outside of the salon.
Today, we're sharing a comprehensive guide to the top hair industry careers. Whether you're already in this sector and looking to advance, or are just starting out, there is a position out there for you. Read on to discover the roles to research, along with the steps it takes to fill them.
Hairdresser or Barber
Of course, one of the top professions in the hair industry is that of a hairdresser or barber.
In the United States alone, there are around 77,000 hair salons and 4,500 barbershops. As such, there is a growing and evolving need for experts who know the ins and outs of the business.
Hairdressers, also called hair stylists or hair specialists, perform a variety of roles in the salon, including:
Shampooing
Cutting
Styling
Coloring
In addition, you may also provide therapeutic scalp treatments, as well as massages and brow treatments.
Becoming a successful hairdresser requires more than a deep knowledge of different cuts, tools, and styles. In addition to your trade talents, you'll also have to hone your soft skills in areas including communication, conflict resolution, and customer service.
Education Requirements
Before you begin, you'll need to complete a state-licensed cosmetology program.
Through this program, you will complete all of the licensing requirements you need to begin work, including a two-part exam. The first portion of the exam is written and covers the health and safety aspects of the career, while the second is a hands-on practical test that allows you to demonstrate your techniques and abilities.
When you're ready to enroll, there are a few routes you can take.
Some high schools offer hair industry classes and licensed cosmetology programs for students, allowing you to fulfill your required education before you graduate. Or, you can also attend a separate trade school that focuses on cosmetology studies, earning a certificate in your field.
Alternatively, there are also community college programs available that allow you to graduate with an associate's degree in cosmetology.
Salon Owner
As you work your way up in the haircare industry, you might soon find yourself curious about the job of salon owner. Or, you might know already that you want to open your own place soon.
As a salon owner, you'll be responsible for every aspect of your operations. You'll oversee individual hairstylists, makeup artists, nail technicians, and more. In this role, you'll make sure they are providing expert services and adhering to industry standards for safety and sanitation.
In addition, you'll also handle the administrative side of the job. This includes tasks that can range from benefits and payroll to marketing and customer service. You'll also be responsible for bringing new staff members on board when necessary, as well as dismissing others.
Educational Requirements
Most salon owners first start out as hairdressers or stylists. This means your basic requirements mimic those for a hairdresser, listed above. The most important initial step is to complete your course of studies at a state-licensed cosmetology school.
Once you obtain your license in cosmetology, you'll need to work in a salon for a few years to truly get a feel of the operational requirements. It also helps to attend salon trade shows and conferences, where new products and techniques are often showcased.
Remember: While you may continue to pick up the shears once the salon is yours, you'll do far more work behind the scenes. Often, salon owners will work tirelessly to meet client demands during the way, and then come home and work on perfecting their business.
Hair and Makeup Artist
Love the idea of styling hair, but want to see clients outside of the salon? Are you also interested in working with cosmetics?
If so, a job as a hair and makeup artist could be the perfect fit!
In this role, you will usually be tasked with helping your clients get ready for a special event. Depending on the target audience you appeal to, this could range from local weddings and family photoshoots to red carpet galas and professional headshots. You could even help create cast member looks in films and television shows!
You'll design and create an event-appropriate hairstyle, as well as expertly apply cosmetics as requested.
Educational Requirements
Some states do not require you to obtain any sort of license before you can begin work as a makeup artist. Often, your passion for the niche is enough to propel you to perfect your craft.
Still, if you want to provide hairstyling or nail services on top of your makeup services, you may need a cosmetology license to do so.
This is especially the case if you intend to work at an institution that offers a wide range of beauty services. You'll need to be up-to-date on the latest trends, tools, and technologies, and most salons will require a formal knowledge of the basic techniques.
To obtain your license, you'll need to pass the two-part, state-approved cosmetology exam. To land high-profile clients, it helps to complete many mentorships or internships in this field. You may also choose to work as an apprentice.
Hair Transplant Surgeon
Are you looking for a career in the hair industry that's as rewarding as it is exciting? If so, consider becoming a hair transplant surgeon!
Over the years, hair transplants have gotten more realistic and natural-looking, all thanks to tech-savvy procedures including Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT).
This is good news for the more than 56 million Americans currently living with hair loss. Each year, this group spends upward of $4 billion dollars treating their condition.
Now, they're more popular than ever before. In fact, one report predicts that the hair transplant industry will reach a value of nearly $25 billion by 2024.
Education Requirements
To cash in on this lucrative opportunity, you'll be required to complete an educational path that's similar to that of other surgeons.
Once you've received a four-year degree in cosmetology, you'll then go on to enroll in medical school, where you'll continue your studies for an additional four years. Then, most aspiring hair transplant surgeons will go to work as an apprentice, completing three years of residency alongside a professional hair restoration surgeon.
While you can get started in this industry by receiving an associate’s degree in hair restoration, you'll be one step ahead with a bachelor's degree in the field. Either way, medical school is required to perform surgical procedures.
Trichologist
A trichologist is also known as a scalp specialist. In this role, you will perform advanced research into the structure and function of human hair and the scalp, as well as the diseases that can affect them.
Clients will come to you to discuss their scalp problems, which can range from dandruff and itchiness to hair loss and excessive oiliness. In turn, you'll perform an in-depth analysis of their hair and scalp and recommend an appropriate therapy, which may include:
Special haircare products, ointments or lotions
Scalp recoloring treatments
Scalp massage
Electrotherapy
Ultra-violet therapy
Nutritional supplements
In addition, you'll also help treat and reverse your clients' scalp damage. Often, these issues arise from the misuse of styling tools or hair coloring products.
Educational Requirements
First, you'll decide the career path you want to pursue as a trichologist. This will help direct your course of study.
If you want to work in a salon and offer your services as a stylist, you'll need to attend a licensed cosmetology program and complete the required coursework.
If you want to work at a hair restoration clinic and specialize in treating hair loss, most states require you to hold an associate's degree in one of the following fields:
Hair restoration
Cosmetology
Medical transcribing
Finally, if you want to become a board-certified clinical trichologist, the educational requirements are a little different. In this role, you will work at a hair restoration clinic or a hospital, and you will have the ability to prescribe medication for hair loss.
For this path, you'll usually pursue a medical degree in dermatology first. Then, you can obtain advanced certification in trichology.
Your graduate studies in dermatology will consist of four years of academic work, followed by three years in a clinical residency.
Scalp Micropigmentation Technician
One subset of trichology is scalp micropigmentation, or SMP. In short, this is a process that creates the illusion of a fuller head of hair by implanting pigment into one's scalp.
In some ways, it's similar in nature to microblading, a common procedure performed to enhance the fullness of one's eyebrows. Yet, while they do share some aspects in common, the two are markedly different.
First, while both techniques involve implanting pigment, microblading uses a manual blade to perform the job, while micropigmentation uses an electric tattoo device.
Why the different tools? The skin on your scalp is much thicker than the skin underneath your eyebrows. A manual blade cannot penetrate this skin with pigment, though the tattoo device will.
Another difference between microblading and micropigmentation is that the former creates thin, hair-like lines to mimic natural brow growth.
Conversely, the latter follows a technique called pointillism, which creates tiny dots on the scalp, arranged to mimic a natural-looking shadow. This makes it one of the top hair filler treatments for women, as well as a powerful and innovative solution for male pattern baldness.
Want to see the effects for yourself? You can take a look at our online portfolio to get a clearer look at the before-and-after difference that this treatment can make!
Educational Requirements
If you're a hairstylist who has already completed all of the required training and testing to fill your position, you can easily fulfill the requirements to become an SMP technician.
Start by checking out our Scalp Co Academy. We offer a three-day training course that covers all of the SMP fundamentals you need to know. In addition to private, one-on-one training, we also offer both travel training and group training designed to fit your schedule and meet your needs.
A few of the main topics we will cover in this course include:
How to create a hairline design
Proper blending techniques
How to correctly mix pigment/color
Sanitation and sterilization skills
How to properly set up your station
How to perform a skin color matching analysis
How to specify the type of needle you need
The best part? You'll receive all of this hands-on knowledge from John Chandler, the artist behind Scalp Co. Along with his team, John has provided more than 5,000 individual SMP treatments and is highly regarded as an expert in the field.
Our Scalp Co Academy features training locations in the following locales:
Los Angeles, CA
Sacramento, CA
Seattle, WA
Orlando, FL
Toronto, Canada
Medellin, Colombia
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Does this sound like the ideal career path? If so, you can get started today!
Pursue These Hair Industry Careers Today
Did you realize there were so many hair industry careers you can pursue? Whether you want to work in a local salon, travel to movie sets and special locales, or focus on advanced scalp treatments, your unique skill set is wide-reaching and highly sought after.
Does scalp health pique your interest? If so, SMP is a viable field that's growing at an unprecedented rate. If you're ready to learn more about this process, we'd love to help.
We're experts in this field, and well-versed in all aspects of SMP artistry. If you're looking to master this craft and pursue this field, be sure to enroll in our Scalp Co Academy. If you're eyeing this procedure for yourself, reach out and connect to book a free consultation and learn more!