Questions from and for hairdressing apprentices.
I am six months in and all I do is wash hair and sweep. When do I actually get to cut?
This is normal, and I know that is not what you want to hear. Basin work and floor duties dominate the first year everywhere. But you should be cutting on mannequins at training and models after hours by now, so if you are not, that is the real problem. Ask your senior directly: can I stay back for model nights, can I do the fringe trims, can I blow dry your clients after you cut. Salons give scissors time to apprentices who chase it. If months pass and they still refuse to train you at all, talk to your field officer or apprenticeship network provider, because a training contract cuts both ways.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified hairdresser
My hands are cracked and itchy all the time. Is this just part of the job?
No, and do not let anyone tell you to toughen up. That is likely the start of contact dermatitis, and it ends careers when it is ignored. From today: gloves for every chemical service and every shampoo, not just colour. Dry your hands properly each time, barrier cream at the start of shift, thick moisturiser at night. If it does not settle in a couple of weeks, see a GP and say the words work-related dermatitis. Your salon should be supplying gloves, and it is a workplace safety issue, not a personal weakness.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified hairdresser
A client showed me a photo and I have no idea how to tell her that colour will not work on her hair. What do I say?
Welcome to the hardest skill in hairdressing, and it is not done with scissors. Never just say no, and never just do it anyway. Explain what her hair can do: something like, your hair is quite dark and porous, so getting to that ash blonde means multiple lightening sessions over months, and here is what we can do today that gets you moving that way safely. Offer the realistic version of the photo, give a timeline and a cost range, and let her choose. Watch how your seniors run consultations, they are doing this dance every single day. Clients forgive slow, they do not forgive surprises.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified hairdresser
My mates on building sites earn way more than me. How do I know if sticking this out is worth it?
They do earn more right now, no argument, and hairdressing apprentice pay is genuinely low. Here is the other side of the ledger. You are three-ish years from a qualification that is in national shortage, works in every town in the country, and scales with your name: commission, your own client book, renting a chair, eventually your own salon if you want it. Your body will also thank you at 50. The apprentices who make it treat the low-pay years like a course fee and build their book from day one. If you hate the work itself, leave. If you only hate the pay, that part is temporary, so run your rate through the Fair Work calculator to make sure you are at least getting everything you are owed while you wait it out.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified hairdresser
I froze mixing a colour today because I could not remember the ratio. How do people keep all the formulas straight?
Nobody holds it all in their head, so stop expecting to. Every colour house has its own mixing ratios and the tube or the chart tells you: standard colour is often one to one, high lift and lighteners differ, and developer strength changes with the job. What experienced colourists actually do is check the chart without shame and write everything down. Start a formula book today, paper or phone: every client, every formula, developer volume, timing, result. Within a year it becomes your most valuable possession, and clients love that you remember their exact colour. Freezing once taught you more than a smooth day would have.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified hairdresser
