First-year hairdressing apprentice kit list

The first-year kit

Most TAFEs and salons hand you a kit list in week one, and many colleges sell a bundled kit. A standard apprentice kit covers the essentials in one bag.

• •Cutting scissors around 5.5 inches, the workhorse size for learning
• •Thinning scissors for blending and removing weight
• •Cutting comb, tail comb and wide-tooth comb
• •Sectioning clips (at least six, they vanish constantly)
• •Water spray bottle, neck brush and cape
• •Round brush, paddle brush and a professional dryer
• •Mannequin head and clamp for practice, usually supplied by your college
• •Tint bowl, tint brushes and gloves for colour classes

Scissors: budget vs good vs premium, honestly

Scissors are the one item everyone obsesses over, so here is the straight version. Entry-level apprentice scissors from reputable suppliers cost roughly $100 to $220 a pair, and matched apprentice sets with a cutting and thinning pair typically run about $200 to $350. They cut fine for learning.

Mid-range Japanese-steel shears in the $300 to $600 range hold an edge longer and feel better once you are cutting all day. Premium shears run $700 to well over $1,500. Do not buy them in first year: your grip and technique are still forming, apprentices lose and drop things, and a $1,500 pair will not make a first year cut better. Buy premium when you are on the floor cutting daily and know exactly what blade and handle style suits your hand.

What the salon supplies vs what you buy

The salon supplies the consumables and the big gear: colour products, foils, towels, capes, basins, hood dryers and usually backwash products. Most salons also have house dryers, straighteners and clippers on the floor.

You generally own your scissors, combs, clips and brushes, and often your own dryer for TAFE. Ask before you buy anything: some salons and group training organisations supply or subsidise apprentice kits, and some award provisions deal with employer-supplied equipment. Never assume, always ask in the interview.

What NOT to buy yet

• •Premium Japanese shears over $500, wait until your technique has settled
• •A full clipper set if you are in a salon that barely uses them, but do buy one if you are heading into barbering
• •Swivel-thumb or exotic-handle scissors before you know your grip, they help specific problems you may not have
• •Huge tool trolleys or cases, a compact scissor case and one kit bag is plenty
• •Cheap no-name scissors from general online marketplaces, they die fast and teach you bad habits because they fold hair instead of cutting it

Caring for your kit

Sharp, clean, oiled scissors are a safety item and a skill item. Wipe them after every cut, oil the pivot weekly, and get them professionally sharpened by a scissor technician rather than a knife grinder, roughly once or twice a year depending on use. Never cut anything except hair with them, and never lend them: tension and edge are set to your hand, and other people's fingers ruin both.

Kit costs and tax deductions

Expect to spend a few hundred dollars getting started, which is a fraction of the multi-thousand-dollar buy-in for most construction trades. The ATO's occupation guide for hairdressers confirms you can claim work-related tools and equipment: items costing $300 or less can generally be claimed in full in the year you buy them, and more expensive items are depreciated over their life. Keep every receipt, including small ones, and claim only the work-related portion. Union or association fees, protective gear and some self-education costs tied to your current job can also be deductible: check the ATO guide rather than salon gossip.