Beauty professionals deserve to earn a living that reflects their skill, expenses, and time.

By Keisa Stewart-Rucker

When I owned a salon, women would come to me because someone recommended my work. They heard I helped clients achieve healthier hair. They knew I respected appointment times, provided professional service, and valued their experience.

Then I would tell them the price.

“Why are you charging so much? Someone down the street charges less.”

My question was straightforward: If the price down the street was the deciding factor, what brought you to my chair?

Often, the answer was the very thing they were questioning the price of: my service, my skill, and my consistency.

Those experiences helped inspire me to start Head2Toe. I wanted people to understand the professionals behind the work and respect beauty as a career.

So when my sister recently told me about women discussing their decision to choose salons inside retailers such as Ulta and JCPenney over independent Black hairstylists because of pricing, I had something to say.

Customers have every right to choose where they spend their money. But we need an honest conversation about what beauty services actually cost to provide.

The Money You Pay Is Not All Take-Home Pay

A client pays for a service and sees money change hands. What they may not see is how much of that payment already has a purpose.

For an independent professional, there may be booth or suite rent, professional products, tools, insurance, licensing expenses, laundry, and payment processing fees. For a salon owner, there are business expenses such as rent or mortgage payments, electricity, gas, water, maintenance, and other operating costs.

The exact expenses depend on how the business operates. But the principle is simple: revenue is not the same as profit.

I remember looking at my appointment book and knowing how many clients I needed to serve just to cover my expenses. Before I could consider what I had earned for myself, I had to account for what it cost to keep working.

And after paying business expenses, I still had a household to support.

Why Should a Beauty Professional Price Their Work to Struggle?

Beauty professionals have housing payments, grocery bills, transportation expenses, and families, just like their clients.

When business expenses and personal living costs increase, professionals have to assess whether their prices can still support their livelihood. Expecting a service price to stay frozen indefinitely ignores the financial reality of the person providing it.

People working for an employer can ask for a raise or seek a better-paying position. An independent hairstylist or barber has to build compensation into the prices they charge.

Here is my question: Why would I set my prices so that I struggle?

Loving my profession does not eliminate my bills. Being passionate about helping people look and feel good does not mean I should be unable to live comfortably.

Fifty Dollars for an Appointment Is Not Fifty Dollars in Earnings

Suppose a hairstylist wants to earn $50 an hour for their work.

Charging $50 for a one-hour appointment will not achieve that goal if products, rent, and other business expenses must come out of that payment.

There is also work outside the appointment itself: cleaning, preparing the station, ordering supplies, scheduling, answering inquiries, and keeping business records. Cancellations and unfilled appointments can affect income, too.

A sustainable price has to account for more than the minutes a client spends in the chair.

That does not mean every price is automatically justified. It means you cannot determine someone’s personal earnings simply by looking at their service menu.

Why Is a Six-Figure Goal Acceptable in Other Careers?

We recognize ambition in so many professions. People pursue careers that allow them to support their families, save money, and build a future.

Why should a hairstylist or barber be criticized for wanting those same things?

There is nothing wrong with a beauty professional aspiring to earn $200,000 a year. And a business collecting $200,000 in payments is very different from its owner personally earning $200,000 after business expenses.

A busy salon does not automatically mean a wealthy owner. A full appointment book does not tell you what remains after the bills are paid.

Beauty professionals should be able to plan for retirement, take time off, prepare for emergencies, and build financial security. Their career should have room for more than survival.

You Sought Out That Professional for a Reason

When you book with someone because you admire their work, you are recognizing that they offer something you want.

Perhaps it is their cutting technique, their attention to hair health, their color expertise, or their ability to create a particular style. Perhaps you appreciate knowing your appointment will start on time.

Those qualities take practice, judgment, and effort.

You are paying for the professional’s ability to deliver a service not simply for the products used during it.

It is reasonable to ask what a price includes. It is reasonable to compare options. But loving someone’s work until you hear the price does not suddenly make their skill less valuable.

There Is a Human Side to Working Behind the Chair

Anyone who has spent years in this industry knows that the work can carry emotional demands.

Clients share celebrations, grief, relationship problems, and difficult seasons. Sometimes we laugh with them. Sometimes we cry with them. Over time, trust develops.

Beauty professionals are not substitutes for licensed mental health providers. Still, listening and offering everyday kindness can be a meaningful part of the relationship.

Add that emotional attention to the physical demands of standing, repetitive movements, and maintaining concentration throughout appointments, and you begin to understand why this work deserves respect.

The finished hairstyle is only one part of the labor involved.

Professional Pricing Comes With Professional Responsibility

I will also say this clearly: beauty professionals must be accountable for the experience they provide.

Clients deserve transparent prices, clear policies, sanitary practices, respectful communication, and competent service. Their time matters. Their concerns matter. Any additional charges should be explained before the service proceeds.

A high price does not excuse poor customer service.

But a disappointing experience with one professional does not justify dismissing an entire industry or making sweeping claims about Black hairstylists.

Evaluate the individual business. Ask questions. Choose someone whose services and standards meet your needs.

Your Budget Matters and So Does Their Livelihood

There is no shame in choosing a professional you can afford. No one should feel pressured to neglect essential bills to pay for a beauty service.

Retail salons, independent salons, barbershops, and salon suites can all be options. Compare the actual service, what is included, the professional’s experience, and the total price.

A lower price does not automatically mean poor work. A higher price does not automatically guarantee excellence.

But there is a difference between saying, “That service is outside my budget,” and saying, “You have no right to charge that.”

One describes your financial circumstances. The other passes judgment on someone else’s livelihood.

You have the right to choose where you spend. A professional has the right to set their prices. Whether those prices sustain a business will depend on costs, service, and the customers willing to book.

Respect the Work Behind the Price

I am speaking as someone who has stood behind the chair, paid the overhead, managed the appointments, and had these conversations face-to-face.

Beauty was my profession. I cared about my clients, and I cared about doing excellent work. I also needed that work to support my life.

Those things belong together.

Before asking why a hairstylist, barber, nail technician, or other beauty professional charges what they do, consider what it takes to provide that service consistently.

Reasons beauty professionals may need to raise their prices

1. Higher business rent. Booth rent, salon suites, and commercial leases must be covered—even during slow weeks.
2. More expensive products and supplies. When the cost of professional products, disposable supplies, and shipping increases, providing each service costs more.
3. Higher operating bills. Water, electricity, laundry, insurance, and other expenses affect what a business needs to charge.
4. The need to earn a sustainable income. Beauty professionals have housing, groceries, transportation, and families to support. Their compensation needs room to grow with their living expenses.
5. Employee compensation. Owners with staff must account for wages or commissions, employer payroll taxes, and any benefits they provide.
6. Time outside appointments. Cleaning, scheduling, consultations, ordering supplies, and bookkeeping are work, even when no client is in the chair.
7. Cancellations and empty appointment slots. A business still has bills when appointments fall through. Prices must work with a realistic number of paying appointments.
8. Training and specialized expertise. Continuing education, advanced techniques, and improved services require investment.
9. Equipment maintenance and replacement. Clippers, shears, dryers, chairs, shampoo bowls, and other equipment eventually need repairs or replacement.
10. Financial stability. Sustainable pricing helps professionals prepare for emergencies, time off, retirement, and future business needs.

These are reasons a price increase may be necessary, rather than proof that every business has experienced the same increases.

Business expenses that must be covered before there is a profit

A simple example for your audience

Imagine a two-hour service costs $150:

• Products and disposable supplies: $20
• Allocated share of rent and other business expenses: $35
• Payment processing: $5
• Amount remaining: $90 before the owner’s taxes

That is $45 per appointment hour, before accounting for additional preparation, cleanup, and administrative time. These figures are illustrative, not industry averages.

“You see the price of the appointment. The professional sees everything that payment has to cover. Loving the work does not make those expenses disappear.”

Expense	Examples
Workspace	Booth rent, suite rent, or salon lease
Utilities	Electricity, water, sewer, gas, internet, business phone
Professional products	Shampoo, conditioner, color, developer, treatments, styling products
Service supplies	Gloves, foils, neck strips, blades, cotton, wax, applicators
Sanitation and laundry	Disinfectants, cleaning supplies, detergent, towel service
Tools and equipment	Purchases, maintenance, repairs, and replacement
Licenses and permits	Professional renewals and applicable business or establishment licenses
Business insurance	Professional liability, general liability, and property coverage
Booking and payment systems	Scheduling software, card processing, transaction fees
Marketing	Website, advertising, photography, promotional materials
Professional support	Bookkeeping, accounting, payroll services, legal assistance
Staff costs, if applicable	Wages, commissions, employer payroll taxes, benefits
Property upkeep	Repairs, maintenance, security, waste disposal

We should not have to apologize for wanting the work we love to provide a life we can afford.