What Equipment do You Need to be a Hairdresser?

Do you enjoy working with hair? Are you planning to be a hairdresser? To be a hairdresser there are a few essential items you will need for your business.

Table of Contents

Whether you are a seasoned pro or just starting, these are the top ten essential tools you will need to be a hairdresser.

Shampoo, conditioner, and styling products
Scissors
Clippers
Brushes
Combs
Hair Dryers
Straighteners
Rollers and heated curlers
Towels
Gowns

As a hairdresser, you will need to be able to work with all different types of hair.

Shampoo, Conditioner, and Styling Products

Styling products are some of the most essential things you need to be a hairdresser. There are many different types of shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products. These products can vary according to hair type, texture, and even hair color.

A good stylist will be able to pair the appropriate shampoo and conditioner with the right customer. However, to do so, they must have a wide range of products from which to choose. You should also keep several types of shampoos and conditioners in stock for your customers to purchase. Purchasing these products will help your clients to get that same luxurious, salon-quality hair at home.

Scissors

As a hairdresser, you will be styling hair for everyone of different styles and types. The scissors need to do so. There are scissors to fit all types of stylists on any budget. Per national beauty supply chain Sally, these tools of the trade can range in price from approximately ten dollars to one hundred dollars per pair.

A good stylist will need several different pairs of scissors, as there are different lengths and angles which are designed to cut differently. One of your top priorities regarding scissor care should be keeping them clean and sharp, which means you will also have to purchase a cleaning solution as well.

Clippers

Clippers have many different uses in a salon. They can be used for anything from cleaning up a customer’s neckline to fading and blending hair, depending on the style or look the client wants.

They are available in a plethora of styles, sizes, and colors. There are clippers designed specifically for trimming, as well as those designed for cutting. Prices range from fifty-nine dollars for a salon-grade trimmer to one hundred sixty-nine dollars for a pair of professional-grade clippers at Sally. Like scissors, clippers also have to have basic maintenance, which means you will have to buy clipper oil and replacement blades as the blades will gradually become dull over time. Some clippers come with several guards included in a set, while others require the guards to be purchased separately.

Brushes

Hairbrushes of all types, sizes, and materials can be spotted in any salon. They are necessary for both the styling and cutting aspects of the business. Brushes can be found in several different sizes, colors, and bristle count.

Different types of brushes include detangling, conditioning, and polishing paddles. They are usually made from ceramic, wood, or plastic and can be purchased in a wide variety of colors. Clients from all walks of life with all types of hair will visit your salon. Different types of hair will require different types of brushes, and you must be adequately prepared.

Combs

Combs will be needed for cutting and styling hair. They come in many different lengths and are made from different materials such as basic plastic, silicone, aluminum, carbon, or even wood. Combs also have many different styles of teeth and designs, including the wide-tooth pick, the styling comb, the teasing comb, the pintail comb, and the rattail comb.

They are also available in a wide array of colors, depending on your style or preference. While combs are a necessity in any salon, they are also an affordable one with the majority of them in the five-dollar price range. However, some of them can be rather expensive, with a few of them costing upwards of fifty dollars or more.

Hair Dryer

Hairdryers are an absolute necessity for any salon. Hairdryers can either be stationary or portable. Stationary hair dryers require the client to sit in a chair while an attachment is lowered over their head. This is usually one of the final steps in styling the client’s hair.

Also known as blow dryers, portable hair dryers are needed to dry and style hair after you have given your client the haircut they are looking for. As their name indicates, portable hair dryers allow the stylist to move freely around the customer while they are still in the stylist’s chair.

Portable hairdryers are available in plastic, porcelain, ceramic, ionic, titanium, and tourmaline. While some hair dryers can initially be an expensive investment, a high-grade hair dryer will last for a long time. Per Salon Pro, a stationary hairdryer can cost as much as eight hundred ninety-seven dollars. Portable hair dryers are much more affordable, with prices ranging from fifteen dollars to over seventy-five dollars on the Sally website.

Straighteners

Some of your salon’s clients will want their hair straightened. This where hair straighteners come into play. There are straighteners for thick hair or curly hair. There are also straighteners for different types of ethnicities, so it will be necessary for you to keep all different types of hair straighteners on hand in your salon.

They come in a few different styles, including the flat curling iron and the brush style, which is known as the straightening brush. Hair straighteners are also made from many different materials like ionic, ceramic, titanium, and platinum. Prices for professional-grade flat irons and straightening brushes range from fifteen dollars to two hundred fifty dollars on Ulta Beauty.

Rollers and Heated Curlers

Rollers and heated curlers have been an institution and a mainstay in salons since their inception, and they continue to be utilized in salons across the world today. They come in many different sizes, colors, and functions.

Rollers are categorized into either volumizing, curling, or waving rollers. Depending on your preference and your client’s hair, you can also purchase rollers that snap on, velcro rollers, or if you prefer, you can purchase magnetic rollers. You can also purchase self-grip or needle-hair rollers.

Hair rollers are generally made of plastic, but they can also be made of ceramic. Heated curlers are usually made of ceramic. Hair rollers are usually inexpensive and can be purchased from any retail beauty shop for four dollars to sixteen dollars per set. A professional set of heated curlers is priced starting around forty-five dollars at Sally.

Check out our list of other essentials HERE.

Towels

In any salon, there are bound to be quite a few customers getting their hair washed along with their new haircuts. With all of this hair washing, your salon should have plenty of bleach-proof towels on hand. While there are many colors from which to choose, salon towels are usually made from the same material, cotton terry cloth.

The standard dimensions for a salon towel are 16×26 inches. You can purchase them with or without Bleach Guard technology, although it is advisable to always purchase the bleach-proof variety. Salon towels also come in a wide array of colors. They can be purchased for starting around twenty-two dollars a dozen from websites like Towel Hub.

Gowns

While styling, cutting, washing, and drying your client’s hair, it is very important to keep them clean and dry. Gowns help to keep those clients from getting wet when washing their hair and keep them from getting hair on their clothes while you are cutting and styling. Also known as caps, they are available in microfiber for cutting and styling, and chemical-proof nylon for tasks such as washing and drying.

There are almost an indefinite amount of colors and styles, ranging from the basic cape to the wrap. Gowns, capes, and wraps can be purchased in all sizes, starting at children’s sizes and going up to plus sizes. They can be as inexpensive as five dollars and as expensive as twenty-six dollars each and can be found on websites such as Boss Supply.