How to Become a Freelance Mobile Hairdresser

Hairdresser skills and duties

A hairdresser will need to have a variety of skills, some of which won’t necessarily be based around hair – as a customer-facing role you’ll need to ensure that you also have good people skills, making your clients feel comfortable and listened to when it comes to discussing what they want from their hair appointment.

Other required skills include:

• Being able to manage your time effectively
• Honesty – if a customer wants a certain hairstyle or colour and in your professional opinion you know it won’t suit them, or might damage their type of hair etc, then you must be able to tell them this, politely!
• Good at communicating – especially when dealing with the above situations
• Being creative
• Being able to work well in a team

Typical hairdresser duties include:

• Cutting, styling, colouring, washing, drying and treating hair
• Ensuring hairdressing equipment is safe to use (clippers, scissors etc)
• Keeping your workspace clean and tidy after each client
• Making sure you’re up-to-date with the latest hair trends and styles
• Offering beverages etc to clients

What qualifications do I need to become a hairdresser?

You can start your hairdressing career by taking a college course, such as a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Hairdressing or a T level in Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics.

Or, many people decide to take the apprenticeship route in order to gain experience while they’re learning, which is also a great way to progress your career, as the majority of salons are usually encouraging when it comes to training and developing your skills.

There are many different types of roles you can progress toward, such as stylist, salon manager or hair colour specialist for example.

Benefits of becoming a freelance hairdresser

For many hairdressers, the self-employed route can feel like a natural step when it comes to climbing the career ladder, and there are many benefits that come with this.

You’ll have so much more freedom and flexibility, being able to choose the days and hours you want to work making it ideal for having a better work/life balance.

There’s also the fact that a freelancer can typically charge much higher rates compared to those who are employed, and your take-home pay can be increased due to being able to take on as many clients as you want.

Hairdresser expenses

For a freelance mobile hairdresser, travelling to see customers will be one of their biggest business costs; this is where contractor expenses can be extremely beneficial.

Being self-employed, you’ll need to pay out for various other costs that are essential for you to be able to carry out work – the good news about this, is that you’ll be able to claim back on these expenses and therefore reduce your tax bill at the end of each year.

Typical expenses include:

• Travel costs
• Office costs
• Training courses
• Accountancy fees

Read our Limited Company Expenses Guide and Subsistence Expenses page for more help and advice on this.

Our team of experts are available to answer any queries you may have, so drop us a line on 01442 795 100, email sophie.lewis@dolanaccountancy.com, or contact us via live chat.