How Much to Tip Your Hairdresser | Capital One (2024)

Your hair has been cut, colored and styled. You’re looking and feeling good. But unlike the shampoo head massage that kicked off your appointment, knowing whom to tip and how much can be a little stressful.

And even though tipping may not be required, hairdressers, stylists and barbers often count on tips. Learn more about tipping etiquette, including how much to tip and what factors might influence your decision.

Key takeaways

• Tipping is one way to show appreciation for your hairdresser’s time and effort.
• A 20% tip may be standard, but the percentage can vary.
• More complex jobs or a stylist that went above and beyond might merit a bigger tip. If service was poor, a little less might be appropriate.
• If your appointment involved multiple stylists, such as an additional colorist or shampooer, you could consider tipping them separately or finding out whether tips are shared.

When it comes to tipping after a hair appointment, the salon experts at L’Oreal say “20 percent is the most common tipping percentage in the hair industry.”

But percentages might vary based on the quality and complexity of your appointment. Some questions to ask yourself when deciding how much to tip:

• Did my hairdresser go above and beyond?
• Did they follow my requests?
• Were they professional and kind?
• Did the service take a reasonable amount of time?
• Was this a difficult or complex cut, hairstyle or other service that I received?

How much you tip is ultimately your choice. But keep in mind that many people in the service industry—including hairstylists and barbers—depend on tips.

Tipping is also a great way to show your appreciation and build a positive relationship with your hairdresser, which might make it more likely you’ll have good experiences with them in the future.

Depending on the salon services you’re receiving, you may have others who help, like shampooists, hair colorists or cosmetologists.

But before you tip them individually, you could ask whether tips are shared.

Here are two examples to show you how you can calculate tips:

• Method 1: If your haircut was $60 and you want to leave a 20% tip, you can calculate how much that would be by moving the decimal one space to the left. That will give you 10% of the total. Doubling the number will give you 20%.
• Method 2: To do the math on your phone’s calculator, try taking the cost of the haircut and multiplying it by 0.2, which represents 20%. You can see the sample calculation below.

Whether you’re going to a new hair salon for the first time or you have a long-standing relationship with your hairdresser, tipping is usually part of the experience. And it lets your hairdresser, barber or stylist know that you appreciate their time and skills.

You might consider paying—and tipping—with a cash-back rewards credit card that lets you earn unlimited cash back on every purchase, even trips to the salon.