Cosmetologist vs salon assistant

The differences between cosmetologists and salon assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cosmetologist and a salon assistant. Additionally, a cosmetologist has an average salary of $37,122, which is higher than the $26,083 average annual salary of a salon assistant.

The top three skills for a cosmetologist include TIP, customer service and retail sales. The most important skills for a salon assistant are PET, cleanliness, and customer service.

Cosmetologist vs salon assistant overview

	Cosmetologist	Salon Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,122	$26,083
Hourly rate	$17.85	$12.54
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	45,889	23,585
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Cosmetologist vs salon assistant salary

Cosmetologists and salon assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cosmetologist	Salon Assistant
Average salary	$37,122	$26,083
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $53,000	Between $18,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Duluth, MN	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Anthony	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between cosmetologist and salon assistant education

There are a few differences between a cosmetologist and a salon assistant in terms of educational background:

	Cosmetologist	Salon Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Cosmetology	Cosmetology
Most common college	-	-

Cosmetologist vs salon assistant demographics

Here are the differences between cosmetologists' and salon assistants' demographics:

	Cosmetologist	Salon Assistant
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 7.4% Female, 92.6%	Male, 12.6% Female, 87.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between cosmetologist and salon assistant duties and responsibilities

Cosmetologist example responsibilities.

Manage beautiful hairstyles with the use of flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, and other hair products.
Provide basic nail care service, sculpture nail and tip applications, oil and water pedicures
Apply sculptured nails, tip overlays, overlays, wraps, gel nails, manicures, and pedicures.
Used POS systems and software to track clients personal profiles.
Skil and master numerous techniques in the coloring field of cosmetology.
Present new products and selling products to customers using a pos system

Salon assistant example responsibilities.

Maintain salon appearance ensuring cleanliness, organization and manage inventory of salon products.
Color, bleach, perm and relax hair.
Assist in blow drying clients hair by holding hair dryers and brushes in place.
Maintain and style wigs and hair pieces for the production shows through grooming techniques.
Assist clients with consultations on products, braids, lock maintenance and other desire styles.
Assist in blow drying and styling activities by holding dryers and brushes and clips in place.

Cosmetologist vs salon assistant skills

Common cosmetologist skills

TIP, 21%
Customer Service, 14%
Retail Sales, 11%
Spa Services, 6%
Hair Color, 5%
Clips, 5%

Common salon assistant skills

PET, 22%
Cleanliness, 16%
Customer Service, 15%
Appointment Scheduling, 10%
Front Desk, 7%
Makeup, 3%