Hair stylist vs salon assistant

The differences between hair stylists 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 hair stylist and a salon assistant. Additionally, a hair stylist has an average salary of $38,221, which is higher than the $26,083 average annual salary of a salon assistant.

The top three skills for a hair stylist include cosmetology, clips and kids. The most important skills for a salon assistant are PET, cleanliness, and customer service.

Hair stylist vs salon assistant overview

	Hair Stylist	Salon Assistant
Yearly salary	$38,221	$26,083
Hourly rate	$18.38	$12.54
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	49,578	23,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Hair stylist vs salon assistant salary

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

	Hair Stylist	Salon Assistant
Average salary	$38,221	$26,083
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $53,000	Between $18,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Scottsdale, AZ	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between hair stylist and salon assistant education

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

	Hair Stylist	Salon Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Cosmetology	Cosmetology
Most common college	-	-

Hair stylist vs salon assistant demographics

Here are the differences between hair stylists' and salon assistants' demographics:

	Hair Stylist	Salon Assistant
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 9.2% Female, 90.8%	Male, 12.6% Female, 87.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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 hair stylist and salon assistant duties and responsibilities

Hair stylist example responsibilities.

Manage beautiful hairstyles with the use of flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, and other hair products.
Manage product inventory for cosmetology products, place product orders, maintain the inventory.
Commission stylist, assist other stylists as well as cleaning and greeting guests.
Work extremely quickly and efficiently as a hairstylist to reach sales and productivity goals while maintaining exceptional customer service
Bleach, dye, or tint, using applicator or brush.
Specialize in braids, sew-ins, glue-ins, dreads, wraps, twist, and curls.

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.

Hair stylist vs salon assistant skills

Common hair stylist skills

Cosmetology, 31%
Clips, 20%
Kids, 7%
Makeup, 6%
Retail Sales, 5%
Cleanliness, 4%

Common salon assistant skills

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