Licensed cosmetologist vs hair designer

The differences between licensed cosmetologists and hair designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a licensed cosmetologist and a hair designer. Additionally, a hair designer has an average salary of $37,277, which is higher than the $36,637 average annual salary of a licensed cosmetologist.

The top three skills for a licensed cosmetologist include retail sales, customer service and product sales. The most important skills for a hair designer are customer service, front desk, and appointment scheduling.

Licensed cosmetologist vs hair designer overview

	Licensed Cosmetologist	Hair Designer
Yearly salary	$36,637	$37,277
Hourly rate	$17.61	$17.92
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	52,740	86,536
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 25%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Licensed cosmetologist vs hair designer salary

Licensed cosmetologists and hair designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Licensed Cosmetologist	Hair Designer
Average salary	$36,637	$37,277
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $53,000	Between $25,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Montclair, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	The Lash Lounge	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between licensed cosmetologist and hair designer education

There are a few differences between a licensed cosmetologist and a hair designer in terms of educational background:

	Licensed Cosmetologist	Hair Designer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 29%	Associate Degree, 25%
Most common major	Cosmetology	Cosmetology
Most common college	-	-

Licensed cosmetologist vs hair designer demographics

Here are the differences between licensed cosmetologists' and hair designers' demographics:

	Licensed Cosmetologist	Hair Designer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 7.9% Female, 92.1%	Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between licensed cosmetologist and hair designer duties and responsibilities

Licensed cosmetologist example responsibilities.

Manage beautiful hairstyles with the use of flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, and other hair products.
Provide pedicure/manicure, skin care services, and dress wigs.
Provide all services - hair stylist, nails, make-up, coloring services, blow-outs, and up-do's.
Conduct DYI seminars on make-up application.
Maintain hair tools and salon instruments for salon cleanliness and compliance with cosmetology regulations.
Assist others hairstylist team members.

Hair designer example responsibilities.

Manage beautiful hairstyles with the use of flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, and other hair products.
Care for wigs and hairpieces and in some cases sell them.
Attach prosthetics to performers and apply makeup to create special features.
Aid with the build, application, and removal of prosthetics.
Develop diverse cosmetology skills and expertise through education
Provide hairstylist services/professional makeup/manicures/pedicures and modeling.

Licensed cosmetologist vs hair designer skills

Common licensed cosmetologist skills

Retail Sales, 32%
Customer Service, 15%
Product Sales, 11%
Appointment Scheduling, 5%
Make-Up, 4%
Cosmetic Services, 3%

Common hair designer skills

Customer Service, 16%
Front Desk, 16%
Appointment Scheduling, 15%
Cosmetology, 11%
Product Sales, 10%
Retail Sales, 7%