Salon assistant vs hair colorist

The differences between salon assistants and hair colorists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a salon assistant and a hair colorist. Additionally, a hair colorist has an average salary of $35,934, which is higher than the $26,083 average annual salary of a salon assistant.

The top three skills for a salon assistant include PET, cleanliness and customer service. The most important skills for a hair colorist are front desk, client appointments, and product knowledge.

Salon assistant vs hair colorist overview

	Salon Assistant	Hair Colorist
Yearly salary	$26,083	$35,934
Hourly rate	$12.54	$17.28
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	23,585	34,025
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Salon assistant vs hair colorist salary

Salon assistants and hair colorists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Salon Assistant	Hair Colorist
Average salary	$26,083	$35,934
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $37,000	Between $22,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between salon assistant and hair colorist education

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

	Salon Assistant	Hair Colorist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Cosmetology	Cosmetology
Most common college	-	-

Salon assistant vs hair colorist demographics

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

	Salon Assistant	Hair Colorist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 12.6% Female, 87.4%	Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between salon assistant and hair colorist duties and responsibilities

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 colorist example responsibilities.

Manage product inventory for cosmetology products, place product orders, maintain the inventory.
Provide hairstylist services/professional makeup/manicures/pedicures and modeling.
Perform cosmetology services on clients-scheduling appointments-Inventory

Salon assistant vs hair colorist skills

Common salon assistant skills

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

Common hair colorist skills

Front Desk, 82%
Client Appointments, 13%
Product Knowledge, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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