Jump to:
If you’ve ever gone to a hair salon, you may be familiar with looking in the mirror at the end of the session and feeling like a million bucks.
If you want to show even more appreciation to your hairstylist than tipping, learn more about National Hairstylist Appreciation Day through this article.
What Is National Hairstylist Appreciation Day?
National Hairstylist Appreciation Day is a day on which people can honor the complex, creative, and impressive work of hairstylists across the country. It is celebrated every year on April 30th.
Knowing this date ahead of time can provide more opportunity to plan and convey your appreciation for your hairstylist.
In this article, we’ll discuss everything to know about Hairstylist Appreciation Day, including:
- Why National Hairstylist Appreciation Day matters
- Ideas for celebrating the day
- Frequently asked questions
Why It Matters
Appreciating hairstylists, as well as other service workers, has always been important. But there are a few specific reasons why this day should matter to you, especially if you usually go to a hair salon or barber yourself.
Hard Work
Hairstylists put in a lot of time, effort, and hard work to make others feel beautiful, stylish, trendy, unique, confident, and the best version of themselves.
And they usually go through four to five years of training to perfect their craft. They work long hours, pay close attention to the needs and preferences of their clients, and socialize with clients while paying attention to their art.
Finally, stylists and barbers are often quite physically exhausted towards the end of a busy day, sometimes standing for 8-10 hours straight.
Low Pay
Unfortunately, hairstylists’ work often goes unappreciated, not just in terms of client response but also in terms of their salary. The average salary for hairstylists is only $27,673, which is far below what many customers might expect or feel that their hairdresser deserves.
This salary is not far off from fast food workers, cashiers, and dry-cleaning workers, who should all arguably be paid more for their hard work as well. This holiday is a way to make up a small portion of the appreciation they should receive from their income.
Of course, more money will be ideal, but many hairstylists are simply passionate about styling hair and will continue to do this work regardless of the pay, so appreciating them more is the least clients can do.
The Value of a Hairstylist
If you go to the salon or barber often and have ever experienced an extended period of time without them, you’ll understand how important and valuable they really are.
Some people only realize that when going on extended vacations or moving to a different town and having to find a new hairstylist altogether. These types of circumstances can make people realize how vital their hairstylists actually are.
When you have to learn how to cut or style your own hair for any particular reason, you may realize just how challenging it is to get it right. Hairstylist Appreciation Day, therefore, grants you the opportunity to demonstrate how much you appreciate the value your hairstylists bring to your life before it’s too late.
You shouldn’t have to go without your hairstylist for too long in order to convey your respect and admiration for the work they do.
The Way They Make You Feel
Perhaps the most apparent reason for celebrating hairstylists is because of the way they make people feel! Hairstylists are superheroes that have the ability to completely transform people’s lives in one sitting.
Self-confidence is crucial, and many people find that their confidence increases if their appearance increases. Additionally, hair holds significant meaning to many people, so they take their hair very seriously and only want their hair to be touched by specific people.
Ideas for Celebrating Hairstylist Appreciation Day
You have to do more than tipping if you want to show your hairstylists some love on or around this holiday. Tipping should be a standard gesture after you go to the salon anyway.
Schedule an appointment, visit the salon, or make a virtual gesture and take it up a notch with these ideas for celebrating Hairstylist Appreciation Day.
Read Next: How Much to Tip Your Hair Stylist
Bring or Send a Bouquet of Flowers
If you are able to go into the shop, bringing in a bouquet of flowers is an excellent way to show your hairstylists that you care and that you’re thinking about them. It is a kind, thoughtful, and heart-warming gesture.
Bring them in the morning or a day before so that they can show off their flowers to all their clients that day! If you cannot go in person, you can use a flower delivery service to send them flowers for you.
Create a Social Media Post for Them
Many people love a detailed social media shout-out, and if you think your hairstylist would appreciate that, then go for it! You can write a meaningful post, share a photo of your last visit, or even spend all day sharing their hair salon posts to your own story or feed.
Feel free to get creative, but whatever you decide to do, make sure you tag them! That way, you expose their work and their information to your followers, free of charge.
Let Them Be Creative With Your Next Hairdo
A fun way of celebrating the day is to schedule an appointment and let your hairstylist have free reign over your look that day!
Hairstylists are artists, so giving them the creative space to visualize and execute the perfect look for you will likely make their day. And you might get a new favorite style out of it as well!
Send Them a Thoughtful Message
Last but not least, sending a thoughtful message via physical card, voicemail, or even a text can mean the world to your hairstylist.
You can include details such as your favorite styles they’ve done, how they’ve made you feel, the impact they’ve had on your confidence, etc. A message like this can make hairstylists feel particularly proud of their work and reignite their passion.
Send Them a Gift Basket
Gift baskets make an excellent gift for a variety of occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more. Everyone loves receiving a gift basket. Gift baskets are also often more well-received than flowers because they include items that the person can either eat, use, or both, instead of an object the receiver has to take care of.
If you are familiar with the styling products and potions your hairstylist uses, those items would be particularly thoughtful to include in their gift basket. Alternatively, you can include typical items such as candy, soap, popcorn, games, mugs, fruits, and more.
Give Them a Hairstylist-Specific Gift
There are a myriad of unique, customized, and even hilarious gift items that you can find on Amazon, specific to being a hairstylist or barber.
You can order a mug that says your hairstylist is the best of them all, buy them a shirt that references their art, or make them a one-of-a-kind charm bracelet in which the charms represent their favorite tools.
A barber might appreciate a mug that positions a pair of scissors as the handle or a shirt with a barber chair printed on it. If you need help finding ideas, you can simply search Google or Amazon for “hairstylist gifts.”
Send a Sizable Donation
Although tipping should be common practice, donating a larger sum of money is an excellent way to show appreciation to your hairstylist or barber on this day.
Given the fact that they don’t make as much money as they arguably should for all their hard work and creative skills, as mentioned early, sending a donation to them directly or to the salon as a whole will undoubtedly be well appreciated.
Additionally, if they are financially well off, you may ask them which causes they personally care about and send a donation to a relevant non-profit organization or charity on their behalf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people don’t realize that there is a day dedicated to appreciating hairstylists, so there tend to be a number of questions regarding the holiday. Here are five frequently asked questions about this unique holiday.
How do you thank your hairstylist?
It may seem to many that tipping your hairstylists is a way of showing your appreciation. But given their relatively low income, tipping is more of a necessity than a kind gesture.
Some ways to appreciate your stylist beyond tipping include writing personal messages and thank you notes, sending flowers, and posting about their work on social media.
How do you compliment your hairstylist?
Hairstylists might appreciate any type of compliment, but you may want to say something more creative in a thank you note or after an appointment than “my hair looks fantastic!”
Other ways to compliment your hairstylist include statements like:
- I am thankful for how patient you are.
- You are such a great listener, and I feel like all of my requests were taken seriously.
- I can tell that you are an expert at your craft.
- I knew I would like the outcome, but you’ve completely exceeded my expectations!
- Your styles are so creative and unique.
- You make me feel genuinely great about myself.
- You make me feel like my most authentic self.
Are hairstylists happy?
Hairstylists might have a better work-life balance than other service jobs with their highly flexible schedules. They also have average stress levels and upward mobility.
However, just like any other career, some hairstylists are happy with their job while others are dissatisfied. Many stylists are happy with what they do but simply wish they were more appreciated in both words and pay.
When is National Haircut Day?
National Haircut Day is observed on October 1st every year. You can get your haircut in creative ways on this day or use the day to express appreciation to your hairstylists.
Salons and barbershops might celebrate National Haircut Day by offering specials and discounts on October 1st, so be on the lookout at a shop near year when this day approaches.
What is the current term for hairdresser?
Hairdressers can be called a variety of things, depending on their specific niche, styles, roles, shop, and personal preference. Some alternative names for hairdressers include hairstylist, beauty culturist, beautician, colorist, and barber.
So, When Is Hairstylist Appreciation Day?
Hairstylist Appreciation Day is when salon and barber clients express appreciation to their hairstylists in numerous ways.
If you adore your hairstylist and want to celebrate them outside of stopping in for your standard hair appointment, you have the perfect opportunity to do so on April 30th.
Think about what your hairstylist will feel particularly touched by—whether a personal note, a social media shout-out, a gift basket, flowers, etc.—and go for it!