What is a beautician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Lynsey Hemstreet
introduction image

A Beautician is an individual who gives people cosmetic treatments using cosmetology techniques to improve their physical appearance. They perform cosmetic treatments on hair, nails, skincare for their clients. They may perform manicures and pedicures, apply makeup, style hair, and give recommendations about hair, nail, and skincare. Their ultimate objective is to make their clients feel better about themselves by improving their physical appearance.

A successful Beautician has excellent customer service skills, organization skills, and pays attention to detail. A Beautician may decide to specialize in a specific area, such as makeup, or offer a wide variety of services. Beauticians mostly work in beauty salons, barbershops, spas, or as freelancers.

Beauticians mostly work in shifts and may not have a regular work schedule. They plan their schedules based on client appointments.

What general advice would you give to a Beautician?

L

Lynsey HemstreetLynsey Hemstreet LinkedIn Profile

Associate Professor, Skyline College

Trends change quickly in the cosmetology industry, so follow some industry pros on social media for inspiration and education. Clients will ask about new services like brow lamination or micro-extensions, and you can add new services to your menu just as soon as you can get trained. In the cosmetology industry, soft skills like communication, professionalism and customer service are always in demand. If those are your weak spots, consider taking some classes on public speaking and business. Also, don't be afraid to embrace technology. Convenience is a major selling point in this industry, and learning how to use appointment management apps can help your clients book easily and quickly.
ScoreBeauticianUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $36,831

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
5.6

Growth Rate 11%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.58%

Asian 8.97%

Black or African American 11.22%

Hispanic or Latino 16.09%

Unknown 4.47%

White 58.67%

Gender

female 91.89%

male 8.11%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress Level
5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

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Beautician career paths

Key steps to become a beautician

  1. Explore beautician education requirements

    Most common beautician degrees

    High School Diploma

    37.9 %

    Bachelor's

    19.7 %

    Diploma

    17.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific beautician skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Cosmetology51.16%
    Skin Care17.10%
    Beauty Services4.46%
    Beauty Shop4.08%
    Client Appointments3.90%
  3. Complete relevant beautician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New beauticians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a beautician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real beautician resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed beautician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed beautician in most of states. 43 states require beauticians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    State
    ascdesc
    Education
    ascdesc
    Exam
    ascdesc
    License Url
    ascdesc
    AlabamaSpecific course requiredState exam requiredLicensed Cosmetologist
    ArkansasSpecific course requiredBoth state and third-party exams requiredCosmetologist
    CaliforniaSpecific course requiredState exam requiredCosmetologist
    ColoradoSpecific course requiredState exam requiredCosmetologist
    ConnecticutSpecific course requiredState exam requiredHairdresser/Cosmetician
  5. Research beautician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage beautiful hairstyles with the use of flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, and other hair products.
    • Perform makeup artist techniques that include wardrobe suggestions for magazine and local newspaper editorials.
    • Make up applications, formal styling's, cut, and color with Redken product's.
  6. Prepare your beautician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your beautician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a beautician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Beautician Resume templates

    Build a professional Beautician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Beautician resume.
    Beautician Resume
    Beautician Resume
    Beautician Resume
    Beautician Resume
    Beautician Resume
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    Beautician Resume
  7. Apply for beautician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a beautician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Beautician Job

Zippi

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Average beautician salary

The average Beautician salary in the United States is $36,831 per year or $18 per hour. Beautician salaries range between $24,000 and $55,000 per year.

Average Beautician Salary
$36,831 Yearly
$17.71 hourly

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How do beauticians rate their job?

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Beautician reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

I like the satisfaction of doing someone’s hair and they love it.

Cons

Working all weekends, being in tons of social interactions a day, high stress situations, work comes home with you, getting criticism online, lots of disinfection and cleaning, lots of interaction with coworkers. Some days at work I want To go hide in the bathroom to avoid anymore social interaction and stress from dealing with the public all day.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

•talking n building relationships w awesome people • doing art everyday and learning mastering my craft •not sitting all day with tons of freedom to express myself through unconventional fashion and hairstyles •feeling like i have something to offer that makes people feel happy about themselves •having having clientele that is loyal

Cons

•pay is not what i expected nor is my passion as lucrative as i thought it would be. •feels less like an artist and more like an unskilled service worker or like I'm the 'help' •working weekends and holidays


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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