How much do you tip your hairdresser?

20% without fail, and no one''s ever told me I''ve over-tipped...I tip the shampoo girl/guy the same, as well as my nail techs...  I''ve never been to a salon where they haven''t done something I don''t like or wasn''t happy with, so I can''t give you a circumstance where I would''ve "under" tipped. 

hmm I''ve never tipped based on a percentage. I just give a flat tip of $10 to my hairdresser and $5 to the shampoo guy.  Depending on what I am getting done, that could be more or less than 20%.  My DH think I tip too much.  I never really know what is appropriate.

You tip hairdressers in America?  I''m from Australia where tipping is not necessary.  Over here it''s optional to tip - but only restaurants and taxi drivers.  Who else do you have to tip over there?

15%

Usually 20%.  I have discovered the law of dimenishing returns.  That is when you find a really great place that doesn''t pay a lot of overhead (rent), you decline the hair washing part, but the hairdresser is fabulous.  Then the tip goes where it should-directly to the person doing the job. 

I tip my hairdresser 20-25% and I usually tip the person who washes my hair $5.  As a general rule, I tip 15-25% for services like getting my car washed, my pedicures, massages, and most restaurants unless the service is really stellar then I tip more. 

I tip the hairdresser 20%, but I''ve only been tipping the shampoo person $3.00.  I guess $5.00 for the shampoo person would be more in keeping with today''s inflation.

My sister is a hairdresser and her tips range from 0% to around 25%.
The average is around 10%-15% she does mine for free so she dont get a tip so I guess ya could say 0%.

In the nicer salons in Philly, I believe 15% would be a minimum, 20% more standard. My total usually comes to around $150, so I'll give my hairdresser $30 and my shampoo-er $5. Fortunately she does my highlights/lowlights well enough that I only need to go 3 times a year!!

ETA -- My appointments for cut and color usually take close to 3 hours... I have a LOT of hair... so I figure she deserves as much as I can give her!!

At my nail place, a mani/pedi is $30... so I usually tip $6 (20%). I know this is the average there, from asking other customers and also because when they do gift certificates, they are usually for $36.  

Wow!  I''ve been undertipping!  When my daughters get haircuts ($25) I tip $5 so that''s o.k.  But mine is either a cut $50 or cut/partial highlights and I only tip $10.  And my stylist washes my hair too.  I''ve got to up the ante.

I hate finding out that I''m cheap.  I just didn''t know the 20% rule applied to haircuts too.

At least 20% but no less than $10, no matter what I''m getting done.  and usually between $3-5 to the shampoo person.

Ummmm....... where do you all live?!? I''m in Nebraska, so maybe it''s a midwest thing, but I tip my hairdresser between $1 and $2... I suppose that''s on an $18 shampoo and cut, but wow. I''m never moving to the coasts! I also don''t color (dark dark Asian hair), so I suppose that helps...

20% to Hair Stylist ($50 - $70 Haircuts, I can''t find anyone cheaper who layers naturally wavy hair well. erg.)
I guess I''ve been under-tipping the shampoo girl - $2-3 or so. Eek.

Scintillating...

20% for the people who cut and highlight my hair, but I've been undertipping the shampooer. Will have to fix that starting next time--she's probably the one that needs it the most too!

25% for the person who does my manicures, but when I go in for the mani/pedi combo I just do 20%. (Have no idea what the logic is there; it doesn't even come out to a nice round number... )

wow, thanks everyone! This is so helpful! I just went to a new salon last night and I lurve my hair but it ended up being a lot more than I usually spend (over $300, i almost died) and that was before a 20 % tip and with a discount. JCJD- I might need to move closer to you! I usually give the shampoo girl $5.00 too.

Date: 9/8/2006 2:36:43 AM
Author: Sparkster
You tip hairdressers in America? I''m from Australia where tipping is not necessary. Over here it''s optional to tip - but only restaurants and taxi drivers. Who else do you have to tip over there?

We are tip happy over here.  We even have tip jars for fast food cooks!  They just give you your food on a tray over the counter.   It''s gotten insane.

That said, I tip my hairdresser about 15% - no more than that.  For pete sake, she is providing something tangible & doesn''t rely on tips for income.  She should do this service for the amount that is charged.  I purposely tipped the shampoo person NOTHING.  I don''t want someone other than my hairdresser shampooing my hair.  I don''t want someone giving me a 15 minute shampoo w/ massage.  I didn''t ask for it & it takes too much of MY time.

I''m not a cheap tipper - especially in restaurants - but everyone seems to have their hand out these days.  Sorry for the rant. 

Anyone in a service industry can explain why they should be tipped?  I''m really curious - not accusatory. ....just trying to see the other side. 

Rule of thumb is that if your hairdresser works for the salon he/she should be tipped, if he/she rents his/her station but is considered an independent operator tipping is not necessary.

That said, I tip my hair dresser about 15% and she is an independent operator.

I''ll bite, but I don''t think it''s what you''re talking about.
As far as fast food restaurants having a tip jar, that''s just insane.  As far as I know though, most hairdressers aren''t paid by the salons (at least not the nicer ones).  In fact they have to pay them to "rent" a space there, and the salons get a huge cut of what the cost of the service is.  Tipping is the only way to supplement a rather dismal income.  Same with servers/bartenders.  When you''re making $2.13 an hour, paychecks mean NOTHING.  Basically pays your taxes...I used to do the books for the restaurant I managed, and some servers actually ended up owing the restaurant money in the end...nice payday, huh?

I always thought it was *maybe* a 50/50 (40/60) split between the Salon and Hair Stylist?
I hope it is - maybe that's wishful thinking.
Around here - In Boston most good salons think of their stylist's as a real asset and draw for the salon - people tend to follow their stylists - so I really hope they are treated better than wait staff.

Anyone know how the fee is divided?

Scintillating...

I worked in a hair salon eons ago (receptionist- first job out of highschool) and the hairstylist gets 50% of the total and 30% of any products you buy at the salon unless they rent the station then they get 100%. 

My high/low lights and hcbd cost $200.00+ every 3-4 months and I tip between $15-20.00 and $5.00 to the shampoo girl.  I''m not going to tip my stylsit more than that because she''s already getting $100.00 for an hour and a half of work. 

To my waxer I tip $3.00 for eyebrow waxes but I''m going to start tipping her $4.00 because she''s awesome!

20% for my hairdresser and $5 for the shampoo girls.  My nail tech person gets $5.

20%. 

And yes, I love it that you don''t tip in Australia...I felt bad at first not tipping...it took me awhile to get out of tipping mode.  Then I came back to the U.S. and just really hated tipping...

Good thing I looked here. I am going to the nail salon after work cuz we are celebrating our anniversary tonight. (gatta be prepared right??? )  So I am getting acrylics and a pedi. so what like 5 each right? I live in WI so they are like smaller salons but I think they own it so I dunno.

Here''s a link you might find interesting:

http://www.tipping.org/tips/TipsPageBeautyShop.html

I completely understand & do tip generously to waitstaff.  I am aware that they are paid very low wage and rely mostly on tips. 

I know it''s been customary to tip your hairdresser - but why?  You are already paying them for the service. 

Tipping has just got out of hand. In the end, it stresses me & I usually end up over tipping. 

You and I are in the same boat, F&I.  My last hairdresser was a good friend of mine as well, and I always overtipped her which is silly because she rented her station and had told me there was no need to tip.  I moved and have a new stylist, who is in the same boat and I tip her as well.  Both of them take on average 20 minutes to cut my hair and charge me $40 a cut, that means she''s making $120 an hour in cuts alone. 

My stylist is a friend, too, and I certainly didn''t want to stiff her but didn''t want to make us both feel funny by overtipping, either, so I asked the receptionist what was typical.  She said $5 is pretty average, and that was for a $25 haircut with no separate shampoo person.  She rents her station in the salon.  Anyone in my area?  I have crazy thick curly hair and she does a GREAT job!

I am so glad this thread got started! I''ve been meaning to start one asking the same thing.

Last week I went in for cut and color($200). At the time, I felt pretty good giving the colorist/stylist a $25 tip, but after I left I felt like maybe I should have tipped 20%. I don''t want her to think I am rude. Plus, my color rocks -- she did a better job than the owner, who I usually go to. Hmmm, something to consider in the future.

I tipped the shampooer $10, which sort of felt like too much at the time, BUT it is still only 5%, and she does also act as a kind of assistant to the stylist. Maybe I should have given her more?

Ugh! The $200 is hard enough to swallow to begin with! I remember, as a kid, my mom giving me a dollar to tip the stylist for a $15 cut. Oh, to be 8 again!

Definitely 20%....

I used to get my hair done at a salon on 5th ave in NYC (read: MEGABUCKS)!!!! I used to see celebs there all the time!!! By the time I was done, I could have paid half of my rent at that time spending what I did at that salon!!!  I would tip the stylist, the colorist, the shampoo person, the assistant...it was INSANE!!!  But those were the days when I was younger, stupid, and single, and didn''t have a mortgage or a fiance to spend my money on !!!!

Since then I have scaled it down a bit- I still go to a nice salon around here in NJ, but it isn''t 5th avenue...which is fine...saves my wallet a heck of alot...but I still tip the average 20% for services...

Funny you would ask this today, because I just came from my hairdresser today.  I have no definitive answer to this question.  I guess it depends on the situation.  I have been going to this same stylist for at least ten years.  At first she was just an employee in a shop so I gave her between 15% and 20% each time.  Then she became the owner and I did not tip.  I think someone told me that the owner does not get a tip.  Then she went to another place and though she is somewhat of an independent contractor, I tip.  How much really depends on my bank account, and the services that I get.  Today I just gave her $10 extra because I got a lot of different things done.