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Hairdresser
(Hair Stylist, Hair Colourist, Salon Stylist, Hairstyling Specialist)
Beauty & Personal Care
Salary
€24,000 - €42,000/yr
Level
Operational
Outlook
Stable
Sector
Beauty & Personal Care
What does a Hairdresser do?
Hairdressers cut, colour, style and treat clients' hair to achieve the look each client wants. You consult with clients to understand their preferences, assess hair condition and recommend suitable treatments or styles. Day-to-day work involves shampooing, conditioning, blow-drying, colouring, highlighting, perming and using clippers and scissors with precision. You work in salons, barber shops, spas or as a mobile hairdresser, and you regularly collaborate with salon owners, beauty therapists and product suppliers. Building a loyal client base is a key part of the role, and keeping up with the latest trends and techniques is essential.
A Day in the Life
Listen: a day as a Hairdresser
You arrive at the salon at 8.45 a.m., quarter of an hour before the first client is due. You switch on the lights, check the booking system on the salon's tablet, and mix a bowl of colour for a 9 o'clock appointment that was confirmed the evening before. The salon uses an online scheduling app, so you can see the full day laid out: six clients, a mix of cuts, a full-head colour, and one balayage. Your first client wants a trim and a blow-dry. You shampoo her hair at the backwash basin, apply a conditioning treatment, then bring her to your station. While you cut, you ask about her hair routine and suggest a heat-protection spray she can pick up at the desk. This kind of conversation is not just friendly chat — it is part of building a loyal client base that keeps the salon busy.
Videos about Hairdresser
Your Career in Hairdressing or Barbering - Irish College of Hairdressing
Irish College of Hairdressing
Required Education
There is no specific Leaving Certificate requirement to enter hairdressing, though subjects such as Art, Biology and Home Economics provide useful background. The most common route is the Hairdressing Apprenticeship (NFQ Level 6), delivered through SOLAS and the ETBs as an 'earn and learn' programme, combining on-the-job training with college phases. Alternatively, you can complete a QQI Level 5 Certificate in Hairdressing or a QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate through a PLC course at a College of Further Education. Some practitioners go on to complete higher-level courses in salon management or trichology. There is no statutory registration body for hairdressers in Ireland, though membership of professional bodies such as the Irish Hairdressers Federation is widely recognised. Continuous professional development in new colouring and styling techniques is expected throughout your career.
Required Skills
Career Perspective
Most hairdressers start as apprentices or junior stylists, assisting senior staff and gradually taking on their own clients as their confidence and skills develop. After several years of experience you may progress to a senior stylist or senior colourist role, potentially taking on a supervisory or mentoring function within the salon. Ambitious practitioners often open their own salon, work as a freelance or mobile hairdresser, or specialise in areas such as bridal hair, editorial work or session styling for film and television. Further study in trichology, salon management or education can open doors to teaching hairdressing at a College of Further Education.
AI Impact on the job
Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence hairdressing through virtual try-on apps and AI-powered consultation tools that help clients visualise new styles or colours before committing to a change. Salon management software using AI can assist with appointment scheduling, client records and retail recommendations, reducing administrative workload. However, the hands-on, creative and deeply personal nature of hairdressing means that human skill, judgement and connection with clients cannot be replicated by technology. AI is therefore likely to enhance rather than replace the hairdresser's role in the foreseeable future.
Career Ladder
→ Hairdresser (Current role)
Related Studies
Employers in Ireland
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Nationwide (Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and more)
Ireland's largest salon chain employing stylists nationwide
Dublin, Cork, Galway
International salon brand offering cutting, colouring and styling services
Dublin and major shopping centres nationwide
High-street salon chain hiring stylists across Irish retail locations
Dublin
Dublin-based award-winning salon employing experienced colourists and stylists
Nationwide
Multi-location Irish salon group offering full hairdressing services
Dublin, Cork, Galway
Premium salon brand employing stylists trained in holistic hair care
Dublin city centre and nationwide
UK-based luxury salon group with Irish outlets employing skilled stylists
Carlow
Trains and employs hairdressing tutors for apprenticeship programmes
Nationwide
Coordinates hairdressing apprenticeships placing trainees with Irish salons
Dublin 2
Independent Dublin salon hiring specialist colourists and senior stylists
Nationwide
Irish salon group providing cutting, colouring and styling services nationwide
We don't know whether these employers currently have vacancies — always check their own website. And if there's somewhere you'd really love to work, it can be worth applying anyway, even without an open vacancy.
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