<p>What is this keratin treatment of which you speak??</p>
<p>I just tried out a new hairdresser. She is the owner. She happily took the 20% tip. I tipped her since I felt that she went, “above and beyond” and I do feel that for what she did she really undercharged compared to my usual hairdresser (who would not have provided this level of service anyway). My usual hairdresser is far from a high end salon, but is priced at what I consider to be midrange to low/midrange. I feel that the new hairdresser really earned her money. If she just snipped quickly and did the minimum required, I would not have tipped. </p>
<p>I noticed that a young child came into the salon with hair length slighly below the shoulders. The parent and asked for a certain type of braid. The whole thing took a few minutes and she was charged $30. If the owner had done that braid, I would not have tipped. I thought this customer was overcharged. Frankly, if they quoted $30 for this, I would have taken my child to another salon on principle. I think that is twice the amount that should have been charged for one braid. Then again, I have raised males, so what do I know about the cost of braiding hair.</p>
<p>I had always thought the rule-of-thumb was that you don’t tip the owner, or independent contractors (my hairdresser isn’t an employee of the salon, but rents her chair). I didn’t tip for years, then read that I should tip, so now I do. But not a lot. Frankly, I don’t understand why I should tip the owner. She or he sets the prices. I understand that an employee gets a set wage, sort of like a waiter, which is why you would tip in that situation. But freelance writers/photographers don’t get a tip. Plumbers and electricians don’t get a tip. Where do you draw the line?</p>
<p>$30 for a quick braid is ridiculous! My stylist charges me $80 for a cut, but only $20 for my sons. I could take them to a barber, but I know that my stylist enjoys seeing them and getting the extra business, so he doesn’t take advantage. He does spend much less time on them, but the rate is still reduced. Most of the salons in my area charge less for children.</p>
<p>I love this topic! The woman who cuts my hair just works out of her house, her prices are reasonable, and she does a good (not great) job. I never know whether or not to tip her, since she’s clearly the “owner”. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, but I wonder and worry about it every time!</p>
<p>Gourmetmom, that is what I thought about the charge for that braid. The girl was probably 7 or 8 years old and her hair was not very long at all. She wanted a French braid. Her mother took her to the salon because she could not figure out how to do a French braid. The hairdresser had it braided in less time than a boy’s haircut! It was fast, so I would have felt “clipped” to pay $30 for that! In fact the original quote was for $35, but they were a bit embarrassed to ask that in the end, so they charged $30. I would have walked out if they quoted $30 or $35 for that braid.</p>
<p>Well, tipping is certainly optional, but it’s my hair. Personally, I’ll just stick with the tipping.</p>
<p>VeryHappy-- the keratin treatment is a straightening process which is non-chemical and natural. It is very labor intensive, but the results are really great and last a very long time…also, unlike chemical straightening, it is actually good for your hair. who knew? My D is very lazy about not wanting to do much with her hair, but she was also getting very sad about what her hair looked like in the morning. So, for us, it was ‘worth it.’</p>
<p>I did waitress in college and I always tip well for good service in restaurants, though I will also tip poorly if the service is really lousy. It is tipping people who are already charging so much that gets me. A waiter is making minimum wage at best, okay, I can handle that tip, but for some one who is making $30-100-more an hour, no thanks.</p>
<p>But then I went to my old hair stylist when I went to my old home town for a visit and she came in just to cut my hair (she’d cut it for 10+ years) and I did tip her, though as the owner of the salon I had never tipped her before.</p>
<p>I feel like we have been on the tuition austerity plan for about 10 years, every single purchase we make, every dollar we spend has to be weighed against what educational expense it could go to and we have used our HELOC for school expenses some years, so there is a very visible reminder every month of our priority bill. I am seeking value in each purchase and tipping people who are likely making more than I am does seem to present the same value as tipping a waiter or barista. It is not tipping that I object to, it is tipping some one who is not a minimum wage employee.</p>
<p>Sheesh, $30 for a braid?!? I used to line up the girls sport teams and french braid the entire group, we even taught ourselves more exotic braids- the inside out one and the circular “angel crown” which resulted in a circle on top of the head like a crown and the tail of the braid was woven in and we sewed it in place with ribbons that matched the leotards, or school colours…that mom needs to learn to braid.</p>
<p>I used to work at a shop that was a house behind DeLaurentis, in Bellevue ( for those who know it), then I did cuts and blow drys ( was just out of school)-
when I was in school, I was often the one who received the difficult styles- like african american hair ( afros- not the straightening & perms + shag cuts on long asian hair), I became fairly proficient- but just because I had learned to do it fairly quickly, didn’t mean it wasn’t difficult or it wasn’t worth charging for.</p>
<p>While in Bellevue, I didn’t see many AA clients ( they generally went to shops that emphasized ethnic hair styles I imagine), but I did do braiding, especially for proms or weddings.</p>
<p>A French braid is pretty difficult to do- depending on the type of hair- and while I might not have charged that much, I don’t expect that clients decide their physician didn’t work that hard on a 10 minute office visit- so they are going to pay him for his time, rather than his expertise.
Like they say, it isn’t how much you cut off- it’s what you leave on.
If it is $35 for a French braid- then it is $35 for a French braid- if they wanted to go to a shop that specialized in children’s hair, and probably charged less- then they can do so.</p>
<p>I recommend this book. It has a lot of cute ideas with clear pictures.
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Hair-Braiding-Styles-Anne-Johnson/dp/1570540187[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Hair-Braiding-Styles-Anne-Johnson/dp/1570540187</a>
But freelance writers/photographers don’t get a tip</p>
<p>Don’t they?
I tip a photographer when I hire one- but then again, I guess they set their own prices.</p>
<p>I actually do my own hair- I haven’t paid to have my hair cut for over 10 years- I do a good job and I don’t get hair down the back of my neck.</p>
<p>When I was working in a salon & last time was thirty years ago- we charged $40 for a cut ( owner charged more) and $60 for color- but if it was complex, that would be more.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Is is really the customary practice? H told me this (the reason he doesn’t tip his barber) but I wasn’t sure if I should believe him.</p>
<p>My hairdresser is actually my next door neighbor, who owns a salon in our pretty-small town…which makes this tip (or lack of tip) thing even more awkward…</p>
<p>I also was always told that you don’t tip if your stylist is the owner. The person who cuts my hair is the owner and sole operator in her shop. So should I not tip? I’ve been giving about 10%, what do you think?</p>
<p>I’ve have had this conversation with my stylist’s assistant. I’ve been going there for so many years, I get to hear all the behind the scenes stories. In my area 20% of any service is standard, perhaps a little less for the women, especially the older women, who come weekly for their blow outs. 15% is on the low end, but they would rather people give that than not come at all. They charge high prices and so they are feeling the impact of the economy a bit. Five bucks for the shampoo person is typical. I don’t go to the owner, but according to my source, maybe half tip him and half do not - he accepts tips but does not expect them.</p>
<p>Add me to the list of people who heard that salon owners do not have to be tipped. I just got my haircut last night at a local Gene Juarez salon. After many trials and errors, I found a stylist who does a fantasic job with my bland, blond, straight hair. She does not chatter non-stop and does not run off to pet someone’s dog in the middle of cutting my hair (yup, it happened to me once- after all, this is Seattle 
- I have nothing against dogs, but I like my stylist to wash her hands after petting a dog before proceeding with my haircut). I always leave a 20% tip for my stylist - I like that Gene Juraez provides little envelopes and a drop box for tips. Around Christmas, I leave her a more generous tip (I was told that holiday gift usually equals the price of one cut). She just got engaged and will be married in the fall, so I will make sure I’ll get a haircut sometimes before her wedding to leave her a monetary gift.</p>
<p>I give 20% for my color and cut, and it includes tip to the person who washes my hair. My reason is the price includes the wash, so if I were to give the whole 20% to my stylist then I would be tipping more than 20%.</p>
<p>Regarding tight budgets and economic downturns and tipping: I’ve been living on a very very tight budget for what seems like forever now. I probably ate out no more than three times a year for most of the last decade. But I always tip at least 15%. I build tips into the expected cost of the activity.</p>
<p>I really don’t like the fact that waitstaff depend on tips to make a living, but they do and we all know it. People who stiff a decent waiter are basically committing theft of services, IMHO. If the waiter is incompetent or unpleasant, that’s another matter.</p>
<p>I tip my hairdresser 5.00 for an 80.00 service. She is in business for herself and pays rent to the salon owner. I feel no duty to pay her 15 or 20 percent. I do always pay 15 percent or more to a waiter for even average service. I see my hairdresser regularly, I am on time and set up my apointments well in advance.</p>
<p>I think if you can’t afford to tip 15-20 % then you can’t afford the service ( inc going out to dinner)
Many stylists lease their space- they may pay as much of half the reciepts to the owner.
This generally doesn’t include benefits- like health ins.</p>
<p>From Dept of Labor
</p>
<p>Making an appt., and being on time- is a common courtesy- not anything to get a discount for.
;)</p>
<p>I always have difficulty knowing the tip amount to give. One issue I have trouble with is that I want to tip on the service but not the product. Whenever I have color done I feel the product price should be separate from the cut and blow dry. We used to buy hair color from one stylist for my H and the price was phenomenal. So that makes me wonder how much my hair color products are priced. I probably tip too little but if the stylist doesn’t want my repeat business then I’ll find someone else.</p>
<p>Remember, if your stylist is working for a salon, he/she is not getting the full amount that is charged. I don’t know what the split is, but I imagine that if the salon charges $100 for foil/highlights, that the stylist is getting/earning a fraction of that after either the owner takes his “cut” or the stylist has to pay a “chair fee.”</p>
<p>My stylist is self-employed and actually has a salon in her home. She charges less (about $80 for highlights), but I give her $100. The whole process takes about 2+ hours.</p>
<p>I don’t think one should be tipping on the cost of the product when one purchases shampoo/conditioner etc. On the other hand, I don’t necessarily know how to break it out for coloring, perms, etc. I used to have much longer hair, and when I got a perm they had to use another bottle of solution, which is quite expensive. But my hairdresser at the time told me that the usual price of the perm would be $X but because of the second bottle it would be an additional $Y when we were discussing the possibility in the first place.</p>