So why do we tip hairdressers but not other people?

[Mellyelly]

Just had an interesting conversation with my friends. It’s news to me that we’re supposed to be tipping our hairdressers. In a group of 7 I’m apparently the only person who doesn’t tip! Mortified! I simply did not know this was the done thing. I’m paying for a service. Why the tip? UK born just slow on the uptake apparently. Why not tip the checkout person? Or your dentist? I pay roughly 65 quid for a cut and blow dry. Not exactly cheap

im so confused

I tip my hairdresser £20 when I go for a colour, £10 for a cut.@ 20% of the cost of my appointment. She's excellent at her job and I value her time and expertise. Thought it was pretty standard to tip but i guess not after reading some comments. Obviously the % allows for a few pounds up to a considerable amount for very fancy salons.

It used to be that you tipped the young girl, often not an adult, who washed your hair before you were seen by the hairdresser. I’m talking 60s/70s

Now it’s progressed to tipping the hairdresser.

I was brought up to tip. Largely for personal/excellent service.

Hairdresser
Waiter
Window cleaner
Taxi driver
My cleaner and gardener get an extra week's money at Christmas

Someone talked about tipping a mechanic, well no I don't but when my mechanic turned my car round a day earlier than expected and went above and beyond - I gave him a bottle of vodka which the service desk chap said was his tipple. It's a bit like sending in a gift to a teacher.

Here's a reason why. When hairdressers opened up after covid, my hairdresser called me (dh and dd go to her too) and we had apppointments on the first day. My friend who vociferously never tips, was put out to have to wait for four weeks

ha, you’re right op, I just realised that I tip my hairdresser but no-one else (except for restaurant staff).

We do tip other people. If I get good service I tip the person who does my nails and other beauty services, taxi drivers, waiting staff in restaurants, food delivery drivers, postman and binmen at Christmas. I don’t mind tipping them. I pay less than half than you do for a cut and blow dry.

If you can afford to then do if you can not don’t feel bad. I tip my nail tech, hairdresser and cleaner (at Xmas)

My hair stylist is not "modestly paid"- he earns more than me per hour so no, it's not the norm to tip everywhere. I pay £200 for a haircut that takes about an hour. I go to him because he literally makes my hair look like a supermodel's hair and no-one else has ever managed that.

He gets £200 for an hour's work and you think I should bung him a fiver as well? LMAO

I don’t as well. I don’t see what’s so special about them to any other service.

I don’t tip. It’s linked to unfair treatment in the workplace and power imbalance etc.

It's just convention and doesn't make sense. I don't tip my hairdresser but I tip in restaurants because I feel awkward if I don't. It's not about personal service because my dentist and postie do a great job and I don't tip them, and it's not about minimum wage because nobody tips in supermarkets or gives a tip to the office cleaner. Somehow we have developed a convention where some roles are tipped sometimes/most of the time. I'd much rather everyone was paid a fair wage and that be reflected in the bill.

I think tipping used to be done more when people used to pay cash for things. Round it up to the next note and a “keep the change” tip. Now it’s just tapping the phone on the sum-up reader, I wouldn’t know how to add a tip and I don’t carry cash very often to do it with that.

I tip my hairdresser but not every time as I have to remember to get the cash. Tip taxi drivers and waiters/waitresses - but only if the service has been worth it

I don't tip my hairdresser because she sets her prices. If I'm doing business with anyone who is choosing how much they charge me, I pay what they ask for.

I think the idea with tipping is more that you would tip someone on a low, fixed wage a few extra quid - so the waitress, maybe the teenage girl who washes your hair, a delivery driver.

I have a dry trim once a month, takes 15 mins max and costs £25. Not a bad hourly rate. I only tip at Christmas and give her an extra tenner.

Don’t be ridiculous! No one is being shafted in 2026 by not getting a tip. Tip if you wish but you don’t get to decide that someone else is less generous / worthy/ decent because they choose to keep their money.

I asked my regular hairdresser about tips, she said most of her clients don’t tip. She’s a seriously good hairdresser so this can’t be due to the quality of her work!

My salon has an online tipping system so you don’t need cash. I find it a lot less awkward and never have to worry about having cash. I always tip my stylist and the girl who shampoos me and brings me my coffee.

i give mine a present at xmas a gift bag with bubble beth/shower gel/handcream etc etc,i dont tip money,

I tip everyone. Hair dresser, taxi driver, wait staff, delivery person, contractor workers….

And something for Christmas for teachers, coaches, doctor, postie, cleaner,…..

I pay £200 for cut, colour and highlights - London - not central - takes about 90 mins.

My hairdresser doesn't see all of that money at all: she gets what's left after: loan payments for the business, rent, business rates, utilities, equipment, maintenance, products, etc. I doubt she sees £25ph.

I used to but then prices doubled so now I don't.

Sorry no one is getting ‘shafted’ here. We have minimum wage in this country. Many of the people including hairdressers get paid more than this. Many people on minimum wage jobs don’t get tipped. Tipping some professions but not others is weird to me. And tbh I think people who still tip everyone are mugs.

So your covid example is interesting as that would technically be considered as highly unethical in the company I work for. Your hairdresser will be salaried, so accepting tips for favourable treatment would be considered accepting bribery.

My hairdresser is self employed. Gosh you have leapt to an assumption. It isn't bribery, it's taking care of your best customers who value you.

Most of the people I tip have no sick pay, no emplpyer funded pension, stat mat or mat allowance and very little job security.