Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
Provide beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp. May shampoo hair, apply makeup, dress wigs, remove hair, and provide nail and skincare services.
305,710 people do this job in the US. $35,790 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 3%
- 0%
- 97%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 20 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bleach, dye, or tint hair, using applicator or brush.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 22% | 1.1 h25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Cut, trim and shape hair or hairpieces, based on customers' instructions, hair type, and facial features, using clippers, scissors, trimmers and razors.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 13% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop new styles and techniques.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Apply water or setting, straightening or waving solutions to hair, and use curlers, rollers, hot combs and curling irons to press and curl hair.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 42 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Shampoo, rinse, condition, and dry hair and scalp or hairpieces with water, liquid soap, or other solutions.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Train or supervise other hairstylists, hairdressers, and assistants.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Analyze patrons' hair and other physical features to determine and recommend beauty treatment or suggest hair styles.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min8 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Comb, brush, and spray hair or wigs to set style.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min8 min to 29 min | Stays with people | |
| Order, display, and maintain supplies.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Demonstrate and sell hair care products and cosmetics.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 10 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Massage and treat scalp for hygienic and remedial purposes, using hands, fingers, or vibrating equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).