Hairdressers Are Burning Out From Listening to Clients' Problems All Day

A new study in the hairdressing business has found that many hairdressers are experiencing a significant psychological burden from listening to clients discuss their personal concerns during appointments.

The study by L'Oreal Professionnel found that 65% of the 1,750 hair professionals surveyed have experienced anxiety, burnout or depression during their careers, in large part due to spending hours each day serving as impromptu therapists for clients. Typically, hairstylists dedicate around 2,000 hours year to listening to customers discuss a wide range of topics, including difficult relationship endings and health challenges. This amounts to approximately 9 therapy sessions per workday.

Yet most stylists receive no formal training on how to handle these emotionally charged conversations or set healthy boundaries with clients. While many view a chatty visit to the salon as harmless, experts say the relentless trauma dumping can leave hairdressers struggling with "compassion fatigue."

"When you're a therapist, people are going to come in every hour and unload. Psychotherapist and British hairstylist Hayley Jepson put it this way: "When you decide to be a hairdresser, you don't agree to that."

The absence of effective coping strategies might have a significant long-term psychological impact due to the everyday demand for empathic listening. The most common indicators of compassion fatigue include feeling emotionally exhausted, being socially disconnected, and having trouble focusing. These symptoms can have a significant impact on a stylist's emotional well-being and their ability to execute their profession efficiently.

Jepson, who runs a popular Instagram account on mental health in the beauty industry, said she is frequently exhausted by the emotional side of her job. She expressed her desire to motivate hairdressers to take good care of themselves to handle this aspect of their work effectively.

Younger stylists may be especially vulnerable. Andrea Dorata, owner of a salon in London, recalled bursting into tears in the staff room as a 21-year-old after a client told her she had cancer. She was 33, had two children, and was expecting a baby. "I completed the consultation, washed her hair, quickly went to the staff room, and started crying," Dorata recalled.

Even veteran stylists can be affected. Senior stylist Adam Bennett from the United Kingdom was emotionally drained for a week after a customer disclosed that she had been the victim of domestic violence. It took me a whole week before I could quit worrying about it.". I kept finding it creeping into my head," Bennett said.

While close relationships with clients are often seen as a core part of the job, experts say boundaries are needed to mitigate compassion fatigue.

The beauty of hairdressers' work lies in their ability to connect through touch, breaking down intangible barriers. "That's why the relationship between hairdressers and clients is so unique," stated Stewart Roberts, the creator of the organization Haircuts 4 Homeless. Just keep in mind. If you sense that your stylist might be becoming uneasy with the amount of information you're offering, you can politely ask, "Is it okay if I discuss this?"

Some salons are taking steps to protect employees' mental health, such as offering access to free counseling services. But many say more structural changes are needed across the industry.

The lack of formal training on handling clients' personal problems is a key issue, according to Kelly Vowles, owner of a salon in the UK. “At the start of this year, I had to deal with two bereavements,” she said. "I genuinely think that my healing process has been slowed down because my occupation requires me to listen to and address other individuals' distressing experiences or consistently be questioned about my own traumatic experiences throughout the day."

In the US, a new law in Tennessee now requires hairdressers to be trained to recognize signs of domestic violence, placing stylists on the front lines of a public health crisis. But some question whether that should fall within a stylist's typical duties.

"Clients vent their frustrations to hairdressers daily – this is not something we agreed to, but it occurs," Jepson added. We lack the necessary training and processes to assist us in handling this additional stress. We should be discussing the impact this is having on hair stylists more. They are fatigued and tired, sometimes anxious about going to work.

While venting to a trusted stylist can feel therapeutic, experts say there is a difference between that and formal therapy. "The substance of the conversation may seem quite similar, but in truth, the therapist would have undergone four to ten years of training," stated clinical psychologist Karen Gerber.

If you find yourself treating your hair stylist like a therapist, Gerber suggests exploring whether you need actual therapy yourself. Online resources like Betterhelp, Talkspace and Online-Therapy.com can help you get started.

In the end, while close bonds between stylists and clients will remain an integral part of salon culture, experts say a little restraint can go a long way. As Vowles put it: “It’s a cliché, but some of us actually do enjoy talking about holidays!”