How to price your beauty services (without underselling yourself)

Work out what you need to earn each month, then divide it by the hours you can realistically be in the chair. Not the hours you are awake, and not the hours you are open. Admin, travel, cleaning and restocking all eat into billable time, so most solo professionals bill between fifty and sixty five percent of their working hours.

Count everything that leaves the shelf for one client: colour, adhesive, tips, gels, disposables, towels, a share of your tool replacement. Round up. Underestimating product cost is the most common reason a busy month still ends flat.

• Price = (hourly floor x service hours) + product cost + a margin for skill and demand.
• Charge more for services only you do well. Scarcity is part of the price.
• Use tiers for length, density or colour rather than absorbing the extra time.
• Charge for removal, repairs and long travel as their own line items.

1. Give four to six weeks notice, in a post and in your booking confirmations.
2. Raise once a year rather than in nervous small steps.
3. Let existing clients book at the old price for their next appointment only.
4. Improve one visible thing at the same time: aftercare kit, drinks, better photos.

Expect to lose a small number of clients. If nobody leaves, you probably waited too long to raise.