The Healthy Hairdresser Guide:
Staying Healthy on the Job
We’re going to tell you something you probably already know—being a hairdresser, stylist (or cosmetologist of any kind, really) is a draining job. And we don’t just mean physically. Being on your feet all day, working crazy hours, and being on the go constantly can drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Irregular hours. Even more irregular sleep. Eating when you can—often probably not the healthiest options. Less time for self-care.
This type of lifestyle is probably super rewarding, but it also has the potential to be very hectic—especially if you’re not taking care of yourself as a result. The key to being a happy, healthy, and non-stressed stylist? Finding and striking a harmonious balance between work, life, and taking care of yourself.
We won’t lie—this isn’t always easy. And honestly, your balance won’t always look exactly the same from day to day. But f you’re willing to work hard, construct healthy habits you stick to, and focus on your health as much as you focus on your job, it’ll pay off in more ways than one.
This blog will give you the inside scoop you need to stay healthy, dominate in your career, and find the balance you’ve been looking for.
Why Being a Healthy Cosmetologist Matters
We’re going to start this off with an obvious—but important—answer—being a healthy hairdresser matters because you matter. Your health and your wellness are so crucial because you deserve to be happy, healthy, and taken care of.
If you need more motivation than that, look to your family, your friends, and the people you care about—they want you to be healthy, they want you to thrive, and they want you to take care of yourself. They love you, they need you, and they want the best for you—being a healthy cosmetologist matters for so many reasons, but especially that one.
And finally, being a health cosmetologist matters for your career. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to chase after your hairdresser goals and dreams to the capacity that you want to.
Being unhealthy, ill, or unable to keep up could be the thing that stands in your own way. You need to be the best version of you possible to accomplish everything you’ve always dreamed of.
Your Healthy Focus: Diet, Exercise, & Self-Care
We want to start off with a hugely important disclaimer: we’re advocates of self-love, self-care, and health. That means when we talk about what’s “healthy,” we’re talking about your overall well-being.
This isn’t the diet-till-you-drop-exercise-twice-a-day argument-get-slender type of thing—all we want is for you to be the healthiest version of yourself! The one that’s balanced, composed, feels good, and is confident and happy with themselves.
Diet
Your diet is everything when it comes to health and wellness. As a stylist, you might be used to eating whatever might be available whenever you get a spare moment—and often, it’s not always the option that’s going to best benefit your overall health.
Hear us out. When we talk about diet, we certainly don’t mean diet in the sense of restrictive eating that you follow for six weeks to try to lose a bunch of weight.
Instead, we’re talkin’ about your preferred, daily diet—you know, the kind of food that you habitually eat. Think of it this way, we’re never saying diet as in “go on a diet,” we’re saying “diet” as in “evaluate what you eat as part of your daily diet.”
Your diet should be something that works for you, makes you feel great, and is actively fueling your body—never holding you back. The beauty of a balanced diet is that every person’s looks a little different.
For some, high-protein diets work wonders, for others, plant-based is the best. Establishing the type of eating that makes the most sense for you can work wonders for your overall health and well-being.
Our advice? Chat with a doctor, a nutritionist, or a medical professional to establish what sort of daily eating habits could best serve you. Then, stick to what works! Try meal prepping to ensure you’re prepared—this way, by the time you get a chance to eat, you won’t be so starving you’ll eat anything you can get your hands on.
Obviously that doesn’t mean your daily life needs to be rigid and uncompromising—sometimes eating that cheat meal or that piece of cake someone brings in for a salon birthday is the healthiest option for your mental well-being!
Exercise
This is a huge piece of the health and wellness puzzle for anyone, but especially for hairdressers. You might be thinking something like “as a stylist, I get a great workout every day.”
And you know, that’s true in some regards—you stand for hours, you walk thousands of steps, you are on the go constantly. But this can also do severe damage to your body that exercise could help remedy.
Adding in exercise a few times during the week can make monumental differences for your overall health and wellness. The good news? It doesn’t have to be boring or a chore—exercise can be your release, your stress-reliever, the activity you look forward to.
Love to dance? Zumba is a must. Seeking something athletic? Pick up your favorite sport again. Need something adventurous? Rock climbing could be the perfect option for you. From stretching and yoga to jogging and weightlifting, there are plenty of exercise options out there!
Looking for something quick, fun, and convenient? When you team up with Elite Beauty Society, you get access to LesMills On-Demand classes for just $9.99 monthly—that’s access to over 1,000 at-home workouts. AKA, you can do your exercises at your pace, on your own time, in the comfort of your own home!
Injury Prevention
A big part of being healthy is being proactive to prevent injury! You might not realize it, but it’s very easy to get hurt on the job when you’re a hairdresser—and if something happens to you and you need time to recover, that can bring up all sorts of problems (AKA, how can you work if you’ve hurt yourself?). This is just one of the reasons that injury prevention is important.
Our suggestions? Take care of your body as a whole—but pay extra attention to your wrists, knees, and feet! Because you’re standing all day, running around, and working with your hands, these are the areas that are going to be highly impacted.
Here are a few tips you can implement to prevent injury in these areas:
- Stretch regularly
- Do wrist exercises and ankle exercises for mobility
- Exercise, exercise, exercise
- Work on your posture to reduce stress on your body
- Opt for ergonomic hair tools
- Purchase a phenomenal pair of supportive shoes
- Focus on bending your knees to reduce stress on your joints
After more tips like this? We can help. Keep up with the cosmetology insight, advice, and outlooks you’ve been searching for when you subscribe to Elite Beauty Society.
Our team is always updating our blog and site with the industry gossip, deals, and discounts that badass cosmetologists like you need!
