The British hairdressing industry contributes £5.5bn to the UK economy. What’s more, it has a 150,000 strong workforce of (mostly)  women under the age of 34 years-old. Despite its representative nature, it has often been overlooked as a reputable industry.

However, there has long been knowledge within the industry of the power of a haircut for better mental health and wellbeing. Kao – the world’s fourth largest full-range supplier of salon products – is trying to raise awareness even more.

In October of this year, the company ran an online survey which polled more than 1000 women on the social and psychological benefits of salon visits. It found that:

• Over half (52 percent) of respondents say they value relationship qualities with the hairdresser, such as trust, loyalty, and empowerment.
• 70 percent of the nation find salon visits a vital opportunity for self-care, and 51 percent deem the relationship they share with their hairdresser as close as that of a friend.
• One third of UK respondents surveyed said that feeling confident in themselves is the main reason they go to the salon, while 70 percent go to feel a boost of self-confidence immediately following a trip to the salon.

The results show the social relevance of salons on British high-streets and reinstates the importance of salon professionals. Despite this, hairdressers face increasing pressures when it comes to recruitment and long-term recovery due to the cost of living crisis and consequences of Covid-19.

In fact, in a recent ‘state of the industry‘ survey, the British Beauty Council and NHBF found that 46% of salon owners admitted that they are not sure whether they will survive over the next six months.

On the YouGov survey Dominic Pratt, Global President Kao Salon Division, comments: ‘The survey results confirm that hairdressing is about more than just craftsmanship: it is about relationships and making people feel good on the outside and the inside.

‘The pandemic has severely affected the business, but at the same time it has shown how much people value the services and trusting relationships they have with their hairdressing salons. We want to show that the  industry not only has economic value, but also social value and how fulfilling working in this profession is.’

As part of Kao’s mission to increase the acknowledgement of the hairdressing industry, it has worked with BBC StoryWorks on its ‘In Pursuit of Wellness‘ series. The company’s film ‘Confidence Through Craftmanship’ traces the relationships between salon owners in the UK and US.

Watch the film here.

Find out more about the survey here.