Hairdresser to hair removal technician
A hairdresser already meets 47% of what the hair removal technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.6/ 100
1 How much of what a hair removal technician is expected to do is already part of a hairdresser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the hair removal technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hair removal technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things a hairdresser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- hair
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
- maintain equipment
- work ergonomically
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hair removal technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a hairdresser background worth leading with.
- already held treat facial hair assisting and caring
- already held style hair assisting and caring
- already held hair services
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage a small-to-medium business management skills
All 16 carried skills, including the 5 the hair removal technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn cosmetics required
- still to learn cosmetics industry required
- still to learn hair removal techniques required
- still to learn skin types required
- still to learn use laser therapy for skin conditions required
- still to learn conform to cosmetics regulatory requirements required
- optional, not held perform electrolysis optional
- optional, not held use intense pulsed light technology optional
- optional, not held use threading techniques optional
- optional, not held wax body parts optional
- optional, not held pluck hair optional
- optional, not held use hair removal lasers optional
- still to learn advise customers on usage of cosmetics required
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hair removal technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cosmetics study this
- 02 cosmetics industry study this
- 03 use laser therapy for skin conditions practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held hair knowledge
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held maintain professional administration skill
- already held manage a small-to-medium business skill
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
- already held style hair skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held treat facial hair skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held perform electrolysis optional
- optional, not held use intense pulsed light technology optional
- optional, not held use threading techniques optional
- optional, not held wax body parts optional
- optional, not held pluck hair optional
- optional, not held use hair removal lasers optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
22 held skills the hair removal technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on hair style skill
- not needed by the target role apply hair cutting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role curl hair skill
- not needed by the target role design hair style skill
- not needed by the target role dye hair skill
- not needed by the target role hair colouring knowledge
- not needed by the target role hair products knowledge
- not needed by the target role help customers with hair problems skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain wigs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work area cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role organise product display skill
- not needed by the target role satisfy customers skill
- not needed by the target role sell hair products skill
- not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with hair style trends skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role treat scalp conditions skill
- not needed by the target role use equipment for hair care skill
- not needed by the target role wash hair skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cosmetics required
- still to learn cosmetics industry required
- still to learn hair removal techniques required
- still to learn skin types required
Common questions about this move
Can a hairdresser become a hair removal technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A hairdresser already covers 47% of what a hair removal technician is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 5 of which the hair removal technician role treats as required.
What skills does a hairdresser need to become a hair removal technician?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by services. The single most important is cosmetics.
How hard is the move from hairdresser to hair removal technician?
Its learning distance is 52.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.