How TikTok is turning hairstylists into viral superstars
Social media platform TikTok has revolutionised the way trends spread, and its impact can be seen in the hair industry. TikTok has given rise to a new class of celebrity hairstylists who are seeing their businesses expand exponentially overnight. Those who achieve viral fame on the platform are attracting a flood of young clients travelling from across the US and internationally to get the perfect viral style.
Hairstylists who can create the latest hair trends are becoming highly sought after, as clients no longer want to wait for a trend to appear in their hometown before they can try it. The hairstyle trends appearing on TikTok are creating the sensation online, and anyone wanting to be part of the in-crowd gets a haircut inspired by it.
For example, in April this year, Los Angeles-based hairstylist Justin Toves-Vincilione started posting haircut tutorials on TikTok from the salon at an Ulta Beauty store in Santa Monica. The hairstylist had days where he had enough time slots open to go home early from work, but after amassing nearly 90,000 followers on TikTok, his schedule filled up for the month. His new clients are mostly “brand new, straight from TikTok”, with some of them travelling from across the US to get haircuts.
TikTok has inspired a wide range of haircut trends over the past two years, from “curtain bangs” to the resurgence of the “Rachel” and the “wolf cut”. Hairstylist Glenn Ellis said that he has received an influx of clients after working with influencers such as Helen Owen on Instagram, but shoutouts from his client Tinx on her TikTok account “brought in a whole wide range of people”.
The impact of TikTok on the hair industry is also leading to new opportunities. Toves-Vincilione was named an ambassador of hair-care brand Authentic Beauty Concept after his TikTok took off. Miraflores is planning to launch his own product line soon and will travel from his base in Canada to LA to do videos styling TikTok influencers’ hair. Toves-Vincilione is also now travelling around the country teaching the butterfly haircut technique, along with other viral styles, in partnership with professional hair education platform Behind the Chair.
For salon professionals, keeping up with the hairstyle trends of Generation Z necessitates constantly learning how to do the latest cuts. Hairstylists who can create the latest hair trends are experiencing high demand, as clients are increasingly turning to social media to find new styles and looks that they can’t get locally.
“The common thread is that [my new clients] feel like they can’t get services where they live,” said Toves-Vincilione. “So they’re taking to social media.” With the impact of TikTok on the hair industry, hairstylists are now becoming viral superstars, and the trend shows no sign of stopping.
