If you are considering a career in the beauty industry as a lash technician, you are probably wondering how much money you can make.
I had this exact question when I started my lash business and found it difficult to find a clear answer.
Now that I have several years of experience having worked as a lash tech, running my own lash business, and hiring several lash artists across multiple locations, I decided to write this article to give you a better idea of how much do lash techs make.
Lash techs make $90,480 per year on average in the U.S when self-employed. Lash techs working in salons have an average wage of $20 to $25 per hour. Location, experience, and technique offered will influence earning potential.
Read on to discover how much lash technicians earn and the 7 most important factors that will influence your salary.
Let’s get started!
Lash Technician Average Salary in the USA
| Self-Employed Lash Tech Salary | Classic Lashes | Hybrid Lashes | Volume Lashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Week | $1,885 | $2,080 | $2,560 |
| Per Month | $7,540 | $8,320 | $10,240 |
| Per Year | $90,480 | $99,840 | $122,880 |
The table above is based on the following assumptions for an average full-time lash artist:
- The average price for refills is $71 for classic, $84 for hybrid, and $95 for volume.
- The average price for full sets is $164 for classic, $192 for hybrid, and $227 for volume.
- 1 full set and 3 refills per day (this is very conservative).
Top Tip: The average lash extension prices are taken from a case study where we surveyed 100+ lash salons in the U.S. to find out how much lash extensions cost.
How Much Do Lash Techs Make per Week?
Let’s break down the calculation based on the number of fills and full sets that are anticipated from a full-time lash tech.
Classic Lash Tech Salary
- 1 full set x 5 days a week = 5 full sets per week.
- 3 refills x 5 days a week = 15 refills per week.
- 5 full sets * $164 per set = $820 per week.
- 15 refills x $71 per refill = $1,065 per week.
- $820 + $1,065 = $1,885 per week.
Hybrid Lash Tech Salary
- 1 full set x 5 days a week = 5 full sets per week.
- 3 refills x 5 days a week = 15 refills per week.
- 5 full sets * $192 per set = $960 per week.
- 15 refills x $84 per refill = $1,260 per week.
- $960 + $1,260 = $2,080 per week.
Volume Lash Tech Salary
- 1 full set x 5 days a week = 5 full sets per week.
- 3 refills x 5 days a week = 15 refills per week.
- 5 full sets * $227 per set = $1,135 per week.
- 15 refills x $95 per refill = $1,425 per week.
- $1,135 + $1,425 = $2,560 per week.
How Much Do Lash Techs Make per Month?
Using the same variables as before, we can easily calculate how much a lash tech makes per month.
- Classic Lash Tech Salary: $1,885 per week x 4 weeks per month = $7,540
- Hybrid Lash Tech Salary: $2,080 per week x 4 weeks per month = $8,320
- Volume Lash Tech Salary: $2,560 per week x 4 weeks per month = $10,240
How Much Do Lash Techs Make per Year?
Using the same variables as before, we can easily calculate how much a lash tech makes per year.
- Classic Lash Tech Salary: $7,540 per month x 12 months per year = $90,480
- Hybrid Lash Tech Salary: $8,320 per month x 12 months per year = $99,840
- Volume Lash Tech Salary: $10,240 per month x 12 months per year = $122,880
Discussing the Results
There are a few things to consider when looking at these results from the table above.
Self-Employed vs Employed
Self-employed lash artists make significantly more money than those who are employed by a lash salon. This is because self-employed lash artists get to keep 100% of their service fees, while employed lash artists only get to keep a portion (usually 50%) of their service fees.
Gross vs Net Salary
The salary figures shown are gross salaries, which means they do not take into account taxes or expenses.
When you are self-employed, you are responsible for paying your own taxes, and you will need to factor in expenses such as rent, supplies, marketing, etc.
When you are employed by a lash salon, the salon will usually cover such expenses.
Full-Time vs Part-Time
The salary figures shown are for full-time lash artists. If you are a part-time lash artist, your income will be lower.
Vacation Time
For simplicity, we assumed that lash artists work 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year. In reality, most lash artists take 2-3 weeks off per year for vacation, and this will lower their annual income.
Classic vs Hybrid vs Volume
I know very few lash artists that offer 100% of a single technique only. Some will only do volume lashes for example, but it’s rare.
In the real world, most lash artists offer a mix of classic, hybrid, and volume lashes, and this will affect their overall income.
The table above showed what your salary would be if you offer either 100% classic, 100% hybrid, or 100% volume eyelash extensions.
Established vs New Lash Artist
I used a conservative assumption of 1 full set per day and 3 refills per day. I say conservative because once you have built up a clientele, you can easily do 2 full sets per day and probably 1 more fill depending on your speed.
However, the kicker here is “built up a clientele”.
If you are a new lash artist starting in the industry, it will take time to build up a clientele, and your income will be lower than an established lash artist during this time.
For instance, it took me a good year before I was booked solid and didn’t have to worry about holes in my schedule anymore.
How Much Do Lash Artists Make According to Online Sources
I did a quick search on Google and found a few articles that discuss how much lash artists make.
Here’s what I found out.
1- According to Ziprecruiter.com:1
- Eyelash extension technicians make an average salary of $46,269 per year, $3,856 per month, or $890 per week in the United States.
- The wage for lash techs in the United States is $22.24 per hour.
- The top earners (90th percentile) make $104,000 or more per year.
- The average pay varies greatly suggesting a lot of variances based on location but also skill level and years of experience.
2- According to Salary.com:2
- The average salary for lash artists in the United States is $30,860 per year, $2,571 per month, or $593 per week.
3- According to Talent.com:3
- The average salary for lash artists in the United States is $49,688 per year, $4,141 per month, or $956 per week.
- The wage for lash techs in the United States is $25.48 per hour.
- More experienced lash techs make up to $63,500 per year.
Why Salary Data Is So Different Depending on the Source?
As you can see, different sources offer different salary expectations. But why are they so different from each other?
User-Submitted Data
The main reason is that this data is often user submitted.
In other words, it’s people self-reporting their salaries. Therefore, the sample used by each site might be different, which would explain the discrepancy in the numbers.
Third-Party Data
Another reason is the third-party data they use.
Some sites use data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), while others might use data from Payscale or Indeed.
7 Factors That Influence How Much Lash Techs Make
Above all, lash techs can earn higher than the averages quoted above salaries based on many things like venue, reputation, treatments, demand, total serviceable hours, clients, and more.
I’ll outline 7 such influences on the salary of lash techs below.
1. Location
The cost of lash treatments can vary depending on where you’re offering your services. For instance, the cost of lash treatments in Los Angeles differs from in New York or Toronto.
The rule of thumb is that salons in high-end locations or busy cities charge high prices. Although, the higher prices account for, the higher rent too. Moreover, the cost of the lash extension treatment differs by its location, such as the city and neighborhood of the salon.
The location also determines the type of clientele a lash artist has, thereby increasing the average salary in the eyelash extensions industry.
2. Reputation and Experience
Depending on how experienced the lash artist is, their hourly or annual salaries may differ. Your ability matters in this career.
Like in any career, a higher experience level means more pay for an artist, while technicians who’re just starting charge a lot less.
Lash professionals often have a specialty that increases their reputation, such as specific styles.
3- Lash Styles Offered
Depending on the lash extension styles offered, the total earnings of a lash artist can increase.
For instance, a Classic full set costs $164. So, if you do two full sets per day, you’re making over $300 per day, $1,500 per week, $6000 per month, or $72,000 per year.
As Volume eyelash extension sets are $192 per set, that translates to $92k per year.
So what does this mean?
If you want to make more money as a lash professional, don’t limit yourself to classic eyelash extensions.
It is completely worth it to invest in volume or hybrid training so you can offer more styles and make more money.
If you want to know more about the differences between these 3 techniques, check out my guide here!
Fun Fact: According to a Small Business & Marketing Advice, 12% of higher-end lash artists say their pricing is above $181, and 6% charge $60 or less for services.4
4- Training
Eyelash artists offer training apart from lash extension treatments which can often add to their earnings.
Training new techs take more time, but it’s productive and entrepreneurial. Moreover, lash techs are usually trained as aestheticians too.
5- Long Hours
The more time you spend on lashing, the more money you’ll make. Obviously, the lash extensions industry is quite demanding, and the Lash Artists are usually booked solid. In other words, the more hours you can work, the better.
My estimates are based on a 5 days a week schedule. Having said that, you could work on weekends too and make more money.
I still remember when I first started, I would work 6 to 7 days a week because I wanted to build my clientele.
Would I do it again?
Not sure…
I now realize it was a little insane!
6- Self-Employed vs Employed
Self-employed lash artists or those working in high-end salons make more money than employed lash techs. Lash artists who own their own business have more control over their time, bookings, and prices.
Those working in salons might be on a salary or hourly wage. Nevertheless, they might not get to keep all the money they make from their lash extension treatments.
With high risk comes rewards.
Also, a gross pay from a self-employed lash artist might seem impressive at first, but let’s not forget that you need to look at net pay if you want to compare apples to apples.
After subtracting the lash product costs, rent, marketing expenses, taxes, and other costs, the net pay is usually a fraction of what the gross pay is.
So, just keep that in mind when making a decision!
7- Product Retail
Adding product retail to your menu of services is a great way to make more money as a lash artist.
Product retail can significantly increase the total earnings of a lash professional.
The retail profit margin in the beauty industry is quite high. So, you get to keep a good chunk of what you sell.
For instance, let’s say you sell a $75 lash serum. The wholesale price is $40, and the retail profit margin is 47%.
This means you get to keep $35 for each serum sold. Not too shabby, right?
Is Starting A Lash Business Worth It?
Being an entrepreneur and opening a lash studio is completely worth it and extremely rewarding.
When compared to the employment route, you’ll make more money and have more control over your time and bookings.
According to Verified Market Research, the international false lashes market is growing at a CAGR of 6.95% until 2028 and $2.31 Billion from $1.36 Billion in 2020.5
What can we conclude from this data?
There’s never been a better time to get into the lash industry!
If you’re thinking about starting your own business, do it!
I promise you won’t regret it.
Yes, it can be stressful at times. You need to be good at budgeting, marketing, and have people skills to run a successful business. But if you put in the work, it WILL pay off!
I’ve been in the industry for over 12 years and I can tell you that it’s only getting bigger and better.
There’s always room for new lash artists!
Final Thoughts
The lash extensions industry is still growing at a rapid pace. And as more and more women become aware of this beauty service, the demand will continue to increase.
Not too surprising when you look at this beautiful lady rocking her extensions 😉
If you’re thinking about becoming a lash artist or starting your own business, I say go for it! There’s never been a better time to get into this industry.
I hope I’ve helped you understand how much lash technicians make. If you’d like to become one, read more about becoming a certified lash tech.
References
- ZipRecruiter.com. Eyelash Extensions Salary. Retrieved from https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Lash-Tech-Salary (Accessed on June 6, 2022).
- Salary.com. Lash Tech Salary in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.salary.com/research/salary/hiring/lash-tech-salary (Accessed on June 6, 2022).
- Talent.com. Lash Technician average salary in USA. Retrieved from https://www.talent.com/salary?job=lash+technician (Accessed on June 6, 2022).
- Brandon Gaille (2019). 33 Eyelash Extension Industry Statistics, Trends & Analysis. Retrieved from https://brandongaille.com/33-eyelash-extension-industry-statistics-trends-analysis/ (Accessed on June 6, 2022).
- Verified Market Research (2021). Global Lash Extension Market Size By Product, By Constituent, By Distribution Channel, By Geographic Scope And Forecast. Retrieved from https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/lash-extension-market/ (Accessed on June 6, 2022).
