SOC 39-5093.00Bright outlook

    Shampooers

    Shampoo and rinse customers' hair.

    Median pay
    $32,600
    Growth
    +5.6%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    2,200
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $23,110
    Median
    $32,600
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $38,240
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    8,070 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Shampooers wash and rinse hair for salon clients, earning a median annual salary of $32,600. This hands-on personal care role offers faster-than-average job growth and requires no formal academic credentials to start.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What shampooers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Shampoo and rinse customers' hair.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career, often called shampoo assistants or scalp treatment specialists, focus on washing, rinsing, and conditioning hair for customers. The daily work centers on assisting and caring for others, performing services directly for the public, and building positive relationships with salon clients. To do this job well, workers must monitor their surroundings, communicate clearly with supervisors and peers, and perform physical tasks throughout the day.

    Success in this role requires strong service orientation, active listening, and clear speaking skills. Shampooers must be socially perceptive, coordinate their actions with others, and manage their time efficiently. Knowledge of customer service, the English language, basic chemistry, and public safety is highly valuable. This career attracts people with realistic interests who prefer practical, hands-on activities. On the job, workers rely on key personal traits such as cooperation, dependability, empathy, and self-control.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, workers typically do not need a formal educational credential. Most people in the field have a high school diploma and receive some on-the-job training or have prior experience. Students interested in preparing for this work often study cosmetology and related personal grooming services in college.

    While the national requirements are minimal, some states do list a license for this specific work. Related careers that individuals might transition into or prepare for include hairdressers, hairstylists, cosmetologists, skincare specialists, manicurists, pedicurists, barbers, massage therapists, and theatrical makeup artists.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for shampooers was $32,600. The lowest 10% of earners made less than $23,110, while the highest 10% earned more than $38,240.

    There are 8,070 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 5.6%, which is faster than average for all occupations. This growth and turnover are expected to result in 2,200 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    76 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    6 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    9 / 100
    Social (S)
    46 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    25 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    40 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RSC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    69
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    69
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    66
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    63
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    58
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    57
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    56
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    55
    Performing General Physical Activities
    55
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    55
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Service Orientation
    • Coordination
    • Monitoring
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Chemistry
    • Education and Training
    • Psychology
    • Administration and Management
    • Production and Processing
    • Mathematics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Near Vision
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity

    Work styles

    • Cooperation
    • Dependability
    • Empathy
    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Sincerity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Humility
    • Cautiousness
    • Self-Control

    Also called

    Hair Assistant · Hair Shampoo Assistant · Salon Shampoo Assistant · Scalp Treatment Operator · Scalp Treatment Specialist · Shampoo Assistant · Shampoo Person · Shampoo Specialist · Shampoo Technician · Shampooer

    Career pathway

    From your interests to shampooers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Shampooers$32,600 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Clover Park Technical College logo
      Clover Park Technical College

      Lakewood, WA · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $31,122
      4 yrs after
      $33,290
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2Douglas Education Center logo
      Douglas Education Center

      Monessen, PA · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $24,344
      4 yrs after
      $32,245
      Median debt
      $12,000
    3. 3Central New Mexico Community College logo
      Central New Mexico Community College

      Albuquerque, NM · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $22,359
      4 yrs after
      $27,398
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Central Piedmont Community College logo
      Central Piedmont Community College

      Charlotte, NC · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $24,015
      4 yrs after
      $26,550
      Median debt
      Not reported
    5. 5Bevill State Community College logo
      Bevill State Community College

      Jasper, AL · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $23,086
      Median debt
      Not reported
    6. 6
      Coahoma Community College

      Clarksdale, MS · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $22,918
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Houston Community College logo
      Houston Community College

      Houston, TX · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $24,421
      4 yrs after
      $22,631
      Median debt
      $18,626
    8. 8Gadsden State Community College logo
      Gadsden State Community College

      Gadsden, AL · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $15,398
      4 yrs after
      $18,504
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What shampooers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    15 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about shampooers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles for this career?

    Workers in this field are known by several titles, including hair assistant, salon shampoo assistant, scalp treatment specialist, shampoo technician, and shampoo person.

    Do I need a college degree to become a shampooer?

    No formal academic credential is required to enter this career. Most workers have a high school diploma and learn through on-the-job training, though some study cosmetology in college.

    Is a license required to wash hair in a salon?

    While there is no national license, some states do list licensing requirements for people performing this work. You should check the regulations in your specific state.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.