Hair and Everyday Math
Kalli Jensen
Kalli Jensen
Final Project
Math in the Hair World
Math and Everyday Math
When you take a math class you ask yourself, “when am I ever going to use this?” We all
think that we won’t use math in our daily lives, but in all reality we use math all the time. My
mom is a hair stylist with her own business. Hair stylists use math when cutting hair, measuring
color and the bookwork required running a business. Having her own business she needs to
calculate how will she make the most profit off of what products. Everyday we use math in some
way so we all better pay attention in the math class.
Consider, for example clipper cutting men’s hair, you choose a clipper attachment for the
length you want the hair to be. Clipper attachments are numbered 1 to 8. Number one attachment
would leave the hair 1/8 of an inch long, every number in between that goes up 3 millimeters
progressively. A number 8-clipper attachment would leave the hair 1 inch long. Knowing the
number and the length it will cut the hair will help you decide which clipper attachment you
would use. The clipper attachment will cut the hair precisely the same length over the head
shape. Usually a hair stylist will use scissors to cut women’s hair. Hair stylists use geometry
when doing hair cuts with scissors. The shape of the head plays a major role in hair cutting. A
haircut is all about what angle you hold and cut the hair in respect to the head shape. For
example, a piece of hair held and cut 90 degrees from the head will lay completely different from
a piece of hair cut from 45 degrees from the top of the head. “The angle in respect to the head
shape has everything to do with the shape of the haircut”, that is what my mom says is the
biggest thing to remember.
Next, lets go to the process of coloring hair. Hair stylists use math in every step of the
coloring process. Step 1 consultation, what color is the clients hair and what color do they want
the hair to be? Chemical hair color is on a level system, 1 through 10. Level 1 is black and level
10 is light blonde. Lets say the client wants to be a level 4 (determined by comparing her hair to
a color swatch chart) and she wants to be a level 7. By doing the math 4+N=7, we determine we
will need 3 levels of lift to get to the level 7. We use a level 7 color plus a 30-volume peroxide to
get desired color. Step 2, mixing ratio, hair color is mixed in a 1:1 ratio with the exception of
high lift level 12 colors that are mixed in a 2:1 ratio. We determined by looking at the clients hair
we need 6 ounces total to properly saturate the hair. In a measuring bottle we start with 3 ounces
of 30-volume peroxide then we will need to add 3 ounces of level 7-color to make 1:1 ratio. If
we were using a level 12-color the mixing ratio would become 2:1, which would be 4 ounces
peroxide to 2 ounces of level 12 color. Step 3, is timing, after the color is applied to the hair it
must be timed for 30 minutes. This can be done by calculating 30 minutes and watch the clock or
by setting a timer. A hair stylist must calculate their schedule for the day in order to run on time.
If a color takes 30 minutes to mix up, apply, then process for 30 minutes and another 30 minutes
to rinse, cut and style she would need 1 and ½ hours to complete the whole service (30 + 30+ 30
= 90 minutes).
The business side of owning a hair salon involves using math to do many things. Pricing
is very important you must calculate how much you charge a client by how much product you
use and how much time it takes to complete the service. For example, 2 clients both get a color
and hair cut that takes 1 and ½ hours. 1 client has longer hair so she requires 2 ounces more color
product than the other client. She would pay $20.00 more ($10.00 per ounce of color based on
current color cost) for her total service. Hair salons sell retail products to their clients. Retail
products are purchased tax fee (if you have a tax id number) by the salon owner and are marked
up 50% for the salon to make a profit. When a salon sells a retail product they must add sales tax
to the total cost of the product. Salons must calculate the sales tax by using math. For example, a
salon buys a $5.00 bottle of hairspray whole sell, marks it up to $10.00, then calculates sales tax
by multiplying $10.00 x .0685(current sales tax rate). The customer would pay $10.69 for the
bottle of hairspray. Salon owners must keep track of sales for each year and pay sales tax to the
state tax commission at the end of the year. My mom keeps track of service sales and retail sales
on a daily basis so it makes end of year totals easier to calculate.
In conclusion, we all use math everyday without thinking about it. Hair stylists use math
every day in several ways. Cutting hair requires geometry by holding hair at various angles from
the head shape to create a desired hair style. Pre measured clipper attachments can be used to get
a exact even length on an entire head down to 1/8 of an inch. Math is also used to calculate and
measure hair color in correct ratios to create a beautiful natural looking color. A salon owner
must calculate prices, taxes and keep good records in order to be successful and make a profit.
Bibliography
Interview with Edie Jensen
Clipper attachments for measurements
Manikin head
Hair by Edie Salon