Pretty much every hairstylist out there wears an apron. If you’re mixing up and applying bleach, dye, and toner all day, you want to protect your clothes. Heck, even if you’re solely cutting hair all day, you want a barrier between your clothes and stray hairs falling from your clients’ heads. But not all hairstylist aprons are created equal! Not by a long shot. There’s a huge range, from a thin sheet of vinyl you can get for a couple bucks off of Amazon to high-end, high-quality aprons that will last for years and double as a stylish work uniform.

As sellers of those high-end, high-quality aprons, we definitely think you should invest in the best. But regardless of what you choose, there’s some criteria you should consider when you’re shopping for a hairstylist apron. In this post, we’ll give you a list of things to think about so you can make sure you’re buying the right apron for you and your hairstyling business. Read on, or jump to the section you’re interested in.

Comfort & Fit
Pockets & Loops
Material
Quality & Durability
Apron Care
Branding
Style
Cost

Comfort & Fit

Hairstyling is a physical job: you’re on your feet all day, constantly using your hands, reaching, bending, leaning, as you cut, dye, wash, and style. It’s demanding! No doubt you’ve made sure you wear comfortable shoes and clothes to support you throughout your work day. Your apron should be part of this comfortable uniform as well.

To ensure your hairstylist apron is as comfortable as possible, you want to consider a few things. First is the material. Obviously, you want to avoid anything scratchy or rough, since your arms will be regularly brushing against it. You also don’t want a texture that you can feel on your body through your clothes, in case that rubs and causes irritation. We recommend a nice soft denim or canvas, or a smooth vinyl or leather. If you’re shopping online, it’s going to be harder to know what you’re getting in terms of the feel of the material, but generally, the higher end the product, the more comfortable the material will be.

Next, think carefully about the kind of neck strap you want. This is the spot where you’re likely going to be most conscious of the apron so comfort here is very key! With a high-end hairstylist apron, like the ones we sell, you’re going to get options for your neck strap so you can decide exactly what’s best for you. For example, here at S&R you can choose:

• Cotton neck strap and waist ties
• Cotton X-back tie straps
• Leather neck strap and cotton waist ties
• Leather X-back
• Leather X-back with leather waist belt

It’s totally up to you what’s going to work best on your body. Separate neck strap and waist tie, or X-back? Leather or cotton? X-back with or without a waist belt? Given how much time you’ll spend wearing your hairstylist apron, it’s worth thinking through what you’re going to feel most comfortable in and finding an apron that’s available in that style.

Next, it’s helpful to have some adjustability in your apron. Being able to change the way it sits on your body can be a nice adjustment during a long day. Having the ability to switch between different styles of straps is a huge benefit of a high-end hairstylist apron.

One final thing to think about when it comes to comfort is apron length. Many aprons are one-size-fits-all, so make sure you look at an apron’s measurements before buying. Here at S&R, we offer four different lengths, so you can use our Apron Size Chart to determine the best length for you based on your height.

Pockets & Loops

The more you invest in your hairstylist apron, the more options you’ll have for pockets and loops. An inexpensive, basic apron may have no pockets or loops at all, while an ultra high-end, custom apron gives you the ability to choose the exact placement of your pockets and loops, if you want to go that route. Regardless of where you end up on that spectrum, you should consider what will be most useful and convenient for your work style.

First, think about what tools you’d like to keep in your apron so they’re easily accessible to you at all times. Perhaps this is multiple pairs of scissors and a comb, or maybe you want to always have your phone with you. Whatever you need to have at hand, make sure you’re selecting a hairstylist apron with the appropriate pockets. If you keep a towel with you, you’ll want a loop as well.

In addition to the pockets and loops themselves, consider their placement and configuration. Are you right handed or left handed? That may affect which side you want things on. Would you rather have a pocket that zips up or is open? One that goes horizontally across you, or is placed at an angle? There are lots of options out there, so it’s a case of thinking through what’s best for you. And if all this gets you thinking that you really need a custom apron, we can definitely help you with that.

Material

Hairstylist aprons come in a wide variety of materials - wider than you might think! Vinyl, canvas, denim, cotton, leather, polyester - the list goes on. And within each type of material you’re going to see significant variations in quality, weight, durability, and more. When you’re looking at aprons, consider these questions related to material:

• How heavy is the material?
• Is it breathable?
• Is it waterproof?
• How well will it resist dye?
• Does it seem sturdy or flimsy?
• Is it bleachproof?

Some of these questions will be more important than others, depending on the kinds of hairstyling you do, but they’re all useful to consider. You have your own specific criteria to think about, too. What is it that you really want out of your apron?

 

In general, a high-end hairstylist apron is going to offer higher-quality materials that will stand up to the demands of the job better than a cheaper apron. Here at S&R, we’ve spent over 10 years testing different fabrics for our hairstylist aprons and only use the best of the best. We even developed the world’s only 100% cotton, bleach-proof apron. That means you can enjoy the breathability of cotton while not having to worry about bleach stains on your apron. If that sounds like it’s up your alley, check them out here.

Quality & Durability

When it comes to aprons, you get what you pay for. A $20 apron from Amazon is not going to give you the same quality and durability as a luxury apron. And depending on your needs, that may be okay! But chances are you’re looking for an apron that’s going to look good and last for a long time. That’s when you need to start thinking about quality and durability.

As discussed above, the material from which the apron is made is going to play a significant role in the overall quality of the apron. But in addition to fabric you can also consider hardware and accessories (or lack thereof). Look at how the straps are attached, whether by stitches or rivets, and inspect the details of the apron. Are the stitches reinforced? Does the metal hardware seem sturdy? Are the straps thick or thin? If you’re shopping in person you can get a feel for this yourself, but online you will have to rely on product reviews and zoomed in photos.

Another aspect of quality and durability is craftsmanship. A high-end apron is more likely to be handmade (like ours!) and there will be extra details that add to the overall quality, such as reinforced rivets. When top-tier materials are combined with solid craftsmanship, the end result is a hairstylist apron that will last for years.

Apron Care

As part of your hairstylist uniform, your apron will get a lot of use on a day to day basis. This means that you should be aware of the care required for your apron. If you want the convenience of simply quickly wiping down your apron, you’ll want to opt for a non-porous material like vinyl or leather. If you want to just toss it in the wash at the end of the day, make sure to read through product descriptions or look at the tag to ensure that won’t damage your apron. We provide a full Apron Care section in our FAQs so that our customers know exactly how to keep their hairstylist apron in excellent condition.

Here at S&R we offer free repairs, so if your apron runs into some trouble, we’ll do our best to fix it for you. That’s a benefit that’s going to come from a high-end apron made by a small shop! Our aprons are designed to last for many, many years, so we make them washable and repairable.

Style

Your apron doesn’t have to be plain black. It can be! And we offer plenty of options in black. But it could be acid washed, or pink, or both. Or perhaps it could be holographic, or safari-themed. It could be a very cool leather, or a vinyl that looks like leather but is in fact fully vegan. You’ve got lots of options!

This is an opportunity to get creative and decide what message you want to send to your customers (and potential customers) through your apron. It’s a key part of your uniform as a hairstylist and can make you stand out from the crowd. If you’re active on social media and post videos and photos of yourself working, consider how the colour or style of your apron will look on the grid or in someone’s FYP.

Branding

Branding takes style a step further. It’s one thing to make a statement with the style and colour of your apron, but it’s another to add a graphic element that represents your brand. It elevates your apron from something you wear while you work to a key part of your marketing strategy.

Many hairstylists run their own businesses. Whether you own a salon or are building a following on social media, there’s a good chance you have a brand associated with your hairstyling business. Your apron is an excellent opportunity to help build that brand. Putting your name or logo prominently on your apron means it will show up in every photo and video you post of yourself working. Continually getting your logo in front of your customers or followers is how you build brand recognition. Embroidering your logo on your apron is a huge step towards that.

The opportunity to add branding to your apron is one that comes with buying from a small business like ours. We offer free text embroidery on our aprons, or for a small fee we will embroider your logo.

Cost

Lastly, we’ve gotta talk about the cost. We know that buying an apron from a business like ours is a bit of an investment. And we know that that investment isn’t available to everyone. But we also know that if you can swing it, in the long run, that investment is totally worth it. Would you rather buy a high-end apron in a cool style with your name embroidered on it that’s going to be super comfortable and last for years? Or would you rather buy a cheap, flimsy apron that you’ll be replacing within the next 12 months? Long-term it could easily work out to be less expensive to buy one high-end apron instead of continually buying new cheap ones. It’s also better for the environment, and you’re supporting a small shop. Food for thought!

That’s a lot of information to consider about what to look for in a hairstylist apron. We hope this helps your shopping journey and gives you some things to think about. And of course, if you think you’d like to go the high-end or custom route, S&R is here for you!

 

S&R Apron Co. makes the best quality denim, canvas, leather, and vegan leather aprons. We make aprons for talented and passionate people creating incredible art, businesses, brands, and lives. All aprons are handmade in Vancouver, Canada.

Barber & Hairstylist Collection | Bartender, Chef & Hospitality Collection | Tattoo Artist & Craftsperson Collection

We believe that the best apron is the one made just for you. You can use our Custom Apron Builder to create an apron that meets your exact specifications.

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Take your business branding to a new level with our wholesale for teams. Use our Custom Apron Builder or choose from our catalogue, and we'll give you a deal on a bulk order.

For any questions, contact us, or check out our FAQ page.