Hair & Beauty businesses in Zambia

The Zambia hair and beauty salon industry is vibrant as Zambian women are passionate about looking their best. There are many Zambia hair salons that offer hairdressing for black, caucasian, Asian and mixed-race hair, including hairdressing, hair colouring, hair extensions and hair braiding. Zambia beauty salons are equally popular providing skincare, makeup, cosmetics and other products and services in the hair and beauty sector. If you are looking for Zambia spa and beauty treatments, find them in Spas. Hair services include hair colour, haircuts and styling, bridal and wedding hair. Beauty services include facials, nails, manicures and pedicures, eyebrows and eyelashes, waxing for hair removal.

The hairdressing and beauty sector in Zambia employs a lot of people who work across many hairdressing salons. Hairdressing (and barbering) services, together with beauty treatment, form the personal services sector. It is dominated by small establishments. Hair salons have, on average, fewer than three workers, and are, for the vast majority, run by self-employed hairdressers who often work on their own (without dependent employees).

This industry provides various treatments such as hair cutting, colouring, styling, manicures and pedicures, waxing and skin care, cosmetic tattooing, make-up and spa services. New hairstyles and beauty trends are constantly emerging in the hair and beauty industry, driven by influential celebrities, fashion and the desire to look our best.

The industry consists of mostly micro, small and medium-sized businesses. Social media plays a very important role in the industry as a major influencer for setting trends. Many workers in this industry promote their work on platforms such as Instagram and have online portfolios.

Hairdressers may work in their own salon set up in their home (home-based or domestic hairdressers) or at business premises, but may also work as mobile hairdressers (visiting clients in their homes or place of work, in retirement homes, at fashion shows, weddings, etc.) or rent chairs (or sometimes rooms) at salons owned by someone else.

This industry is a predominantly female profession, with over 80% of women workers. Many of them work part-time and stay in the sector for only short periods of time. The sector is also characterised by a young workforce.

The significant improvement in user-friendliness, quality and safety of mass-marketed products for home use, in particular colouring products, is leading the personal services sector to seek to compete on quality, diversify and develop new niche markets such as health and beauty treatments. The development of hairdressing requires respect for the highest quality standards, for both customers and workers, and requires social and environmental responsibility.