5 ways in which maths is used in the beauty industry

Happy Wednesday! 

Our blog post last week focused on our 'Finance for Life' workshop that we administered in Ysgol Maesydderwen. The workshop was very successful, and after evaluating the feedback we received from the year ten pupils that took part, we discovered that a high percentage of Ysgol Maesydderwen pupils dreamt of having a career in the beauty industry after being inspired by Emily Carter, a beauty entrepreneur, who came along to the event to share her experience of how she created her own beauty spa when she was just 18 years old! 

During the workshop, Emily Carter worked alongside pupils to show them how maths is used in the beauty industry, answering any questions pupils may have had, ultimately encouraging them to strive for their goals. 

So today we would like to continue our '5 ways in which' blog series, and show you the 5 ways in which maths is used in the beauty industry. 

1) So you want to run your own beauty salon? 

Ok, so you want to run your own beauty salon, but have you considered how much it will cost to run your business and gain a profit? Most beauticians will begin their business by renting a room in a hairdressers, this way the beautician can share clientèle and gain a profit in the process. However, for beauticians that are hired and placed on a contract that states  that the beautician must work for example, five days a week 8am-6pm, but the beautician will only get paid for two of the five days work, is it really worth working this way if you are not gaining a large enough profit? 

You may also consider starting your own mobile salon. If you do consider this option, you will need also need to calculate if you are making enough money to make a profit at all, e.g., if you are spending £7 travelling to your client, are you going to make a profit if your client only wants a treatment that costs £5? 
Just by considering where and how many hours you will work, you will need to use your maths skills to calculate your profit and loss margins. 

2) Are you good at time keeping?

 Running any business demands good time keeping. It is imperative that a successful beautician schedules their appointments properly; they may need to add extra minutes onto each scheduled appointment so they can ensure they meet their clients's needs. e.g., if they have an appointment at 10:30am and the appointment lasts for 1 hour, if they have scheduled an appointment for 11am, they would be overlapping the sessions, and could potentially be losing clients and money in the process. I bet you didn't even realise that keeping track of time requires you to use your maths skills! 

3) Timing with dye and patch tests 

Any beautician will know that it is very important to conduct appropriate tests to ensure your services are suitable for your client. The patch test assures that the client is not allergic to any dye you will be using, e.g., eyebrow tinting. After applying a patch test, you will have to wait a minimum of 24 hours before performing the treatment otherwise there could be serious consequences for the client's health, and your business's credibility. If you have performed the treatment without doing a patch test properly and the client was extremely ill as a result, your business insurance would be void, therefore you would be losing money and business in the process. 

3. Do you want to sell your own products in your beauty spa?

Emily Carter sells her own handmade candles, bath products, and skin treatments, but before she can begin selling her products, she needs to buy her produce for the best price possible. Once the produce has been bought, the production process begins which involves carefully measuring out ingredients to ensure she is making the products correctly and not wasting her produce. To make sure her products are worth making and selling, Emily also has to calculate how many products she will need to sell to make a profit. 
Emily Carter proved during our 'Finance for Life' workshop that it really is about correct calculations to ensure you make it in the beauty industry!

(Products sold by Emily's Beauty Spa- www.facebook.com/emilysbeautyspa) 

4) Do you have the funds to buy the equipment you need? 

Salon equipment is expensive to buy, and to ensure you can get the best equipment for an affordable price, you will need to work out how much each piece of equipment will cost, in comparison to how much it will be used. You may also have to consider if you have enough funds to buy a wider variety of equipment to be able to conduct more treatments, to suit a variety of skin tones, hair colours etc., Once you have bought your equipment, you will have to use your maths skills to calculate how much you are going to charge on each treatment to make a profit- is it worth investing in?

5) Makeup? 

Whether you decide to run a mobile business, or open your own salon, you may consider offering make-up services, widening your clientèle, resulting in a larger earning. To ensure you provide a professional make-up service, you will have to buy a large makeup set including brushes, foundations, eyeshadows, lipsticks, and make-up removers, that will have to suit all skin shades, and skin types. To ensure you make a profit, you will need to consider the cost of buying makeup, and if you can afford to replace the make-up on a regular basis. You will also need to calculate how much you are going to cost for your make-up services, for example, you could offer a package that could cater to all members of the bridal party. You will therefore have to use your maths skills to consider pricing, and profit and loss. 

(Photos of Emily's makeup looks, found on www.facebook.com/emilysbeautyspa) 

So there you have it, our 5 ways that maths is used in the beauty industry!

Thanks for reading, and a special thanks to Emily Carter for letting us use her photographs to supplement the blog today (don't forget to also check out Emily's Beauty Spa FB page) 

Head back to this blog next Wednesday for a brand new blog post! 

P.S. We are still giving away FREE Learning Activity Packs, simply fill in the contact form on the left hand side of the blog, stating the age of your child and we'll send the pack direct to your email.