How to become a hair model in Japan

Do you want a nice hair cut and colour but don’t like spending large amounts of money? You could try to find hair salons in Japan that are looking for hair models.  

Salons in Japan need hair models for a variety of purposes, e.g. to train new stylists, to take pictures for their website and social media, to participate in hairstyle competitions, etc.

When being a hair model usually the price you pay for a hair cut, colour and other treatments is a lot cheaper than the regular price, and sometimes even free.

In return, you might have to agree that the salons take pictures of your hair and use them for promotional purposes. Also, when being a model your hair might be done by a stylist with only a little experience so you should not be looking for a perfect outcome. Although in my experience less experienced stylists have paid more attention than veterans.

If you would like to try being a hair model here in Japan you might be able to find salons near you that are looking for models on apps like Minimo or Katomo which are available to download for free. Some salons also post ads on their homepages or through their social media accounts. On Twitter and Instagram, you can search for the hashtag, #ヘアモデル募集 (hair model boshu / recruiting hair models)

In many cases, hair model ads come with a lot of restrictions, e.g. only certain hair colours and hair cuts are eligible, as well as age and gender restrictions, etc. You might have to search for a while until you find one that fits your needs.

Usually, there are also time restrictions. A lot of hair salons in Japan only take models after regular opening hours and on certain days of the week, so even if you found an ad that works for you, it might not be easy to find a time slot that works for both you and the salon.

If you did manage to find a suitable ad and work out a time you maybe lucky enough to get your hair done for a fraction of the regular price. I recently found a hair model ad on Minimo, got my hair cut and coloured in two colours and only paid 2,000 yen. In exchange, the salon took some photos and uses them on their Hot Pepper listing page.  As a foreigner you might be a popular hair model as salons in regions with few foreign residents have equally few chances to experience working with non-Japanese hair.

That’s the final results.