Are You Tipping Hairstylists All Wrong? TikTok Has Sparked A Huge Debate

Tipping the person who cuts your hair may seem obvious enough, but a response to a viral video this week suggests that there’s still confusion about gratuity on beauty services.

In February, Justice, a TikToker who uses the handle @antidietpilot, posted about how she decided not to tip on the $350 hair braids she recently got. The braids ― small, knotless braids with a French curl on the end ― took more than 7 hours to complete.

While Justice was happy with the results ― she called the stylist “the best braider” she’d ever had ― she had her reasons for forgoing a tip.

“She didn’t have to commute [and] she’s not paying any overhead because she works from home,” Justice explained in the video, which now has over 5.1 million views. “I think that’s a really good price. How many people are making [roughly] $40 an hour?”

Justice said she was a little nervous about how her stylist would react to her not tipping, but ultimately, she’s unapologetic about her decision.

“A lot of people say tipping is how you say thank you but to me, saying thank you is how you say thank you,” she said.

“Respecting peoples’ policies, arriving to your appointment on time… letting them take photos of their work after and telling your friends or social media followers [about them] is how you say thank you,” she added.

Not everyone agreed. Some who were in favor of tipping pointed to how long the session took.

“Not tipping on your fast food or Starbucks is fine but 7.5 HOURS? I would never not tip,” one woman said.

Most commenters seemed to agree with Justice, though. With inflation already driving up prices, many said they increasingly feel that tipping culture has gotten out of control.

“The entire cost is going to her. Tipping isn’t required,”