How to quote for mobile hairdressing
Mobile hairdressing looks like salon work with no rent, but the rent is replaced by time in the car and a boot full of stock. If your prices simply mirror the local salon, you are working the same hours for less. This guide covers pricing travel, colour and bridal properly.
Quote mobile visits and bridal parties — travel, colour and supplements itemised — in about a minute.
Accepted in one tap, invoiced in one click. Free trial, no card needed.
How to price a mobile hairdressing visit
Price the visit, not the service. Every appointment costs you the drive there, setup, the service, pack-down and the drive to the next one — so the chargeable unit is bigger than the time with scissors in hand.
1. Cost your true hourly figure including the car
Fuel, servicing, insurance, professional indemnity, colour stock, tools, towels and laundry, plus your own wage and pension. Divide by realistically billable hours — mobile work typically bills 55–70% of the working day because the rest is driving and setup. That usually lands between £35 and £60 an hour.
2. Charge for travel beyond your core radius
Set a free radius you genuinely want to cover, then a per-mile or banded charge beyond it. Being explicit is better than refusing jobs: a client 12 miles away will often happily pay £10 travel rather than lose you.
3. Price colour at stock cost plus application time
Colour is the biggest cost you carry in the boot. Charge for the product used — full head, half head, foils, toner, bond builder — plus development and application time. Long or very thick hair genuinely needs more product, so a 'long hair supplement' is fair and normal.
4. Set a minimum spend per visit
A single dry cut 20 minutes away does not cover the round trip. A minimum spend per address — commonly £35–£50 — makes the economics work and encourages clients to book family members into the same visit, which is where mobile work becomes genuinely profitable.
5. Quote bridal and group bookings as packages
Bridal is a different product: a trial, an early start, multiple heads, and a deadline you cannot miss. Quote it per person with a named schedule, add an early-start supplement before 7am, charge the trial separately, and take a deposit that secures the date.
What to put on a mobile hairdresser quote
- Services booked, per person, with expected duration
- Address and travel charge beyond the free radius
- Colour product and any long or thick hair supplement
- Minimum spend for the visit
- Early-start or weekend supplement
- What the client needs to provide: washing facilities, power, seating
- Bridal trial, run sheet and on-the-day timings
- Deposit amount and cancellation window
- Patch test requirement and timing for colour clients
- Payment method and whether VAT applies
Realistic UK price ranges for mobile hairdressers
Indicative UK figures for 2026. London and the South East sit above these ranges; expect bridal and early starts to carry supplements.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Cut and blow dry (mobile) | £30 – £55 |
| Restyle, long hair | £45 – £80 |
| Full head colour incl. product | £65 – £130 |
| Foils / balayage | £85 – £180 |
| Bridal hair, per person | £60 – £150 |
| Travel beyond free radius, per mile | £0.45 – £1.00 |
Run your own numbers in the free quote calculator or check your margin with the markup & margin calculator.
Common quoting mistakes for mobile hairdressers
- Matching salon prices while absorbing all the travel time the salon never has.
- No minimum spend, so short single appointments quietly subsidise your diary.
- Guessing colour cost instead of charging for product actually used on long or thick hair.
- Quoting bridal per head with no trial, no schedule and no deposit.
- Forgetting the early-start reality of a 6am wedding morning.
- Not confirming patch tests in writing, which can void your insurance on a colour service.
Pricing FAQs
How much should a mobile hairdresser charge?
In 2026, a mobile cut and blow dry typically runs £30–£55, a full head colour £65–£130 including product, and bridal hair £60–£150 per person. Build your figure from an hourly rate that accounts for travel time, not just time with the client.
Should mobile hairdressers charge for travel?
Beyond a set free radius, yes. A per-mile rate of roughly 45p–£1, or simple distance bands, keeps it transparent. Clients rarely object once they can see the charge is small and specific.
How do I quote a bridal party?
Price per person for the service, add the trial as a separate line, add an early-start supplement for anything before 7am, include a written timing schedule, and take a non-refundable deposit to hold the date.
Why do I need a minimum spend?
Because the round trip costs the same whether you do one head or four. A £35–£50 minimum per address makes short bookings viable and nudges clients to add family members to the same visit.
Quote mobile visits and bridal parties — travel, colour and supplements itemised — in about a minute.
Accepted in one tap, invoiced in one click. Free trial, no card needed.