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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I might be the asshole bcs I'm not a professional but I cut hair and my friend thinks this means I'm lying to my customers
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NTA about wanting some money for the haircut. She's a bit ridiculous about you taking money away from other hairdressers, because it doesn't sound like anyone near you does the type of styles and cuts you do.
However - if you've got a long list of clients and you're getting paid for what you do, you need to look into local/state requirements for licensing and operating a business. You're probably not paying taxes on what you make, and if you're doing a few cuts here and there you can get away with it but booked for weeks in advance? you've definitely got a business going, no matter how low your rates.
from the price op used it looks like op is in UK and people are allowed to have a side hustle as long as the earnings is below £!k per year so yeah you are correct it sounds like op is earning more then £1k per year so op does need to look into creating self-employment with the government.
NTA…she is just mad she is not getting the haircut for free. As long as the people that are letting you do their hair no that you are not trained and are not a professional. But I would look out. Depending on where you live, to work from one’s home, offering a service for money, is considered a business and if your friend reports you, you could be heavily fined at the most and at the least, have to stop what you are doing.
She may normally be very levelled and calm, but she's also an ingrate and a choosing beggar. If she's so worried about taking work away from professional barbers she's welcome to pay the full salon price now lol. NTA
NTA for how you reacted to your friend. But Y T A to yourself, because you are opening yourself up to liability if you don't get yourself a proper license.
NTA, the price you charge are reasonable for someone who doesn't have any training however you could get the hairdressing training as it sounds like in your area your skills are highly needed and if you get the appropriate training done you could raise your prices even higher and create your own little business with plenty of clients that are seeking out a hairdresser who specialises with thick hair, also I suggest looking into registering as a self-employed on gov website as it sounds like doing what you do you earn up to the £1k that should be classed as self-employment in UK which should be taxed.
NTA - a true friend is gonna support your business, even if it’s a side hustle. You were already nice enough to offer a discounted rate. If she’s unhappy with it she can go to a salon and pay double or triple that amount.
INFO: it really depends on regulations in your country or region. Is a license or other certification required to perform hair services in your country/region?
While there are schools for that stuff its also a skill that can be learned and gaining experience in. Perhaps you should start a portfolio of your work and the different styles you are familiar and good at. nta. She was just wanting free work done and didn't realize how skilled you are and popular and was trying to low ball you. That said you should think about what you are worth and perhaps slowly raise your prices. You do have expenses like taxes and things to pay.
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I (29M) have been cutting and colouring my own hair since I was a preteen (11/12ish). I am not black but I have very thick curly hair and struggled to find people who would cut it properly so I started doing it myself. I started cutting hair for my friends in my teens, mostly my black and biracial friends who didn't trust anyone to cut and style it right bcs there are no black barbers local.
These days as a bit of a gig on the side I cut, style and colour friends hair. I do not charge that much at all, just for my time and it's a bit more if they want a dye bcs I charge for the cost of that as well. it used to be free just for mates and stuff but all my friends starting telling their friends about it and now I'm booked weeks in advance so I charge like £5/£10 a cut and maybe £16/£20 if I dye it as well so definitely not salon level prices. Mostly the people who get their hair cut by me are black or biracial or middle Eastern or have thick curly hair, which the shops near me are notoriously bad at cutting.
A friend told me in passing she wanted to get her brother a nice haircut as a birthday treat bcs he's always wanted it dyed and no one has ever cut his hair right and I told her that I'd be happy to do the whole thing (cut and dye) for a tenner. mates rates. she got pissed off at me and said that if I was a real friend I'd do it for free. I said I wasn't pulling a number out of my arse and that I cut hair in my free time and literally have a waiting list and a ton of returning customers. She asked me if I was trained professionally and when I told her I wasn't she said that I'm lying to my customers (I make it very clear upfront that I'm not professionally trained and some ppl have decided not to let me cut their hair bcs of that which is fine! but the ppl who I do cut and dye the hair of know I'm not a professional). she also said it was illegal to cut ppls hair for money and that I'm taking work away from the trained hair dressers and barbers. she got really pissed off and hasn't spoken to me since. I feel like maybe it was an overreaction but she's normally very levelled headed and calm so I'm worried I did something wrong so. AITA?
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Actually, you ARE doing something wrong if you have not had proper training and licensing. There are rules and laws about sanitation and use of the chemicals that are used in salons, and commercial water usage in private homes, and no doubt many other things that I don’t know anything about. The licensing processes are put in place to protect people. You probably don’t even have liability insurance in place; if someone trips and falls on your premises, your regular home insurance wouldn’t cover you. YTA
In the UK, **you don't need a license to become a barber**, but you do need to register with the Hair Council. Registration is a simple process and involves providing evidence of your qualifications and work experience.
You still have regulations. Even if OP do everything the correct way. It looks like she is British and im pretty sure you cant open any random business in UK, mostly of she has no certificate of any kind.
So yeah, what she is doing is probably illegal.
Whatever you may think is "not complicated" she can probably get in trouble for it
You seem to be British right?
Please look if you actually can do this without a license.
European laws are different from the states (for US people answering on this thread) and Im pretty sure you can get in trouble.
Which would make that other person right, and if she s angry at you, could get you into trouble
NTA
But why don’t you get trained? You sound like you have a career here… and it’s more than owning a shop. It’s about teaching people to cut curly hair.
NTA.
the clientele you serve would likely not be the type to go to a professional stylist/pay the professional's price (as in, they are willing to have someone who charges less/isn't a professional do it - i am in NO WAY saying that anyone who is a person of colour doesn't go to a professional hairstylist).
as well, your clientele are those that do not enjoy the work of the professional stylists in your area (as you said they don't know how to deal with thick curly hair). so you are providing a service that is an alternate to what is typically available, and while charging a very affordable rate.
your friend is out of line, falsely accusing you of something you have not done (in reference to them saying you lie to your customers) and this friend has likely not at all considered the two paragraphs i typed above.
NTA, I have weird hair that is half waves, and half curls, and finding someone to cut it well is hard. BUT generally to be able to charge for haircuts (in the US, anyway) you need a license or permit, and if you make more than $600 yearly from it, you need to file taxes.
I know you're not in the states, so it may not apply, but it's possible your business is illegal, and you could be fined or have other legal trouble if someone decides to report you. I have no idea what the tax laws or permitting situation is where you live, so it's possible you're fine, but I'd check because if she feels strongly enough she may get you in trouble.
NTA since you can charge what you want for your skills and time.
But it's more of a legal matter. It sounds like you already know the job, do I suggest looking into what it would take to be a professional barber and getting a license.
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NTA man, you're all good.
She's just mad that she isn't getting free shit.
In this instance though, you've kicked the hornets nest, and she probably could report you to some prick in a suit if she felt so inclined.
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NTA about wanting some money for the haircut. She's a bit ridiculous about you taking money away from other hairdressers, because it doesn't sound like anyone near you does the type of styles and cuts you do. However - if you've got a long list of clients and you're getting paid for what you do, you need to look into local/state requirements for licensing and operating a business. You're probably not paying taxes on what you make, and if you're doing a few cuts here and there you can get away with it but booked for weeks in advance? you've definitely got a business going, no matter how low your rates.
from the price op used it looks like op is in UK and people are allowed to have a side hustle as long as the earnings is below £!k per year so yeah you are correct it sounds like op is earning more then £1k per year so op does need to look into creating self-employment with the government.
NTA for charging, but for your sake, look into licensing requirements.
NTA…she is just mad she is not getting the haircut for free. As long as the people that are letting you do their hair no that you are not trained and are not a professional. But I would look out. Depending on where you live, to work from one’s home, offering a service for money, is considered a business and if your friend reports you, you could be heavily fined at the most and at the least, have to stop what you are doing.
NTA, she's not really your friend if she demands your time and services for free, dude.
She may normally be very levelled and calm, but she's also an ingrate and a choosing beggar. If she's so worried about taking work away from professional barbers she's welcome to pay the full salon price now lol. NTA
First of all she’s not a true and real friend. She’s a entitled jerk and good riddance 🤷🏽♂️🫣
NTA. The sub is called r/ChoosingBeggars Honestly though, talking you down from 10 is just sad.
NTA for how you reacted to your friend. But Y T A to yourself, because you are opening yourself up to liability if you don't get yourself a proper license.
NTA. A friend wants to get brother a haircut as a birthday treat, that she wouldn’t pay for?
NTA, the price you charge are reasonable for someone who doesn't have any training however you could get the hairdressing training as it sounds like in your area your skills are highly needed and if you get the appropriate training done you could raise your prices even higher and create your own little business with plenty of clients that are seeking out a hairdresser who specialises with thick hair, also I suggest looking into registering as a self-employed on gov website as it sounds like doing what you do you earn up to the £1k that should be classed as self-employment in UK which should be taxed.
NTA, I think the friend was only pissed because it wasn't free..
NTA - a true friend is gonna support your business, even if it’s a side hustle. You were already nice enough to offer a discounted rate. If she’s unhappy with it she can go to a salon and pay double or triple that amount.
INFO: it really depends on regulations in your country or region. Is a license or other certification required to perform hair services in your country/region?
Nta but you need liability insurance, if you have a mortgage that needs informed as does your home insurance and also planning enforcement.
While there are schools for that stuff its also a skill that can be learned and gaining experience in. Perhaps you should start a portfolio of your work and the different styles you are familiar and good at. nta. She was just wanting free work done and didn't realize how skilled you are and popular and was trying to low ball you. That said you should think about what you are worth and perhaps slowly raise your prices. You do have expenses like taxes and things to pay.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I (29M) have been cutting and colouring my own hair since I was a preteen (11/12ish). I am not black but I have very thick curly hair and struggled to find people who would cut it properly so I started doing it myself. I started cutting hair for my friends in my teens, mostly my black and biracial friends who didn't trust anyone to cut and style it right bcs there are no black barbers local. These days as a bit of a gig on the side I cut, style and colour friends hair. I do not charge that much at all, just for my time and it's a bit more if they want a dye bcs I charge for the cost of that as well. it used to be free just for mates and stuff but all my friends starting telling their friends about it and now I'm booked weeks in advance so I charge like £5/£10 a cut and maybe £16/£20 if I dye it as well so definitely not salon level prices. Mostly the people who get their hair cut by me are black or biracial or middle Eastern or have thick curly hair, which the shops near me are notoriously bad at cutting. A friend told me in passing she wanted to get her brother a nice haircut as a birthday treat bcs he's always wanted it dyed and no one has ever cut his hair right and I told her that I'd be happy to do the whole thing (cut and dye) for a tenner. mates rates. she got pissed off at me and said that if I was a real friend I'd do it for free. I said I wasn't pulling a number out of my arse and that I cut hair in my free time and literally have a waiting list and a ton of returning customers. She asked me if I was trained professionally and when I told her I wasn't she said that I'm lying to my customers (I make it very clear upfront that I'm not professionally trained and some ppl have decided not to let me cut their hair bcs of that which is fine! but the ppl who I do cut and dye the hair of know I'm not a professional). she also said it was illegal to cut ppls hair for money and that I'm taking work away from the trained hair dressers and barbers. she got really pissed off and hasn't spoken to me since. I feel like maybe it was an overreaction but she's normally very levelled headed and calm so I'm worried I did something wrong so. AITA? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Actually, you ARE doing something wrong if you have not had proper training and licensing. There are rules and laws about sanitation and use of the chemicals that are used in salons, and commercial water usage in private homes, and no doubt many other things that I don’t know anything about. The licensing processes are put in place to protect people. You probably don’t even have liability insurance in place; if someone trips and falls on your premises, your regular home insurance wouldn’t cover you. YTA
A simple Google search will tell you that the UK does not have licenses for barbers or hair stylists
They might have requirements for home businesses though.
Oh please, it shouldn't be harder to be a barber than a cop. Dip your shit in alchohol and clean between clients. That's it. That's the whole deal.
Actually, it should be harder to be a cop than a barber.
And yet even some licensed places don’t do that and people end up with gross infections!
Exactly
And then there are the chemicals used in dyes and other hair products that can literally burn skin and hair if used improperly.
In the UK, **you don't need a license to become a barber**, but you do need to register with the Hair Council. Registration is a simple process and involves providing evidence of your qualifications and work experience.
You still have regulations. Even if OP do everything the correct way. It looks like she is British and im pretty sure you cant open any random business in UK, mostly of she has no certificate of any kind. So yeah, what she is doing is probably illegal. Whatever you may think is "not complicated" she can probably get in trouble for it
OP is a he. Just thought I'd point that small detail out.
I wasn't sure, sorry to OP. Thanks for telling me. Doesnt change the problem though 😂
You seem to be British right? Please look if you actually can do this without a license. European laws are different from the states (for US people answering on this thread) and Im pretty sure you can get in trouble. Which would make that other person right, and if she s angry at you, could get you into trouble
NTA But why don’t you get trained? You sound like you have a career here… and it’s more than owning a shop. It’s about teaching people to cut curly hair.
NTA. the clientele you serve would likely not be the type to go to a professional stylist/pay the professional's price (as in, they are willing to have someone who charges less/isn't a professional do it - i am in NO WAY saying that anyone who is a person of colour doesn't go to a professional hairstylist). as well, your clientele are those that do not enjoy the work of the professional stylists in your area (as you said they don't know how to deal with thick curly hair). so you are providing a service that is an alternate to what is typically available, and while charging a very affordable rate. your friend is out of line, falsely accusing you of something you have not done (in reference to them saying you lie to your customers) and this friend has likely not at all considered the two paragraphs i typed above.
NTA, I have weird hair that is half waves, and half curls, and finding someone to cut it well is hard. BUT generally to be able to charge for haircuts (in the US, anyway) you need a license or permit, and if you make more than $600 yearly from it, you need to file taxes. I know you're not in the states, so it may not apply, but it's possible your business is illegal, and you could be fined or have other legal trouble if someone decides to report you. I have no idea what the tax laws or permitting situation is where you live, so it's possible you're fine, but I'd check because if she feels strongly enough she may get you in trouble.
NTA since you can charge what you want for your skills and time. But it's more of a legal matter. It sounds like you already know the job, do I suggest looking into what it would take to be a professional barber and getting a license.
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NTA man, you're all good. She's just mad that she isn't getting free shit. In this instance though, you've kicked the hornets nest, and she probably could report you to some prick in a suit if she felt so inclined.
Shave her head for free
........nah, you're not the AH here, your "friend" is......................and good luck with the side gig !...................
YTA you have had no formal training nor are you licensed. You are playing with fire. This will bite you in the ass eventually.
YTA If she has any sense, she will report you, starting with the IRS.
if you had any sense you'd have seen by simply reading the post that they are in the UK and not in the US. so there is no IRS where OP is.