Lash stock planning in most salons is done reactively: order when the drawer looks low. The method works until the salon gets busier, at which point it produces both outages and dead stock at the same time, because different SKUs move at different rates.
The two numbers that matter
Consumption rate and lead time. Consumption rate is fans used per week for a given SKU; lead time is how long a reorder takes to arrive. Everything else is derived from those two.
A salon that uses 300 fans a week of one density and waits three weeks for delivery needs roughly 900 fans in transit and on hand to avoid gaps, plus a buffer for a busy week.
Why per-SKU matters
A single total stock figure hides the SKU that is about to run out. Salons commonly stock several densities where one moves four times faster than another, and a total count that looks healthy can mask a two-day gap on the fast mover.
Tracking the top five SKUs by consumption separately is enough for most salons. The remaining SKUs can be managed as a group.
Setting reorder points
A reorder point is the stock level at which an order is placed: consumption during lead time plus a buffer. It is expressed in trays or fans, not in dates, so it adapts automatically when the salon gets busier or slower.
Dates fail because appointment volume varies. A point in quantity fails only if consumption changes structurally, which is itself worth noticing.
The buffer decision
The buffer covers demand variability rather than supplier unreliability alone. A salon with steady weeks needs a small buffer; a salon with seasonal peaks needs a larger one and should decide whether to absorb the peaks with stock or by limiting bookings.
Buffers cost money in stock sitting on a shelf. The right size depends on which is more expensive: idle stock or a rescheduled client.
Reviewing the numbers
Consumption per SKU should be reviewed monthly. A rising average fans-per-set is a signal worth investigating — tray fill, base or opening change, or a shift in client mix. Checking it before assuming waste is faster and usually more accurate.
A stock routine that consists of two numbers per top SKU — consumption and lead time — removes most of the guesswork. It also makes the supplier conversation specific, because the reorder is expressed in quantity rather than in urgency.