Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Intangible assets with indefinite lives (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Indefinite and Finite Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class
Trade names	$ 43,926	$ 46,499
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Gross carrying amount	159,750	150,246
Accumulated amortization	(110,713)	(97,897)
Net book value	49,037	52,349
Total intangible assets, excluding goodwill, net	92,963	98,848
Sally Beauty Supply
Indefinite and Finite Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class
Trade names	17,732	19,289
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Gross carrying amount	27,271	27,352
Accumulated amortization	(17,127)	(14,991)
Net book value	10,144	12,361
Total intangible assets, excluding goodwill, net	27,876	31,650
Beauty Systems Group
Indefinite and Finite Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class
Trade names	26,194	27,210
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Gross carrying amount	132,479	122,894
Accumulated amortization	(93,586)	(82,906)
Net book value	38,893	39,988
Total intangible assets, excluding goodwill, net	$ 65,087	$ 67,198