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Tell Your Hair Stylist About Your Beauty School Plans

Published: March 28, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

If you’re planning on enrolling in beauty school, or even if you’re just considering the possibility, you know who would be really in Beauty School Advice from your Hair Stylist terested? Your hair stylist. If you’re still on the fence about going to cosmetology school, your hair stylist is a great person to discuss with you what he or she enjoys about her job and what challenges were presented at beauty school. No one else can provide the unique "been there" perspective.

When you share your intentions, don’t be surprised if your hair stylist gets really excited about the idea! After all, you’re sort of following in his or her footsteps. It makes that person a role model, even a mentor. You had to get an idea of what it would be like to be a professional cosmetologist from somewhere, and your hair stylist may assume it was right in your current salon. If you’re aiming to become a nail tech or esthetician and use the services of one now, I’m betting that mentioning your cosmetology career goal to that person will generate the same enthusiasm.

Once you start your classes at cosmetology school, continue to keep your hair stylist informed of your progress. You’ll both find it fulfilling to "talk shop," and you’ll develop a bond that can benefit you in many ways, including free advice when you start looking for a job. You may even want to consider working in that beauty salon, but in any case your hair stylist can point you in the right direction as you begin your cosmetology career.

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Cosmetology Career Can Really Rock and Roll

Published: March 24, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

One fun thing about having a cosmetology career is that you’re an expert is something that everyone loves, even celebrities—hair and hair products. So hairdressers end up backstage at lots of star-studded events. Sometimes they’re Cosmetolgy Career and Celebrity Events

the stars’ personal hair stylists; other times they’re representing a hair product company that wants to give out samples for the celebs to try. Beauty school can be the first step to a lot of excitement!

posted hairstylist Jenny Balding backstage in the induction ceremony gift lounge. The event took place in New York City, Case in point: When the latest musicians were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently, Redken for Men where the music legends on hand to be inducted included Madonna, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, John Mellencamp and The Ventures. Among those who consulted with Jenny Balding that evening were Ben Harper and wife Laura Dern, Joan Jett, Patti LaBelle, the Eagles’ John Fogerty, Don Wilson of The Ventures and comedian Chevy Chase, shown here clowning around with a Redken spray. The stars shared with Jenny their hair challenges, and she suggested ideas and hair products for them.

Your cosmetology career can take you in so many directions. If you enjoy show business, backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is just one place you might find yourself!

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Health and Safety Are Part of the Nail Technology School Curriculum

Published: March 20, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

As a professional cosmetologist, you’ll be responsible for keeping your area safe and disease-free for your clients. Whether you’re a nail tech, esthetician or hairdresser, health and safety will play an important role in your career. That’s why cosmetology schools in general include training in all of the state regulations that address this aspect, but nail technology schools in particular must focus on sanitation.

Health and Safety at Nail Technology School

Health and Safety at Nail Technology School

As a nail tech, you’ll have two categories of tools: those that you’re permitted to reuse and those that you must discard after using them on one client. For example, metal nail files may be cleaned and disinfected and then used again on the next client. You can signal to clients that you’re careful by keeping these tools on display in a sterile liquid. Depending on your state’s regulations, you may have to discard any single-use files, buffer blocks and other tools specified for one-time use.

Nail technology schools are diligent about explaining to students the dangers of a nail fungus and how to prevent it on both fingers and toes. If you’re taught to apply acrylic nails, you’ll also likely discuss the fumes associated with that service. Typically, salons have some type of air purifier to tackle that issue. Your nail technology state exam will quiz you on health and safety regulations. Once you pass, as long as you’re careful to follow the guidelines, your clients should have no problems. But this is never something to take lightly.

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What Are You Good At (Besides Hair)?... You Can Learn a Variety of Skills at Beauty School

Published: March 14, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

It’s great if you love doing hair—or nails, or skin care—but you don’t have to be good at it. Not yet, anyway. Improving your technical skills is what you’ll be doing the whole time you’re in cosmetology school. So think about the rest of your life skills, because beauty school graduates have a lot of options and it will help you to narrow them down if you’ve Learn a variety of skills at beauty school given it some thought.

Maybe in high school you were an athlete. That takes a lot of discipline. As a runner, member of the tennis team, gymnast or softball player you understand in every fiber of your being what goal-setting and practice are all about. You don’t start out hitting home runs. But you set your goals, practice that one skill over and over and soon you’re making progress. You also understand that the path has no end. There’s always room for improvement.

Or maybe you’re very good with puzzles or mechanics. You enjoy figuring out how things go together. That takes a lot of patience and trial-and-error, which could translate into becoming a terrific hair colorist, since you have to come up with the right formula for each client’s color and texture. Identify all the abilities you have, and then consider what personal qualities it takes to be good at those tasks. It will help you in choosing which beauty school classes to take and which cosmetology career direction to follow.

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Spa Internships Provide Transition for Skin Care and Massage Therapy School Grads

Published: March 11, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

It’s expected for newly licensed hairdressers to log some time in a salon’s assistantship program. But similar internship arrangements are becoming commonplace also for graduates of skin care schools and massage therapy schools. These internships can last anywhere from three months to about a year, and they often start while the student is still in school.

Typically these internships are paid on an hourly basis, so you’ll at least have some income. You’ll be taking real clients and, Learn more from your Skin Care School training through a Spa Internship

Learn more from your Skin Care School training through a Spa Internship

therefore, generating business for the spa, which will help them offset the cost of your training. The esthetics programs can be structured much like hair training programs in testing out the trainees level by level. For example, you may start out doing only lip, leg and brow waxes before moving on to higher level esthetics services. As you gain more experience, you may be asked to demonstrate that you can perform a glycolic peel before being permitted to take any facial clients in case an advanced treatment like that is requested. You’re also likely to be required to attend group classes.

Additionally, large spas offer internships to business students. Although they may not have gone to a skin care school and are not technicians, these young professionals can be interested in entering the spa industry and learning it from a business operations standpoint. Spa owners understand that they must nurture new talent across the board to keep the industry fresh and always moving forward.

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Cosmetology School Fundraiser Typical of Beauty Industry’s Giving Spirit

Published: March 07, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

Something came across my desk that I wanted to share with you, not because it’s so special but just the opposite—it’s so routine. It’s a flyer from a beauty college for a fundraiser to benefit the City of Hope, which is a research and treatment center for cancer patients. Salons, spas, cosmetology schools and beauty product companies regularly hold events for good causes. It’s part of the cosmetology industry culture.

In this case, the Artistic Academy of Hair Design and Aesthetics in Morris Plains, NJ, is holding a “Beauty Can Cure” dinner Hair Show at a Beauty School Fundraiser

and hair show on June 12. The evening will feature auctions, raffles and a sit-down dinner, followed by a glamorous hair show presenting hair color, hair design and make-up.

Who puts on the hair show? The beauty academy students. So not only does the City of Hope receive all money raised—for 2008, the Academy has pledged to raise $200,000 for the foundation—but the event gives cosmetology students the opportunity to stage a real hair show. It’s fun, it’s a good deed and it’s typical of beauty colleges across the country. The flyer says: “The Artistic Academy’s philosophy is ‘Be the Change….CHOOSE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.’ The Academy prides itself on civic mindedness and is proud to pledge fundraising for the center.” Yep, that’s the beauty industry!

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Whoops! By Mistake I Went to College Instead of Beauty School

Published: March 03, 2008
by Rosanne Ullman

In my last post, I talked about cosmetology school as a fabulous alternative to a four-year college. For some people, it is. But beauty school also can be an addition to a college education. After you have your liberal arts degree and know lots about the world, you can go on to take specialized training in hair, esthetics or nails—and work in the field of your passion.

Cosemtology School can be a great addition to a four-year degree

Cosemtology School can be a great addition to a four-year degree

At the Aveda Fredric’s Institutes in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, the majority of students have some college, and many are graduates of four-year universities, according to school president Frederic Holzberger. He says his schools have had people enroll who already had master’s degrees and even a law degree.

No education is a waste of time or money. If you’re in college or believe that you’d enjoy that experience, don’t think that it closes any other doors. You always can follow up that education with a cosmetology school degree. When you work in a great salon or spa, your clients will tend to be highly educated, well-traveled and interested in a variety of topics. You’ll have a lot in common with them if you have a broad educational background. Sometimes people just don’t settle on what they want to do until they’ve taken classes in other disciplines. If you love hair, nails or skin care, keep a beauty career in mind even if you start off on another path. You’ll be in good company.

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