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Editor's Blog

Lots to Learn During First Job Out of Beauty School

Published: June 30, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

We’re nearly at the end of the saga that’s followed Krissy Simmons through beauty school, passing her boards and, now, working at ULTA Salon. What has working in a salon taught Krissy that cosmetology school couldn’t or didn’t?

“Working has taught me how to relate to people,” Krissy says. “I have a large range of clients. I have high-schoolers—who are always very fun, especially around updo-season—and I have a few older ladies who have that hip-fashion-trendy thing going on. I love them! But, most of my clients are between ages 23 and 40. I have a great relationship with all of them already, even though most have been “regulars” only for about four months. I don’t have any male clients, because very few men come into this salon. I love my girls though!”

Krissy notes, too, how much product knowledge she’s gained. The beauty school she attended was not connected with any particular product company. “In school, they didn’t push the products on us at all,” Krissy explains. “But in the salon, products are a huge part! Having information about the products is especially important at ULTA, which carries nearly every professional line.” Further, Krissy has found that there’s a difference between taking clients who come into the school’s “clinic floor” and working at a salon. “Just getting out there and doing it is the biggest thing,” she says. “You can’t learn that from a book; you have to get the experience.” Next, we’ll wrap up our time with Krissy.

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What Beauty School Students Should Know About Farrah Fawcett

Published: June 26, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

If you’re looking at beauty schools and hoping for a cosmetology career, you’re probably also the type of person who combs through beauty and fashion websites. Yesterday you may have noticed that many of the articles and blogs mourning the loss of Farrah Fawcett focused as much on her hair as on her acting, personal life or illness. That’s because Farrah was among just a handful of celebrities whose style generated a stampede to the salon.

In the 1920s, actress Louise Brooks appeared in the movies as a flapper with a bob that inspired women of the time, in an early show of feminism, to flock to the salon for a real hair cut. The next big look came about in the 1940s, identified by long waves and turned-under bangs. Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and enough others wore the look that no one person can claim it, so it became a trend rather than a signature style. In the 1960s it was a hairdresser—Vidal Sassoon—who revived the short bob, while model Twiggy had women asking for a pixie. In the ’70s, two looks battled for center stage: skater Dorothy Hamill’s wedge and Farrah’s feathered wings. Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” pouf and, more recently, Victoria Beckham’s version of the bob complete the short list of hair icons.

When a celebrity wears a great style, it can hold huge benefit for hairdressers. And when you learn how to cut layers at beauty school, you’ll be keeping the legacy of Farrah Fawcett alive.

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Second-Career Beauty School Student Receives “Education Rocks” Scholarship

Published: June 22, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

My May 5 blog spread the word about a $250 scholarship that cosmetologist/author Kathy Jager was offering toward tuition at any beauty school or advanced cosmetology program. The winner, Kathy has announced, is Carmelita Marsh, who will use the money to help her pay tuition at Regency Beauty Institute in Durham, NC. Carmelita is not the

typical new cosmetology school student.

She already completed a cosmetology program when she was fresh out of high school, but at that time she had no mentor or direction and never even took the board exams to try to get her license. But she always wanted to return to the profession. Now with four children up to age 18, Carmelita enrolled in Regency because she found a great mentor there who encouraged her. The scholarship, Carmelita wrote in her entry, will help fulfill “my dream deferred, but not lost. I want to be able to provide for my children a lot better than working paycheck to paycheck. I love people, and I love the cosmetology industry.” She also mentioned that through this career she could “help others to look and feel great about themselves, something I never received. ”

Explaining why she chose Carmelita as the beauty school scholarship winner, Kathy says, “I felt that the decision to return to school in midlife was extremely encouraging. She didn't have the right mentor when she was younger to show her that this is a fantastic industry. She had the dream, but not the support!”

Photo: Kathy Jager at her salon.

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Beauty School Graduation Celebrity Speaker Urges: Make a “List”

Published: June 18, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

You may have heard of Dean Banowetz because of his seasons as head hairstylist on “American Idol” (blame him for Sanjaya’s hair if you want). But Dean was not always a stylist to the stars. When he spoke to the latest batch of Pivot Point Beauty School grads recently, he traced his route to fame from humble beginnings in rural Iowa, emphasizing the power of setting goals and pursuing whatever your dreams may be in cosmetology school and beyond.

“My speech was about the endless options the beauty industry has for each and every one of us,” Dean told me. “I related my experiences coming from a family of 15 and growing up on a farm, being a decorated vet with three medals from the U.S. Army and doing hair on ‘American Idol’ as well as all the other things I have put on ‘The Dean’s List.’” Dean encouraged the graduates to become their own “brand” by identifying exactly what they want to accomplish in their career and making their own List.

While attending Bill Hills College of Cosmetology and, later, taking Pivot Point advanced education, Dean may not have dreamed that he would one day be styling hair for TV elites and have the awesome career he has today. But that’s where a cosmetology degree can take you. It’s not too early to start making your List, with “go to beauty school” right at the top. Someday you may be asked to inspire the next generation of graduates.

Photo: Dean and his mannequins.

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Life After Beauty School for Krissy: Sunday’s the Best Day, and Tips Build Income!

Published: June 14, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

Back to beauty school grad Krissy! She’s a little different from many of you because she wants to be both a hairdresser and a nurse. She completed cosmetology school first, which enables her to draw a good income while she’s pursuing her nursing degree part-time.

With all of this on her plate, Krissy describes her work schedule as “pretty constant.” At ULTA Salon, she works Friday through Sunday plus a Tuesday morning and Wednesday closing shift. Her favorite day is Sunday. “On Sundays, I get a variety of different clients who are busy during the week,” Krissy explains. “People usually aren’t as crazy busy on Sundays—and not many salons are open on Sunday so we get a lot people coming in!”

Like most corporate or chain salons, ULTA offers health insurance and other benefits. However, corporate policy limits the number of full-time stylists, working 30-40 hours a week, that each salon can hire, so Krissy was hired as a part-time employee at 20-25 hours/week. “I can’t qualify for health insurance or any real benefits unless I’m full time,” the beauty school grad laments. “I’m hoping as my numbers increase, I can be considered for full-time. The tips, however, are great! We are a pretty high-end salon when it comes to pricing, so the tips usually go up with that. It’s really nice, because I try to live off my tips week to week and pay my bills with my paychecks. I wouldn’t know what to do without my tips!!”

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Cruise to A Smooth Cosmetology Career

Published: June 10, 2009
by Web Editor

Have you ever taken a cruise? My favorite vacation was some years back when I spent a full week on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. I was thinking about that, remembering the salon/spa onboard and wondering how easy it is to launch your cosmetology career after beauty school by getting a job on a cruise ship.

This is what cruisejobfinder.com has to say: “There are 44 cruise ships under construction or on order for deliveries through 2012. This is in addition to the 81 cruise ships major cruise line companies introduced from 2000-2007. As this boom continues, 2009 is going to be an outstanding year for new cruise ships. Currently, there are 11 cruise ships scheduled to take their maiden voyages. This is great news for those looking for cruise ship employment and other cruise line employment. Each of these new ships provides an average of over 1,100 new jobs needed to staff the cruise ship and an additional 500+ jobs to provide the support services.”

Positions as hairdresser, nail tech and spa technician all fall under the “personal care” category, according to the same website, which continues, “In most cases all of your standard living expenses will be covered (room, food, health coverage, etc.), so most of the money you earn can be saved.” It’s something to think about! What could be better than traveling the world’s seas while you’re doing what you love to do? Beauty school opens so many doors; why not a porthole, too?

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Cosmetology School Can Be the Strictest College Around

Published: June 05, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

Beauty school is not jail. Honest. But...after having to live by all of the rules that limit students’ freedom in high school, a lot of people just want to break fr

ee and, compared with high school, most community colleges and four-year universities have very few rules. Cosmetology school? Rules. Dress codes. Discipline.

So when you visit the schools you’re considering attending, I think it’s important to ask about any Code of Conduct and how it’s enforced. If you’re a very free spirit, you might want to look for a school that has relaxed rules. If you think you need structure, though, you should have no trouble finding a school that keeps you on the straight and narrow.

For example, I was talking to Christine Gordon, president and co-owner of the Graham Webb Academy in Washington, DC. She feels that students have the best shot of getting hired at a great salon if they work on their professional demeanor while still in beauty school. “You cannot come to school late,” Christine told me. “If you’re not here at 9 a.m., we send you home. We have a very strict dress code, and we’re very regimented about social skills. It takes a year sometimes to get students acclimated to that. But if, while they’re in school, students can dress as they like, chat on their cell phones and listen to their iPods, they’re not going to magically know how to act professionally when they graduate.”

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Vocabulary Will Be Important at Massage Therapy School

Published: June 02, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

As with hairdressing school, when you’ve gained enough skill in your massage therapy school classes, you’ll be required to work on clients. Much of your advanced training will tend to involve these real-life situations, with guidance not only in technique but also in how to conduct yourself as a professional.

Michael Cole, a well-known salon industry coach who has focused on helping hairdressers build their income, was thrilled when an Ohio massage tech, Deborah Budd, adapted the Michael Cole program to apply to massage therapy. While both hair and massage professionals should be polite and approach clients with open-ended questions that give direction in how to proceed, the words describing the clients’ massage needs will, of course, be very different from those concerning her hair needs.

The “have” vocabulary for massage clients—that is, what they’re complaining that they have—tends to involve the words: Tension, Tightness, Ache, Pains, Numbness, Dry, Slowness, Knots, Fatigue, Weakness, Stiffness, Aged, Popping, Sickness, Injury, Surgery, Rough and Itchy. The “want” vocabulary words are: Flexibility, Limberness, Looseness, Movement, Range of Movement, Comfort, Ease, Posture, Speed, Flow, Tone, Strength, Energy, Activity, Health, Recovery, Soft and Anti-aging. At massage therapy school, you’ll learn to listen carefully to what the client tells you so that you can identify which massage techniques to use in order to replace the client’s “have” problems with the desired “wants.” And when you do, you’ll be that client’s hero! Click here for more on Deborah Budd’s adaptation of Michael Cole’s program.