Editor's Blog | Beauty School Advisor

— Find beauty schools, cosmetology schools, massage therapy schools, esthetician schools and more near you.

— Enter to Win a Beauty School Scholarship!

— Easily Request Information from the Schools you choose.

Home

Cosmetology

Esthetics

Hairdressing

Makeup Artistry

Massage Therapy

Barber

Nail Technology

Editor's Blog

Like Dee Adames, Your Cosmetology Career Success Can Snowball

Published: February 02, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

They say “success begets success,” which seems to be true for the years following beauty school graduation. And today, when anyone can become a celebrity via reality shows and various Internet avenues, once you get your name around you’re

golden. I was reminded of this when I received a publicity release about Dee Adames, Bravo TV’s most recent “Shear Genius” winner, whose already strong cosmetology career received quite the boost from her cable television triumph.

When you win something like that—or maybe become locally famous by posting a popular youtube video or writing a blog—the first people who come calling are the product manufacturers. With a little luck, you can land a lucrative contract just by making appearances for products you use on your clients. In Dee’s case, there are two product lines—Freestylist Systems and John Paul Mitchell Systems—and she has also become a Paul Mitchell educator.

On top of that success, Dee now can easily get financial backing to open her own salon, since consumers will think it’s cool to say they get their hair done there. So with partner Laila Taheri, Dee recently opened D&L Hair Studio in Miami. The press release describes Dee as “an artist with a passion for art, music and nature, [who] puts her heart and soul into making everyday an adventure.” How would your press agent describe you? You never know where your cosmetology career will take you, but the Land of Success will be within reach. Just ask Dee Adames.

Photo is courtesy of John Paul Mitchell Systems

0 Comments | Add comment

The End to Chapter 1 of Our Beauty School Student Saga

Published: January 29, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

Over the past seven months, we’ve heard all about the adventures of former Michigan beauty school student Krissy Simmons, and now Krissy has her cosmetology license. What a triumph! She thought so, too, and she bounded ou

t of the building to tell her mom, who was waiting for her in the car. But as these things tend to do, it turned into a comedy of errors because her mom had run into the building to use the restroom! So Krissy was jumping up and down with no audience!

Mother and daughter did find each other, though, and by then Krissy had calmed down. “I just handed her my license with my picture on it,” Krissy recalls. “She started crying, I started crying, and she hugged me and told me how proud she was of me. I think it’s probably going to be one of those special moments I’ll remember for a really, really long time!

Too excited to show up for the 5-10 shift she was scheduled to work, Krissy got someone to cover for her and went out with her extended family to celebrate. “The minute we left the testing center, I started calling everyone,” Krissy says. “I called my dad first, then my sister and brothers, then people kind of in order of who was most supportive of me.” It was one of the best days she’s ever had, and it all started with beauty school. Says Krissy, “Knowing that I’m official is the best feeling in the world!”

0 Comments | Add comment

Learn to Do a Great Shampoo at Beauty School

Published: January 25, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

Being a salon client your whole life will serve you well in beauty school. Have you ever had a really great shampoo? In your early cosmetology school classes when you’re learning to do a shampoo, try to provide everything that made the experience

wonderful for you as a client.

Of course the hair must be clean, so technique is important. Make sure you get all of the hair sudsy, and then get that soap out of there—one rinse is never enough! And you’ll probably want to go through the process twice. But how clean you get the hair is only part of the deal. What your clients will remember is how relaxed you made them feel. They’re walking in from their busy world, and first up is the shampoo. A vigorous scalp massage will make them forget the troubles of their day and let them be in the moment of feeling pampered. There are always clients who talk through every service, but most clients will respond to a great shampoo by enjoying the quiet and letting their eyes softly close. That’s how you know you’re pleasing them!

Check out this youtube video. See how the stylist takes his time. He tests the water to make sure it’s the right temperature, shields the client's eyes from the rinse, carefully combs out the tangles and guides the guest to the styling station chair. Becoming your beauty school’s shampoo champ will set a foundation for you to grow into a fabulous hair stylist.

Photo is courtesy of Redken.

0 Comments | Add comment

First Hair Skill You Learn in Beauty School May Be Your Big Money Maker

Published: January 21, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

When you start beauty school, you’ll probably want to get right to the cutting, styling, hair coloring and perming. The cool thing about those se

rvices is that you really see the results of your work. A new style makes a dramatic difference in the client’s appearance. But before you learn to do any of that in your specialized cosmetology school classes, first you’ll learn to perform the shampoo service.

While you may regard your shampoo lessons as a sort of introductory unit before you get to the good stuff, I highly recommend that you pay close attention. Clean hair will not be the only benefit from your work. For one thing, your first job may be as a shampoo tech, which means that your earliest tips will depend upon how enjoyable you make the shampoo experience for your clients, plus pleasing these clients will encourage the salon owner to quickly move you up to the position of stylist, or at least styling assistant. The shampoo bowl also will be your first recruiting source. Everyone you shampoo can potentially become your client when you’re promoted to a stylist.

So while it may seem like almost a waste of your beauty school time to spend classes in learning how to shampoo—after all, you’ve been shampooing your own hair pretty much forever—I assure you it will be time well spent. Check back; I’ll go into detail about how to make the most of delivering a shampoo, and why you should bother.

Photo was taken at Avalon Salon and Day Spa in Deer Park, Illinois.

0 Comments | Add comment

Beauty School May Make You a Texture Junkie

Published: January 18, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

Every now and then I come across a hairstylist who cuts and colors, sure, but what he or she really loves is texture! In your cosmetology school classes, you’ll learn all about the various flat irons and curling irons; hot, velcro and tradit

ional rollers; and a huge selection of products that curl, wave or straighten. After practicing in beauty school, maybe you’ll end up talking like Kacie DeJesus, a stylist in Mesa, Arizona, who’s off-the-charts passionate about texturizing hair.

“Texture is what gives hair its sass!” Kacie exclaims. “Texture is what makes you want to reach out and touch it. You can make the hair as smooth as silk or funk it up with sprays, waxes or gels. To me, that’s where all the fun is. If you can communicate your excitement to clients through their hair, I believe you will have an amazing career. Although I admit that perms are not my favorite way to get texture, they can look amazing if done correctly—and there is something to be said for the sublime feeling you get when wrapping a perm. Texturizing techniques through cutting can make any hair cut look better. I love to give my clients an ego boost with texture. Texture is what the eye recognizes in a flash, allowing the brain to immediately pick up on the level of confidence exuded by the wearer.”

I hope you’ll remember Kacie’s description when you’re curling or straightening your first beauty school mannequin head. Her enthusiasm is contagious!

0 Comments | Add comment

Beauty School Prepares Student for Theory Portion of Cosmetology Boards

Published: January 13, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

When we left Krissy at the computer taking the Michigan State Cosmetology Boards, she was hoping that she remembered enough from her cosmetology school classes to compensate for barely studying for the theory portion of the test. “The first 30 questions were really tricky,” she recalls. “I tested very well at cos school—I pulled a 4.0 in all of my testing work. However, this stuff was tough!! I just kept breathing and went through it.”

The first 30 questions focused largely on sanitation, with the remainder of the questions addressing topics related to make-up, facials and chemistry. Krissy finished within 20 minutes, but she really couldn’t tell whether she’d passed. “They make you save your answers and then do a short survey before they give you your results,” she reports. “I was scared to death—literally. My heart was pounding harder than I think it’s ever pounded, my hands were clammy and I just didn’t feel good. I closed my eyes and pushed the button.” She opened her eyes to see the magic word: “PASS”!

“I breathed the biggest sigh of relief I think I’ve ever sighed!” Krissy gushes. “It was the BEST feeling in the world! I started joking with the monitors that I think I just got my butt kicked by a computer. They congratulated me, gave me my professional cosmetologist’s license with my picture on it (my paper license would come in the mail in the next week or so) and I was on my way.”

0 Comments | Add comment

Hairdresser Schools Prepare You For a “Sexy” Career

Published: January 11, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

When I saw the msn.careerbuilder.com headline, “10 Sexy Careers You Never Thought Of,” I had to find out whether a cosmetology career was among them. Just because I believe that hairdressers are sexy doesn’t mean other people agree. But my suspicious proved correct! Hairstylists landed at #3 on the list. Are people who choose the career se

xy, or can hairdresser school transform anyone into someone hot? It’s probably a little of both.

The article says, “Getting your hair cut is an intimate affair: the stylist’s hands are all over your head, and your face is fairly close to his or her torso at all times. In any other circumstance, you’d consider such proximity a violation of personal space. But stylists have an ability to make you feel comfortable enough to talk about your personal life, and when you find the perfect one, you don’t want anyone else touching your hair. Throw in a scalp massage and you’re putty in their hands.”

So according to the article, the sexiness comes from the permission to talk candidly about intimate details. I think it’s more than that. A good hairdresser is confident, and that’s always sexy, plus a cosmetology career puts you into the fashion world. Isn’t “style” part of the word “hairstylist” and “dress” part of “hairdresser”? Hairdressers, both male and female, tend to have a cool look going. Or should I say a hot look? What I want to know is why bloggers weren’t on the sexy list!

0 Comments | Add comment

Beauty School Students Benefit From Claiborne Pell’s Legacy

Published: January 05, 2009
by Rosanne Ullman

As you explore ways to finance your beauty school education, you’re likely to come across the term “Pell Grants.” A major reason that som

e cosmetology schools choose to become accredited is so that their students qualify to receive Pell Grants, which distribute money provided by the United States government. The former Rhode Island senator who fought for this money for students, Claiborne Pell, died this past Thursday, New Year’s Day, at age 90. His funeral is today.

In 1972 when the U.S. Senate passed the bill to distribute this money for education, the program was called Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG). Although he was the force behind the idea, Pell didn’t title the grants after himself, but in 1980 his colleagues voted to rename the program the Pell Grants. “Because of Senator Pell and the Pell Grant, the doors of college have been opened to millions of Americans—and will continue to be opened to millions more,” Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden said upon learning of Pell’s death. “That is a legacy that will live on for generations to come.”

A statement by Pell’s family published by The Providence Journal said that Pell defined his job as a senator in seven words: “Translate ideas into actions and help people.” What a great set of seven words! Maybe you’ll be one of the people helped with a Pell Grant toward paying your beauty school tuition. Click here for more information on Pell Grants, and click here for the yahoo.com obituary on Claiborne Pell.

0 Comments | Add comment