If you have gone through the long days of beauty school to get your cosmetology license you may think that you're done with education. However, we encourage you to continue to seek out educational opportunities. The beauty industry is always changing and growing, and you have to keep up!
Beauty school aka Cosmetology school is where we begin to cultivate our love and passion for the beauty industry. We enroll in school to learn all the basic skills we need to become a successful stylist. We learn all the different services we can offer in a salon, from cutting hair to coloring and more! This is the beginning of your career, where you will be set up for success. It is important to learn as much as possible here. From school you will go on to find a job in a salon where you will continue to grow your career. You will gain the confidence you need to become a successful stylist. Most salons will give you training in their way of working. Once you have been trained you will begin working on the floor where you will continue to develop your style as a hairdresser. And then it is time for all the continuing education that will keep you thirsty for knowledge!
You may think you have all the technical skills you will need as a hairdresser. However, new trends are always coming out. Cutting, coloring and styling techniques are always changing and evolving. Your clients are coming to you to make sure that they look their best, and this means being on trend. This day and age it is extremely important we are up to date with the current trends. Everyone has access to social media where the latest styles are constantly on display. Your clientele trust you to keep them up to date!
It is important that you stay not only on top of trends but inspired by them as well! It is too easy to fall into patterns with regular clients. Often we have clients that ask for the same thing every time. While there is comfort in this it can cause us to get lazy and lack inspiration. We must continue to seek out education so that we don't become lazy or complacent! You're an artist, and an artist must stay inspired.
This one is important for so many reasons. Salon owners reading this - this is for you ! It is important to have education available to all your junior and senior stylists. Education in the salon guarantees a sort of baseline for all your stylists. Meaning that when a new client comes into the salon they can go to any stylist and be guaranteed the same sort of baseline for all stylists. It will make sure everyone has the same necessary skills to give your clients the best experience in your salon.
Offering continuing education opportunities in the salon will also keep your stylists passion growing. Clients trust a passionate stylist. Upskilling your stylists is not only good for business but also great for employee happiness. It will help further their career and make them a well rounded, happy stylist. A happy stylist is a loyal stylist who will put in the hard work to help you grow your salon business.
How lucky are we that we live in a world that is so digitally connected. You can find education from stylists all over the world. Hairdressers can learn new techniques from someone on the other side of the world without leaving the comfort of their home. You no longer have to wait until another stylist is offering classes nearby, or through your local distributor. You can now find a plethora of stylists and colorists offering continued learning online.
Of course some stylists may choose more hands-on training. This may seem like a better way for you to learn techniques and increase skill. If you learn better this way, there are still so many opportunities for training. Reach out to your distributors, beauty supply stores or even bigger salons in your area, most will have continuing education classes available to you.
A Lot of careers believe that in order to keep your license or qualifications you have to continue to educate yourself. Beauty professionals in some states are required to take courses to keep their license every few years. Considering how essential education is in our industry this may be a good idea. There are so many benefits to you and your clients if you continue learning and growing as a stylist. Lifelong learning can lead to a rewarding career in the beauty industry... and that is what we want for each and every one of you !