The Curriculum Will Prepare You for a Beauty Career!
When you first enroll in cosmetology school, you go in with big dreams of styling hair and beautifying your clients.
To get there, you’ll learn a whole lot of concepts and skills that are necessary for your success. And once you know them, to get your license, you’ll most likely need to take and pass an exam in your state. (The requirements vary, so be sure to research the requirements where you live.)
If you’re thinking about attending cosmetology school, you’ve probably wondered what you’ll actually learn in school. Let’s review some of the key concepts most cosmetology schools use in their curriculum. If cosmetology still sounds like a great career path for you, be sure to talk to the schools in your area to learn more about their specific practices and policies.
Theory and Basics
Before you ever hold a pair of shears in your hand, you’ll be required to learn the underlying theory and basic skills. Much of what you’ll learn includes the science of beauty.
Cosmetology students learn how hair grows and what keeps a scalp healthy. Sanitation and chemical safety are also key elements; they keep you and your clients safe.
You’ll also learn all about proper cleaning of tools and the salon environment, which are of utmost importance, especially during a pandemic!
Communication Skills
How you present yourself and speak with your clients and colleagues are important to the success of anyone in a field that provides services. Because cosmetology requires you to work directly with people all day, communication skills are absolutely vital to your success.
In cosmetology school, you should expect to learn about human communication and how to ask important questions to understand what your client is looking for. These skills will help you be a great colleague, too!
Business Skills
Many professional cosmetologists need business and marketing skills, especially if they own their own salon or work as independent contractors.
Important business skills within cosmetology curricula could include finances and bookkeeping, social media marketing, and customer service. Depending on the cosmetology school you choose to attend, the number of business concepts included in the academic portion of your training may vary.
Being a good business person is vital; these skills will help to ensure that your salon or business is successful and that your target audience knows you exist!
Nails and Makeup
Many cosmetology programs include education on manicures, pedicures, and makeup application. These skills give you a wider range of expertise, so you can choose your favorite aspects of cosmetology to influence your career.
Nail technician skills include giving manicures and pedicures, polishing nails, and even applying acrylic nails. Makeup artist students learn how to apply makeup for a variety of looks to enhance a client’s existing beauty or for special effects.
Be sure to check whether these topics are included in your state’s mandated cosmetology curriculum; if they aren’t, but these topics interest you, you’ll want to find a cosmetology school that offers this extra training.
Hair Styling
To successfully give haircuts, coloring services, and other treatments, you’ll need to learn a variety of techniques to make your clients look beautiful.
These techniques include shampooing and rinses, cutting techniques, hair coloring, chemical waving, and relaxing. Not only will you learn how to perform these services, but you’ll need to understand how all of the tools and products work and how they affect the hair and skin. This will enable you to choose the right products and formulations for your client.
Cosmetology students also learn about shaping, thermal styling techniques, updos, and hair extensions.
Choosing a Cosmetology School
If you’re interested in attending cosmetology school, it’s up to you where you go! Start your journey by doing a quick Internet search for the phrase “cosmetology school near me.” Then, read reviews of each school to get an idea of what students and graduates think of them.
Once you have a few choices, your best bet for finding a school that’s a good fit for you is to visit them and talk to their admissions counselors and financial aid coordinators. You may also want to talk to current students to see what they like or dislike about the program.
After you conclude your visits, review any materials the schools gave you, and compare costs, duration of training, and any other benefits each school may provide.
The school that is “best” for you is absolutely subjective, so it’s important that you consider all your options based on the information you have about them. You’re more likely to enjoy your schooling if you’ve made the right choice of cosmetology school.