Who doesn’t love free stuff – especially around the holiday season?

We are on the lookout for unique and fabulous holiday hairstyles, and we want you to submit yours to our Facebook photo contest. The winner will get a collection of amazing hair care items absolutely free!

The Prizes:

• A hydration kit from Design Essentials Salon System
• A Brazilian Heat ceramic brush set by Mega Hot
• Vitae and Volumax professional hairsprays
• A hair taming system from Global Keratin

The Rules:

• This contest is only for hairstyles, so any entries focusing on clothes, makeup, nails, etc. will not be considered.
• Photo must have been uploaded to Facebook on or after Monday, November 28th.
• Participants must tag BeautySchool.com in the photo.
• Only “likes” that are entered before noon on Wednesday, December 21st will be counted.
• BeautySchool.com agrees to immediately ship the prizes to the winner once we have the correct contact information but cannot guarantee an arrival date.

Want to get an extra like? Tagging BeautySchool.com in the photo is pretty much required if you want to enter, but any participants who tag BeautySchool.com in a status update as well will get an additional like from us.

So get into the holiday spirit and show us your creative hairstyling skills! We can’t wait to see what you got!

This week is “National Non-Traditional Student Week.” We took a look at the folks we’ve helped find beauty schools this year, and we found that the vast majority of our students are non-traditional students. So this week, we salute you, non-traditional cosmetology students!

What exactly is a non-traditional student? A non-traditional student may delay enrollment in their post-secondary school after graduating from high school, perhaps because the duties of parenthood or the need to have a full-time job had to come first. Or perhaps the student tried on a career that just wasn’t right for them, and found cosmetology later. A non-traditional student may work full-time while enrolled in cosmetology school. Many non-traditional cosmetology students have children or other dependents, and many are also single parents.

When we assessed our beauty school students, we found that as many as 70% don’t necessarily choose to go to cosmetology school right out of high school! 21- to 24-year-olds make up about a quarter of our students, and we even found that about 5% are Baby Boomers or older! It just goes to show that you’re never too old to start beauty school.

Here’s a great quote from one of our cosmetology scholarship applicants that reflected the feelings of many of our students who are parents. “I am a mom of three and I have devoted my life to being here for my daughters. Now that they are getting older, I am ready to pursue my dreams. I have put it off for so long and I am finally ready to get started.” Thank you, Yolanda B., for sharing your story with us!

Here’s another from Ruth H. about how nothing else fit her. “It has always been a thought in the back of my mind, and I’ve tried out other career choices, and decided they really didn’t fit me.” But then she found cosmetology, and she’s working on enrolling in beauty school now!

It takes a strong, smart, ambitious person to juggle the challenges of managing your life while also choosing to enroll in cosmetology school. We know you have families to support and jobs to hold while you go to beauty school. And for that, we salute you. We are so proud of all of you for taking that step to change your lives for the better, regardless of what path you take to get here. Kudos to all the non-traditional beauty students out there!

If you’re a cosmetology professional, chances are you are already familiar with the National Cosmetology Association and the Professional Beauty Association. (If not, you need to be.) Now, these two organizations have joined forces to help you take your networking and connections to a whole new level.

Individually, each of these organizations has represented the interests of cosmetology and salon industry professionals for years. They have served as networking tools and connection-makers for salon owners, hair dressers, nail technicians, estheticians, educators and students.

By providing resources such as membership publications, discounted products and services, in-depth industry research, industry education, trade shows and networking opportunities, the NCA and PBA have been helping their members enhance their careers and their connections.

New possibilities are definitely in store for current and future members! Check out their websites to learn more about the benefits of membership, to get involved, and to keep an eye out for new developments within the organization. According to the PBA, this merger will be an exciting opportunity for everyone involved. (Gordon Miller, former Executive Director of the NCA has joined Behind the Chair as Vice President of “The BTC Experience.”)

If you aren’t already a member of a professional organization, this is a great time to think about joining! Membership fees are manageable for most members and the professional opportunities are nearly limitless. If you are currently or plan to attend cosmetology school, joining these organizations can be a huge step forward in your career.

Any current members of these organizations? What are your thoughts on the benefits or possible disadvantages to membership?

On a whim yesterday, I decided to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure . And I’ve read a lot about student salons at beauty academies – but I’d never actually been to one! So I called and made an appointment at a nearby school.

First great thing – they had me in right away. And “Amy”, the student who used me as a guinea pig, was great. I originally wanted a French manicure, but she hadn’t had the chance to learn that yet. She offered to find me a more experienced student, but I told her it was fine.

The salon itself was nice – it was huge and divided into smaller sections. The equipment looked top notch. The teacher-supervisors were all cheerful and smiling and things felt busy but not chaotic.

Amy was new enough that she still had an instruction card she referred to, in order to make sure she was completing all the steps. But she did a great job on my pedicure – my toes look like little gems! I am definitely planning on going back to see if I can get a beauty facial in the near future.

Checking out a student salon is a great way to get a feel for the local schools while giving yourself a little treat. Just don’t forget to tip!