Have you ever thought about going to cosmetology school? Many people who do not want to go to a traditional university for four years, six years, or even eight years end up considering cosmetology as an alternate route.
It’s a hands-on profession; cosmetology school consists of a little training and a large amount of practice. Many schools offer discounted or free haircuts to those who are willing to let a student practice their craft. Typically, a cosmetologist can become licensed in around a year, although the amount of time it takes to finish the required number of practice hours to attain certification varies depending on the student.

If you’re undecided about cosmetology as a career versus other professions that do not require a college degree, it’s helpful to consider your options. It used to be that certain medical assistants, nurses, and dental hygienists could practice their craft without a four-year degree. The market for these jobs, however, is increasingly competitive, with more and more people opting for at least a bachelor’s degree in such fields.

Trade professions continue to offer viable options. Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, mechanics, and landscape professionals often need special training or certification, but are not necessarily required to have a typical college degree. Certain office jobs, like secretarial or paralegel work, might require only an associate’s, or two year, degree.

Those working in computer science or the arts can certainly benefit from a degree in their field, but talent, skill, and know-how often trump everything. If you know what you’re doing, there are jobs to be had. A number of specialized computer courses that do not require a degree are offered (where else?) online, allowing aspiring computer specialists to hone their skills and acquire new knowledge without having to attend a college.

After reviewing all of the options, it’s clear that there is still a way forward for those looking for an advanced education and viable profession outside of traditional college. To be sure, a college degree is useful, and many people choose to go that route. But if you’re seeking different direction, there are still plenty of options out there.

If you’ve looked at your options and decided on a career in cosmetology, it can be a quite satisfying and productive job. There is often opportunity for advancement, and the level of pay can often depend on your skill and hard work. What’s not to like?

Deciding to chop off locks that you have been walking around with for years can be a lot like jumping off the high dive. It seems like a very scary concept at first, but the thrill and sense of freedom that comes with it can actually become addictive.

Short hair has been showing up on celebrity runways for a handful of years now, but the trend is coming through in full force in 2012 as stylists all over the country are turning long locks into short and stunning looks. Spring has clearly sprung, and many women want to embrace its gentle touch by letting the breeze flow across their face and through short hair. A woman with a great short hairstyle will attract the attention of the masses in a crowded room, and many women that go short often have a slight boost in their overall confidence and moxie as a result.

Aside from being on the cutting edge of fashion and trends, getting your hair away from your cheeks and jawline will give you a clean and refreshing look while showcasing your natural beauty. The short bob and the pixie are some of the classic short cuts for adventurous and bold women, but a quality stylist will be able to do a number of variations of those two styles as well as many others while creating a look that best suits your natural tones and angles. Going choppy or layered are two options currently growing in popularity that stylist learn in hair schools. Creams and waxes can be utilized to create shine, shape and clear distinctions between layers.

Not only has Adele dominated the world of music, but her auburn hair is the focal point of fashion circles everywhere. This spring, style your hair like Adele, Jessica Biel, or Eva Mendes, and you’ll be the envy at any party. Take one look at hair trends on a site like Pinterest, and you will notice braids, romantic half-up do’s, and auburn locks are in order this spring season. Here are the top 5 hair trends for spring 2012.

1. Auburn/Orange Hair

Auburn hues in hair capture the feminine essence of spring. Romantic in an old world sort of way, celebs like Adele and Ashley Simpson have started a trend that young women everywhere are following. Simply ask your hair stylist to use cellophane to foil a few sections of hair. This will add some subtle hues to your hair that will instantly attract romance this spring.

2. Side Braids

Side braids add an enchanting touch to any look. Try wearing a simple floral dress, along with a side braid, to capture the essence of this spring’s hottest looks. To make a side braid, simply separate three one-inch sections of hair and create a regular braid. Pull hair back as you braid. You can then wear your hair all down, or you can put the rest into a half-up do. Either way, you’ll be an enchanting princess like Amanda Bynes with this style.

3. Sport a “Mid-Length” Do

Check out Kelly Osbourne or Adele, and you will notice that these women have hair that falls an inch above the shoulders. Mid-length hair styles are fun, free, and sassy. Simply cut a few inches off of your hair to get this look. To add texture, add some mousse to your hair.

4. Wild Ponytails

Ponytails with texture are trendy this spring season. At the most recent Michael Kors fashion show, models donned high ponytails with frizzed locks in the back. The result was that models looked chic and sophisticated. To get this look, add mousse to the pulled-back portion of the ponytail. Then, allow the rest of your hair to simply “fluff” in the back.

5. Try a Volumized Middle Part

Jessica Biel knows how to rock celebrity hair trends including the middle part. If you decide to try on this hot hairstyle, make sure you volumize hair surrounding the part. Create the middle part first. Then, rat hair on each side of the part.

These 5 tips will help you find a hairstyle that’s hot for this upcoming spring. Be bold and creative and let your cosmetology schools graduate what you are looking for when tring out one of the looks mentioned here!

One can never overlook the importance of that nerve-raking, angst-filled first day of beauty school. It’s the day, probably more important than any other. It’s the time to physically show yourself and showcase your talents. Ultimately, looking your best isn’t an option – it’s a necessity, and we’ll help you get there with a these four beauty school tips.

Beauty Tip #1: No bad hair days here.
You know that besides the clothes you pick out that your hair is the biggest priority on the first day of beauty school, especially if you are attending a hair design school. Here are some pointers for good-looking, fashionable hair styles.

Many beauty students want to retain that trendy look when getting back in the swing of things but they also want to appear sophisticated and be taken seriously. Opting for versatile, creative haircuts are essential for beauty students. Fashions like Sedu hair styles (the sleek, straight look), French twists and medium length hair styles are popular options for beauty students. Some of today’s most popular trends are the bob or short-hair styles that are quick, easy and manageable. Hair styles with bangs or fringes are in, as well as blending a layered look with an intimate form of personal expression.

Tip #2: Keep that skin soft and glowing.
Summer may be over but that doesn’t mean that your tanned body has to be. Achieving that extra bit of color physically implies that you had a good summer – got outdoors, refreshed and took care of yourself. Always remember to exfoliate and keep moisturized to prevent any flaking or dryness as the air begins to change from summer to fall to the harsh winter. Also is a great one to tell your fellow students in your esthetician program.

Tip #3: Make your eyes a focal point.
Playing up the eyes with fun and colorful eye shadow affords you creativity and originality. Interesting tones like gray and silver are subtle, but add just enough edge to look visually vibrant. Blending colors together is also ideal if you’re looking to create a custom shade. Checking out the current colors that celebrities are wearing is a good idea and also brings inspiration for looks to try out in a makeup artist program.

If you’re going to do something prominent with your eye makeup just make sure that the rest of your face makeup is toned down. Being young, your skin doesn’t need an excessive amount of foundation of blush – keep it simple. Some black mascara and a little clear lip gloss will give you just enough of that desired chic look without going overboard.

Tip #4: Let your nails match your colorful personality.
Use the latest colors when it comes to your nail polish (a very important tip for nail technicians in training!) Remember to keep your nails short and squared or oval when rocking dark colors like burgundy, navy or black. Keep in mind your skin tone when choosing dark colors. Those with lighter skin can use the same color scheme but in a lighter shade to stay fashionable. It’s all about expressing yourself, your personality. Let you nails reflect that.

Now that you’ve got the scoop on the beauty school trends this year, it’s time to put them into action. Make a statement when you go to beauty school – make a statement and show your skills.

What has science done for the beauty industry lately, you ask?

Well, for one, scientists in Australia have recently discovered a “curly hair gene,” AKA the trichohyalin gene. This gene, discovered by scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), is the one responsible for creating straight or curly locks.

Based on research done in Europe by Professor Nick Martin and Dr. Sarah Medland of the QIMR, 45 percent of Europeans have straight hair, 40 percent have wavy hair and only 15 percent have curly hair. As a curly-haired guy, himself, Professor Martin wondered what genetic variations were responsible for hair texture.

To learn more about these genetic processes, the team analyzed data collected from a 30-year study of 5,000 twins in Australia. When the twins’ genome maps were compared, twins exhibited the same types of variations in the trichohyalin gene depending on if they shared either curly hair or straight hair.

What else has Professor Martin concluded? Because the trichohyalin gene creates an amino acid change, which in turn influences the hair’s texture, it may be possible to develop treatments to make hair straighter or curlier as an alternative to heated hair straighteners or chemical hair treatments like perms. Maybe someday soon, we’ll all be popping pills instead of ironing out those curls every day or heading to the salon for a perm. (Of course, you could always embrace your natural curl instead!)

Science. What will they think of next?

One whiff of hair dye and you know that the stuff you are breathing in cannot be good for you.  That nasty smell is most likely ammonia: a chemical that preps hair strands to receive color.  Ammonia used in hair color can cause a variety of side effects including:
• Coughing
• Nose and throat irritation
• Skin and eye irritation
• Destruction of hair cuticle
• Damage of Tyrosine in the hair shaft

But don’t worry! Starting in 2010, hair coloring fanatics can opt for hair color sans ammonia without sacrificing results.  L’Oreal will be introducing “Inoa”, their professional ammonia-free hair color line.  Inoa, (Innovation no ammonia), replaces ammonia with a combination of monoethanolamine, oil-based gel and a cream developer.  And after years of research, L’Oreal claims this formula to be as effective as traditional ammonia hair color.

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When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to figuring out the complex answer to his daughter’s simple, but profound question.

In the documentary film, Good Hair, Rock takes us on a fascinating journey through the international business trade of hair weaves, the science behind relaxers and the surprising question of how much black women spend on their hair.

During a press junket for a film festival in Salt Lake City, Rock discussed with Salon Magazine journalist Andrew O’Hehir how the initial idea for the film expanded the further he investigated.

“It kind of blew my mind, the idea that in an African-American household you got this Porsche that nobody can see, these working-class and middle-class black women spending thousands of dollars… buying a Porsche that nobody sees.” He adds, “There is a whole economic realm to this that I didn’t know about at all.”

One unexpected turn in the economic story comes when Rock learns that much of the hair used for creating extensions for black women comes from India. Human hair is India’s single largest export. He also sees how the culture has adapted to make harvesting the hair easy and profitable for the industry. Many Hindu temples conduct “hair sacrifices” during religious ceremonies that allow members of the temple a few moments of cultural distinction (and no money) in exchange for hair that can later be worth thousands of dollars. This “sacrificed” hair is processed and sold to hair dealers around the world who, in turn, sell it to local dealers who, in turn, sell it to salons and hair vendors at a huge profit.

How does Rock view this suspicious economic angle? He tells O’Hehir a different cut of the movie exists where Rock treats the hair trade as a problem for black females. He later calls on women to reject this international cartel of exploitation. But, he says, in the end that version simply wasn’t as fun to watch. He said he would rather inform and entertain rather than divide and mobilize.

On that tip, Rock succeeds. The movie is a serious, yet non-confrontational look at how cultural norms can make us do and believe some crazy things. It’s entertaining, but not angry. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations that add much more entertainment to what could have become a sobering, but impersonal look into the culture of beauty in the world.

For anyone involved in cosmetology, hairstyling or ethnic beauty marketing, this film is a must. Good Hair is playing in select cities right now. It opens nationally on October 23.

There are countless reasons cosmetology professionals attend beauty school to learn their trade – cutting, coloring and styling hair isn’t something that everyone can do. Well, at least … isn’t something that everyone should do. So here are five more great reasons to see a professional.

My own experience with self-styling started early. When I was little, my mom used to trim my bangs, and got the blunt, straight-across look by pulling a piece of Scotch tape across my fringe and then cutting under that. Seemed easy enough. Until I tried it myself, and ended up with at least an inch difference in length from the left to right side of my forehead. I remember my mom hiding a laugh behind her hand when I begged her not to tell Dad, and she replied, “Oh honey, I don’t think we’re going to have to!”

I also used to cut my own hair in college, when I was broke. I tried to fool myself into thinking it looked halfway decent, but I’m pretty sure that was the reason why every day of the week was a bad hair day and I wore ponytails for four years straight.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one. Some other misguided wannabe amateur hairstylists have provided their own hair horror stories here:

“Oh my, I am the hair disaster queen! I let my dad cut my hair in the 8th grade. He cut it way too short and uneven. I cried. The very next day was our holiday play and there was not enough time to go somewhere to get it fixed so I looked like an idiot! I also tried to touch up my roots once with a drugstore hair color kit and they turned bright orange. I called around and found a salon that could fix it the next afternoon, but I had to come to work in the morning with orange hair. I wore a hat. I had only worked here for a few months at the time and even with the hat I was super embarrassed. It has been a long road, but I have finally learned to leave my hair in the hands of professionals!” -Angie

“Sometimes, when I am between haircuts, I’ll do a little styling to delay paying the 15 bucks on a haircut for another week or so. Using what scissors happen to be in the kitchen junk drawer, I stand on my tippy-toes – like it helps – in the bathroom mirror and cut around my ears, thin out my sideburns, trim the bangs, and try my best to angle the blades to fade my hair on the sides. This means I do nothing to the back, which results in a strange effect in which I look relatively well-groomed straight on … for a few seconds. But if you spend any time looking at me, you can see the back come hulking around. I would compare this look to a batting helmet I wore in little league – minimalistic in front with excessive padding in the back.” -Kevin

“When I was probably 13 or 14 I used that Sun-In stuff when I was at the lake. I didn’t think it was doing anything, so I kept spraying on more and more. I had used the whole bottle before I realized that my hair wasn’t turning platinum – it was turning orange.” -Lacey

“I tried to color my hair once with one of those box dyes. I went ahead and got the premium kind that included do-your-own highlights. Yeah, that was a bad idea. I freaked out halfway through letting the highlights sit and washed it all out. So first off, the color turned out dark red instead of light brown and I had these blonde patches were the color took. I looked like a sunburned leopard… or something like that. Red hair plus blonde spots equals not good.” -Chris

So what about you? Have you ever tried to color or cut your hair and ended up horrified by the results? Share your stories below – we’ll commiserate. And next time? Make sure to go to a licensed hairstylist who has legit training from a cosmetology school, eh?

Did you know that you no longer have to act professional to get paid? It’s true! You, too, can have unreasonable scheduling demands, vindictive behavior against low tippers and cut hair however you please without regard for your clients’ wishes! Isn’t that great? Well, it’s not true, but apparently this article on Shine – 14 Secrets Your Hairstylist Won’t Tell You – thinks all that is ok. Check out their suggestions:

• First, hair and nail clients shouldn’t schedule appointments on Saturday mornings, Friday evenings, the first of the day, the last of the day, or around lunch time. Apparently stylists don’t feel like working if they are tired, annoyed, ready to leave, not settled in or hungry. Nope, no good haircuts that way!
• Second, they have to tip well – at least an astronomical 20 percent! No matter what. If they don’t, you might ruin their hair next time, obviously!
• And finally, clients should never expect to get what they want. They bring in that darn picture of another A-list celebrity but should know the stylist is lying if they say they can make that look happen on them.

Does all this sound a little ridiculous? We thought so, and so did the people who responded to this article – both clients and stylists who are trained and educated from cosmetology school. Of course, as a hairstylist you have every right to expect polite customers that respect you and your time. But if all stylists acted the way this article suggests they would have very few clients, wouldn’t they?

The best stylists know that the way to get clients is to accommodate their schedules. If working Saturday mornings means you get more paying clients who are happy with the timing and keep coming back, then it’s a win-win situation. Every good hairstylist will find a schedule, pay scale, and so on that works for them and their clients. Most people have a hairstylist they like and trust, and they prefer to give that person their business.

All you hairstylists and cosmetology students, hopefully you have or will have some of these loyal clients on your roster. They appreciate the way you cut and style their hair. They enjoy talking to you and trust your opinions about their hair. Most of them probably expect you to do a good job, be friendly and prompt, listen to requests and respect them.

But then again, maybe we ought to follow Shine’s advice and switch things around. You know, ask not what you can do for your client, but what your client can do for you.

Weigh in! What do you think about scheduling appointments, tipping etiquette and style requests?

Have you ever had one of those days where your hair just doesn’t want to cooperate? (Duh. Who hasn’t had a bad hair day?) I have found one of the best ways to combat those nasty hair days is to check in with Makeup and Beauty blog. They‘ve posted 101 hair tutorials just right for the average woman who wants to spice up her look, try a celebrity hairdo or just receive some hair tips.

This blog maps out 101 different tips and hairdos through list format. All you have to do is simply click the link and it will take you to a different website or blog detailing the certain look or tip. It’s pure genius! Just think – you can look through the list when you have a big night out with the girls, the interview for your dream job or a date with that special someone – and find the perfect hair style for the occasion. Not to mention, if you are a current or future professional hairstylist, you can get inspired to give fresh, new ideas to your hair design clients.

Let’s see if you can make the cut in styling your own hair. We want to hear from you about your bad hair days and how you survive them! Or drop us a comment if you’ve tried any of the tutorials and if they worked for you.