A Lot of times people will ask me ‘’what do you want to be when you get older?’’. I tell them i would like to be a cosmetologist and often, they have no clue what that is. In case you don’t know what it is, i will tell you. A cosmetologist is someone who is an expert in the care of hair and makeup as well as skincare and beauty products. They can also offer other services such as coloring, extensions, perms and straightening. Anybody can become one!!
All you need is a GED or a high school diploma to go to cosmetology school. The hours you need to complete the schooling is a total of 1,500. You take different kinds of classes and you learn a lot of really interesting and helpful things. Schooling doesn’t discriminate on basis of sex, age, color, race or religion. You must be at least 16 years of age to start. Classroom lessons vary. For basic training which is 150 hours it’s basically classroom instruction which includes how to use equipment, the equipments use and safety, shampo, types of hair, sanitation and infection control, psychology, ethics and more. Practical chemical application and hair treatment is a total or 500 hours. This includes hands on experience, hair coloring, bleaching, hair relaxing, hair and scalp conditioning etc. Hair styling and hair dressing is a total of 475 hours. You cut hair, thin hair, shape hair, trim, and curl. Shop management, sanitation, and interpersonal relations is 200 hours you work on client relations, work compensation, business, first aid, right to know laws and marketing and merchandising. There is also ethics and that is 85 hours it teaches the principles and techniques of skin care treatments and application of cosmetics. Nail technology is 55 hours and is the principles and techniques of nail services. And lastly, you have electives and 35 hours of them.. This means you can pick whichever classes you want and i think that’s pretty awesome. If you go to cosmetology school full time then, it would be 8 months to 1 year. If you went part time, you are looking more at two years. On average schooling costs about 11,000 dollars.
Why do cosmetology? Well, for me i’ve always loved to do hair and makeup. I used to do dance and when i would have recitals, it was always fun for me to get all dolled up. I love it when i give someone a makeover and they look in the mirror and their face just lights up. Yes, i like to do these things but another fact is boosting one’s self-esteem. I am not saying that anyone needs makeup to look pretty, but it is good to look like a brand new you sometimes and do something unique for a change. When i become a cosmetologist, I would like to give free makeovers to adults and teenagers who suffer from addiction. In addition, i would like to give makeovers to kids with cancer or with disabilities. I would like to do this because i love to help kids and other people who are not able to help themselves. I want them to know that no matter what they may have gone through, they are no different than anyone else. I also want them to know they are capable of anything and they have control about how they feel that day. I probably would 9 times of out ten know how they are feeling and be able to relate to them in several ways or aspects. For people with addiction, their self love isn’t really there. I want to show them that there is ways to feel good and confident without using drugs. In the long run, i feel like making others feel good will make me feel 10 times better.
I would like to open up my own salon one day. And in my opinion, your salon should feel like a home away from home, if that makes sense. It is the place where you can vent to your stylist while being made to look and feel like a million bucks. Good signs of a good stylist would be good eye contact, social (not shy), and to ask questions to your clients to show them that you are interested. Some bad signs would them saying ‘’okay i’ll squeeze you in’’.. A true professional would never ‘’squeeze you in’’, they will take there time and back an appointment a week or two in advance. Another red flag would be SILENCE. I mean who wants a non-social cosmetologist? I sure don’t! It is also important to be a good listener.
Well, i think it’s time for me to tell you a little bit about how a makeover would play out/look like. Usually, when starting a makeover you want to put your clients hair back into a ponytail, a bun with a headband. This prevents getting any makeup in their hair. You would typically start off with primer for you face. (Foundation primer). You would apply this to your nose, chin, cheeks, forehead etc. then you would apply some foundation and concealer to the same places you put your primer. You can use a foundation sponge blender or just a plain foundation brush. You can add highlighter, bronzer or blush if you would like to. Then you should apply some powder. This will ensure that everything you have put on before that, doesn’t smudge and it will last way longer throughout the day. Then i personally would move onto the eyebrows. You would want to brush them out first, color them in and shape them however you like and then put some ‘’clear brow’’ on it. After that is done, i would go and focus on the eyes. Eyeshadow primer, Eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. if the client requests any lip gloss or lip stick then do as asked. After you have completed, you can use something called setting spray that will help the makeup stay on your face and last the whole day with less smudges. After this you can start on the hair.
In my opinion, cosmetology and becoming one is such an amazing thing. I think that you can learn new things everyday in class. You can meet people with similar interests as yourself. You get to talk to your clients about anything you want to (Your life, their life, school etc.). I feel that if you have a job, then it should be something that you absolutely with a doubt no questions asked love doing. If not, you’ll be miserable and most likely dread work everyday. For me, it’s not about how much money i make it’s about if it makes me happy when i am doing it.
