A cosmetologist, or someone who has trained to work in a salon, is referred to as a beautician, hairdresser, or hairstylist. Technical training and licensing are required to work as a beautician. A beautician can work in a salon after obtaining licensure, cutting, styling, and chemically altering hair, as well as performing manicures and facials.
Cosmetology training takes place in either a vocational school during the last two years of high school or a beauty school or college after high school. Cosmetology is typically not a course offered at technical colleges or other universities, but rather at private schools. Training can take as little as one year or as much as two years, depending on course enrollment. Anatomy of the head, face, and neck, as well as the hands, as well as the study of certain types of skin and nail diseases and conditions, as well as the practical aspects of various salon services and infection prevention through sanitation methods, are all areas of study.
To become a beautician, you must pass state board licensing testing after completing the required number of education hours. The applicant is then put through a written and practical exam that assesses their knowledge of the field. After passing the exam, the applicant is issued a license, which must be renewed at predetermined intervals through proof of continuing education credits.
A licensed beautician can put some or all of what they learned in school into practice. Many only offer hair services like cutting, coloring, and perming, but others may offer additional services. The type of work a beautician does is largely determined by the salon where they work. In addition to hair, some salons provide a full range of services, including facials, waxing, manicures, and pedicures. Hair cutting and styling are the only services provided by other salons.
To work as a beautician, you must be willing to commit to a physically demanding job that requires you to stand for long periods of time, if not the entire day. A beautician can expect to work hard to woo new clients in order to build a following when they first start out. It is critical to develop a clientele that will follow their hairstylist from salon to salon over time. A beautician may change salons several times during her career in order to expand their services, earn more money, or do both. Depending on the salon, pay structures can range from a percentage of total sales to an hourly rate plus tips, or total sales minus rent for booth space.
When a person decides to pursue a career as a beautician, she should look into local cosmetology schools and compare the cost and reputation of the programs for preparing for state board licensing. Because licensing requirements differ by state, get a working cosmetologist’s opinion on local schools before enrolling.