In Schooling

> I am in school for cosmotoloy right now. I would for> anyone who does hair for their living to tell me some> tips that helped them through school.> I would like this very very much.> JanelleHi Janelle, I'm William and I have been doing hair for 13 years, specializing in long hair perms/cuts etc. The reply that def gave you is right on target and I would like to add a couple of things. I don't know how far you are in school or what your favorite part of hairstyling is, but try very hard to master all chemical services very well. Perming and coloring are a very big part of your future. You will find that they will run in cycles with their ups and downs in trends but, when one is up usually the other is down somewhat. The future is very bright for stylists who are very good at coloring and color corrections. KNOWING not guessing what to do when you see a bad color mistake is "one persons mistake and your opportunity". The same holds true for perming and cutting corrections. Always be truthful to your clients! Never Never do a chemical service for them without their hair being in good enough shape to accept it. With the variety of products available to the professional, many times a compromise can be reached that the client can live with until their hair gets in better shape. This is especially true of using colors such as Redken Shades vs a permanent color. The use of shades any time you can will promote better hair health for your client and leave you with more options in your chemical svcs business vs using permanent colors. Lastly if you can work it into your schedule find a good salon and inquire if you can get a part time job as an assistant to gain more experience. This must be approached with an open mind, a lot of stylists are very vocal about what is the right way to do things and the wrong way is 'anyway different than theirs'. AS an assistant the best policy is to learn with a closed mouth and open ears!, most of the time. "that's not the way we do it at school" can cause many problems for a budding stylist. Don't be afraid to ask questions of a mentor, but "do have respect for them" and ask at an appropiate time, like between clients for a detailed technical explanation and usually they will expound upon the subject(feeding their egos!) at the same time sharing a wealth of knowledge with you. If you see that your "mentor" is not what you would like to be like then, give notice and search out a new one, but do give them a fair chance. Many new stylists are given the 'dirty jobs' at first to see if they have PATIENCE and the self control to handle different situations and not panic. Just treat the person in the chair as if it were YOU in the chair and do what is RIGHT for them and you will have the start of what can be a wonderful carreer. Think of that persons hair as a canvas and you as the artist, but,"remember the picture they want painted." email me if you want to talk more. william

Hey Janelle,I'm in school right now as well. i'll be graduating in Dec. So i've been through most of the process. The best advice i can give you is the same advice i've given a friend who just started. Hairschool is basically a crash course in cosmetology. You learn alot in a small amount of time, so do as much as you can to learn the information given. Read and reread chapters until you understand them and ask questions, no question is a stupid question. In your spare time research hair topics. Playing around on hair boutique's page is great cause you'll learn alot of stuff that will reinforce your basic knowledge of hair and you'll learn stuff you wont in shcool. There are alot of great hair sites on the www, visit them. By doing this you'll put yourself ahead of the game. Also make a friend who is a higher level student. She/he can show you the ropes and will be someone you can turn to when you need help on the floor or just need someone to talk to. I KNOW hairschool is rough, there's alot to learn in 10-12 months, but dont get discouraged when the goin gets tough. Just know that it gets better. Also look for hairshows in your area. Hairshows are a great place to be encouraged and inspired by people who are in the work force. they're also a good place to meet people and make connections. Basically live, eat, and breathe hair for the rest of your life and you'll be on top. Again dont get discouraged, hairschool is not an easy road, but if you keep a positive atittude you'll make it bigger then you ever thought. I want you to know that i'm more excited about doing hair now then i was when i started, so keep your head up and best of luck!let me know if this advice helps....def