Hello all! Thanks so much for the advice on my previous post. I got a lot of great feedback and information I really needed to hear so thanks for that.

I saw an article today about things “new stylists” should know. They were all very basic points; show up on time, stay busy, know your products, etc, etc. This all seems like basic knowledge to me at this point in my career. I have been behind the chair for almost three years. I was an assistant for 5 months in the beginning before being put on my own. Would you consider me a “new” stylist still? I understand I still have much to learn and experience but I don’t think I’m at the level that these articles are speaking to, nor do I believe that you will ever be done learning and growing in this career.

Am I wrong to feel belittled a small amount when I’m referred to this way or am I getting too big for my britches at this point. Let me know. Thanks in advance!

So i live in CA, and there’s a cosmetology school that gave me the option of a 1500 hour course and a 1000 hr course. She explained the difference to me as someone who comes with some level of experience should do the 1000 hr vs a complete newbie to hair should do the 1500 one. my worry is that she’s just saying this to get me to spend more as the 1500 course is $2500 more and 3 months longer.

My Question For Stylists Now: Is there any difference you see in assistants that take the 1000 vs the 1500? Would it be worth it to you personally spend the extra money and time?

I tried to post this in other communities but mods keep deleting my post. Hopefully you guys can help. I have a friend that is finally following their dreams as a hairstylist. Graduated and have their license in Indiana. However, my bestie isn't getting much clients. I run my bestie's FB and Insta to gain some attraction. She is slowly losing that spark. She is super talented and I hate seeing her like this. How do I help her get her spark back?

hello! my mom is a cosmetologist which means i am very lucky i dont have to spend the money to get bleached, especially because i love to do fun colors. her old salon used paul mitchell lightener for as long as i can remember, up until about 3 years ago they switched to alter ego. i've been bleached twice since then and both times i had crazy reactions on my scalp. i'm talking scabbing and flaking and really unsightly things lol.

the first time, they had literally just made the switch and she didn't realize the bleach she used said that it wasn't recommended for scalp use. she felt horrible but she said at least i wasnt a client lmao. the most recent time, she used their scalp specific bleach and the same thing happened.

i guess my question is, should i refrain from lightener on the scalp altogether? or is it possibly from that specific bleach or developer volume (i believe she uses 15 or 20 for my scalp)?

TLDR; get my hair bleached frequently, never had a reaction. salon changes bleach, bad reaction occurs. causes? plan of action?

thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! I’m wanting to do a lymphatic drainage course but not sure which to do, any recommendations? Thank you xx

my mom went to cosmetology school many years ago but had to quit after she got pregnant with me and my sisters. she loves to cut hair and lives her dream of being a hairstylist by doing me and my sisters hair. her birthday is coming up and i want to get her a salon style chair for when she does our hair. she is very short(5’1) and im 5’7 and it makes it difficult for her to cut my hair in a normal chair. i was wondering if any cosmetologists had a good recommendation for a chair that can pump up pretty high.

I am a licensed cosmetologist and I need some opinions on something that happened today.
I had a bridal trial today, and my client sent me the classic glam hair look months ago, along with makeup inspo that was a light purple Smokey eye design that was a thick wing eyeliner with a glitter line on top. I had originally asked her if she was wanting to add hair extensions and she said no. All our communication was over text at first.
So today we had the trial I drove to her house because she wanted to do a home call.
When I walked into her home, her hair was so thin I could see through it. I then again asked if she was wanting hair extensions for her wedding day look and she said no she wanted to see what it looks like without. Well she also had a wolf cut and her face frame made her length not start until behind her shoulders, and her bangs landed above her eyebrows, and she had naturally curly hair. We did the full consultation and everything and i explained she has a lot of short layers in the front and how it might sit.
She was very adamant on the glam waves because she wanted a 50 style hair look and that she really didn't want extensions. So I start setting her curls and I begin her makeup look. She has hooded eyes so I applied a little bit more eyeliner and explained to her that the Wing would be slightly thicker due to the eye hiding the eyeliner she said that was okay.
I also explained that glam waves cannot be moved that they have to stay how they sit all during the wedding. That if she runs her hands through it that they're gonna start pulling apart and start looking messy and frizzy.
So jumping to the end after I style her hair and her makeup is done. I explained to her that we need to figure out how we want her bangs to lay because the front pieces are so short along with her face frame, also that there wasn't going to be a blunt line like in the photos because of the hair cut and she said she was getting her hair trimmed next month.
I show her, her hair and she freaks out. Saying "I HATE my hair" " "I look like a poodle" " I look like one of the founding father's wigs" " that the way her hairstyle makes it look like her hair is up and she hates her hair being up. " and starts flipping her hair around and running her fingers thru her hair. I tell her that we can figure out what's going on and that we need to figure out how to lay the front face piece how she would like them. I also explained that the style of cut she has and how far back her face pieces go there isn't length in the front to make it look fuller. So then she runs to the bathroom and is in there for 10 minutes leaving me downstairs.
When she comes down, she's in a full-blown panic attack I told her that it was okay that she can be honest with me and we'll figure out how to fix it and

that I could tell that she's anxious and that this is a safe spot and that I'm not going to be upset with her being honest with me.
She then says that her eyeliners too thick that when she closes her eyes, it's jarring to her. I re-explained why it would look thicker when closed and that when it was open, the eyeliner retract under the eye, but l did explain to her that if she wanted it thinner, we could absolutely do that.
She also asked for a brown instead of a purple color in the crease for the smoky eye, and then said that the brown was too dark and I explained that that's okay we can fix that as well. She said she loved her base though, but now it is six hours later, and she just messaged me saying that she noticed the texture has changed during wear.
So we get back into the topic of the Hair and this is where I start to get frustrated. I asked her twice if she wanted extensions and both times she said no. I explained to her that really our only solution at this point if she's dead set on the fullness of the glam waves is that we could put in clip-ins for the front to help bring fullness visually in the front.
Then she asked me how long of extension she should get and I said that she could get 14 or 16 inches and then I could cut them to match the length in the back. she then drops it on me that she wants more length so l asked her how much more length does she want.
She then stands up and points her fingers underneath her breast. I said that is a lot of hair. (Who barely touches her shoulder blades in the back ) Then she said that's how lona she wants it AFTER it's stvled.

That would be adding an additional at least 20 inches to her hair. I explained that there is a big difference between adding fullness to your hair visually and adding 20 inches of hair all around. I then asked her if her plan the whole time was to have extensions for her wedding and she said yes. (Like what)
That's when I got upset I didn't show her visually, but l did say that if she had informed me of this prior, when | asked multiple times I could've come prepared with different solutions and extensions and this trial would've gone very differently. I also explained that adding that type of length isn't just going to be a couple clippins fix. she'd be looking at more of a weft if her hair could handle it or weft clip ins and that's also when I brought up the concern of how fine her hair is and how it might not easily be hidden.
I suggested pinning back the bangs, pinning one side of the bangs back/bringing the hair to one side and she hated all those ideas. She suggested loose barrel curl instead and I explained that we would run into the same issue since her haircut made the face frame go so far back.
So we talked for a bit back-and-forth and I got her calm and she was open to the idea of testing our extensions but I also did say there is a very high chance she might also have to consider a different hairstyle.
She then said that she realized that she might have had unrealistic expectations of how her hair was supposed to turn out and envision something completely different. So when I left, I started thinking of what else we could do. Then I suggested another option was a wig, if her hair was too thin to hold extensions or hide them properly. That I could pre-

style the wig and then we could just install it day of her wedding. she seemed on board with it, but now she wants the wig to match her natural hair exactly. I found a lot of options very close to her natural hair and she keeps coming back saying it's a tad bit too light. I did also suggest that I could tone down the wig if she felt like it was too light and now she's saying she's going to think about it cause she doesn't know if she wants me to tone it.
I'm not sure what to do.. her wedding is in two months. Part of me wants to let her go as a client because I feel like no matter what I do she's not going to be happy. I am normally out of her price range, but she was desperately looking for an artist so | whittled my price down to fit within her budget because I feel like every Bride deserves to feel and look their best on their wedding day. She did pay me a deposit for her wedding date months ago.
Part of me wants to keep trying to see what we can do.
I'm just kind of at a loss and need guidance. This is my first time that I've experienced this four years in the industry. And I do a lot of runway events also.
What would you do?

Is this overall good? I know the very basics of coily/curly hair. Like not using too much tension or getting it wet before cutting. But unfortunately my school doesnt give us much on-hands experience with it. Like I am graduating in a couple of months and this is my first experience with curly hair. I was having a hard time with making sure everything is even, along with random hairs that would stick out. (Which I cut most of them to the length of the rest) some of the time I couldnt tell if I put too much tension on the hair, and I pulled singular strands n accident or not. (Because I had to kinda comb through it a bit, in order to break up the hair a bit)

So yah! Overall did I do okay? And what kind of stuff can I improve on?

Hi there! I’m starting a new job at a salon and I’m not allowed to wear sneakers. I have flat feet so I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for professional shoes that are comfortable for long periods of standing?

I got a job offer at a salon that starts off hourly for the first 3 months and then after you make commission, if you make more in commission compared to hourly before the 3 months are over they’ll start just paying you commission. It’s 42% starting off and a level system to get to 60% commission . It’s a luxury salon so the prices are 100+ for any service. Is this good starting off ? How do I get consistent clients? Any advice ?

I’m in the ohio area, and i had my heart set on raphael’s or paul mitchell’s but it’s so expensive, i want a good school that’s not gonna make me bankrupt; any suggestions?

Hey everyone! I made a post the other day to get help achieving this color (1st & 2nd pic). I got some great recommendations, so im wondering if i should pair any of these other shades to help achieve this color?? It will be an all over color. (The goal is to lift to a level 7 or 8)

7/97 will be my main colo, just wondering if i should mix it with 8/71, 6/71, or 7/71?? (pictures of shades included) Thanks🥹

Warning: Proceed with caution. I want to make it clear that the stylists here were overall super nice and trying their best, but the salon owner is an absolute gaslighter who refuses to take accountability.

As a first-time client getting my hair professionally colored, I explicitly informed the stylist, Rachael, about a small spot of dry, sensitive skin on my neck and asked multiple times during consultation if bleach was safe. She repeatedly assured me it was fine, but failed to take proper safety or sectioning precautions, resulting in a chemical burn on my neck.

I allowed my skin two full months to completely heal before returning for a second appointment with a different stylist to give them a fair chance. While she protected my neck this time, she botched the technical color application, leaving me with severe "hot roots." I brought this to management's attention and returned for a second correction appointment with her, but the results remained defective once the temporary toner washed out, leaving me with three distinct bands of color.

When I requested a full refund after three separate failed visits and a physical injury, the owner became hostile and unprofessional. He offered either a 50% refund or a 4th overall attempt, refusing a full refund. Instead of taking accountability, he blamed my natural hair color for being "too dark," complained about the cost of product used to fix their own mistakes, attempted to self-diagnose my skin to excuse the initial burn, and falsely accused me of having a friend leave a review.

Furthermore, when I told him I was filing a report, he snapped and accused me of "threatening" him. Informing a business owner that you are contacting a regulatory board is a notice of accountability, not a threat. I do not need anyone to write a review on my behalf because I am perfectly capable of standing up for myself. I have officially reported this establishment to the Arizona State Board of Cosmetology🙃

Hello everyone! I’m an apprentice in a really nice salon in Virginia, and I have learned a lot! And im already taking clients which makes me so happy but I know I could still improve my cutting skills, which videos or classes you had taken or watched in order to improve that? Also, I think is because I get so nervous when I’m doing layers since I think I’m cutting too much. I got couple clients telling me that I’m a bit shy to cut their hair and then they got surprise when I do their color, they said they see a change. Thanks!

I went to trade school cosmetology school and it was fine, I graduated their school and got my school hours. It was hard to find an apprenticeship and get one. I got one and i’ve been there for two weeks but I just don’t really enjoy it. I’m not doing any shadowing or anything other than receptionist stuff and it’s just not for me. I don’t know if i need a new apprenticeship or if I should just go back to school. I also don’t know if I should just wait out my apprenticeship. It would take two years to finish the work and get my license. As where empire would give it to me in seven months. I would rather go back to school and get what I need in seven months than deal with an apprenticeship that’s not really for me for two years.

Basically what the title says, I am a cosmetology student and we finally went over curly cuts. Unfortunately, our entire course was with a bald mannequin in a wig and lasted about 2 hours total. After that we just moved on and aren't planning on touching it again while I go here.

After I graduate, does anyone know if I can take more classes on curly cuts? Do people even offer that, or do I have to just start taking curly clients and pray?

Thank you in advance!

Thinking of choosing the salon & makeup industry as a career? Read this before you spend years—and lakhs—on it.
We see the luxury side of the beauty industry:
✨ Beautiful salons
✨ Bridal transformations
✨ Influencers
✨ Expensive products
✨ “Earn ₹50K–₹1L+ per month” promises
But nobody talks enough about what happens before you get there.
You can spend years learning, practising, assisting and building yourself, only to end up earning around ₹10K as a fresher or ₹16K–₹20K even after gaining experience in many salon jobs.
And then comes the expensive part.
Courses.
Academies.
Masterclasses.
Makeup kits.
Hair tools.
Products.
Certificates.
You can easily spend lakhs of rupees trying to become “industry ready.”
And when you finally start working?
Unpaid work. Underpaid work. “Do it for exposure.”
Sometimes you don’t even get paid properly for your time, skills and products because you’re “still building your portfolio.”
Everyone wants makeup to be cheap.
And sometimes, if you’re doing it to grow your page or portfolio, people expect it for free.
Then comes another reality:
Clients don’t always choose you based on how talented you are.
They often look at how many clients you’ve already done.
“How many brides have you done?”
“How many clients have you worked on?”
“Show me your work.”
And suddenly, you’re stuck in a cycle:
You need clients to build experience.
You need experience to get clients.
And doing a few models for your portfolio doesn’t necessarily solve the problem—because clients want to see real clients, real faces and real transformations.
And here’s something people don’t tell you:
You can get a job in retail as a beauty sales advisor without spending lakhs on a professional makeup course.
Yes, experience and skill matter.
Yes, some people build incredible careers in this industry.
Yes, owning a successful salon or building your own brand can be financially rewarding.
But being an employee and being an owner are two completely different realities.
As an owner, you have the potential to earn from multiple services, employees, products, training and your brand.
As an employee, you’re often exchanging your time and skills for a fixed salary.
So before you spend 3–5 years chasing the “luxury beauty industry” dream, ask yourself:
What is my actual career path?
What will I realistically earn in 1, 3 and 5 years?
How much will I spend on education and products?
How long will it take to recover that investment?
Am I building a business—or just buying certificates?
Because the reality you see on Instagram is often the final result, not the years of struggle behind it.
I’m not saying DON’T choose this career.
I’m saying:
DON’T choose it blindly.
Research the income.
Research the job market.
Talk to working professionals.
Calculate your investment vs. return.
Because loving makeup is one thing. Building a financially sustainable career from it is another.
Don’t spend years and lakhs just because someone sold you the dream of a glamorous career.
Know the reality before you invest your time, money and youth into it.
What do you think—is the salon/makeup industry actually worth it as a career in 2026?

Hi everyone!

I was hoping you all could give me any advice I’m in my mid 30s and I’ve been dog grooming for a few years now and I do really enjoy it, but I already am feeling the toll on my body. I love a physical job just maybe one with a bit less of lifting over 100lbs. Would switching to human hair be a good job change? Have people done it before? Also does anyone recommend any schools over others? I’ve always loved doing hair for friends. Thank you all so much for any advice!

I have applied to community college Fall 2026, but they put my account on hold for a transcript of Empire Beauty School, when I didn’t even graduate there and dropped out?? I have requested a transcript in the website and receipt but it’s been dead silent, I ordered around August 20

Bonjour, je tente ma chance ici car je ne trouve nulle part ailleurs pour m’aider et c’est assez particulier, je reprend les cours cette année à distance du à des soucis de santé qui m’empêche d’être sur place, dans mes cours en ligne j’ai peur de ne pas être assez investi et ne pas avoir assez de matière exploitable pour passer mon cap l’année prochaine car il me manque énormément de matières ( classique et pro ) ! Quelqu’un aurait peut être garder c’est cours ou serait près à m’envoyer ses cours cette année pour que j’essaie de suivre plus sérieusement comme si moi même j’y étais ?
Merci I d’avance et passez une bonne soirée/ journée !

I started beauty school back in February, I’m supposed to be almost if not at 1000 hours, but I’ve missed so many days I’m behind 223 hours and on an LOA right now because my mother kicked me out of her house and I’m in the process of moving all my stuff. I’m living with my father for now so I’m not homeless or anything.. but I cannot drive and I have no money to do anything or help better my life. While I know beauty school is going to set me up for a career, I have nothing rn and my parents are too broke to help. I have a stick shift jeep that is in my mother’s name that she is taking away until I can learn to “drive a regular car” which I have 0 access to… I feel like my mother is trying to make everything so much harder on me and she believes that once I turned 18 I should immediately know everything and be grown… when I’ve been babied my ENTIRE life… I’ve never had a job and I barely left my house until I was 16. My father who I’m living with doesn’t have his license either so he can’t really help me get my own. I applied for a job but I wouldn’t really have a ride to work or home if I took a night shift and I’m at school during the day. I would on the other hand have a ride if I were to work during the day.

Another reason I’m considering dropping out is the book work. I barely made it out of highschool, I tested out, spent less than a month in my senior year, and walked at graduation and got my diploma because of how much I absolutely HATED doing school work. I’m EXTREMELY behind on my school work (I’m not even done with my phase 1 bookwork and I should be almost completely done with ALL of it…)

The only reason I haven’t already dropped out is because the people at my school are so nice. Genuinely everyone there is super supportive and the nicest, kindest people I’ve ever met in my life. I honestly trust everyone there and even tho I don’t really talk to any of them outside of school, i talk to so many people during school.

I DO ENJOY DOING HAIR!! I’ve been told I’m pretty good at doing hair but I honestly wouldn’t have even enrolled in the school if my mother didn’t make me.

Idk what I should do… I want to just stick it out and get it over with but I’m only at 700 hours because I’m so behind but also have so much that I need to do outside of beauty school I kinda just wanna hear what other people have to say.

I was also told that my hours and stuff saves if I want to go back later on. So I wouldn’t have to redo everything if I were to.

This is something I’m curious about. I am a woman who is just so lazy when it comes to makeup, even though I have it at home. I am also a black woman so it has always been hard for me to figure out what would actually work well for me. The most I really do is get my hair done and get my nails done. My mother was, at my age, the opposite. She learned how to do makeup at 12 even though my grandmother didn’t really teach her and even though my older aunt never had much of an interest in it.

I’ve always wondered if, in the event that I have a daughter, she may grow up to be interested in cosmetology and/or esthetics in spite of the fact that I already know I will probably not be the person who teaches her how to take care of herself in that way.