I came across this article in Allure Magazine (which is now one of my faves) a few months ago and it got me thinking... I have struggled lately with the idea of being a Hairstylist. Is it what I want to do? What else can I do? It's really the only skills I have. I've been out of the Salon atmosphere for about 5 years now, so you could say I'm a little out of the hair loop.
This article is about Beauty School. About some of the top celebrity hairstylists when they went to beauty school. Being a hairstylist has this stigma, especially beauty school. You know, high school drop-outs, ditzy people. I have to admit, I might have found myself a little embarrassed at times. But, I am starting to realize I'm proud of my "hair abilities". I have a license in two states, I've been on tv, and was once a successful stylist and can be that way once again.
Here are some examples of this great article:
Serge Normant who owns a Salon in NYC and styles Julia Roberts's hair, recalls some of his beauty school adventures. He says he had to learn how to use a straight razor on a balloon covered in shaving cream. If they popped the balloon they would be in big trouble. Ken Paves, who is now a super famous stylist (Jessica Simpson), loved Beauty school. He loved hair so much, he even did his teachers hair. Chris McMillan who does Jennifer Aniston's frocks went to Beauty school during high school. Which is something I wished I had done. It would have saved me a few years wandering around college. One of the coolest bit of info I found in the article is about Joel Warren from the Warren-Tricomi Salons in NYC. He was in NY dating a girl, and she suggested he try Beauty school. He went to the Rockland School of Beauty Culture in Rockland County, NY. Which is where I grew up as a kid! I instantly felt connected to this Guy and thought I could be a famous stylist too, because we're from the same place... right? My Beauty school adventures are nothing to brag about, or ever want to admit to people, but it was still fun. It was a run down school in not the nicest of places, but I'm still glad I went.
So basically the article goes on about other stylists and their Beauty school experiences. Here's the part that sticks with me... There was a little red box with info at the end of the article. They say that girls, glamour, getting out of a small town, the top pros had their reasons for choosing beauty school. It's a steady gig! Beauty-industry jobs will grow grow by 20% from 2008 to 2018. It's faster than than the average occupation. This has a lot to do with today's economy. People are going to beauty school to change careers because they're looking for job stability with a flexible schedule. These careers are not being outsourced to other countries. This is a hands-on field. Hair is always in demand!
