THE SKILLS NEEDED TO

BE A COSMETOLOGIST
Brooke Hunley

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Brooke Hunley
Senior Project
Mr. Copeland
Spring 2015

Many societies have a certain image of beauty. In many of these

societies there are people that are dedicated to help others look their best,
this has given rise to the field of cosmetology. The history of cosmetology is
very interesting and goes way back to 1500 BC. An aspiring cosmetologist
has to devote lots of time to this career, including going to school and at
learning the proper skills to be successful. Being a cosmetologist is a
rewarding and important career to have. To best appreciate cosmetology,
one must know its history.
Since the first time a human being was able to see his or her
reflection in a body of water revealing that it was yet another bad hair day,
there have been cosmetologists. The history of cosmetology is a long one,
dating back in ancient times (historyoffall.com). Even early humans had a
form of useful makeup. Ancient hunters would smear mud over their faces
for camouflage, protection from the elements, and to reduce sun glare. They
would also cover themselves in animal urine to mask their human scent from
prey. The tribe members who were best at finding and mixing these

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materials were the first cosmetologists (mccann.edu). Later, when cultures

were more sophisticated, more methods emerged.
One such culture that had their own methods were the ancient Egyptians.
Ancient Egyptians began to incorporate cosmetics with their religion, this
made cosmetic industry for Egyptians rise. This included oils and eyeliners,
(historyofcosmetics.net). In ancient Egypt, the beauty regime was very
complicated. It began with a walk and applying incense pellets to their
underarms as a form of deodorant. Then, while sitting at a mirror, servants
brought grinders and applets used for daily make-up. The servants mixed
malachite with oil derived from animal fat to create eye shadow. The
servant applied the eye shadow with a small ivory stick carved on one end,
and then lined the eyes with black kohl. Red ochre was used as lipstick
(holleewoodhair.com). By this point in history, cosmetology was very
important for Egyptians.
Another culture where cosmetology was heavily relied on was in
ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks came up with an early version hair dye,
using plant extracts and toxic arsenic (www.mccann.edu/). The first hair dye
came from very basic and simple mixtures sometimes being made at home
or from easy access ingredients.
Ancient Rome began with female servants called cosmetaes who applied
make up and bathed in perfume (holleewoodhair.com). Ancient Roman
cosmetologists made black hair dye by feeding leeches, putting them in

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vinegar, letting it ferment for months, and then applying it as a paste.

Women had to let the leech mixture sit in their hair for a full day to achieve
the right effect ( www.mccann.edu/). Hair dye and cosmetology was very
important to the ancient Greeks because they saw it as making their society
full of beautiful people. In more recent history there has so much new
information to learn about cosmetology, one must earn an education to
become a better cosmetologist.
Cosmetology training and certification does cost money, the tuition can
range anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 depending on where a student
decides to attend school and training. Some schools charge tuition by a flat
rate fee while some charge by the hour (ehow.com). Cosmetology training
takes lots of time and effort. Each state requires one to complete the basic
training program and pass the state licensing exam. On average, it takes
between 1,400 and 1,600 hours to complete a basic cosmetology program
and qualify to take the state licensing exam (work.chron.com). Some
states require one to take their licensing exam, while others allow state
licenses to be transferable form state to state. There
are approximately 200,000 salons in the U.S. a licensed cosmetologist can
seek employment (Salon essentials). Cosmetologists have lots of options to
be able to join the work force. Many salons are always wanting new people!
Cosmetology salary range has dramatically increased in recent years. The
median salary for cosmetologists is $30,000 to $50,000 per year coming

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with tips that often go unreported (hapiland.net). According to Kim Jackson,

a local cosmetologist at Vanity Flair Salon in Arden, North Carolina, said you
make most of your money in tips! Cosmetologists wear a lot of different
hats on the job. Some examples include doing nails, styling/coloring hair,
waxing and some even do massage therapy, and this is why some
cosmetologists are referred to as beauticians. A cosmetologist will
typically put in a 40 hour workweek. For those who are self-employed and
can determine their own schedules, the hours may be longer. The workweek
can also include evenings and weekends, a time when salons are at their
busiest. Twenty nine percent of hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists
work part time while 14 percent have flexible schedules (hapiland.net). A
flexible schedule is a desired work schedule for most people. Some careers
don't offer flexible work schedules, but cosmetology is one that does. The
need for barbers, hairdressers, manicurists, pedicurists and skin care
specialists are expected to increase by more than 15 percent between 2010
and 2020 (work.chron.com) Good career outlooks are crucial because one
knows they will always have a job. Job security is a good thing one should
look at before choosing a life time career. Even though its important to earn
a cosmetology degree, there are some hands on skills that can only be
learned through experience. Many old techniques have evolved and still
used today, studying the origin of these techniques can be useful in fully
understanding how to use them today (Milady Standard). Techniques for

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cosmetology haven't changed too much, but the ways that they have, they
simply just build on the old techniques. In modern times, hair stylists use a
no-fade hair color (www.beautyschoolsdirectory.com). No-fade hair color is
used so when clients come in to get their hair colored the color will not fade
away after one hair washing. Cosmetologists need to have the technical
skills to perform a wide range of beauty treatments, the creative skills and
vision to identify what each individual client needs and the people skills to
effectively communicate with customers. Many cosmetologists are also selfemployed or own their own businesses, so managerial and marketing skills
are also important (ehow.com). Creative skills are one of the most
important skills one can have being a cosmetologist. Basically, the whole
cosmetology career is revolved around creative skills. Creative skills are
used on a daily basis for a cosmetologist. Some clients might come into the
salon and have a picture they will show the hair stylist and want their hair to
be an exact replica of the picture. So for the hair stylist they have to be able
to see how one would color/style the clients hair. Also, one will have clients
who will come in and tell one that they want the hair stylist to do something
that will look good on them, at that point the cosmetologist has to become
creative and do something they know the client will love, but that is also in
style at that time. Another important skill one should acquire for this career
is technical skills. Technical Skills: Most cosmetologists enroll in training
programs where they learn the basics of hair cutting and styling, makeup

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application, manicuring and skin care (ehow.com). Technical skills are

usually acquired in the training process. During this training process, one is
involved in the real world salon. Cosmetologist use shears, clippers, and
razors to remove length and shape hair to the client's specifications, using
their skills, knowledge and experience to create a hairstyle that is not only
pleasing to the eye, but also something that the client will be able to easily
maintain. After all, the client is a walking advertisement of the
cosmetologist's work; if they are unable to care for the style because it is
not cut properly or does not fit their hair type and lifestyle, it will not be as
attractive as it could be, and this will reflect directly upon the cosmetologist
(jobmonkey.com). Clippers are used for trimming hair, when one wants a lot
of length off of their hair, cosmetologists would use shears. Razors come into
play mostly for a male haircut, or for women with really short haircuts. All
jobs for cosmetologists are important to do a good job on because clients
are walking advertisement for that cosmetologist. Hair cutting and styling
has certain techniques one has to learn. For hair cutting, Theres a standard
technique for sectioning the hair in preparation for hair cutting taught by
cosmetology courses as part of the state licensing boards requirements for
cosmetologists. This is referred to as a 7-Section parting. The scalp is
divided into seven sections: top, right side, left side, right crown, left crown,
right nape and left nape. In addition a one-half inch band of hair is left to
hang loose around the perimeter of the hair line (hairfinder.com). The 7-

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section technique is one of the most popular used by most hair stylists. This
technique is the only one stylists learn in training programs, simply because
it is the most effective. You typically work from back to front and from the
bottom up in most cases (specifically when you are creating shorter, layered
hairstyles). When creating truly long hairstyles, you may re-confine the
sections of the hair after cutting them in order to prevent the hair already
cut from interfering with the uncut hair. This is especially useful with clients
who have very curly hair. You start by making a clean parting line from the
point just behind the ears on one side to the matching point on the opposing
side. Next, make parting lines on each side of the head just along the
parietal ridge to isolate the hair at the top of the head. Comb the hair
smooth toward the center of the section at the top of the head and twist it
up into a knot and clip with a butterfly clip to secure it. Do the same on the
right and left sides of the head (hairfinder.com). When hair stylists use this
method, they see the best results. When clients come into get hair color,
there are many ways one can perform the task. Some clients want
temporary color, which can include rinses, color mousses, hair color crayons
and spray. This hair color is most effective on relaxed straightened hair, and
mostly used by the younger generation (sallybeauty.com). Another form of
hair color is semi-permanent color. This hair color lasts on average 4-5 hair
washes. Semi-permanent contains no ammonia or peroxide which is favored
by people who have fragile or sensitive hair (sallybeauty.com). Demi-

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permanent hair color, also known as long lasting semi-permanent color, is

favored by people who enjoy changing their hair color not a lot, but every
once in a while. Demi-permanent cannot lighten hair simply because its a
single process hair color, but gives natural looking results. Permanent
color: Permanent color penetrates the hair shaft, giving hair new permanent
color that gradually grows out. Perfect for 100% gray coverage or for
dramatically changing hair color, permanent hair color may be a single
process, in which new, darker color is applied to the natural color; or double
process, in which the natural color is pre-lightened before new color is
applied (sallybeauty.com). Permanent color is used not very often because
a lot of people prefer to change their hair color up more often than
permanent hair color allows. Lastly, Highlights: Accent hair color with
highlights that can be applied with several techniques. Natural color is prelightened (lifted) from selected strands of hair and permanent color is
applied to those areas. This can be a two-step, or, with some newer
products, a one-step process. Lowlights, or darker shades, are sometimes
applied to give more depth to a lighter hair color (sallybeauty.com).
Highlights are applied when a client just wants a different color on only a
certain strands of their hair. Highlights are usually favored by people who
like their hair to be different shades of one color. Although curling irons and
straighteners make your hair look great, they can be a big risk to use on a
daily basis. Styling your hair with flat irons curling irons can be risky

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though. The risks are burned hair, split ends and breakage or the strand of
hair itself (sites.google.com). Ceramic plates for flat irons are a really
important for one's iron to have because they reduce the damage to hair.
While curling hair, one shouldnt keep their hair against the heat for long
because it breaks the hair (sites.google.com). Naturally curly hair and
naturally straight hair have different ways to care for the hair. For example,
If you have curly hair, you shouldn't use shampoo & conditioners made for
straight hair (sites.google.com). Using products for straight hair if one has
curly hair, can damage the hair simply because that product is not made for
that kind of hair.
Cosmetology has a lot of history believe it or not, it all started in 1500
B.C. It has come a long way from how makeup and hair dye use to be made,
from mud and bugs on the ground to actual chemicals made in factories. To
be a perfect cosmetologist one must have a great personality and creative
skills. The more work done to one's hair the more the job will cost. In
modern times, the most creative and skilled cosmetologists make the most
money, and for those who are skilled it is a career worth pursuing.

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Works Cited
historyoffall.com, 2005-2013
mccann.edu,
historyofcosmetics.net
holleewoodhair.com
ehow.com
work.chron.com
Salon Essentials
hapiland.net
www.beautyschoolsdirectory.com
Milady Standard
jobmonkey.com
hairfinder.com
sallybeauty.com
sites.google.com