Due to the hair and beauty industry becoming an increasingly popular career choice for many, it’s never been more important to do what you can to stand out from the crowd. Competition for jobs in hairdressing can be fierce due to the outstanding level of hairdressing talent found throughout the world. Whether you’re looking to open your own salon or find a hairdressing job aboard a luxury cruise liner, there are many things every hairdresser can do and services that are available to help you find and secure that dream job.
1. Keep learning.

It’s crucial that you continue to learn new skills not only in preparation of future opportunities but to continue doing your current job to the best of your ability. Styles and the industry change often and its important that you remain up to speed with the latest looks and techniques. Asking colleagues can provide experience based knowledge on everything from effective techniques to customer service.

2. Invest in yourself.

Many stylists choose to attend privately run courses. Courses on a range of hairdressing topics take place at locations across the country held by some of the countries finest hairdressing bodies including L’Oreal, Schwarzkopf and many more. These offer an excellent opportunity to stay in tune with latest trends. (more…)

How many clients do you have? Tens? Hundreds? Thousands? We get wrapped up in measuring our business this way.

I would challenge you that whatever number you offer up is likely wrong, unless you offered up the number one. If you are reading this blog I hope you are not in the middle of a haircut. The only client we really have is the one in our chair right now.

I am sure we all agree that we do not own the clients. We are given the honor and privilege of serving them. That is customer service basics. They also do not belong to the salon. They are free to come and go and spend and choose as they wish.

Frequently we are lucky. They choose to come back. Yes, our efforts add up to more than luck. When you consider all the marketing messages, friendly referrals and impulse opportunities, it is a bit of a miracle any clients ever come back.

We work through an unwritten contract. When a client sits in our chair we have agreed to provide a service and they have agreed to pay for it when it is done. How many of us take the money up front? Have you ever asked to see the cash before you pick up a pair of scissors? It sounds silly to even suggest it. Therefore today’s haircut is a foregone conclusion. It is really done and paid for before we begin. So what is really the purpose of today’s haircut?

I will take the position that the purpose of today’s service experience is really an exercise to earn the next visit. That is the one we are working for. Today’s is done. Each visit is linked to the next. Today you might deliver a great haircut, but if the client does not allow you to cut the next one, this hair cut can really be seen as a failure.

I think we understand this concept better when the client is new to us. We work hard to earn that second and third visit. We know how to do it. The bigger challenge is to maintain that perspective beyond the first few visits.

Because, really, every visit is a first visit. If we do not treat it as a first visit, the client will likely treat it as a last one.

My wish for you is that you may have nothing but first-time clients in the coming year.

Link: CurlStylist

For jobs in hairdressing or barbering you will need to have a unique combination of skills and will also require a great deal of training. Rewarding opportunities such as salon management positions and hairdressing jobs overseas are all achievable for ambitious hairdressers. To be a competent hairdresser you will have to possess an almost unrivalled level of ability in a vast array of skills.

Hairdressers use a range of cutting and styling techniques to enhance the personal appearance and confidence of clients. They may work in a salon catering for men, women and children. Some salons specialise in particular styles and clients. For example, African-Caribbean hairdressing techniques include pressing, braiding, plaiting and attaching hair extensions, while traditional male barber services may include trimming beards and moustaches. (more…)

All the best celebrity hairstyles for the changing of the seasons.

Hair Salons, beauty schools, cosmetology schools, hair schools, and even barber schools are joining the environmental move to reduce emissions and lower carbon footprints. Here are ways a beauty school can modify an existing facility or include green construction ideas in a new building.

There are many ways of going green in the beauty industy. Influential businesses like Paul Mitchell are retro-fitting existing beauty schools or constructing new beauty schools, cosmetology schools, and hair schools in a manner to lessen their carbon footprints.

Energy Efficiency in Beauty School

According to Carbon Footprint, “Low energy light bulbs use less than 20% of the energy of a conventional light bulb, and can last up to 15 times longer.” Switching regular light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or LED light bulbs is a smart move for beauty schools. The switch helps conserve energy, and disposing of these types of bulbs is safer. Installing LED light exterior signs to replace older technology neon lights also saves electricity, as do timers and motion sensors.

Laundries

Laundries are a natural area for greening hair schools. This is achieved by replacing aging equipment with high efficiency washers and energy-saving dryers. By combining these low emission appliances with the purchase of all natural cleaning products and soaps, hair schools reduce energy requirements. Replacing synthetic towels and linens with items made from organic or natural fibers is another positive way of going green in beauty school. The finishing touch is using cloth capes instead of vinyl – better for customers and the environment. (more…)