Hey everyone, it is Qcknd
and in today's video I want to talk about my beauty school experience
and I want to share the five things I wish I knew in beauty school.
*ambient music and chatter*
So, if this is your first time to my channel,
and you're about to go into beauty school or you're knee-deep in it already,
I graduated from beauty school almost- I think exactly like one year ago.
And, a little bit more background, I went to night school; I went to an Aveda school.
So, I've been meaning to make this video for a while.
I have a lot of feelings about beauty school.
I'm currently an assistant in a salon downtown.
My job title is "Salon Assistant", and I joke a lot about like being a shampoo girl and things like that, but
that is my like current job title, my current situation. I just take clients for free as models to build my portfolio.
So, I want to jump in and talk about the five things I wish I knew during beauty school
because in beauty school, out of beauty school
I felt really lost.
Um, when I went to beauty school, you know, no one in my family had ever gone;
no one in my, my like little group of friends had gone to, like, a specific beauty school.
And, because I started beauty school when I was 24,
I did feel pretty lost in that aspect.
I had gone to college as a communications major,
and when I dropped out of college, pursued an education in beauty.
The first thing I want to say I wish I knew is when you're in beauty school,
do not hesitate to switch out your tools.
So, you're in beauty school, and they give you this kit, and this kit is big
and expensive and you can't get around it.
I say learn everything about your kit,
you know, if you ever have a specific class about the things in your kit,
definitely learn about them and use them.
but once you've mastered them, do not be afraid to explore other, other mediums and other tools
because, when you become a stylist, you're going to have all your own tools.
And kind of just think of the things in your kit as like your bike with training wheels,
but one day, you're going to outgrow your bike and you're going to have to figure out something new.
I was really quick to switch out my brushes to try new ones,
I was really quick to try different hot tools,
and I think that that worked out best for me.
At my school, the "kit" had not been updated for a really long time,
so there were definitely things in it that i didn't need.
And I knew that my type of clients would lean towards
especially, like, a wand curler, things like that.
I knew, you know, the styles I liked needed those things in order to be performed
so I was pretty quick to switch that out.
Trimmers, you know - I love doing men's cuts,
so there were just different things I wanted to try out
- and definitely combs and scissors.
I think, you know, I didn't want to get any scissors that were out of my experience level,
but the more and more you're in school and you're doing clients,
you're going to want to practice with a pair of scissors that are a little more expert
so you're not completely lost once you're behind the chair.
So the next thing that I think is super important is to get in a salon right away.
Me, I went to night school because I was a barista during the day
and I didn't have a ton of money or flexibility to get a job as an assistant
right away
The salon I originally... The salon I work at now, I had applied to early on.
And because of my beauty school schedule, it was hard for them to fit me in.
But, I regret all the time not...
looking around and finding a salon that would work for me
Because, the moment I started working in the current salon I am in,
everything was different, and I think if I would have had that experience and that perspective
while I was in beauty school, it would have been a lot stronger for me and I would have
understood lessons more
You know, if I did a haircut at school and it was like "I hope this is good"
If I went to one of the classes that my salon offered the next day,
I could talk to an experienced stylist and tell them the things I did wrong or felt...
less confidence in at school,
and then they could help me fix it.
Now I am doing a ton of catch-up as an assistant
and I feel like if I would have done both at the same time
It would have cut back a ton of the time I have experienced as an apprentice
because there are a lot of things I've had to relearn
or unlearn, because they were taught to me
un-affectively or incorrectly.
With my school, you know, I
think that the teachers worked hard,
but, I also think, you know
It was their nine to five
Some of the teachers had just graduated the beauty school program and then become teachers.
And I think with that it was a little difficult to learn from people who had only ever been
so deeply ingrained with the Aveda technique
So once I started to work alongside stylists who had worked in real life and had worked in a salon
both of those experiences were so different
and because I didn't want to become an instructor, I wanted to become a hair stylist,
learning from a hair stylist just meant so much more to me.
So if you can get in a salon
and... learn the basics and the fundamentals
and then apply them in a real life situation, it's going to help you so much more
That's just me, but I beat myself up all the time because I didn't get into a salon until after beauty school.
So with that, you know
even now, my beauty school was Aveda color
and I learned that color line
and now I'm at my salon which is Wella color and I'm still lost to this day because it's just different
The third thing I want to say
and hear me out
before I went to beauty school, I did not know this,
and I feel like, it's a little over my head, and I feel super naive for not understanding this but
different races and ethnicities are going to have different hair textures.
This was something that was hush hush at my school and I never understood why we never dove right into it
But I was really grateful and really thankful enough that my beauty school was on
an Ivy League campus.
There were people from all over the world who would come into my salon,
my school salon, in order to have their hair done.
So right away I was diving into different people's hair
and touching and feeling different textures and
all of this stuff. And I never knew that.
Before going to beauty school, you know, I had been doing my own hair
and I had been doing some of my friends' hair
but more like punk and color.
And I remember there was one night specifically, where I had to do Dominique's hair
and I had no idea what I was doing.
And I felt so bad like I was ruining her hair
and my teacher had to step in and finish the service for me because I felt so completely lost
and I was so afraid to ask for help because I thought I was supposed to know what I was doing
I remember I...
When the whole service was finished my teacher said "Now take a picture for your portfolio!"
And I remember being defiant and saying
I didn't do that! So it's not going to go in my portfolio because I didn't do it.
My teacher said, "take the picture, this was a portfolio assignment."
And I said, "You finished the service, I didn't, and you didn't talk me through it, and I didn't learn anything."
And, unfortunately enough,
a lot of that stuff kind of happened, and I guess depending on where your school is
it could come up a lot. It came up a lot in my salon.
There were definitely clients who refused me because they said I didn't know how to do their hair
and, I think, you know
if my school would have been more vocal about it, or maybe I would have been more vocal about it
I would have been able to learn... more
and touch more hair
and figure out different race and ethnicity and how all that ties together
But- in my struggles
I was able to talk to the women in my class
and everyone in my class was really supportive and really helpful
and if I ever got a client and I was confused and the teachers, you know
were too hush hush they didn't want to talk about it and stir the pot
I was able to talk to my classmates about it.
And the second I was able to talk about it,
I received
feedback.
So, I think
right away, you know, maybe you'll go to a school where they are up front about it
and they talk about it and they say "This is how to do coarse hair...
and this is how to do wavy hair, this is how to do straight hair."
My school wasn't like that.
The DVDs they played were always like the same four white ladies getting their hair done
and I felt like it really put me at a disadvantage.
So, if you go to a salon
you go to your beauty school, learn how to do every type of hair.
Don't ever turn down a client, and don't ever let a client turn you down.
Because I was so shy and nervous that when clients were like "she doesn't know how to do my hair"
I would be like "ok, uh, you're right."
But really I could have did a... that could have been a huge learning experience for me
that I just let walk out the door
So... with that
practice, and do every single type of hair that you can get your hands on
and become multi-faceted in that, in that way, and don't be afraid to ask people questions
If somebody turns you down, or someone doesn't want to help you
the next person might want to
And honestly, there were times when I would ask the client. Like...
Is this what you like, is this what you do at home, is this your preference?
How high do you put the flat iron? Stuff like that.
And, with all that little stuff
I was at, at... I was able to add things to my kit to accommodate different hair types that didn't come with my kit
that I wouldn't have learned without experience
so don't be afraid
to do someone's hair if it's not like yours, because that's what you are going to run into in the real life
and you might as well learn it in beauty school where there is a lot more forgiveness
versus when you are behind the chair.
So my fourth point is, it's ok if you are in beauty school and you don't make any friends.
And I get a lot of questions online about it, like "hey I'm not super social
I'm having a hard time making friends in beauty school, I want to drop out, and...
I have to say, when I went to beauty school, you know, I
in the beginning, I didn't make a ton of friends
and when I was signing up for classes, the administrators warned me that
I was one of the oldest students in my class
so with that I came into school and I was already worried
But, you know, you're going to have to work on communication to become a hair stylst
even if it's the minimum amount
you know, some people message me and be like "hey I'm a bad communicator
I don't like to talk to people
do you think this isn't a good career for me?"
And in that aspect I don't, you know, you'll meet silent stylists who perfect their art
and they don't spend a lot of time talking and that's great too
but you'll have to learn communication in even the smallest aspect in order for that client to at least
sit back in your chair.
I think, beauty school is a place for you to learn
and you can easily become distracted if you're only focusing on making friends and being popular
For me, you know, I didn't make a ton of friends right away
I went to school, it was hard
but I had my support system
and I think having a support system is the best thing that you can have
and it might not be at school
it might not be at home
maybe you start a blog all about your beauty school experience and that's where you let it all out
but there were plenty of times where I came home completely crying and devastated
There were times where I would cry before a client and get a quick
*sobbing sounds* ... hi!
because beauty school was so hard
and of course it helps to have that
that support when you need it
but it's not about making friends, it's about getting your hours
and if you become distracted in class or there's drama
just, rise above it
and take care of yourself
Let your work speak for you, you know, if you are amazing at updos and you can't make any friends
just keep doing updos and maybe someone will come up to you and ask for advice
or maybe they won't.
Photograph your work, put it online. Someone will appreciate it.
But, remember that you are in beauty school to better youself
and to create a career for you
and I can tell you
once my hours were up and I graduated
I only stayed in contact with two of the girls outside of my entire class
I know it's unfortunate and it's a symptom of getting older
but, it is worth keeping in mind
that, if you focus on yourself
you will receive the most of your education
The fifth and final thing I wish I knew in beauty school was
night school.
So when I started, you know, going on my tumblr and telling people I was signing up for beauty school
everyone across the board said go to day school
get it done, get it out of your way
you'll be thankful you did it.
With that, I felt like I was was making such a mistake deciding to go to night school
but once I was in night school, you know
I found my pace, and I found that it was really fulfilling for me.
So depending on your school, you know, you can go to day school, realize you don't like it
and then switch to night school, and you can do the same and switch to day school
you can figure out what works for you
While I was in beauty school, I was a barista at a coffee shop, so...
I would have had no job, if...
I went to day school
So, it was important for me to have a job at the same time as going to beauty school
And you know, I was fatigued, I was cranky
It was hard. I had to support myself because I put myself through beauty school
And night school is what worked for me
And don't let anybody feel guilty about your decision to go to night school if that's what you want
You know, the day school program at my school was nine months, and the night school...
was... I don't --
Even though I like my school didn't give me the proper education that I wanted
and I craved more and I wish I would have learned just one facial
Teach me a facial!
Now that I'm in the salon that I'm in
even though I am a shop apprentice
shop assistant, shampoo girl
I feel like I'm finally witnessing the reality
of salon life, and not the
the make believe, the hype that I thought at school
You know, follow what works for you
Go to salons, go get
you know, your hair done
Before I started working at my salon that I'm currently in
I went there and got my hair done as a civilian
just to see what it would be like
and I swear it's going to be a completely different experience than all the other hair cuts
that you have ever gotten in your life because you are sitting in the chair
as a potential stylist
So, my final words are go get your hair done
go to blow dry bar, go to salons
The first service I ever got at my salon was so much money that I was like "Oh nooooo!"
Do my student loans cover this?
But now I'm so happy that I understood and got to see the real life experience of the salon
Let me know if any of these tips were helpful for you
I have another video where I talk about all the beauty school questions and answers I have ever had.
So I'll link that down below
Hit that subscribe button if you're new here
I... and you can follow me in my journey of post-cosmetology school
and all the other things I offer on this channel.
Give this video a thumbs up if any of these tips helped you.
And, you're going to do great.
Honestly.
If you graduate beauty school and you wash your hands of the entire thing
you learned something so important
you learned a trade, you learned how to do something with your hands
and that is priceless
I love you guys. Take care, and definitely leave your experience in the comments down below
Bye!