I’m not a student, but I am dealing with my first ever client that is freshly done with chemo, and she is asking for help with her hair. She said she’s done some research and everything she found said her hair would be really baby fine and fragile so she needed to be very careful with it and probably should avoid dying it or using any heat. That said, her hair is growing incredibly slow, and is only about an inch and a half to two inches long, and is coming back gray. It is fine, but she has always had fine hair so I don’t see too much of a difference there. Anyways, she is used to being blonde and is wanting to know when she can dye her hair again and what products she should use to help it along, and like I said earlier this is my first time working with post chemo hair. I don’t know much about it or have any tips for her other than maybe a pomade to help keep it from standing up. Does anyone have any advice? Or know a website or something where I can do some research for her?

Hey all! I have an array of disorders that all love to come together and cause syncope episodes! (basically, I faint every day for a laundry list of reasons) Are specific accommodations such as time in between clients, more breaks, and having assistance with certain services so I can finish in time asking for too much? Im nervous to ask and I havent been able to finish the program yet due to these episodes. I know I just need a certain kind of work environment and id flourish but the way the school is built isnt sustainable at times for my disabilities.

I’ve been kind of worried about starting cosmetology school because from what I’ve seen it’s hard to make a career out of it and it’s very difficult to get started. I have been working in an industrial job for a few months and it made me realize I want to do something I can be good at and be able to interact with people I love the idea of being able to do hair stuff for a living I’m just kind of worried about the reality of living off of it.

Any advice or input at all would be helpful. thank you!

Her before & after!

pink chunky highlights

I don't know if this is the correct sub but I had to do a chemical peel for my facial class and now a week later it is just so irritated and itchy. I understand that the skin will be irritated because of cell turnover but is there any way to soothe it?

My teacher gave me 55% because I have acne scarring but I think that may not have been smart.. 😬

Hey everyone! I am newly qualified and wanting to use promade lashes for my lash sets. I am just wondering where to get the best promade lashes from and how you found using them? Thank you in advance xx

I dont know what to do. I love hair, I love cosmetology, and going to this school has introduced me to amazing people and has genuinely got me out of my shell.

However,

I honestly dont think I am mature enough or mentally healthy enough for this. I am trying to tough through it, but Im finding it harder and harder to do so. I am drinking more, being somewhat unfunctional the next day. Missing school or having to leave because my hangovers make me sweaty and nauseous. And standing up makes it so mich worse.

Constant anxiety, and my tolerance threshold for things have decreased a lot. For example, I cant fucking braid. All I have to do before leveling up is braiding, and I am severly struggling with it. My instructors dont care, and will really quickly show me how and leave. But I see the movements, I comprehend Dutch is under rather then over. But somehow it always turns into a deformed looking French braid. I literally pulled my manikin hair so hard undoing this shitty braid, it fell on the floor, and I just put it on my station and left. I went outside and threw my keys across the driveway. Last week I destroyed a brush I had dropped on the floor all because I had a somewhat bad interaction, plus the anxiety of doing a perm.

Everyday is turning into dread. Dread I am going to get a weave, a perm, basically any service but a haircut. (Which is the only thing I am confident in) All the other services take a long time, and I simply do not want to be around people that long. I dont like being tethered to a long service I dont want to do. I hate it.

I dread everyday. So now I am debating if I should say fuck it and drop out, despite being 3/4th done with the entire program. I dont see a future for me. I dont want to care anymore. I am simply so *tired*

Last pic is my natural color

I dont even know how many places i applied too and i even went into salons and gave them my resume! I have my cosmetology license but the thing is i have no experience so everyone rejects me. But how am i supposed to get experience if no one is gonna hire me because they “require” experience. And also every interview i went to for a salon they either ghost me afterwards so i get no response or they say they picked someone else because they have more experience then me. Its making me give up and i kinda have been giving up im not gonna lie i dont know what to do anymore because i live in a small town about 20 mins from hershey park pa and ive been applying all over like lancaster harrisburg mounty joy anywhere i dont care the drive but i might honestly just have to continue my career maybe when i move or something. Because i am honestly thinking about going to college since i didnt go to get my cosmo license but Atleast a nursing degree in college will give me options. I think the problem is they are hiring but are looking for people that have 3+ years of experience but im just trying to get my foot in the door honestly its so hard to keep going anymore.

I graduated last October. Started at this amazing salon that’s well known in the community, I initially wanted to go in for hair and then I ended up doing nails because they really needed a nail tech. We do simple manis and pedis with Dazzle Dry. I definitely had a learning curve I had to get around, but once I got on the other side of it, I was booked and busy. I barely even had time to eat lunch but I really enjoyed being busy. I had regulars and worked full time. Part of this success was that one of my coworkers was on maternity leave.

Then, around March, she came back and then for whatever reason my boss hired another nail tech that also does facials. Ever since this happened, I’ve been booked far less with appointments. I’m not blaming this on my coworkers as I love them dearly, but I’m beginning to wonder why I’m not being booked nearly as much. I’m getting some days with 2 or less appointments for a whole shift. That’s been unheard of for me since I began. And typically my boss will sit down and discuss with me any complaints that I may get, so by now I would’ve heard if there were complaints.

It feels like there’s also a model set up to where people will book with whoever is just available, so some of who used to be my regulars are dissipating to others. My supervisor even told me it’s abnormal for business to be slow for us, but that she’s heard nothing about me doing anything wrong. I’m the only one with gaps this big out of anyone. I do my best to be a good nail tech, I try to dress nice, wear appropriate makeup, and be as professional as I can. I post on social media often as well following certain trends to boost my business. But I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m really in a slump. I’m doing all that I can.

I’ve asked my boss to help me try to do other services like waxing and bridal event makeup and she’s open to me expanding my menu. If they weren’t full with hairstylists, I’d just go back to hair.

My wife works at a salon and is in need of new clippers and shears. Her birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to get. What would y’all recommend for her? She does full service including men’s cuts.

hi! anyone finish school and end up doing more than just hair? Like lashes and hair or nails and hair or all 3? Is it manageable or would this be too much to do? I love so many things like hair, makeup, nails, and lashes but would I be delusional to attempt to do it all?😅

hey everyone, im looking for advice asap as i have to make a choice within the next 3-4 hours. i recently became licensed as of last week, and am looking to jumpstart my career. to do so ive been mass applying to salons in my area, with the choice being narrowed down to two: a corporate salon (tricoci), or a locally owned chain. they each have pros and cons- tricoci i would start out as an assistant and move up to a senior assistant within the next few months, before being able to apply for a stylist specific training program around month 7. they are offering be 45 cents above minimum wage, with an increase at each next level. as a senior salon assistant id be working as an assistant for one educator stylist, which would definitely give me a lot more knowledge and a bit of hands on experience. tricoci is also such a huge name in the industry which is definitely a plus. the major con to this is purely reviews of previous employees and students- a lot of people seem to dislike working there which scares me but the reviews i can find are 2 or more years old so maybe its different now :,)

the locally owned chain of salons is 3 locations that id be going between to work as an assistant, but i would start an education program right away as well. the estimated timeline for finishing the education program there is 11 months to 1.5 years, its mostly self guided on timeline by how much you hustle to get models to "test out" of each technique and be graded on it by the salon standards. they are offering minimum wage with the opportunity for being tipped out by the stylists if you help them enough. the major cons are finding enough models (we need to test out of each thing with 3-6 models per thing) the pay being slightly less with no guaranteed pay increase soon, and it can be more overwhelming as there is less assistants on the floor at once.

at both, there is people willing to offer me support; at tricoci the manager said that he would be on top of making sure that im on the right track to support my goals and has even offered me extra time to sign the job offer (on day 4 since it was given, with a 2 day limit on being able to sign). at the locally owned chain, i have a friend who works there that said she would offer me as much support as i need and the owner of the salon said that she focuses a lot on making sure the assistants in the program feel supported. i previously worked at a local chain as an assistant, and the owner was very simlar in saying things like that, yet never gave me an ounce of support, which may be part of whats making me hesitant. walking into the interview at the locally owned chain today i believed it would be my top choice, but when i walked out part of me was screaming to go to tricoci instead.

this is just such a major thing for me to make a choice on that im terrified of making the wrong one. any and all advice and experiences would be super appreciated. thank you so much in advance <3

Hi! I have really dry and damaged hair from bleaching and dyeing it, so I'm wondering how often I should be using my hair mask?

(I am using the Jasmine and Henna hair mask from Lush for context!)

So I was recently laid off from my corporate America job, and am switching career paths. I’m 37m no kids, all my debt will be paid, and I’ll be going to school full time. Financially I am set while getting through school, and can dip into other funds if needed.

My question is what advice do you have? My partner’s mom has been in the field for like 30+ years and owns her own salon, so I have a great mentor and support system. I’ll be working there while in school as front desk shampoo etc.

It’s a huge difference when it comes to careers and I know there will be pain points (like standing on my feet all day). I am ready to learn as much as I can and continue to grow.

I have a good idea of what I am getting myself into and realize it will take quite some time before being established and have come to terms with that.

I was wondering if there are any nail schools in nyc that you guys have faith in? I want to learn how to do nails but don't know where to start since i'm a beginner at everything. Any help or suggestions?

i’ve been doing my own nails at home for two years or so now. i’ve been buying clear press ons and just using gel. recently, i’ve started looking into getting my nail tech license. it’s something i’ve really thought about, have talked to a few different schools, and have been taking to my husband about doing it. however, my fear is i’m not good enough. here are a couple of my more recent sets.

i know school isn’t just about nails, but also the business and sanitation aspects as well. any and all advice is welcome.

I completed a wig styling course but want to practice on mannequins instead of my own wigs. I was wondering if you guys know of mannequins that have thicker hair similar to Sary or Irene wigs. Below is a link for Irene Wigs.

https://www.ireneswigs.com/

So I recently shadowed at 2 salons and I'm confused on what to do after. The first salon told me straight up they weren't currently looking for apprenticeships at the moment but encouraged me to still come in and shadow so they could consider me in the future. I talked to the owners and shadowed for about 6hrs, there was no formal interview or anything and when I was ready to leave I just left (as they kept signaling that if I'm ready to leave I can just go whenever).

The second salon however never said officially if they are taking apprenticeships currently and I went in for about 3 hours, the amount of time they suggested. There was no interview either and I left when I was ready to leave without really talking to anyone about anything to do with the next step in the process. This was probably an oversight on my part but I wasn't feeling well that day and REALLY needed to get out of there before I became ill lol

The 2nd salon knew I was leaving because I was at the front desk chatting and they asked me if I was heading out so I didn't just dip. Now I'm about 2 days out and worrying if I missed something or did something wrong because NOWHERE covers what exactly this process is supposed to be like step by step. Everyone just says "shadow a salon" like okay I have now what?

Do I wait for them to reach out? Do I reach out? I am planning on emailing the 2nd salon because I really did love it (and it's really my only choice around where I live) but I'm not sure what exactly to say? Am I supposed to say I'm interested and ask to set up an interview or just say I'm interested and loved shadowing the salon and wait for a response back?

Any advice appreciated thank youu!

Edit: Nobody is answering my questions, you're all just stating your opinions about shadowing which is fine but I don't care? I'm asking for help because I'm new and don't know HOW to pursue a career. School didn't cover it, online isn't helpful, and I don't personally know any stylists to ask. Why comment "You need to pursue jobs" when I actively am asking HOW to? I don't care if you don't like shadowing or anything like that, I've already done it so I can't change that I'm asking WHAT TO DO NEXT.

I know I just asked a question but I have another one!! Okay for client 2 it is perm, highlight, relaxer, and color. I have all of that in my client #2 bag. Butttttt…. After each service do I put all my supplies away? For example: when I’m done with the perm….do I need to put away my waving lotion bottle and combs I used before moving onto the highlight section? Or when I’m done with the highlight part , so I get rid of that color bowl and everything before I move to the relaxer part? Or do I need to keep everything out until I’m completely done with that client? Sorry if this is a dumb question. I’m autistic so I do things so literally sometimes 😭

I built a free web app with practice questions for the California manicurist licensing exam. I did it as a side project, so no cost, no account or login needed.

A couple of things: the questions are weighted to match the exam's April 2026 content update, and while it's built for the CA manicurist exam specifically, the format might be useful more broadly for others studying cosmetology material.

Here's the app if you want to take a look first: https://sbbr-cosmo.vercel.app

I'd really appreciate any feedback if you give it a try!

Hi! I'm 39 and decided to take the plunge to finally go to cosmetology school. I am in Indianapolis.

It's not my first rodeo with a beauty industry education (went to Aveda Fredric's Institute for esthetics in 2007), nor is it my second rodeo for a for profit education (hello, Art Institutes Culinary program), nor is it my third rodeo going back to school older (did an electrical engineering technology associate's degree during COVID through community college).

This is, however, the first time I've really come up against a choice for where to go. Most of my previous choices felt obvious, but now I'm set to choose between Paul Mitchell and Empire. There is also Aveda and Tricoci relatively close, but I'd rather not commute.

I've had tours with both locations, and I'm left at a very lukewarm whelmed feeling when I consider everything. Regarding my tours, Empire and its facilities exceeded my expectations, whereas PM felt rushed for how long in advance I had to book my tour. The facilities at PM were pretty nice, but I didn't get a chance to see the inside of any of the classrooms or what facilities were part of the educational rooms vs. the floor.

I fully understand that school is pretty much there to get me through licensing, but I'd love some input on either school, the methods they use and how they translate to further education outside of school, etc. Thanks!! <3

How are we getting our cold curls to stay for the exam? I can’t plug my iron in for my test. And my mannequins hair is so long that it will barely hold. So do I do smaller curls with a lot of hairspray? Also do I brush the curls out ? Help!!