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If you ask a lot of young kids what they want to do when they grow up, you might be surprised to see that hairdressing is up there. It’s easy to see why this career choice is so appealing. It’s a great way to make people feel good about themselves and to make difference to their lives. It’s also a way to develop creative and technical skills.
You can take it to high levels as well and with experience you can enter into competitions, or work with elite clients, thus making it an interesting career path to take. Of course there are certain qualities that really suit the profession and you will need adequate training. Here is some advice on how to become a hairdresser.
Skills
You will be working with the local community everyday so people skills are essential. You will need to have a friendly manner and good customer service. An interest in fashion and trends is also fundamental as it’s your job to give advice on these. An artistic and creative flair is also very important, often your clients will ask you to almost design their haircut or style for them. You will need to have a good eye for color and a feel for texture. It’s important to have an eye for detail as well.
A willingness to learn is vital as you will be constantly studying new tricks of the trade and trends. A general awareness of health and safety is also desirable, particularly with infections or illnesses that good affect the hair and scalp, not to mention the dangers of certain chemicals that you will use on the job.
Training
Whereas enthusiasm and key personal skills are important, you will still need to train sufficiently. You could either train on the job, or better yet enroll in barber school or a hair dressing, or beauty academy. You can choose to study an apprenticeship, NVQ or even a foundation degree or equivalent qualification. An apprenticeship allows you to work on the job but can take a few years.
If you enroll into a college you will get more thorough and complete training. You need to choose the route that best suits you. Throughout your career you will have the opportunity to train alongside more prestigious brands and names so it’s often who you know and how much you choose to progress.
Responsibilities
A typical day will involve washing, drying, cutting, colouring and styling, and perhaps some administration. It’s up to you if you decide to work in a salon or freelance. Many hairdressers or barbers prefer to work freelance and rent out a part of a salon to use for some of the time. The rest of their hours could be made up of house visits for example. The good thing is you’ll have the flexibility of doing both.
A career in hairdressing is not only flexible and a fun way to make people’s lives better, but can lead towards bigger things such as stage make-up and costume!
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