Hair Journey

I have been relaxing my hair since I can remember. It made my hair far more manageable for my mother. It wasn't all the time but it was often. We even tried hot Combs back in the day. As I got older I continued the tradition and every so often would relax my hair which stopped around age 10.

Baby Picture

• Age 11

A disaster happened to my hair. A friend of a family members came over to do something to help manage my hair. She did not part or section my hair. She didn't wet it or wash it. She didn't detangle it either. She took out a pair of thinning shears and decided to just go to town on my hair even the center of my hair or the crown area where my curls are tighter and more matted. I ended up with 5 or so massive dread locks. I was in tears.

The next day my mom took me to a hair dresser. The stylist told me either I could sit through the process of trying to comb them out our I could just cut them out. At the time my hair was around 8 inches curly and 12 inches straightened. At the age of 11 I didn't want to sit there in pain while she combed them out so I choose the haircut. She cut my hair down to 3 inches long max to get rid of the dread locks.

Before my horrible haircut

• 7th Grade: Age 12-13

After moving to Florida I started getting more haircuts. My stylist cut my hair into a low curly Mohawk. I started 7th grade and was teased endlessly for looking like a boy.

My TWA

• 8th grade: Age 13-14

I grew my hair out all through 8th grade and I was flat ironing it any time I wanted to wear it down. This is the longest I ever remember it getting.

• 9th grade: Age 14-15

During my freshman year I attended a military academy charter school. It was not a disciplinary school to clarify. I had to keep my hair above the collar of my shirt if I wanted to wear it down. So I kept it that length all the time. I also got a short A- symmetrical haircut towards the end of the year.

Military school collar length hair

• 10th grade: Age 15-16

Sophomore year I continued to relax but wore it up more often. I also experimented with micro braids twice. Because of the relaxed hair they wouldn't stay in my hair once my hair became wet or slick. After a week my micro braids that took 14 hours to get in would be on the ground. I remember leaving a clothing store and having a braid fall to the ground behind me. I was horrified.

Sophomore year picture day

• 11th grade: Age 16-17

My hair wasn't budging in length. But I was also never getting haircuts. So my hair was always hovering around the top of my shoulders. Jr year I took a break and wasn't doing the relaxers very often. I did wear my hair straight more than often. I was never using heat protectors or properly maintaining my hair at all.

• 12th grade: Age 17-18

Senior year came along and I started getting more haircuts. My massive amounts of breakage reduced and my hair was professionally relaxed twice. The 2nd time was for my senior prom and graduation.

My Prom Day

My Hair Length Senior Year

• Cosmetology school: Age 18-19

I started hair school 3 weeks after graduating. 8 weeks after my prom relaxer I participated in a class demonstration on July 27th, 2012. They did a relaxer on my hair which turned out great. I decided to go natural officially on August 3rd, 2013. I realized that it had been years since my hair was curly and my hair had been in the same chin to shoulder length bob since freshman year. I definitely needed a change. My first attempt at being natural was to get a sew in which turned out horribly even though you can't tell. That came out within a week. I then tried a twist out which seemed to work well using a french braid. I wear half wigs and do better twist outs lately but I wouldn't have gotten this far without the natural hair community, facebook, YouTube, and my hair school.

From Left: The results of my intro class relaxer, my sew in, my hair after the sew in removal.

My half wig

 ~ I wish you all luck in your own natural hair journey! ~

~"I think that the most important thing a woman can have- next to talent, of course- is her hairdresser"- Joan Crawford~

Cosmetology School 101

I wanted to put together a list of things I wish I knew before starting hair school. I don't want anyone to have to make the same mistakes as me...

Tips...

• Shoes... My first tip would be to buy comfortable shoes. But to not buy expensive shoes like some people might suggest to you. You will be on your feet constantly in this career field. The best shoes i can suggest that are expensive are Crocs. You don't have to get the ugly pair with holes in it (unless that's your style). They have a solid pair that look like what the nurses use which is the pair I have. Don't waste your money on fake Crocs. The fake ones can't beat the real deal!

My Crocs

Want A Cheaper Pair?

• Uniform... Invest in a second pair of pants. Compare prices. Usually your school provides you with a uniform. Mine gave me 2 smocks and one pair of pants. You will need another pair of pants and these usually have to be black scrub pants. Your school may offer a 2nd pair but it'll cost you. Try your local Wal-Mart or GoodWill for a cheap pair. There going to get dirty anyway so don't waste your money on a good pair. I get away with black yoga pants usually if there wide leg. I wouldn't attempt this in your first 12 weeks of school though where you only have one teacher.

After my last relaxer in intro

• Lunch... It is expensive to eat outside of school. Try to pack as often as possible and skip the vending machines. Keep a cooler in your trunk with ice or freezer packs if you crave pop that bad. The quarters add up.

Mmmmm! Boston Market

• Elevator...Lugging your kit around can cause some distress to your back, knees, and hands. Your body is your tool for success in this career. Keep it safe.
• Teachers... Don't judge a teacher right away. I've had more than a few teachers change my mind about them because i judged them or listened to rumors about them. Don't talk badly about your teachers because hair schools are small and that teacher could easily find out. You have to be around your classmates and teachers for a year if you don't like someone then put on a smile and fake it until you make it. You have to suck it up because you never have to see them again after graduation. Also never get attached to a teacher. They will come and go. You might not have the same one for a year. Be open and don't compare teachers. They all can teach you a different way to do the same thing. That's what makes school so amazing.
• Don't Quit... At times hair school can start to lag and become draining. Things get old and irritating. But trust me when i say its not worth it to quit. If you receive financial aid and you quit more than a month into the program then your almost guaranteed to owe money. A year when its over seems like nothing. You don't want to be the student who's taking 3 years to graduate because they stop coming to school.
• Stay Motivated!... I've seen students take all day on one thing because they wanted to socialize and take extra long breaks. No one is going to make you get your services done. Eventually time goes by and you realize that your really behind in doing your services. You don't want to be left after your class graduates on time without you.
• Family... Rely on any support you have while being in school. Don't move out on your own just because you can or want to. While your in school try to save as much money as possible.

My mom and I

• MINE!... Label or mark everything you have. Your possessions can easily be misplaced  stolen, thrown away, or forgotten. Put your initials and name on everything in a discreet place.
• Book Work... Do your book work. Don't leave questions blank. You cant graduate without it being done. Move ahead in the chapters as often as possible. Learn how to skim and how to abbreviate things. Find the shortest route to your destination.

• The Case... Don't try to use your own case for a year. They're usually broken by the 3rd month. They tend to be clunky as well. I suggest a piece of luggage with wheels. A rolling duffel is what I use. Get something dark colored. It will get dirty.

• Money... Don't be afraid to spend the money to improve your case or personal collection. While in hair school you can claim everything on your taxes that has to do with school. Anything you buy from lunch to shoes to a comb. Your gas and hair products can be claimed to. Keep a record of everything you buy.
• Laundry... The dryer is your best friend to freshen up your scrubs. Some smocks may shrink in the dryer so pay attention to washing instructions. I've never had issues with shrinkage and I do put them in the dryer. Put you're scrub pants in the dryer inside out to reduce that layer of white fuzz that its attracted to the fabric.
• Personal Image... Most girls start out coming to hair school with there hair and makeup completely done. This wears off quickly! Don't kill yourself to look amazing every time you go to school. Just try to look fresh faced and polished. Make sure to keep gum around in case you go on a lunch break or drink coffee in the morning. If you smoke cigarettes then make sure to keep a light body spray like Dove to go in your purse. You will be in your clients personal space while draping, shampooing, and cutting their bangs. They will easily be able to smell any smoke on your clothing or breath. Remember a great smile goes a long way.
• Keep Track... Keep a copy of everything you do. Never rely on your school to completely keep track of everything you do including your services. Below you'll see a day log of all the service I completed in the given day at hair school. I even write down what I've done to my clients. Sometimes the computer will not record everything you've done to that client. I make sure to get everything signed off at the end of the day for future reference. If I ever need to dispute with the school on what they have on file I can always show proof. It would be horrible not to get credit for what you've done.

• Ask Questions... Never be afraid to ask questions. I've never had anyone shoot me down for being curious about something. Take advantage of the time you have with your instructors.
• Enjoy It... Make hair school fit into your life by making it something you enjoy. Try to find something in your daily routine at hair school that makes you look forward to going. This month I challenged myself to learn 3 braids and I mastered two by the 15th. Don't take it to seriously but don't waste the time your paying for either.

My School

I love going to cosmetology school but sometimes things can get rough. I'm not telling you its going to be easy, I'm telling you its going to be worth it!

Whats In My Bag?

The best part of starting a cosmetology program has to be the first day when you get to open your kit for the first time. If you have any kind of love for the industry then your eyes will grow twice the size when you see everything you get. Now your school may be different but at mine a company put together our kits and ships them to the school for distribution. If you want more info on going to >>Cosmetology School<< check out This Post!



The Stanley case is what they give us.
I bought my rolling duffel bag from Bealls on sale for $20!

The kit is what gets you through hair school and it includes 2 grand worth of stuff and has almost everything you'll need.

Bealls Stores

Included In Mine:

• Mannequin Heads (3): Some people name theirs. Don't get to attached because eventually they will end up with no hair and you'll move on to the next one.
• Shampoo Cape: Has a Velcro closure. Water resistant and comes in every color or pattern out there.
• Styling Cape: Has a button closure. Great for cutting hair or performing chemical services.

Style Cape... Shampoo Cape

• Butterfly Clips (12): To securely hold large sections of hair back.
• Pelican Clips (7): Great for holding foils out of the way or small sections of hair.

Butterfly Clips Up Top
Pelican Clips At Bottom

• Cutting Combs (12): Multi-purpose combs with inch measurement on it. Used to cut hair with.
• Rat Tail Combs (12): Use to section the hair.
• Teasing Comb: Used to tease the hair and backcomb or pickup hair styles with the pick on the end.
• Barber Comb: Fantastic for taper cuts on both sexes.
• Foil Comb: For placing foil in the hair and sectioning hair. 
• Carbon Combs (6): Heat resistant pack of combs great when used with thermal (heat) styling.
• Pick: Rarely something i use but can be used to pick out curly hair after a perm or thick coarse hair.

Up top is my pack of multi sized carbon combs.
From left: Wide tooth comb, pick, cutting comb, teasing comb, barber comb, rat tail comb, foil comb (bottom)

• Small Round Ion Ceramic Brush: Changes colors when hot. Can be used for short fine- medium length hair. For longer hair use smaller sections. Adds great volume.
• Large Round Ion Ceramic Brush: Great for fine to medium long hair. Can create large amounts of volume in the hair depending on blow drying technique. 
• Large Coarse Hair Round Brush: Perfect for blow drying and stretching thick, curly, wiry, coarse hair.
• Paddle Brush: Can be used to brush out wet tangled hair or style dry hair. I use it to blow dry hair flat and smooth with no curve.
• Boar Bristle Brush: Perfect for smoothing out styles in the hair or loosening up skin, dandruff, and product build up from the scalp. I spray hairspray on the bristles and run the brush over my style to finish.
• Vent Brush: Useful tool in blow drying hair quickly and efficiently. 

From Left: Paddle brush, coarse hair round brush, large round brush, small round brush, vent brush, boar bristle brush.

• Water Bottle: It will break or warp/melt. Do not leave in the heat or in the bottom of your kit. Empty before placing it in your case no matter what. Never assume it wont leak.

• Blow Dryer w/ Concentrator: Used to dry and stretch the hair or add volume. Can be used with a range of accessories like a concentrator or a diffuser. A concentrator sends the air flow to a specific part of the hair focusing the heat in that one spot. A diffuser is needed when styling curly hair. It sets in the natural curl pattern of the heat while reducing frizz and adding volume. 
• Flat Iron: They come in all shapes and sizes but yours will probably be a standard 1 inch. Used to straighten the hair.
• Small Curling Iron: The best tool for spiral long cascading curls. Great for up do hairstyles or special events. 
• Large Curling Iron: Best for barrel curls or volume rich full curls.

Heat Tools

• Tint Bottles (2): A standard color bottle but on mine the tip is at an angle to make application of color easier. You shouldn't use this for color or grey retouches.
• Tint Bowl: Not just for color. You can use this bowl to hold conditioner or clips. 
• Tint/Color Brush (2-4): Multi- purpose and used to apply color, conditioner, relaxer, etc. you can use the end to section off the hair also.
• Color Gloves: Usually these will be a thicker rubber. Your school should have disposable gloves. Use those if you can because you can throw those away instead of wasting your own and then adding powder to them.

• Shears: I received a set of shears to use on my mannequin. It contained a pair of thinning shears and a pair of regular shears. In my 2nd 6 weeks at school I received my Kasho shear set containing a razor, thinning shear, and a regular shear. With the Kasho shears I was given a satchel and a case for the shears. I don't wear it but I do keep my shears in it.

From Left: Razor, Kasho shears, Kasho texturizing shears, mannequin shears, mannequin texturizing shears.

 

• Clippers: I was given a box with a trimmer and a regular clipper. These came with guards in various sizes. I use these on my male clientele or women with short hair styles.

• Mirror: My mirror came in bubble wrap and i kept it inside of the bubble wrap which is the only reason it didn't break until I was out of my first 12 weeks. I couldn't find one student with their original mirror. It never fails to crack so I did not replace this item because at my school the front desk keeps one for just this reason.

Original Mirror

• First Aid Kit: I put this kit together and everyone should have one. The school supplied me with the tweezers to tweeze clients after they've been waxed and the timer that came with a dead battery. I never use the timer.



Contains:  Gauze, tape, timer, tweezers, bandaids, Neosporin, alcohol wipe, and medicine.

I promise you will have to and want to add things to your kit. You can take these items off of your taxes at the end of the year. Some items could break or become misplaced. I love shopping for things to add to my case and I look at it as an investment for my future!



My School!

 

"Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I'm Just a girl who wishes for the world." ~Marilyn Monroe

 

Other Great Blogs...

Cosmetology School

Cosmetology School 101

Hair Journey

 



Cosmetology School

Hair school, cosmetology school, or beauty school no matter what you call it it's a great option for men and women to have other than the standard 2-4 years of college. There are a few differences between going to hair school and going to a regular college or university...



...

• Time... College can take from 2-10 years. Cosmetology programs last for 1-2 years.

• Vacation... In college you get a break for Christmas, Thanksgiving, spring, and summer. In hair school you only get a few days for breaks because of the length of the program but it all depends on the institute where your taking your program.

• Attendance... In college you get to chose when you go to your classes. With cosmetology school you come 3-5 days/week. You  usually get a choice of 3 sets of classes to chose from if you go to a private school. They could offer 2 sets of day classes and 1 set of night classes. I start at 8:30 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays.

• Choices... When you think about college you have a bunch of options and the same goes for a cosmetology program. You can go to a technical school or a vocational school offering the program. Some community colleges and high schools offer the program too. There is also the option to go to a private school like I do that offers only beauty industry based programs. Some common private schools are Paul Mitchell and The Aveda Institute. 

Paul Mitchell
Aveda Institute

• Degree V.S License.... In college you get a degree but in beauty school you get a license stating you completed the requirements to legally perform the services you've learned in school. That license allows you to do that skill in the state that you received it in only. If you want to legally do that skill in another state you need to transfer your license to that place or go back to school and complete that states requirements to get the license again. I recommend transferring your license!

• Credits V.S Hours... In college you take specific classes to gain credits towards your degree. In Cosmetology school you go to school for a specific amount of hours to gain your license. Every state has different requirements for graduating hair school. I've posted a link below.

Beauty school hour requirements by state.

•  Cost... College can cost between $35,000 and $130,000 for 4 years. While a program in the beauty industry for hair can cost between $6,500 and $20,000 depending on the type of school and length of program. You can usually get great financial aid for beauty school programs when you go to an accredited school.

 Question on accredited cosmetology schools?

• Requirements... Most colleges require a certain amount of credits earned from a certain range of classes. These classes give you requirements to earn the credit. In the beauty industry your required to come to school and spend hours of your time learning the skill. The state has a number of required services you must complete in the time you are at hair school. For instance I have to complete 100 shampoos to graduate. Also you must be 17 years or older and have a high school degree to start a cosmetology license as of 2012. After graduating school you then must take a written exam and a practical exam to gain your license. In Florida we are not required to take a practical or hands on exam where we physically do the services we've learned.

• Curriculum... In college the curriculum depends on the class you take and what is required for it. In the beauty industry you learn most of what you need to know in the first 12 weeks of school. After that you spend your time perfecting those skills. The class will likely follow a timeline for when to teach you things set up by the school you go to. There job is to teach you what you need to know in order to receive your license. In a cosmetology program you receive workbooks that you fill out completely in order to graduate. You also take test on these chapters and receive a grade for them that progresses you towards getting your license.

• Diversity... In college you have both sexes and depending on the school you chose you'll see a diverse amount of people roaming around.You'll see hundreds to thousands of students per college depending on its size and location. In cosmetology school there are more women than men and you see a larger gay community within the industry. Class sizes are smaller and more intimate with smaller student bodies in the school. You may also experience more personal one on one time with your teachers in beauty school.

• Food... In college you eat between classes and usually there are restaurants or fast food places on or around campus. With cosmo school you get a lunch break at a specific time and you either pack a lunch or go out to eat. This break is usually 30 minutes to 1 hour. That depends on how many hours you go to school a day. I go to school for 8 hours and 45 minutes including my 45 minute lunch break. The night students are only at school for 4 hours so they don't receive a lunch break.

• Living Arrangement's... In college you can live on campus but when your in a hair program you live off of campus and these schools never really offer housing because the program isn't that long. 

• Job Opportunitiess... After receiving your license you can work almost immediately if you can land a job. When you graduate from college usually you start at the bottom of your field and you fight your way to the top. It could take years to be at the pay scale you want if you can even find a job to begin with in your career field.

• Activities... Usually on a college campus there are clubs, sports, sororities, and parties to go to. When you go to hair school you have the opportunity to participate in events and jobs the school is involved in. My school offers competitions all the time to win baskets full of awesome stuff and money or gift cards. We had a competition to win an internship with Michael Kors in New York City. We have a design team that worked on ZombiCon this year and a competition team that goes to the hair show for free to compete against known stylist. You also have the opportunity to receive extra awards for attendance, grades, and doing excess services! Take advantage of your time in hair school.

ZombiCon 2012

Whatever you chose to do put serious thought into it before committing. Furthering your education is an investment in yourself. Your future can't be determined by anyone but you!

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school" ~ Albert Einstein 

Other Great Blogs...
Natural Curly Hair Routine
Transitioning Hair Regimen
Beauty Benefits Of Coconut Oil