15 Basics You Need to Know Before Starting Your Salon Career

We asked salon industry educators, seasoned beauty professionals and a few beauty school leaders with real-world experience to speak up about other qualities that can nurture a fledgling salon professional and help them make a name for themselves.

Male Sculpting: Practice Makes Perfect, Right?!

My class at Pivot Point International is nearing the end of Phase 1. In other words, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh man, we hit the salon floor, taking real live clients, in just a few weeks. I am so freaked out. Luckily I have a lot of awesome people in my life who have been great (and very, very brave) for letting me practice on them. More on that later. As my class continues to improve upon our skills in sculpting the basic forms by adding advanced sculpting techniques, we’ve started to sprinkle in male client design techniques as well.

Color, Color, Color, Chameleon

We are just movin’ right along! We’re all done with color now—and wow, my brain feels like mush. I absolutely love color—so much!—but it’s ridiculous how much chemistry and math is involved in color theory.

Beauty school students compete in Illinois

Hundreds of student competitors representing more than 20 Illinois beauty schools schools, including Pivot Point International, competed in a statewide hairstyle competition.

My Chemical Romance: Beauty School Diary

In our 11th week of beauty school at Pivot Point, we’re diving head first into chemicals—and loving it! Watching the texture transform before my eyes is so cool—a chemical service can completely alter the overall look of a client.

Head Case

I'm wrapping up my fourth week into beauty school—whew! Everyone told me it would be hard work, but no one said it would be SO. MUCH. FUN!

Salon Job Search Dos and Don’ts

Congratulations! You’ve made it through school. Now here comes the hard part—finding your first job.

How to choose the right salon for your first salon job

Industry icon Vivienne Mackinder offers new cosmetologists advice on choosing a salon that will keep you motivated.

Making the connection with your salon client

"The most important skill they never taught you in beauty school was how to deal with the many different personalities you come into contact with daily," says the author of the book, As the Chair Turns. Find out what you're already doing that keeps good clients coming back and learn how to get even more to return time and again.