Cosmetologist

What is a Cosmetologist?

The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in cosmetologist roles:

• Wash, cut, color, perm, and style hair for men, women, and children
• Perform manicures and pedicures
• Perform spa services like facials, massages, and laser hair removal
• Apply makeup and recommend colors and products that enhance natural beauty
• Recommend and sell hair care, nail care, and skin care products

A Day in the Life

Almost all beauty-related careers require completion of cosmetology school, so cosmetologists are individuals who have been educated in a variety of beauty processes and techniques. Many cosmetologists move into hair styling after graduation, but cosmetologists are not limited to working as hair stylists or barbers. With a degree from a cosmetology school, cosmetologists can qualify to work as nail technicians, makeup artists, hair stylists, and barbers, and they may also provide spa services.

While the basics of all of these techniques are taught in most cosmetology schools, aspiring cosmetologists usually choose an area of focus for their studies and later career. A cosmetologist’s area of focus dictates when he/she will do on a day-to-day basis. Nail technicians clean, cut, file, and polish fingernails and toenails; hair stylists wash, cut, color, perm, and style hair; and makeup artists apply makeup and help individuals choose colors and types of makeup that enhance their natural beauty.

Some cosmetologists also work in spas. Along with their cosmetology training, they choose to study massage therapy, skin care and therapies, and laser hair removal processes. These cosmetologists perform a variety of services as spas, such as massages, facials, microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, blackhead extraction, and many more. In large spas, cosmetologists may rotate to provide a variety of services, filling in or stylists, manicurists, and facial technicians as needed to service customers.

Typical Work Schedule

Most cosmetologists work in salons or at home as independent contractors and set their own working hours. This is a huge part of this career’s appeal…the flexibility of the schedule and ability to make your own hours.  Most actually work through appointments rather than a fixed schedule.  People can thus squeeze in either a full-time or part-time workload based on their needs.  As you build up your client base, you are free to set their appointments according to your schedule. As a result, it is typically a great choice for students to finance their studies, working moms or dads, or adults seeking additional income to improve their income.

Cosmetologists may also be hired as an employee for a business.  In that case, they work around 8 hours per day, but the schedule could be shifted earlier or later during a normal workday depending on hours of operation and your desired schedule. It is also quite common for salons to be open on weekends or at least on Saturdays. So, a typical working pattern for a cosmetologist is to work 6 days weekly.

Projected Job Growth

Cosmetics have grown in popularity and become more important these days. This can be attributed mainly to the influence of heavy marketing and advertising campaigns, and the social media as Instagram and Facebook. This resulted in growing demand for cosmetologists around the world particularly in high income countries. The demand increases as a result of the growing population. Statistics from the BLS show that the demand for cosmetologists will increase by 8% from 2018 to 2028 which is more than the average for other jobs.

Cosmetologist Specializations

• Hair stylists wash, cut, trim, color, perm, and style hair for women, men, and children.
• Barbers wash, cut, trim, color, and style hair for male clientele, and also trim and shape beards.
• Makeup artists apply makeup to clients and help client choose products and colors that enhance their natural beauty.
• Nail technicians perform manicures and pedicures.
• Spa technicians provide massage therapy, facials, and specialized services like microdermabrasion and laser hair removal.

Typical Employers

Cosmetologists can work for salons which can be small businesses with a single branch or a salon chain such as Great Clips, Fantastic Sams, Sport Clips, Supercuts or Cost Cutters. They may also choose to run their own salon or apply for a license to serve people at home. For the most part, cosmetologists are independent contractors whether they work at one of these larger chains or not. As you grow your client base and build a name for yourself, one of the many paths to higher pay is to begin working on celebrities or other high net-worth clients. Celebrity stylists include famous names as David Mallett, Serge Normant, Marie Robinson, Hiro Haraguchi and Tracey Cunningham, are good examples. Stylists can also work for fashion show to prepare the models participating in the show. This usually involves more work as they are asked to prepare many models at the same time.